Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-08-20
BOARD OF HEALTH.
Resolutions Are Passed REGARDING
Vaccination Of lumbermen,

At the afternoon session Of a special
meeting of the State board of health at
the State House. Friday, for the DUR
pose of giving Il hearing to any Ium-
bermen or LUMBER operators who
wished to pr sent their views in regard
u the rules ana regulations Of the
State Board OF Health relating to the
Vaccinations OF lumbermen. or to make
suggestions for cooperation. Profess
sor +. {. Robinson. as d member of the
board, presented the following resolu-
ton:
Whereas. the rules and regulations
men. made at the second annual meet
in2 of the state Board of Health. June
y. were submitted to the Honorable
Governor and Council for approval as
HE. law provides. but no action was
taken upnn them and they therefore
became Ineffective.
Whereas. at the last meeting of the
Governor and Council the suggestion
was made that the State Board of
Health Mold il meeting for the purpose
of comforting with lumber operators
and of giving them a hearing. and
whereas a special meeting was called
and has this day been held. and after
duly considering all suggestions which
have been made, and believing that the
re-enactme.t OF said rules and regu-
lations is urgently needed for the pro-
lection of the general public and for
the prevention Of expense and trouble
for many towns and many persons.
Resolved therefore. that the State
Board Of Health fully feels it to be its
duty again to make said rules and reg
ulations and again to offer them to the
Governor and Council for their ap-
proval, ana do hereby make the fol-
lowing:
Rules and regulations of the State
Beard of Health relating to the vaccina-
tion of lumucrmcn.
Section l. No person shall work in o.;
about anv lumber camp or In any lumber
crew in any part nf this STATE who clnnn!
show a good vaccination scar and who
cannot prove. ly q certificate from le-
eally qualified physician that he has; been
vaccinated within three years.
Section = No lHm'cr company lumbe:
OPERATOR OF agent of any lumber company
or lumber operator shall hire any man 10
work in the lumber woods or in any huHt-
her crew in any part of this State who
cannot show by 4 good vaccination scar
and prove ly 4 certificate from Il legally
qlialiiied physician ;hlt he has be"n vacci-
mated within three years. and ali persons:
employing men for the purposes specified
in this section shall make special inquiry
when employing men whether they hay.
or have not ttccn NaCCinated.
This resolution was seconded and car
ricd.
1t WAS voted that the secretary he in
structad 70 rut upon the records the fol
I...t 4 of no ron "
board deemed il nr, cSsary 10 make the
re.rOing rules and regulations.
|. Smallpo> is sufficiently prevalent III
thos- regions wTom which the suppl y OF
iahOrtrS in lumber leSioES largely come
| to warran. the belief that there will be
much danger the coming season of the in
PRODUCTION ct smallpox into CAMPS.
Smallpox still exists in the counties of the
province Of .lUricc between the Maine
boundary line and the St. Lawrence river,
and at no time this year to the present
has smallpox bcca absent from the Mad.i
WaSlia region, and ut no time has 1t bHef'
safe to suspend work there.
| II. A general and honest compliance
with the requirement Of vaccination would
keii ec"tuaily do away win smallpox IN lum-
her camps. rs compliance with the re-
| quirementS of the statute law of 1889 tina;
| .,nly vacr;r1ttd pc rsonS shall be employed
| in paper mills where rags are used, has
| stopped outbreaks OF small pON III those
places. Every outbreak Of smallpox wSich
has been found in lumber camps the last
| two seasons has been uue TO neSiect
| of Vaccilttinn.
| Ill. one objection to these rules and
| rcgllla tiOnS that has been raised is that
| the reuu'rCnIt mt Ct vaccination ncrct:tS
| the difficulty of "btalring men. To this
| il may be said that (thc experience ana
| Investigations of the StTc board and all
its inspectors indicate that this difficulty
| would not he very real if the lumber OPP
orators would all pull together and CO.
operaae with the State Board of Health.
Some operators who have firmly required
| vaccination as the condition of employ
ment have had no difficulty in obtaining,
men. The Canadians are supposed to be
as reluctant TO vaccination as any class
| OF men, but the testimony of the inspect
orS at the station above Jackman and at
| I.oweltown is that they do not know of a
man who has turned back and reiinqnesh-
| ed the chance of getting a job because
vaccination was required. Neither can IT
he learned that there was any dlininution
| in the number of men who came into the
State through these two points of entry.