THE VACCINATION QUESTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13875, 8 October 1908, Page 6

THE VACCINATION QUESTION.

A LAW FOR THE RICH AND EDUCATED. [by TELEGRAPH.— cobeespondent.] Wellington, Wednesday. In the House of Representatives this afternoon Mr. Gray asked the Minister for Publie Health whether, seeing that the regis-, trar] in Christchurch still persists in summoning small batches of persona for noncompliance with the compulsory clauses of the Vaccination Act, the ' Minister" will kindly ascertain what method (if any) the registrar- adopts in selecting the names for prosecution ? The Hon. G. Fowlds replied that the registrar usually selects persons of educar tion who ' are in a position to pay a fine [without undue hardship. ; • Mr. Gray characterised the reply as an extraordinary statement. It was generally understood that the law was no respecter of persons, but now they had got a statement from a Minister of the Crown to the contrary. It was another penalty attaching to education. In the circumstances he urged the Minister to restrict the operations of the Act to millionaires. The whol* thing, ■he said, was absurd. The Act should be suspended until Parliament next year repealed it altogether. . . VIEWS OF DR. MASON. Dr. Mason, the head of the Health Department, apparently does not share Mr. : Gray's views on the subject of vaccination. ' In nis annual report he again draws attention to :th<j lamentable disregard of the law relating to vaccination, .and states that only eight children out of every. 100 born in 1907 would appeal' to have . been successfully : vaccinated. Soon New Zealand, he adds, will have the unenviable distinction ?f being the . least protected of ail countries.. ,V : " v ■ ' ''V: " /.I J f.:' '■