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30
Burial.
Under Section 50 of the National Assistance Act, 1948, the Council
can arrange for the burial or cremation of any person who has died or
who has been found dead in their area, if no other suitable arrangements
have been are are being made.
Each year there has been a small number of requests for these
arrangements to be made. In this last year arrangements were made for
four burials.
In some cases, sums of money are recovered from the relatives out
of the estates of the deceased. It is probable that in time the requests
for these arrangements to be made by local authorities will diminish,
as fewer will die for whom contributions to the burial expenses, obtained
under the National Insurance Act, will not be available.
Mortuary.
The number of admissions to the mortuary fluctuates in the course of
the year, being heaviest in some of the winter months when deaths are
most frequent. The facilities available at the mortuary have at times
proved insufficient. The Council therefore agreed to these being increased.
During the year, then, the mortuary was enlarged so that it
now has four slabs and is now provided with two refrigerator chambers
capable of receiving six bodies.
During the year, 231 bodies were received in the mortuary. Postmortem
examinations were carried out on 229 and inquests were held on
33. This year only two bodies were admitted for storage. This marked
fall on the demand on previous years, for instance, 59 in 1950, is because
the local undertakers are providing their own Chapels of Rest.