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The local Justice, of course, would be the Mayor, but then it
is quite possible his services could not be immediately obtained.
On the 7th September, a child died from Diphtheria in Poplar,
and on the 8th September the parents desired the body to be
removed to the Infectious Diseases Mortuary, as they did not
wish to sleep in the same room with the cofpse.
The services of a Magistrate could not then be obtained, as
it was late in the afternoon, and the Committee were informed
the body was removed to the Infectious Mortuary.
It certainly would appear where friends are desirous of having
corpses removed, as in this instance, no Justice's "Order" should
be required, and it should be only necessary to obtain a Justice's
"Order" where there is danger to the public health through the
friends objecting to removal.
It is a very serious danger to the public health that the body
of a person who has died from an infectious disease cannot be
immediately removed to a Mortuary without an "Order" of a
Justice, and a very strange state of the law that such a procedure
is necessary when the friends are only too anxious to have a
corpse removed in order to conserve the public health.
It was suggested to the Committee that the Local Government
Board be asked to take into their consideration the question of
surcharge which should not be made when friends are desirous
of having bodies immediately removed to the Mortuary, and when
no ''Order" of a Justice has been obtained, for in the Poplar
Borough application has to be made either at the Police Courts,
which close at or about 5 p.m. (and are not open on Sundays),
or to the Mayor, who cannot always be expected to be at hand.
The Committee concurred that it is important in such cases
bodies should be promptly moved, and authorised such removal
without a Justice's "Order" in any case of emergency. In the
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