ANTI-VACCINATION LEAGUE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9304, 3 August 1908, Page 1

ANTI- VACCINATION LEAGUE.

A PETITION TO PARLIAMENT. A mectii-g ol the Canterbury AntiVaccination Loague was held on Satururdiay evening in Mr W. E. Simes's office. Six members were present, and Dr Julian presided. 1 1 wan resolved : — " That the Canterbury Anti- Vaccination League protests most emphatically against the method by which parents are prosecuted by the officers of the Health Department for the non-vaccination of their children, when, out of many thousands of offenders, only a few are dealt with ; ribi>. that the League most forcibly condemns the outrageous state of afiairs as admitted by the local in3peo tor, and as published in the ' Lyttelton Times ' of July 31, 1908, and calls the special attention of the Minister of Public Health, the Minister of Justice and members of Parliament, to this seand.alous method of. and the utter absence of justice in, the administration of the Public Health 'Act as applying to vaccination." The secretary was requested, to write to the members for the Christchurch, Lyttelton. Avon, Riccarton, Kaiapoi and Ellesinere electorates, asking, them to interview the Minister of Public Health with reference to the prosecutions for non-vaccination, and ask him to suspend proceedings until tho people of Christchurch have an opportunity of expressing their I'iews on the subject by petition or otherwise. A form of petition was adopted, to be circulated throughout Canterbury and fox'wardod to Parliament, asking for tho repeal of all legislation relating to vaccination. Tho petition is as follows :—- --i; To the Honourable the Speaker and members of tho House of Representatives of the dominion of New Zealand, in Parliament assembled. — The petition of the undersigned adult residents in the city of Christen urch. and province of Canterbury, humbly show- ( >tii: — (1) That whereas small-pox, be ing a zymotic, or "' filth ' disease, its natural and scientific preventitivo and remedial treatment is by purely sanitary and hygienic methods ; (2) that whereas vaccination is not am infallible protection against small-pox, and is violation of personal rights ; (3) thai wherons alter a trial of vaccination for '' not less than ten years after tho re- \ port of the Royal Commission, the Brit- I ish Government has abolished compul- j sory vaccination; (4) that whereas the I ixmipulsory injection of tv liealthy child m- adult by a ''filth ' disease, that lowers the vitality and produces disease, >r diseased action, is a personal assault that creates the right of resistance; ;5) that whereas the great majority of oaretits in the dominion disbelieve in md reject vaccination, as proved by :h© remarkably small percentage of children vaccinated, namely, 7J per :ent in 1907 and also by the statement nade by the Christchurch vaccination nspeefcor — as published in the ' Lyttel:on Times' of July 31, 1908— to the jffect that notices to vaccinate had been ;erved respecting 8000 or 9000 cases luring a period of two years; (6) that riiereas under the present mode of adninistering the Public Health Act as •elating to vaccination, only a few larents out of many thousands are proecuted, thereby causing a grave injusice to a small minority, ; your ipetiloners therefore humbly pray that our honourable house will enact a law epealing all legislation dealing with accination." Arrangements will be made for disributing. copies of the petition m Jhristchurch and other centres in Canerbury, and for announcing where hey may be signed. The next zneotng of the League will be held on Fri- j a y.i by which time the copies of the etition will be available. The meet- J ti£ will be open to any persons inter- { ]