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153
place" is designed "for the reception of dead bodies
for and daring the time required to conduct any postmortem
examination ordered by the Coroner," who "may
order the removal of the body for carrying out such post-mortem
examination, and the re-removal of such body, such costs of
removal and re-removal to be paid in the same manner, and out
of the same fund as the costs and fees for post-mortem examinations
when ordered by the Coroner." (Sanitary Act, 1866, sec. 28.)
The power of a Sanitary Authority to "provide a proper
place for the reception of dead bodies," (Mortuary), is conferred
by the preceding (27th) section of the same Act, which
enacts that
"Where any such place has been provided, and any dead body of one who
has died of any infectious disease is retained in a room in which persons
live or sleep, or any dead body which is iu such a state as to endanger
the health of the inmates of the same house or room, is retained in
such house or room, any Justice may, on a certificate signed by a
legally qualified medical practitioner, order the body to be removed to
such proper place of reception, at the oost of the nuisance authority,
and direct the same to be buried within a time to be limited in such
order, and unless the friends or relations of the deceased undertake
to bury the body within the time so limited, and do bury the same, it
shall be the duty of the Relieving Officer to bury such body at the
expense of the Poor Rate; but any expense so incurred may be recovered
by the Relieving Officer in a summary manner from any
person legally liable to pay the expense of such burial."
In congratulating your Vestry upon the completion of
the handsome and appropriate building now dedicated to
public use, I may perhaps be allowed to recall the fact that in
my first annual report, for the year 1871, I drew attention to
the need of a mortuary. Shortly afterwards a Special Committee
was appointed to consider how this want might be supplied
? The Committee devoted much time to the subject, but
were ultimately obliged to report that they could not obtain a
site. In my annual report for 1873 I first referred to the
Parish Churchyard as a suitable site, but the suggestion was
not approved by the then senior ChurchwarJen. Gradually,