THE VACCINATION LAW.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19806, 29 November 1927, Page 12

THE VACCINATION LAW.

DUTY OF MAGISTRATES. LORD CHANCELLOR'S STATEMENT A pronouncement regarding the British Vaccination Acts was made by Viscount Cave, Lord Chancellor, who presided at a session of tho conference of the Magistrates' Association in London recently. "Some justices," said Lord Cave, "have declined to attest declarations of conscientious objection with the view to exemption of children from vaccination, on tho ground that they were not satisfied that the parents were conscientiously opposed to vaccination. I have no sympathy at all, with those who oppose vaccination. I think they run tho risk of inflicting grave injury on tho community. But for all that, the law is the law, and I feel it my duty to say that I do not think a magistrate is justified in refusing to attest such a declaration. "Under the old Act of 1898 a justice, who was asked to give a certificate of exemption, ivhich is a different thing, often wanted to satisfy himself that the applicant had a genuine conscientious objection to vaccination, but under the new Act of 1997 all that was required by law was a statutory declaration of objection, and tho attestation of such a declaration was, I think, merely a Ministerial act. If a declaration is brought to tho magistrate at a convenient place and time. I hold be should not refuse to attest it."