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tion is available, to cease holding inquests or Coroner's courts in
public-houses." This resolution had good effect, the number of
inquests held at public-houses in this parish having fallen in the
same year to 37, and 116 having been held at the Court.
Coboners' Disbursements.—Amongst the powers as to
Coroners transferred to the County Council, from Quarter Sessions,
by the Local Government Act, is that given by Section 25 of the
Coroners' Act, 1887, to make a schedule of fees, allowances, and
disbursements which, on the holding of an inquest, may lawfully
be paid and allowed by the Coroner, other than the fees made to
medical witnesses in pursuance of the Act. The Council, upon the
recommendation of the Sanitary and Special Purposes Committee,
have recently adopted such a Schedule, two or three of the
items in which, with the remarks of the Committee thereupon,
will be of interest to your Vestry. And first, with regard to the—
Inquest Room.—"When an inquest or inquests cannot be
held elsewhere than in a room hired for the purpose, there may
be paid for the hire of such room per day, (a) when the room is
used for four hours or less—not exceeding seven shillings; (b) for
more than four hours—not exceeding ten shillings." The fee
which the Coroner has hitherto paid to your Vestry for the use of
his court is half-a-crown. The fee accustomably paid for the use
of a room in a public-house is, I believe, five shillings. The
Council, however, like your Vestry, think the practice of holding
inquests at public-houses objectionable; and so, presumably with
a view to discourage the practice, they have decided that "where
the inquest is held in a public-house, not exceeding one-half the
above fees shall be paid."
Dead body.—" Where any cost is actually incurred in removing
the body from the place where found to the place where it
is kept until the inquest, the amount of such cost, not exceeding
five shillings," will be allowed. Hitherto your Vestry have
removed dead bodies to the mortuary at the request of the
Coroner, and defrayed the cost by payment of a uniform fee of