COUNCIL DEBATE CONCLUDED.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1798, 10 July 1913, Page 6

COUNCIL DEBATE CONCLUDED.

"(The Legislative Council Kit at 2.30 p.m. fTHE SMALLPOX SCARE. ''NO GREAT EIRK TO NEW :ZEA-;; LAND." ■ The Hon. Dr. COLLINS moved that this Council views with anxiety , the increase dn .the number of cases of smallpox in Sydney arid respectfully suggests to the i dovernraenl; a-.more rigid enforcement of 'the Publio-Health Act, 1908,' with reference to vaccination. The mo'versaid that he did not believe that there,was iany-"great risk. to New ''Zealand at the, present time. He hoped that' the safeguard of vaccination would jlie taken advantage of. The Government 'was, advocating '.vaccination and trusting, in a'measure, to the good sense of the people to have their children vaccinated; •nnd he hoped that that trust was not •misplaced. ' In addition to being thank- : Jul to tlie Minister (the Hoil. H. D. Bell) 'for his statement' of'the Government's ntditudo 'ill tllfj ;matter, he was pleased with the measures the Government was talcing to combat'chicken-pox. 'Reverting to the question of vaccination, he said he could hardly" believe that only five per cent, of the' peoplo of the country were vaccinated. '

The Hbn.'-H. D. Bell: Where did you ■pet that?

, The Hon. Dr. Collins: I saw it in the s paper tho other day, 'I can hardly believe ■ it. If it is so, I can only put it down to tho fact that there;h«s been very little smallpox in the country. There-was,'continued Dr. Collins, an [Act on the Statute Book dealing with the ■prevention of the disease, and he thought 'that that Act-should be more strictly enforced. The Bon. W. C. F. CARNCROSS said that the exemption clauses in tho Act ooncernjiig. tho disease represented legislafivo mistakes. He thought I hat a short Bill repealing those clauses should . be '..passed. At the.timo the exemptions wero ! passed,by.. Parliament there was fear of disease being caused by tho vaccine; there .Was no fear of that now. Tho suggestion to repeal the exemptions was opposed- by the Hon. J. Ban-, who eaid that the experience of many was that, the,treatment, was worse than the disease. Ho had; lost' a little girl after she had wen vaccinated, and ho iknew of many whoso health had deteriorated since vaccination. Besides, there were so many .who objected to vaccination that the exemption clauses should be retained. Tho Hon. H. D. Bell said that he was not at all convinced that only five per cent of the community was vaccinated. , He did not think that tho exemption clauses would be interfered with. New Zealand had £n- exceedingly competent and zealous Health Department staff, and none were mors competent to carry out the ' provisions of the Act,-. When saying that itho Act had not Deei striotly enforced, it must be remembered that it .was very difficult'to people to j»rotcct themselves egamst anything' but * imminent danger. If the disease broke out, people -wio refused to ba vaccinated would bo left to the penalty of their refusal. The drastic enforcement of the Act would bo an in-' • quisitorial proceeding. At present members .of the Council .could-trust'to the good sense of the people who rehl.lv -understood .the question to look after themselves and their families. - CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES. The Hon. W. C. P. Carncross was rei elected. Chairman of Committees. No / other Councillor was nominated.

COUNCIL REFORM BILL, ; The Legislative Council Bill, 1913, wa9 introduced-: by the Hon. H. D. Bell, and ■was read a first time. The,second reading of the measure is 'Set down for next sitting day'.(July 22). .

AN ADJOURNMENT. MINISTERS' REPLIES TO QUESTIONS.