BOARD'S POSITION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 102, 1 May 1937, Page 11

BOARD'S POSITION

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY

■ 'The secretary of the board, Mr. J. B. I. Cook, pointed out "in a statement made, last night that 'no : information had been/made available either to .the board or to .the., ward concerned .that the, deceased;; had . friends who' could !bV communicated with. \ So far as the r board :k.new,. the;, only .'relative the deceased.had, wasa sister in England* The friends who .communicated their complaint to' Mr.' Croskery did not appear on the scene so far, as the board was concerned'until at least a 'week'after the death. They then made inquiries about burial, and he in turn made' inquiries from the hospital department concerned; and found that the body had been sent toDunedin.

•As soon as-the actual position was reported ■to the board, said /Mr. Cook, the Otago Medical School" authorities were advised, and the body was returned.to Wellington and buried in-the deceased's own plot in ' the Karori Cemetery. He could not understand why anjf question- of. funeral expenses in -Duriedin. should .have' been raised^ The" only, funeral ..expenses, would be those in Wellington,.which would have accrued had,' the incident' of. .the re-moval'of-the body .to Dunedin never occurred. . ■ ■ ■ ,■ - .. ', If a ' case had special medical features and no relatives of the deceased person could1-be traced, said Mr. Cook, it was .not an _. ; uncommon hospital practice for .the body .to be. sent to Dunedin for. investigation in the interests . of ".the''.: community . generally. In. the .case, referred to .by Ml-.' Croskery no. information had been available that the deceased had friends who conldbs communicated with.. ; . . The chairman of the board, Mr. J. Glover, stated 'today, that .'he , had known nothing.' of the.case until it had. 'beeh mentioned by Mr. Crbskery,, and therefore was not in. a.position to make a statement. He added that the medical superintendent was in, Australia, when the ■ incident ■ was alleged to have, occurred. There Iw.ould be an, inquiry; the case,would come, before .the house committee., ; ■"..-. : '.. *■'-.. .