AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1167, 30 June 1911, Page 6

AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY.

AND AN EXPLANATION,

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) , Christchurch, June 29. An extraordinary story was told to a reporter this.afternoon to tho effect that recently a dead body had been permitted by the public authorities to be unburied for a fortnight. The report, as it reached the reporter, was to tho effect that a body had been taken to the morgue ' and left there for identification. Then it had been forgotten, and it wns not until a fortnight later that the body was rediscovered. This eeemed to be so like a story from Auckland that no credence was attached to it, but inquiries were, of course, mado ic tho proper quarters. So far as the public morgue was concerned, the stoiy was at once given an emphatic denial. The reporter was informed that no case of the kind had occurred or was likely to occur. It was suggested, however, that something of tho sort might havo happened in one of tho institutions of the city. A gentleman who said that ho was acquainted with the case to which the rumour referred, said that he was not at liberty to discuss it, but that there had undoubtedly been a grave, blunder. ■V patient suffering from consumption, he said, had died, and tho body had lam unburied for ten or eleven days. Pressed to state where tho incident had happened, he named tho Christchurch Public Hospital. The hospital authorities, on being seen, stated that the report, as given above, was much exaggerated. Tho body of an elderly man, whose death was due to consumption, had lain in the hospital morgue for a period of over a week, but under a fortuight. The reason for tho delay was that inquiries were being made as to whether or pot deceased had any relatives or friends in the district or tho Dominion. Tho fact that the body was lying unburied was not forgotten by the authorities, who further stated that in cold weather such as has been experienced locally for the past two or three weeks there was no necessity to hurry the burial of the body, and that in view of this and as it was in a place provided for the reception of dead bodies, there was no fear of contagion. The authorities were unablo to find any relatives or friends of the deceased, whose body was buried at the expense of the board.

The results of further inquiries regarding the delayed burial at the hospital are in the direction of showing that the explanation previously telegraphed is probably not quite correct, a Ri'cat deal of reticence, which is apparently inexplicable, being shown ill the matter. Tho chairman of the Hospital Committee when seen would neither deny nor eonfirm the report, but hoped to bo able soon to make a full explanation. ' The hospital steward simplj ,, referred tho inciuirer to the chairman of the Hospital Committf-e. It was rumoured that tho Mayor has received a report on the matter, but when ho was communicated with he stated that he did not think it desirable, at present to say anything, and would not =ay whether or not he had the report mentioned. According to other rumours tho matter is said to bo capable of a , simple and complete explanation.