Evening star., 1943-11-26
Work Permits Issued
To Students Increase
$50 Pei. in Two Years
D. G. Youths Hold Variety
Of Jobs in Government
And Private Business

The Districts teen-age children
are accepting jobs in industry in
ever increasing numbers. Work
permits issued to juveniles show a
$50 per cent increase over i941, and
school ofdcials here frankly admit
they are disturbed over the situa.
ton.
Thousands Of youngsters from Il
to II years old are accepting war
time jobs. As a result the enroll
ment in public senior high schools
here shows drop of 563 students
from last year. The vast majority
OF employed students. .however-and
this includes girls as we'll as boys
work after school at assorted Jobs.
Positions filled by teen-asers.
aside from those in the Government.
include clerical jobs, retail selling.
laundry, theater, recreational work
and personal services.
25,319 Permits Issued.
A total Of 25,319 working permits
has been issued this year to teen
ayers applying at the Franklin
School. This compares with 1929
permits issued last year and $3.50
the previous year. Only 1900
youngsters applied for permits in
1910.
Oficials are divided in their opin-
ions as to the merits of juvenile en-
ployment.
Mrs. Alice Sheldon, director of tho
Department of School Attendance
and Work Permits, said today she
saw nothing wrong in youths going
to work
They are paid good wages and are
helping the war effort by replacing
ADULTS in many types of jobs,' she
said. Besides" she added, many Of
them, especially boys, are building
Tor the future by saving their money
for college or are learning a trade"
Some Work Eight Hours.
Expressing an opposite opinion,
DR.. Chester w. Holmes, assistant
superintendent of schools, said many
children were working as many as
six hours a day after school. In
some cases they work eight hours,
which is the maximum provided by
law.
Their health and studies suffer
as result" he said. But we can't
do anything about it, If the parents
approve of it, we can't stop them
He said he had received reports of
children falling asleep in classes,
presumably from fatigue Many
children will be forced to drop out
OF school if they keep it up" he said.
In an attempt to channel children
into work where they can aid the
war effort, school officials here SUBJ
mitted a plan to Fred z. Hetzel,
VINO area director
Under the plan which Mr.. Hetzel
has approved, the students would
work part time, and the total num-
Der OF hours of school and extra
work would not exceed nine. The
students would be placed only in ac-
cordance with war needs as recon-
mended by the United States EN-
ployment Service.
| District law provides that chill
dren under l8 must secure a permit
in order to work. Those in the l4-to-
is age group can work only outside
of school hours between am. and
u pm. This latter group must also
pass physical examination.
Employees in the permit Issuing
department are literally swamped
by youthful applicants. One day
last month 27l applied for working
permits. Some of the job-seekers
come from Virginia and the Caro-
linas and were lured here by high
wages.
Some Earn Good Wages.
why, some of these children are
making as much as 1 am" a social
worker said. In some instances-and
this excludes Government jobs
teen-agers are earning s35 and $40
a week. the social worker said.
Children from prosperous homes
as we'll as those from poor homes
are taking jobs. Mrs. Louise S. Eek
ert. in charge OF the work permit
department, said today.
In many instances the children
don't have to work. and we try to
discourage them from taking jobs"
she said.
She said her department had not
been given additional personnel to
meet the growing demands for per-
Inits.