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2G

N.B.—The notification returns are sent in by the miclwives at the end of
each week, and the collated returns are sent out by the London County
Council at the end of the following week.
The two foregoing tables show the course of registration and notifications,
respectively. From one to two months' delay occurs in eighty per cent. of the
returns from the Registrars, and this delay was the cause of the resolution
passed at the Conference in June: "That it is desirable that births should be
registered within five days of their occurrence, as is required in the case of
deaths by the Births and Deaths Registration Acts, and not be delayed for six
weeks and longer, as now by law permitted," which resolution was subsequently
sent to the Local Government Board urging them to provide legislation on
these lines.
Whereas the returns from the Registrars are mainly delayed from one to
two months, the returns from the London County Council are received from
one to two weeks after birth, but unfortunately this only applies to about
15 per cent., and about 85 per cent, of the birth returns are not so accelerated.
The only manner in which it would appear possible to obtain a knowledge of
births within one or two days of their occurrence is by voluntary notification ;
and the payment of one shilling per case as in Huddersfield.
Huddersfield lodged an Omnibus Bill in Parliament in November containing,
amongst others, the following clauses in reference to the Notification of
Births:—
1. —In the case of every child born within the Borough after the commencement
of this Act it shall be the duty of the father of the child
if he is actually residing in the house where the birth takes place at
the time of its occurrence, or in his abscnce of any person in attendance
upon the mother at the time of the birth or within six hours thereafter,
to send or give notice of the birth to the medical officer within
forty-eight hours after such birth. Every person required by this
section to give or send such notice who fails without reasonable excuse
to give or send the same shall be liable on summary conviction in
manner provided by the Summary Jurisdiction Acts to a fine not
exceeding twenty shillings, including costs for each offence: Provided