§ MR. MONDI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the fact that, in the Chester City Police Court on Wednesday, 3rd July, 1907, upon the hearing of an information under the Vaccination Acts against Thomas Bowden, a threat was made both by the magistrate's chief clerk and the chief constable that, in consequence thereof, his licence as a lodging-house keeper might be taken from him; and whether he will take the necessary steps to prevent any such course, seeing that no provision for it is authorised by any Act of Parliament, and the prescribed penalties under the Vaccination Acts are being imposed upon the defaulter.
§ *MR. GLADSTONEIt appears that on the 3rd inst. an Order was made for 691 a child of Thomas Bowden to be vaccinated within twenty-eight days, and no further proceedings have been taken. The clerk to the justices remarked that as Bowden kept a common lodging-house, possibly the corporation committee might consider the question of refusing the licence if the child was not vaccinated, and the chief constable acquiesced in this remark. No threat was made, and the clerk has no control over the committee who deal with the licensing of lodging-houses. I cannot take any action in the matter.
§ *MR. LUPTON (Lincolnshire, Sleaford)asked if it was legal for a clerk to make such observations in order to intimidate an anti-vaccinator?
§ *MR. GLADSTONEwas understood to reply that he could not control the observations of people in Court.