STATE BURIALS

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 September 1923, Page 3

STATE BURIALS

ADVOCATED BY CORONER. (Special to “Star,”) CHRISTCHURCH, Sept, 20. An episode which might have been imagined by Charles Dickens in his gloomiest moments occurred at an inquest conducted before Coroner Wyvern Wilson, ami caused the Coroner to administer a rebuke to local undertakers. During the hearing of the evidence an undertaker asked the Coroner when he could take possession of the body. The Coroner replied that this was the matter of an order which was issued to the relatives and should be communicated through them to the undertaker. He expressed resentment that the undertaker should approach the Coroner on the matter. During the holding of inquests, he was frequently pressed by undertakers who wished to know when they could take possession of the body. Such interruption at an inquest as had just occurred and also as occurred at an inquest at the Asylumn a few days ago, was indecent. He did not know whether it was due to competition among undertakers or because they were over worked that they were so keen to get the body away. It had always seemed to him that one thing that should be undertaken by the State was the burial of people, which should not be left in private hands.