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the present statutory enactments requiring the vaccination of children in infancy should be
maintained."
[Note.—Section 1 of tlie Vaccination Act, 1898: "(1) The period within which the parent
or other person having the custody of a child shall cause the child to be vaccinated shall be six
months from the birth of the child."]
"2. That any relief from these requirements which Parliament, when considei'ing the
Vaccination Act, 1898, may see fit to give should be given by an extention of the existing provisions
of the law empowering magistrates to suspend vaccination for a definite period, and not
by unlimited exemption, as at present."
[Note.—Section 2 of the Vaccination Act, 1898: "(1) No parent or other person shall be
liable to any penalty under Section 29 or Section 31 of the Vaccination Act of 1867, if within
four months from the birth of the child he satisfies two Justices or a Stipendiary or a Metropolitan
Police Magistrate in Petty Sessions that he conscientiously believes that vaccination
would be prejudicial to the health of the child, and within seven days thereafter delivers to the
Vaccination Officer for the district a certificate by such Justices or Magistrate of such conscientious
objection."]
"3. That such postponement should not be for a longer period than four years, when the
requirements of the law should automatically revive, subject to further postponement to the age
of twelve years (or to an earlier age in case of prevalence in the neighbourhood of the child of
epidemic small-pox) in case of the renewed objection of the parent, and that at this latter age
all children who have not been vaccinated efficiently within five years shall be required to be
vaccinated or re-vaccinated as the case may be.
"4. That the Local Government Board should have the power, on the occurrence of small-pox
in any locality to make an order requiring the children residing therein to be re-vaccinated at an
earlier age than the twelfth year during such period as the Board may deem neccessary.
"5. That all persons who have been in contact with a case of small-pox should be required
to be vaccinated or re-vaccinated forthwith, if in the opinion of the Medical Officer of Health such
vaccination or re-vaccination is neccessary.
"Persons occupying the same ward in a workhouse or lodging in a common lodging-house
in which a case of small-pox occurs should be deemed to be in contact.
"6. That the administration of the Vaccination Acts should be transferred from the Poor
Law Authorities to Sanitary Authorities and be administered—
"(a) As regards the Metropolis, by the Councils of the Metropolitan Cities and
Boroughs;
"(b) As regards County Boroughs, by the Councils of such Boroughs; and
"(c) As regards the rest of Lngland and Wales, by the Councils of Administrative
Counties, provided that the Council of an Administrative County should be
empowered to delegate any or all of the duties under the Acts to any or all of
the Councils of the Sanitary Authorities within such Administrative County,
with power to revoke such delegation at any time.
"7. That, in the event of any of the aforesaid Councils failing to carry out the duties
imposed upon them by the Acts, the Local Government Board should undertake the duties, and
recover any expenses incurred from the Council making such default.
"8. That Sanitary Authorities should be empowered to expend public funds in promoting
vaccination and re-vaccination whenever their districts are visited by or threatened with
small-pox.