CEMETERY FEES

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 266, 10 November 1938, Page 19

CEMETERY FEES

SOUTHERN PROTEST. HIGH COST OF DYING. "CHURCH NEWS* COMPLAINT. (By Tplegrn ph.— Own CHHISTCHURCH, this day. Pointing out that fees for burial in I hriotchurch public cemeteries have been increased by 100 per cent, the "Church News, in its latest issue, contains an article headed, "The Higli Cost of "ving," in which the City Councils decision to put up the cemetery fees is regretted. "One of the unfortunate results of the 40-liou r week and the rising cost of living L* that to-day it costs exactly 100 per cent more to be buried in a Christchurch public cemetery than it did a year ago," states the article. "The City Council lias increased the total charge for a single plot and burial therein to £1 111/, tin* previous charge being £2 it/. T he single plot costs £2 10/, last year £1 «»/; the opening of the grave £2, last year £1. Thus the poor have to complain of the high co.-t of dying as well as of living. " Hie clergy know only too well what a few pounds extra in the cost of a burial means to even the moderately well <i|t. w here Ihe deceased is not cow-red by a friendly society funeral benefit: which on the average provides L'" tor the man but only £10 of it (••wards hi- wife's funeral. (This provision against funeral expenses is one of the omissions from the social security scheme, apparently).

"I ho funeral directors have not incre:if-6il their charges to any jjreat extent. spite of the fact that they, too, are hit by the forty-hour week, and that overtime sometimes costs a« much as H/;i an hour for casket-making. In recent years, too, the standard of service has been raised greatly, and the well-established HrniK have to maintain a fleet, of cars and larger staffs, and to provide expensively-fitted chapels. It is a remarkable fact that in spite of the very greatly improved service, funeral cowt.-i have not materially increased in the last twenty years, and it is still possible to give a worthy funeral for approximately (plus cemetery charges), or even less.

"To (iiir iioi'sotml tlio funeral ilirrctoi'K (n-; thrv [irrfrr tn he called) mliow a highly comnion<lah|« ppiiprosity in the notwls of the linnMiit witlmiit iin pinorif Ii in j; the funeral. VNitli cemetery charges so hijfli. mid taking into account the cost of ami hoadstoiie, it is actually choa[>cr to he cremated than buried. I lie |>refcicncc for earth hurial is larjrolv due to the fact that there is a sa.-rcd Hpot of earth on which the bereaved one can lay the fcriliufe of loving memory, and for that reason and other sentimental reasons earth burial will probably continue to Ne the traditional practice. Sit it is much to be regretted that the liromley charges should be literally doubled."