CEMETERIES V. CREMATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 228, 1 October 1897, Page 8

CEMETERIES V. CREMATION.

(To the Editor.)

Sir. —Tt is quite inconceivable that the Municipal Council, the trustees and ratepayers have not availed themselves of the Acts of 1894 and 1893 now in force throughout the colony. Wellington has, f believe, already adopted the system of cremation on very reasonable terms, and, as a matter of economy there can be no comparison as to present expenses attending- an ordinary funeral, which, in many cases, entail trouble and annoyance. ' The laws of health invite the earnest attention of the citizens of Auckland, and as the subject is being- brought before Parliament this session by the residents of Onehunga, it may not be amiss to ask the co-operaticn of the people in 'so important a matter, and to a sense of the danger that exists in their midst, as witness the surroundings in and about Mechanics' Bay, Symontls-street, and Newton. It is melancholy to think that the remains of those dear to us should be the means of fostering the germs of disease and death, but it is no less true. There appears to lie no way of abating or palliating this clanger other than removing the immediate cause. Long since, the late Mr Justice Gillies urged the closing of the Symonds-street Cemetery, which, at present, is a disgrace to our civilisation. There are many of us who I think would prefer to have the cremated ashes of kindred and friends deposited in flower-pots, to^ be preserved and cherished for all time, and as a happy illustration the monument to the memory of the venerable Charles Cost ley might be removed from its present seclusion to the brighter Albert Park as an example of charity and benevolence for those who may be like-minded. X.Y.Z.