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(78.) The following facts as to cremation in the United States are given in the British Medical
Journal, July 8th, 1899—The first organised attempt at cremation in the United States was in New
York, in 1874, and the first crematorium was erected privately at Washington, Pa., in 1876. It
was not till 1885 that New York finally erected a crematorium. From that time till 1897 others
were erected in different parts of the country until the total number reached twenty-five, of which
one in Middleton, Conn., has not been put to use, and one in Washington, Pa., has gone out of use.
More than half of these crematoria are connected with cemeteries. Undertakers control three.
From 1884-1898 the number of bodies which had been cremated was 8,883, of which total 1,699
were cremated last year. There has been a slow, but steady increase.
(79.) The extent to which cremation is at present in adoption as a means of disposal of the
dead is relatively small, but it would appear from the above figures that objection to it on sentimental
grounds is lessening, and it probably would be more widely made use of by individuals
if the facilities for adopting it were greater and the cost less. A greater number of cremations
would no doubt materially tend to lower the cost. The cost of the process at the present time at
the crematorium at Woking is given in a pamphlet (1898) issued by the Cremation Society of
England, at £5. This includes the charge for cremation, services of attendants at crematorium,
use of chapel and waiting-room, as well as a simple urn for the ashes. In the case of a person
dying in London it is stated, the total cost, inclusive of all charges, need not exceed £15. The
ashes can be buried in ground attached to the chapel for the fee of one guinea. This would compare
adversely with the minimum charge for burial in a private earth grave. But this expenditure
is probably capable of being lessened. The Vestry of Camberwell obtained—for the purpose
of the report referred to above—information as to cost of cremation at the Cimetèire de 1'Est, in
Paris, and it appears from this that the cost varies according to the class of funeral, the minimum
charge for persons dying in Paris being 50 francs.
(80.) In the future, therefore, cremation is likely to have appreciable effect on the question of
the amount of ground needed for the disposal of the dead.
(81.) (ii.) The persistence of the skeleton in the earth—The persistence of the skeleton, that is, the
inorganic portion of the body—which is insusceptible of decomposition—in its complete form is undoubtedly
of considerably greater duration than that of the body itself, and disturbance of this
would, on grounds of sentiment, be an objection to the use of ground over again, or at least would
necessitate a prolongation of the period within which this could be done. It is possible, however,
that in some soils, by a process of disintegration and crumbling, even much of the skeleton may lose
its form, and under such conditions there should be no reasonable objection to the use of the ground
again for the purpose of another interment, indeed, sentimentally, there appears to me to be less
objection to this course than to the present custom of burial in what are, known as "common"
graves, that is unpurchased graves. These graves are dug of a, depth sufficient for six or eight
bodies, and are filled up forthwith with the bodies of persons who are in no way connected with
each other, but who have died about the same time. The privilege is usually accorded to relatives
to erect small headstones, with the result that several of these are frequently noticed on the
surface of the same grave.
(82.) (iii.) The custom of allotting graves for private or family use in perpetuity—The prevalent
custom of purchasing graves offers probably a greater obstacle to the provision of burial
places on the principle of again being able to utilise for burial the whole of the ground. This
purchase of graves is not a purchase of the freehold of the piece of ground, but a purchase of the
right of burial, which can only be exercised by the person who is the recognised owner of the grave,
the limit to the use of the grave being whether it is full or not. Carrying with it the right to erect
a monument over the piece of ground an additonal difficulty is introduced, and it appears likely
therefore that a part of a burial place would always have to be reserved for the use of persons
wishing to have the privilege of obtaining a grave the ground of which could not be disturbed
without the sanction of themselves or members of their families.
(83.) The adoption of burial under the conditions most favourable for promoting decomposition
as set out above, is not, except as regards the kind of coffin, and to a certain extent the depth of
burial, a matter within the control of the individual. The character of the coffin used is to a great
extent under the control of members of the community individually, but although it appears
to be their desire to be buried directly in the earth, owing either to a lack of appreciation
of the effects of such coffins as are generally in use, or to the force of custom and the paramount
influence of undertakers, or both combined, the methods which are adopted are such as to frustrate
or at least to delay the object with which an earth grave is often chosen rather than a brick grave or
vault.
(84.) To ensure a combination of the most favourable circumstances, it would appear that action
on the part of the legislature is necessary.
(Ii).—The expediency of making further regulations in regard to places of burial.
(85.) The second part of the instruction of the Committee is as to whether there is need for
making any further regulation in the interest of public health.
(86.) It will be necessary in this connection to refer to the methods of burial of the dead at
present in use, and to the question whether there is evidence that these methods lead to nuisance.
(87.) The methods in vogue in the various burial places in the metropolis are based upon and
subject to regulations made by the Secretary of State under the powers conferred by the Burial
Acts, except as regards private cemeteries already in existence in 1852, which were
formed under special Acts of Parliament, and which are only subject to the regulation
as to common interments, The first set of regulations was made in 1853,
and since that date there have been several revisions. In addition, there is a
special set of regulations differing slightly from the others, which is used in special cases. In a
memorandum forwarded from the Home Office, with a complete set of the regulations, it is