PROFESSIONAL PALL-BEARERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 30 November 1927, Page 11

PROFESSIONAL PALL-BEARERS

COMMENT ON SYDNEY AWARD CHRTSTOIIURCH UNDERTAKERS' VTBWS, , (By Tcloerapli-Spocial to "Th» Mail") CfIRISTOIIURCH, 29th November. "Absolutely, ridiculous; .It's interference with public rights and wishes. I can't conceive of anything more against ordinary human nature," was the comment made by one of the city undertakers Avhen a "Sun" reporter showed him a Sydney cable message about preference in the Sydney underwriters" award. Opinions as to the 'reception which the Court award would receive from the public differed. The first undertaker visited went on to say that the measure would be very unpopular. He pointed out that where there were no relatives to act „;is pallbearers there were nearly always members of the same lodge or.club as.deceased, old war comrades, or friends who regarded it- as a privilege to be allowed to carrv him to Itis grave. A not tier undertaker, however, thought that the public would not worry about the order at all. Some people would not hear of anyone but relatives assisting at a funeral, but the majority were not much concerned about who acted as bearers. .('■ . "I don't quite see how the system is to be worked," said one man. 'Of course it might ho possible in large centres of population, but here avc may have six funerals in the city in one day an? none the next. I think that this woall introduce an armv of loafers into the community and then, if therovia the richt number of professional pallbearers to cope with the ordinary number of deaths, there would not be nearly enough in cases of epidemics, such as that of 1918 at any rate. I should not like to have to tell relatives that they could not act as bearers, but that-pro-fessionals in my employment must do 1 '"Who is going to pay the'assistants?" asked another undertaker.; ""We often have to wait a very long time for our money, and it hardly seems fair that we should have to pay the assistants their ten shillings or whatever it might be as soon as the funeral is over, and then have to wait a year for our money. Besides, it would make funerals more expensive for the public. There's no chance of it coming in here. Although in some cases pall-bearers are provided by Christchurch undertakers being charged for by some firms and not by others, the general opinion was that it wis most nrijkdy that a measure similar to the Australian one would be adopted here For one thing thero is not an Undertakers' Assistants Union in New Zealand, though there is every prospect of an Undertakers Association being formed in the near future It seems hardly likely that the public would tolerate such interference with what is naturally regarded as a right of the deceased's relatives or friends. m