Free birth certificate?

THE EDITOR: This morning, Friday July 4, I visited the Registrar General’s Department to apply for the free birth certificate at the request of friends in the Rio Claro area.

I found out that one of the parents must apply in person. Any other person applying must pay the regular fee. This is a great hardship for parents from these far areas; it costs at lest $40 from Rio Claro to Port-of-Spain, added to the loss of a day’s work. So that it will cost more than $100 to obtain the free birth certificate. I wonder if this is really the intention of the project as announced.

ESAHACK MOHAMMED
Belmont