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39
VACCINATION.
The following table is a summary of the returns made by the
Vaccination Officers respecting the Vaccination of children whose
births were registered in the districts from 1st Jan. to 30th June 1899.
For comparison I have added at the foot of the table figures for the
corresponding period in 1898. These figures are interesting in that
they indicate the effect of the recent legislation, as embodied in the
Vaccination Act of 1899, upon public vaccination. On the whole, the
effect has been to bring about a great improvement in the number of
children vaccinated. Whereas in the 1st half of the year of 1898 only
13.4 per cent. of the births of that period were successfully vaccinated,
in the first half of the year 1899 the percentage had increased to 41.1
per cent. of the births. Also, whereas the births unaccounted for
by Vaccination Officers amounted to 63.4 per cent. of the total births
in the former period, in the latter this percentage had declined to
29 4 per cent. The figures under column IV. are also interesting.
This gives the number of certificates of conscientious objections
received by the Officers for the two half-years respectively. During
the former six months the number was 20, during the latter 26, the
percentage to the total births being respectively .65 and .77 If these
figures represent the true proportion of conscientious objectors in
Hackney, the effect of conscientious objection on the progress of
vaccination will be practically nil. Whatever the objections to
vaccination may be, they are not sufficiently strong to induce parents
in any large numbers to attend before a Magistrate for the purpose of
obtaining a certificate of exemption from vaccination.
The above figures make the future look more hopeful in keeping
small-pox out of the district.
REMOVAL OF HOUSE REFUSE.
During the year 1899 the amount of House Refuse removed by the
contractors rose from 53,283 loads in the year 1898 to 57,990, and
the sum paid to the contractors from £13,642 13s. 8d. to
£14,849 10s. In addition to the latter sum, £2,051 19s. 4d. was