Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-08-06
Boy Assumes Identity
OF Friend 10 Evade
Job Age Rule
Employees Phone Call
To Borrowed Family
Reveals Hoax

Inc tale OF BOY euOrt 10 assume
the identity of a friend to get a
job he otherwise would have been
too young to have was told yes
terday by an official of the work
permits section of the public schools.
The youth. it was said, used his
pals birth certificate to obtain a
work permit. giving his friends
name, address and family as his
own.
Discovery of the mistaken iden-
tity grew out of a phone call by
the employer to the address given
by the boy. The lad, 1t seems, had
worked temporarily and was to be
recalled for some more work.
A relative of the friend answered
the phone and told the astonished
employer that the boy he was seek
ing had never worked for him be-
fore
isn't his name -" asked the
employer. The relative replied in
the affirmative.
Isn't his fathers name -" he
pursued. Yes, that was the name of
the parent.
Punishment Follows.
The physical description of the
friend by the relative, however, failed
to jibe with the employers recol-
lection of the lad he had hired.
He consulted a child labor inspec-
tor in the work permits Office. IN
fortunately for the perpetrator of
the hoax, he had some pay coming
to him. When he arrived to collect
it ne was confronted with the sit
uation and admitted all. Punish
ment followed from papa.
The moral of the incident-you
can fool some Of the people some
of the time but not a child labor
inspector for long
More than 5000 work permits
have been issued to children under
10 during the year ending last June
They are required under the Child
Labor Act regulating the hours and
conditions under which children OF
various ages may work. To obtain
a permit a boy or girl must have
completed the eighth grade and be
IA, although street trade badges fol
newshawking and grocery delivery
can be had at the age of IL. More
boys have taken out permits than
girls.
Naturally, the birth certificate Is
the biggest piece of evidence anc
employees of the department issuing
the licenses see birth certificates
from all parts of the country ano
beyond, not to mention passports.
$500 Over-Age Permits.
In addition to the 5000 permits
issued to persons up to 18 years Of
age, more than 1890 average per.
mits were issued during the same
period. These are required by many
department stores, chain stores anc
restaurants as protection against
misrepresentation of age by an ap-
plicant for position.
Mrs. Dorothy Finn Sacks, an in.
spector for the work permits section
said many requests for over-age per.
mits are sent in by mail from distant
parts of the country by persons com.
d. ing here to work and knowing ir
advance such certificates would be
required.
Meanwhile, other employees of thu
attendance department were con-
tinuing with the annual school cen.
sus. More than $4,000 persons hav.
been questioned in the area aroune
the Gordon and Deal Junior High
Schools in the Northwest, the Hin,
Junior High in the Southeast ant
the Jefferson Junior High in thu
Southwest. The workers are cover
ing the territory around the Mac
farland Junior High School and ex
pect within the next few days to b.
in the area of the Paul Junior Higl
still further north.