CEMETERY CHARGES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22022, 3 August 1933, Page 7

CEMETERY CHARGES

COST OF DYING TOO HIGH DISCUSSION BY CITY COUNCIL NO REDUCTION TO BE MADE The complaint that the cost of dying in Dunedin will become too burdensome altogether if the City Council persists in its present cemetery policy was contained in a letter addressed to the City Council last night by the Rev. J. Douglas Smith, of Kaikorai. The writer’s chief complaint was that old cemeteries, no longer available as burial-grounds, were too heavy a charge on the comparatively few people whose relatives were interred there. The suggestion was therefore made that cemetery charges should relate only to burial grounds in actual use at the time. All old cemeteries such as those which were full up should be created reserves and as such made a charge on the community as a whole and not on an unfortunate few. The letter suggested that the question whether the present policy was equitable or not should be considered by the council. If it were not faced now the problem would be a serious one when the Anderson’s Bay area was filled up and became a liability instead of the asset it was to-day. Cr Munro said the matter had been brought before the ■ council on several occasions lately, and it was apparently still a matter of surprise to many people that the municipal cemeteries were, run on a profit and loss basis. There were, however, only two ways of maintaining the cemeteries —either by the sale of allotments or by making the whole work a charge on the rates. It was for the council to decide which policy should be pursued. They must decide whether charges should be reduced to everybody or whether the scale of charges should remain the same, with special reductions in needy cases. QUESTION OF STANDING ORDERS. The letter was considered in conjunction with the Reserves Committee’s report on the subject, but discussion was again held up when the matter was again before the council as councillors known to be opposed to the committee’s recommendation had rendered themselves ineligible to move or second any amendment as a. result of their contribution to a discussion on a previous amendment. The Mayor said he would move pro forma as an amendment that the question of cemetery charges be referred back to the 56 * committee. He said he would just Tike to say that Dunedin charges for interments were higher than in any other place in New Zealand. He had been told that some years ago a transfer of credits was made from the old cemeteries which were now so strikingly in debit. _ ~ Further difficulty ensued in finding a seconder. Cr Silverstone indignantly challenged the Mayor’s ruling, and described the attitude of the council as a “deliberate attempt to gag certain councillors.” He failed to see why he and Cr Jones, having spoken to another amendment, were not entitled to move or second another. He said it was ridiculous that a councillor should be expected to speak to the whole report at once. Cr Marlow: Standing orders require it. Cr Silverstone:: New councillors should have been told. We are being gagged. Cr Shepherd then offered to second the amendment, but he, too, was ruled out of order. ~,,,, Cr Munro then said he would help the Mayor out of his difficulty, but he was immediately reminded by a chorus _of voices that as the mover of the motion he could not second an amendment. Eventually Cr Marlow came to the rescue and seconded the amendment. Cr Silverstone objected strenuously at intervals to the attitude adopted by other councillors despite constant reminders that standing orders left the council no option. ' Reaching for his copy of the standing orders, Cr Silverstone said such a thing would not be tolerated )in Parliament, and he would like to know what standing order covered the matter. After some concentrated explanation Cr Marlow, with the assistance of the Mayor, managed to convince Cr Silverstone that he was not being gagged, and the discussion was continued. HIGHEST IN DOMINION. Cr Jones produced figures to show that interments in Dunedin were very much higher than those obtaining in other centres. Similarly charges for lots were very much higher in Dunedin than elsewhere. Reduced charges would be a great help to many people. Cemetery charges could not be avoided at some time or other. It seemed to him absurd that successive cemeteries should pay for the previous ones. It meant a geometrical progression in charges if the next cemetery was to be expected to pay for the Northern, Southern, and Anderson’s Bay Cemeteries. There was no reason at all in the _ present policy, and, if necessary, a rate should be struck. FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY. Cr MTndoe said there was a very real reason for the policy, and the reason was financial. They could not let the cemetery account drift back indefinitely even though they knew the charges were really too high. Cr Shepherd said there need be no fear that the Anderson’s Bay cemetery would ever be a charge on the next ground. The charges had been fixed to avoid that situation. Cr Marlow said that plots at the Southern Cemetery were purchased many years ago in lots of cases. (Whole families bought plots and these had to bo delivered when required. They were charged for under different systems of i charging and the revenue received was 1 spent long ago. It now had to be made UP ' I A LABOUR VIEW. Cr Silverstone deplored the determination of the council to make everything it touched pay. He would not mind if the rich were the only ones who paid, but the poor had to help to make everything pay. An interjection from a councillor roused the speaker, who said, “Oh, yes, I know you are always looking after the poor. That’s why they are still poor. It’s a pity the poor do not commence looking after themselves. They would not then need the sympathy or help of the council. They could get all the help and sympathy they wanted if they knew their own power.” Cr Allen; That’s a nasty remark. ' Cr Silverstone: No, it is not. It is just an expression of opinion. A CHARGE ON RATES. Cr Munro said ho did not think such a question of policy should be left to the committee to decide. Personally he thought that the rates should bear some of the burden of cost, and if the question were referred back to the committee, he could promise the council that i if he could manage it, there would be a ’ ! proposal to shift some of the burden on I to the rates. ! Cr Shepherd: It is not going back. Continuing, Cr Munro said he under- ’ stood that money to the credit of the ; cem etcry account had in the past been ' transferred to the Consolidated Fund. He would like to know if that were so. i The town clerk: It is not so. ■ j On the amendment being put to the 3 ! meeting it was rejected by nine votes to three.