Mr. CHANCELLORasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether an investigation of Indian sanitary and vaccination reports has established the facts that during the past forty years what are known as the badly-vaccinated provinces have suffered far less from small-pox than the well-vaccinated provinces; that the smallpox mortality amongst children is very much lower in the badly-vaccinated as compared with the well-vaccinated provinces, the lowest rate of all being in Burmah, where vaccination has met with more opposition than in any other part of India; that, notwithstanding that 88 per cent. of the total vaccinations in India are performed upon children under six years of age, the records show that on the average 70 per cent. of the deaths from smallpox occur amongst children under ten 1559W years; that the town in which vaccination is enforced usually suffer more severely from small-pox than the towns and rural areas in which the Act is not enforced; that in the capital cities of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras there has been an enormous increase in the small-pox mortality during recent years; and that the reports chronicle epidemics of foot-and-mouth disease and other fevers amongst the calves used for cultivating vaccine virus; whether he will recommend that a commission be appointed to investigate the value of vaccination in India; and whether, pending the deliberations and report of such a commission, if appointed, he will consider the desirability of affording similar facilities for exercising conscientious objection to vaccination in India as have been granted in Great Britain?
§ Mr. MONTAGUI have seen the articles in the "Vaccination Inquirer" to which apparently my hon. Friend refers; but I cannot accept their representation of the facts, and do not consider that a case has been made out for appointment of a Commission or alteration of the law. He is no doubt aware that vaccination is optional over by far the greater part of British India, including 93 per cent. of the population.