CORONERS' ENQUIRIES. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume LIII, Issue 101, 30 April 1897, Page 2

CORONERS' ENQUIRIES. TO THE EDITOR.

( Sib— Some time ago I drew public attention, through your columns, to the history of how Coroners' enquiries had been altered from shrewd inquisitions by expert medical jurists, into a cheap and necessarily perfunctory farce, conducted by untrained, and in some instances extremely ignorant or incompetent men. Since the two-guinea fee was reduced, in very few instances are these inquests held by very intelligent acting " Coroners, and, since medical knowledge has been assumed not to be necessary, they are really groping in the dark/ or guided by possibly an ex parte professional witness, who may be strangely prejudiced. In Palmerston North, in a case before District Court Judge Kettle, his Honour is reported, in a cutting I attach, to have made comments on the conduct of a recent inquest that forcibly support my contention that cheap inquests are not efficient, and that medical knowledge is necessary for eliciting the cause of death in very many cases. I attach my name, as, having had some 25 years of experience as a Coroner, your readers may know I am acquainted with all the details of the subject I am treating upon. I am, &c, v Fbancis A. Monokton, ■' M.R-.C.5., Eng. The Camp, Feilding, 10th April. We reproduce from the Manawatu Standard of 10th inst. the remarks of Judge Kettle as reported in that journal :— " His Honour, in referring to the way in which the inquest on the late Mrs. Blake was conducted, said in his opinion the proceedings were most irregular. He thought it was in the public interest that where a death took place, as in the present case, under circumstances which justified the Coroner in holding an inquest, more especially in cases where the circninstances surrounding such death were of a suspicious character, that the Coroner should see that the proceedings were conducted with the greatest regularity, that all the circumstances should be thoroughly investigated, and a post -mortem, examination held. In the case of Mrs.

Blake the Coroner, although he knew or heard from the police tbat circumstances of suspicion did exist, neglected to order a posU mortem examination, and, apparently, hurried through the proceedings with what his Honour considered to be indecent haste, sitting from 7 o'clock in the evening throughout tbe night, until four o'clock in the morning. Under such circumstances it was of course impossible to expect that the investigation could be thorough and satisfactory. He thought it necessary to make these remarks in the public interest, as it was highly desirable that Coroners should exercise the important functions of their office with the utmost care and in a thoroughly, exhaustive manner, although his remuneration for each inquest was only the paltry sum of one guinea."