PUTTING FUNERALS ON A CLASS BASIS

Evening Post, Issue 28, 1 August 1936, Page 27

PUTTING FUNERALS ON A CLASS BASIS

Class distinction, which has been abolished by law among living Turks, is to be restored to them once they are dead —or so it is to be concluded from the draft of a bylaw relating to the burial of the dead being considered by the municipality of Istanbul, says tthe "New York Times." TThe law in question, whereby all funerals were to be undertaken by .the municipality of Istanbul, says ually promulgated, six years ago and was to take effect ten years after promulgation. The reason now given for putting forward the date of application is that, in certain districts, owing to unexpected increase of population, hygienic burial can no longer be assured if left to private enterprise.

Provision is made in law for five classes of funerals for adults and two classes for children, a comprehensive charge' being fixed for each as follows: Adults, first class, £30; second class, £16; third class, £10; fourth class, £5; and fifth class, £2 10s. Children, first class, £3, and second class, £2.

A first-class funeral tjomprises a coffin of the best material, a', wreath, a hearse, twenty: automobiles for the mourners, and the ;' announcement; of death in two newspapers. In the second class the announcements in the Press and the wreath are omitted, and '. the number of motor-cars is reduced to ten, and so on down to ; the fifth class, for which a rough coffin only is supplied, with bearers to carry it from the house to» the burial place. Many councillors expressed strong opposition to the adoption '". of the new bylaw. >

The Governor supported it, but finally it was decided to postpone application pending closer examination of the tariff.