EXPENSE OF FUNERALS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 180, 8 January 1915, Page 8

EXPENSE OF FUNERALS.

CREMATORIUM SUGGESTED. Christchurch, Thursday. Arising out of a recent inquest in which the near relatives of an old man were a little. relucLant, not from lack of affection, but from sheer dread of the expense, to undertake the cost of the burial, the coroner, Mr 11. W. Bishop, S.M., lias expressed tho view that a reform of the practise of funerals h urgently needed. The average funeral, Mr Bishop points out, is a somewhat expulsive affair, and its standard is maintained by Ohe habit of the rich and middle class of giving unnecessarily extravagant and expensive burials. In such a sensitive iiiattcr as a funeral the piorer 'people do not wis r n, to appear laekinsi, and so endeavour to rise to a standard set by those better able to afford it. The outcome of this effort to

maintain their respect ability in the eyes of their neighbours is that they incur debt from which they would be saved I if the habit of a .simpler funeral were ] in vogue. To remedy the existing state . ui affairs two courses of action could bs I pursued. The first would be an appeal to tlic richer classes to adopt a plainer type of funeral tile second course would be more radical, and would go to tlic root of the trouble. It would consist of the establishment of a municipal crematorium, where the last offices lor the dead could be performed at a minimum of expense. Of course, full safeguards against abuse would have to bo afforded by a provision for postmortem elimination, but that could easily be done. "I feel very strongly upon this point of funeral reform," said Mr Bishop, "because my experience lias shown me that it is urgently needed in the interests of the community as a Whole, but particularly of that section which is unable to benr tlie heavy expense of the average funeral. A municipal crematorium i 3 a necessity; perhaps some day in the future Chris tehureli will be provided with one," ']