DUNEDIN CREMATION SOCIETY.

Evening Star, Issue 11682, 14 February 1902, Page 3

DUNEDIN CREMATION SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the Dunedm Cremation Societv was held in tlte Agricultural Hall Buildings last evening. Dr Brown (vice-president) occupied the chair. 'there were onlv nine others present, including two ladies. Eight apologies were received for non-attendance. The Chairman moved the adoption of the statement of accounts, and said that the membership had not increased much during the year. However, one enthusiastic member had been the means of getting twenty names added to the list by canvassing. During the year they had lost by death two worthy and" enthusiastic members of the society. The death of one of them was deplored not only by that society but by every other public body in Dunedin. He r«ferred to the late Mr Scobie Mackenzie. Besides Mr Mackenzie the}- had lost another member pronounced advocate of cremation—hi Mr C. W. Kerr. The society looked upon the disposal of the dead as a ♦municipal duty, and a deputation had been authorised to wait upon the Reserves Committee of the City Council and place all the information concerning cremation they could before it. The Committee reported very favorably on the matter to the Council, and some further information was desired by that body. The matter was referred back to the Reserves Committee, and in the meantime plans for a crematorium had been pot from Messrs Wales, Lawson, and Salniond. The deputation waited again upon the City Council and laid these plans before it; but, unfortunately, in the interval a fresh election of councillors took place, and some of the new members of the Council were obviously antagonistic to the society's wisiies in the matter of a crematorium. As Mr Melland was going home to the Old Country, the society decided to wait till his return before taking further action. Mr Melland had now come back with information as to cost, etc., which they hoped would go a long way towards inducing the City Council to look more favorably upon the suggestions die society had made to it. Mr J. Ness seconded the motion, whkh was carried unanimously. Mr E. Melland said he had had a hurried visit Home, but while there he. managed to see the crematoriums in Glasgow and Manchester, and made inquiries about the one at Hull. He called at- the office of the Cremation Society in London, and had a, chat with the secretary, who told him about the new crematorium which was to he built. It would prove a more central one than the one at Woking. There did not, however, seem to be much enthusiasm on the subject of cremation in Glasgow. According to the last statistics the cremations in Glasgow for 1900 were 16, in Manchester 88, and in Liverpool 48. There had been 301 at Woking, which, together with the other figures, showed an increase. He saw the Manchester Crematorium, which was the best he had visited, and there was a large membership connected with it. It was a private company, and outsiders were cremated there. in some instances the ashes were buried in the ground, but the more favored idea was to have them placed in urns, these being put into littfo niches. There was also a crematorium nt Hull, which was a long time being built, as it was necessary to get an Act- of Parliament passed to permit of its construction. It was finished last year, and his information as to its use only extended up to August, at which time there had been fourteen cremations. The coot of the construction was £3,122. The feeling in favor of cremation was growing everywhere.

Mr W. A. Sim said tluit there was no doubt the society would have to proceed actively, and he hoped that they would be able to approach the City Council and get them to do something definite in the way of a crematorium.

Mr T. D. Pearce quoted from the work of Sir Henry Thompson on 'Modern Cremation,' in which it was shown that in England in 1885 three bodies were cremated, in 1895 this had increased to 150, and in 1900 to 301. In France the municipal crematorium began work in 1889, and it was found necessary to add new furnaces, and the cremations were now at the rate of 400 a month, and this w;is cou.sta.ntly increasing. In Germany in 18so there was a membership of 12,000, aud the cremations numbered 20, while in the following year the membership had risen to 37,600, and the cremations to 37. In Italy there were 28 crematoriums at work, and the total number of cremations at the one at Milan since it was instituted was 1,555. There were also crematoriums in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. In the. United States there were 25 crematoriums at the end of 1900, and Mr Pearce selected four of these to show the increase in this method of dealing with the dead. At Fresh Pond, New York, established in 1885, the number of cremations at the close of 1900 was 3,903; at St. Louis, Missouri, established in 1888, the number up to 1900 was 1,054; at Boston, Mass., established in 1893, the number by 1900 had reached 1,057; and at San Francisco ("Oddfellows"), established in 1895, the number up to 1900 was 1,535.

The Chairman conveyed to Mr Mellarrd the thanks of the meeting for his instructive address.

Mr Justice Williams was re-elected president; Dr Brown, vice-president; Mr F. M. Allan, secretary and treasurer; and Messrs J. F. Arnold, M.H.R, A. Bathgate, F. R. Chapman, J. M. Gallaway, J. H. Hoskmg, G. Joachim, A. Knight, J. MacGregor, E. Melland, J. Moloney, F. Oakdan, T. D. Fearce, J. M. Ritchie, P. R. Sargood, W. A. Sim, G. M. Thomson, N. Y. A. Wales, A. Wilson, J. W. Smith, M. Cohen, Drs Barnett, Baichelor, Colquhoim, Coughtrey, Ogston, and Roberts, Professors Benham, Black, and Sale, the Rev. E. G. Edwards, the Rev. W. Saunders, and Deau Jfitchett, a committee. The Chairman drew attention to the indebtedness of the society to the secretary (Mr Allan) for the work he had done. He had not had much encouragement, but his Mai knew no bounds, and he (the chairman) desired to propose a hearty vote of thanks to him.