The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1878.

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 367, 23 October 1878, Page 2

The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1878.

In last issue we mentioned that there was every probability of the Vaccinating Inspector enforcing the provisions of the Public Health Act, within the Patea County. Since then we have ascertained that of children registered by the Registrar of births from 1874 to the end of August of the present year, 224 have not been vaccinated. Up to the end of the year 1874, of children born and registered, 12 remained unvaccinated; during 1875, of those born, 19 remained unvaccinated; during 1876, there were 31; during 1877, there were 62; and up to August 31st of the present year, of childreiuregistered, 100 remained nnvaccinated, giving a total of 224. Clauses 132 to 164 inclusive, of “The Public Health Act, 1876,” refer wholly to vaccination, and to the duties of parents, Vaccinators, and Vaccinating Inspectors. In districts where Public Vaccinators have been appointed, children are required to be taken for vaccination within six months after birth, vaccination to be performed free of cost,

the parent or guardian being required to attend .with the child on the day week following the vaccination, in order that the Vaccinator may see if the operation has been successful. The operation having been successful, a certificate to that effect will be handed over to the parent or guardian. Should the operation not prove successful, the child will have again to be taken at a Lime fixed by the Vaccinator. “If any Public Vaccinator or medical practitioner shall he of opinion that any child whom he has three times unsuccessfully vaccinated, is insusceptible ot successful vaccination, or that a child brought to him for vaccination, has already had the small pox, he shall deliver to the parent of such child, or other person as aforesaid, a certificate under his hand, [according to form prescribed in the Act] and the parent or such person as aforesaid, shall thenceforth not be required to cadao the child to be vaccinated.” The Registrar of Births is required to send a list of unvaccinated children to the Public Vaccinator, at slated periods. The following clause 152, states the responsibilities of parents’: —“ Every parent or person having the custody of any child, who. shall neglect to take such child, or cause it to be taken to be vaccinated, or, after vaccination, to be inspected according to the provisions of this Act respectively contained, or who shall refuse to permit the Public Vaccinator to remove or retain a reasonable, quantity of vaccine lymph from the arm of such child according to the provisions of this part of this Act, and shall not in any of the said cases render a reasonable excuse for such neglect, shall be guilty of an offence, and be liable on conviction to pay a penalty not exceeding forty shillings.” Any Public Vaccinator is liable in a similar-amount for neglecting to transmit certificate of any operation to the Vaccinating Inspector. For signing a false certificate the .penalty is a fine not exceeding forty pounds or six months imprisonment. Clause IDG enacts—“ If any Registrar, Public Vaccinator, or any Vaccinating Inspector shall give information in writing to a Justice of the Peace that he has reason to believe that any child under' the age of fourteen years, being within the jurisdiction of such Justice, has not been successfully vaccinated, and that notice has been given to the parent or person having the custody of such child to procure its being vaccinated, and that this notice has been disregarded, the Justice may summon such parent or person to appear with the child before him at a cctain time or place, and upon the appearance, if the Justice shall find, after such examination as ho shall deem necessary, that the child has not been vaccinated, ' nor has already ' had the small-pox, he may, if he see fit, make an order under his hand directing snch child to be vaccinated within a certain time. If at the expiration of such time the child shall not have been so vaccinated, or shall not be shown to be then unfit to bo vaccinated or to be insusceptible of vaccination, the person upon whom such order shall have been made shall be proceeded against summarily, and unless he can show some reasonable ground for his omission to carry the order into effect, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding forty shillings.” In addition to the above it is enacted (clause 163) that “ No person shall be appointed to any office in the public service, who has not been vaccinated and clause 164, — st every child admitted to any school which shall be maintained wholly, or in part, by grant, or from rates, or any public funds, or by any endowments, whether colonial, provincial, municipal, or district, shall be vaccinated by_ a Public Vaccinator, unless such child shall have been previously vaccinated.” Clause 161 enacts, that all penalties imposed shall be recoverable upon the information or complaint of any Registrar, Public Vaccinator, or Vaccinating Inspector, summarily, in the manner provided by “ The Justices of the Peace Act, 1876.” The above quotations from the Public Health Act, show what is j required of parents, and the figures as to the number of children remaining nnvaccinated, show how little the provisions of the Act have been heeded. It is very awkward —indeed,impossible— for country people to make long journeys with young children during winter, with snch frightful roads as are comrnon any where off the main line. It is, possibly, owing to-these circumstances, that so many children remain nnvaccinated. The excuse of bad roads cannot hold good during the suxmer, and as there is little doubt but what the Vaccinating Inspector intends to enforce the penalties for breaches of the Act, all interested should take heed of the warning which has been given, ami by obeying the law, avoid its penalties.