AMENDED CEMETERY BYLAWS.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 98, 24 April 1886, Page 8

AMENDED CEMETERY BYLAWS.

Consideration Further Adjourned,

The consideration of the amended cemetery by-laws was taken up by the City Council on Thursday night. It introducing the matter, the Mayor said that the by-laws had been freely criticised in the press, some of the remarks made therein being pertinent and some pointless, and some ba"sed upon fact and others upon fiction. The letter from Rev. W. Tebbs enclosing, a resolution passed at a meeting of ministers and its endorsement by Bishop Luck were then read. [They have already been published.] The Mayor said that there was clear misunderstanding abroad as to the meaning of "area divisions." Under the by laws a pauper might be buried alongside the rich, and the only charge was tho ordinary one of 7s 6d for digging the grave. Notwithstanding the gratuitous sentiment about "tbe lowly poor," the Council contemplated no distinctions between rich and In' answer to Cr. Dignan, the Mayor expressed the opinion that the provision relative to the rive years' interval between burials in Area 111 should be struck out. Cr. Aickin thought the consideration of the by-laws should be deferred for a special meeting, to which the various ministers of religion and cemetery trustees should be invited. Cr. Goldie opposed any such postponement. It was high time that the matter was dealt with. So far only four Councillors out of the eight had been dealing with it, and yet the outside public was blaming the whole body for what had been done. He presumed that the trustee 3 had already forwarded their representations to the Council. They should go as far as possible that night, and leave the balance of the by-laws for another meeting. He was prepared to move that the by laws ehould be considered seriatim. In reference to a remark by Cr. Goldie, the Mayor said that the Dunedin cemetery by-laws had been procured, and even the cemetery by-laws of such a distant city as Ballarat. . . Cr. Garratt was inclined to the opinion that most of the adverse letters in the newspapers anent the by-laws had emanaGed from two interested persons, viz., the Rev. W. Tebbs and Mr F. Cherry. Those of the critics who professed to know most about the matter were those who seemed to be most ignorant on the subject. The managers of the old cemeteries were by no means immaculate. _ In view of the prevalence of infectious disease, there was pressing need for the by-laws being definitely fixed. One minister had admitted to him that he had been misled as to the effect of some of the by-laws objected to. Cr. Garratt was proceeding to reply in detail to the objections to the by-laws, and to compare those designed for the denominational cemeteries with the by-laws for the general cemetery, when it was found that there was not a quorum present. It was immediately resolved upon Cr Garratt's motion to resume the'consideration of the by-laws at a special meeting to be held on Wednesday evening next at 6.30.