House of Representatives
1869 Jun 15	Tuesday

Vaccination Act Amendment Bill

Mr BARFF moved, For leave to introduce a Bill to
amend "The Vaccination Act, 1863". He would simply,
and as briefly as possible, attempt to prove the
necessity for the Bill; and in doing so, he would
necessarily have to allude to certain defects in
the existing Act. By one of the clauses of that Act,
it was provided that the Superintendent of Provinces
might, within three months of its passing, divide
their respective Provinces, and declare the parts
to be districts under the Act, to which public
vaccinators might be appointed. But as, since the
Act was passed, many districts then unpopulated had
become densely peopled, the Superintendents - and
especially the Chairman of the County Council of
Westland - had found it impossible to declare as
districts under the Act portions of the Colony which
ought to be brought under the Act. That defect was
one of those which he proposed by this Bill to
remedy. The Act left on medical men the onus of
enforcing its provisions; and that needed correction.
Then, there was no penalty provided by the Act in
the event of any practitioner who might be appointed
a public vaccinator, refusing to give a certificate
of successful vaccination. It had been tried several
times, in the Province of Nelson, to enforce the
giving of such a certificate; but those attempts had
failed through the Act not providing a penalty in 
the case of refusal. The Act did not provide for any
payment to public vaccinators; but by the Bill it
would be proposed to provide payment by means of fees,
or out of a sum to be voted by the General Assembly.
There were two or three other trifling amendments
proposed to be made by the Bill; but the Bill itself
would, probably, not comprise more than half a dozen
clauses.

Leave was given. Mr CURTIS and Mr BARFF were ordered
to prepare the Bill, which was brought in, read a
first time, ordered to be printed, and the second
reading fixed for Wednesday week.