The Short Title of this Act is “The Public Health Amendment Act, 1902”; and it shall form part of and be read together with “The Public Health Act, 1900” (hereinafter referred to as “the principal Act”).

Section twenty-eight of the principal Act (relating to the powers of local authorities in respect of infected persons and things) is hereby amended by inserting after the word “cause,” in subsection one thereof, the words “to be disinfected any premises in which any infectious disease has occurred, and also cause.”

Section twenty-nine of the principal Act is hereby amended by inserting after the word “infected,” in the proviso thereto, the words “premises and.”

Where a local authority has reason to suspect that any infectious disease exists in any premises and no notice thereof under section twenty-six of the principal Act has been given to the local authority, it may authorise any medical practitioner to visit the suspected premises and report thereon.

If the medical practitioner finds that infectious disease does exist in such premises, the local authority shall take such steps under sections twenty-seven and twenty-eight of the principal Act as they deem necessary to prevent the spread of the infectious disease.

All costs and expenses incurred by the local authority under this section shall (where the neglect to give notice was wilful) be paid by the owner and occupier of the premises (excepting the medical practitioner’s fee, which shall be payable by the occupier) in every case where an infectious disease is found to exist and no notice as aforesaid has been given, and such costs and expenses may be recovered by the local authority accordingly.

For the purposes of this section the medical practitioner shall be deemed to be an officer of the local authority.

Sections thirty-two and thirty-five of the principal Act (imposing penalties for the exposure of infected persons and things) are hereby amended by repealing the word “dangerous” wherever it occurs in those sections.

Where two or more districts are combined under the provisions of the principal Act into one district, the Governor, in lieu of appointing the local authority of any district to act as the local authority of the combined district, may, if so requested by such local authority, by Order in Council direct that the combined district shall, on such terms and conditions as the Governor thinks fit to specify, be under the control of the Department of Public Health for any of the purposes of the principal Act specified in the Order in Council.

Notwithstanding anything in “The Coroners Act, 1867,” it shall not be necessary for the Coroner or the jury on any inquest to view the body of any deceased person where it appears, on the certificate of some duly qualified medical practitioner, that the deceased died of any infectious disease, or where, in the opinion of the Chief Health Officer, danger to the health of the jury might result from such view.