CARELESS PEOPLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20454, 4 January 1930, Page 2 (Supplement)

CARELESS PEOPLE.

BIRTH REGISTRATIONS.

astonishing mistakes

Parents are so careless at birth registrations! "A special Error Department is constantly kept busy here with unbelievable inaccuracies in that solemn document —tho birth certificate," said an official at Somerset llouso in discussing tho case of a Hampshire boy who was officially described as " sex—female. ■ " Dale, age, parents, parish—all these are wrongly furnished many times a month, but an error like tho dcsciiption of a boy as a girl only crops up about twice a year on tho average. The actual ways in which this: mistake is made are often amusing.

" In one case I recall, a. proud mother went to (lie registrar's oflico to record her newly-born son—but carrying her young daughter in her arms, the giil "began to howl Instil v» tho mother became distracted and flustered and gave tlio registrar particulars about the daughter! The certificate was put away and it was years before tho son discovered he was illogically described. as Jane Elizabeth—female. " In another case, of a not uncommon type, a deaf person misheard Wilfred for Winifred, the inattentive parents did not correct him, and tho wrong sex was duly passed on to tho registrar. Again, strange though it may seem, I have dealt with fathers who aro ill-informed as to their child's sex.

"In some cases the namo is also ambiguous like Evelyn and Master Evelyn goes down Miss Evelyn in the law's eyes—until someone notices it. There was a man who attained tho age of 28 bei'oro he found ho was officially a woman.

"Tho danger is that'parents .will not confess their mistake for fear of supposed consequences. In reality, providing the indignant John Williams can provo he really is tho'Mary Williams of the birth certificate, and that his parents did not do it on purpose, we change his (legal) sex in two months free of charge."