THE MOATE HOGGARD INQUEST

Waikato Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1592, 26 June 1903, Page 2

THE MOATE HOGGARD INQUEST

THE CORONER BLAMED. (by telegraph—peess association). Auckland, List Night. The inquest on the death of Monte Hoggard, the boy whose burial wag delayed for five days, was continued at the Hospical yesterday afternoon before Mr Gresham, Corouer. Inspector Cullen represented the police. The inquiry lasted five days. The jury shortly before two o'clock this afternoon returned a verdict of death from croup and added that no blame was attachable to anyone. They also made the following riders : ' Whereas Dr. Moir, having handed over the deceased as a patient to the Hospital, he committed an error of judgment in interfering in any way with the issuing of a certificate, and notwithstanding we admire the straightforward manner and the amount of assistance given by Dr. Collins to sift out the root of the inhuman act committed, we cannot exonerate him from blame for not communicating with the undertaker his willingness to issue a certificate from Sunday morning up to the discovery of a post mortem being held on Monday morning at 10 am. Whereas it came to the Coroner's knewledge on June 13th, about 3 p m., that there was some difficulty as to the issuing of a death certificate for the boy Moate Hoggard, and again from information received from Dr Moir on June 14'h that an inquest was necessary, and whereas such inquest was uot held until June 17th, causing considerable inconvenience and sorrow to the deceased's pareuts and relatives, no Coroner guilty of such an inhuman act is worthy of such an office. "We exouerate the police from any blame, aud highly commend them for their discretion. Wt believe that the • public rights would be better safeguarded when any supposed suspicious death takes place if the public generally and medical doctors in particular report direct to a police offi cer. The position of Coroner should he one under payment by salary and not by fee, thus preventing a refieution on the Coroner when inquests are necessary, and also tend to minimise the number of inquests We strongly protest in being placed in the power aud being compelled to submjt to the ruling of a Coroner, whioh we believe to be contrary to the law of the land, and which we know to be contrary to commonsense.'

The Coroner remarked : ' Thank you, gentlemen, for your verdict, on behalf of the Crown.'