The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1907-08-29
The BUREAU 0FVITAL STATISTICS.


the state legislature establishing in
connection with the state board of
health state bureau of vital statistics.
and providing for the registration with
said bureau of births, deaths, marriages,
accidents aud divorces, is one that
should be read carefully by the people.
The law is chapter 400 and is on pages
20 and 81 of the law supplement.
Any person who shall fail 10 comply
with the provisions of the law shall be
punished by fine or imprisonment, or by
both.
Heretofore these statistics were collect.
ed by the register Of deeds. 1t is esti-
mated that this new law will cut down
the fees of the register of deeds about
$1,000 annually in this county.
The law takes effect the first of next
October Clergymen, doctors, midwives,
undertakers, towa clerks and parents
had better study its provisions. The
law in part reads as follows:
ANY person who shall wilfully vio-
late any of the provisions of sections
1022-l to 1929, inclusive, of the
statutes or who shall neglect or refuse
to perform any duty or do any act i'm,
posed upon him or required by said sec
tons, or who shall neglect or refuse to
make any certificate required by said
sections to be made or falsely make any
such certificate or knowingly make any
false statement in any such certificate
or who shall alter any certificate or re-
port provided for or required by said
sections, shall be punished ny a fine of
not less than twenty dollars or more
than two hundred dollars for each of,
Tense or by imprisonment in the county
Jail for period of not less than thirty
days or more than sixty days, or by both
such fine and imprisonment"
''For the complete and proper registra.
ton of births, deaths, marriages. acct
dents and divorces, for legal, sanitary
and statistical purposes there shall be
and hereby is created and established a
state bureau of vital satisfies"
This department shall be under the
immediate supervision and direction of
the state board of health. The score
tary of the state board of health shall
be designated as the state registrar of
vital statistics, and shall be charged
with the uniform and thorough enforce
ment of the law throughout the state.
Each city, incorporated village and
township shall constitute primary
registration district. The health officer
Of the board of health in cities and the
clerk of each township and Incorporated
village shall be the local registrar of
vital statistics.
The state registrar is hereby charg
ed with the thorough and efficient execu-
ton of the provisions of this act in every
part of the state, and with supervisory
power over local registrars to the end
that all of its requirements shall be uni
formly compiled with
He shall have authority to investi-
gate cases of irregularity or violations
of the law, personally or by an accredit.
ed representative, and all registrars shall
aid him, upon request, in such investiga
tons"
when he shall ,leem it necessary, he
shall report cases Of violation of any of
the provisions of this act to the prosecut-
ing attorney of the proper county, with
a statement of the facts and circumstan-
ces, and when any such case is reported to
him by the state registrar he shall forth.
with initiate and promptly follow up the
necessary court proceedings against the
parties responsible for the alleged viola
lions of the law and upon request of the
state registrar the attorney general
shall likewise assist in the enforcement
of the provisions of this act
In case it is found impossible to OBJ
tain, through the local registrars, COM
plete reports of all births. deaths mar
riages and accidents occurring in cities,
incorporated villages or towns, then the
state board of health may cause these
records to be properly collected and the
necessary expenses incurred by 80 doing
shall be charged to and paid for by the
city incorporated village or town where
in this expense is necessarily incurred. "
1t shall be the dnty of the health of
ficer of every board of health of cities in
the state and in towns and incorporated
villages, of the town and village clerk to
collect certificates of births. deaths,
marriages and accidents that occur in
the city, incorporated village or town in
which he is an officer.