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79
sions and reassure some who take an exaggerated view of the risks
connected with the operation, as well as lead to a more ready
enforcement of the law by local authorities.
We desire to call attention again to the recommendation,
which we made in our fifth interim report, that persons committed
to prison by reason of the non-payment of penalties imposed under
the vaccination laws, should no longer be treated as criminals.
We stated in that report our reasons for this recommendation, to
which we still adhere. If, however, the changes in the compulsory
provisions of the vaccination laws which we have suggested were
adopted, the matter would lose much of its importance."
Two Commissioners, Mr. W. Guyer Hunter and Dr.
Jonathan Hutchinson, both medical men of great experience did
not recommend any alteration of the then existing law, but
advocated re-vaccination at the age of twelve years.
Messrs. Samuel Whitbread, John Bright, J. Allanson Picton
and Dr. Collins objected to the proposal to retain, in any form
compulsory vaccination. They alsoadvocated that a conscientious
objection to vaccination on the part of the parents should be
respected, and that the proposal that the Public Vaccinator should
attend at the home of the child and offer to vaccinate it did not
meet with their approval. As is well known both these proposals
were carried in the Government Bill passed last session, as well
as the provision of glycerinated calf-lymph recommended by the
majority report.
The Section i extends the period within which the
Vaccination
Act, 1898. parents or guardian of a child shall cause the child to
be vaccinated to six months from the birth of the
child, instead of three months as prescribed in Section 16 of the
Vaccination Act of 1867, and repeals so much of that Section as
requires the child to be taken to a Public Vaccinator to be
vaccinated.