MORGUE FOR TE KUITI.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 580, 28 June 1913, Page 4

MORGUE FOR TE KUITI.

HOSPITAL BOARD APPROACHED. APPLICATION REFUSED. At Thursday's meeting of the Waikato Hospital Board a letter was received from the Te Kuiti Borough Council, forwarding the following resolution, carried at a meeting held on June 9th: —"That in the opinion of this council the time has arrived when a morgue should be provided for the town and district, and that his Worship the Mayor (Mr J as. Boddie), be requested to use his influence in endeavouring to obtain a £1 for £1 subsidy, up to £2, from the Waikato Hospiatl Board towards the cost of the erection of a euitable building." The council considered that an iron building about 14ft by 12ft, with a concrete floor and lined inside, would be suitable for the purpose and it was anticipated that the Government would provide a site for the building. Mr Boddie said the position briefly was that the district which he represented was a large one, and during the last year there had been some very sad cases of dead bodies having to be placed in the police stables at Te Kuiti. On one occasion the body of a girl who had been cut to pieces by the train had had to lie there for twentyfour hours, Dr Douglas said it was unfair that all dead bodies should bo taken up to the Waikato Hospital and placed in the morgue there Mr Johnson: About time Hamilton had its own. Mr Boddie then formally moved that the board contribute .£25. Mr Ryburn seconded pro fo<rrna. Mr Johnson moved as an amendment that the request ol" the Te Kuiti Borough Council be not granted, as if the subsidy were given to To Kuiti every other township would demand one. Mr Paterson seconded the amendmentMr Boddie said iri offering to contribute £25 his council had done more than it could reasonably be expected to. The Chairman : Where's it going to end? That's the question. Mr Boddie went on to say that the present state of things waß a disgrace to humanity, and he was sorry to see the board taking a purely financial view of the question. Dr Kenny said he did not think Mr Boddie's remarks were justifiable. Mr Chepmell suggested that the opinion of the board's solicitor be asked as to whether it was the duty of the board to erect a morgue. The secretary said that this was unnecessary. The board was under no compulsion in the matter. The Auckland City Council had had a morgue which was not up-to-date, and finally they arranged with the Hospital Board to build one at tho corner of the hospital ground conjointly. Mr Boddie's motion was then put to the meeting and lost.