NEW BURIAL RITE APPROVED.
Morticians Tire of Speculating in
Pauper Dead at $2.
"We have to pay our men $5 to go to St. George's hospital for a body at the dead of night and drive it to the cemetery for burial. Persons dying form smallpox must be buried at night. How many of you men would do it for $5?"
"I wouldn't do it for $6," replied R. L. Gregory, president of the board of public works.
This occurred at yesterday's meeting of the board when a representative of an undertaking establishment appeared to explain why the bid of burying the pauper dead hand had been raised from $2 to $5. He explained that in the past the burial of paupers had been a speculative proposition with undertakers. There is no money in it at $2, and the profits come in when very often relatives of impoverished deceased persons appear and give them a more expensive funeral.
"A grave costs $3; it takes fifty feet of lumber to make the box; that costs $1; then there is the excelsior for the upholstering, muslin for a shroud and material for a headboard; that counts up $1 more, making a total of $5 to bury a pauper," explained the undertaker.
It was decided to accept the new bids, $5 for burials an 75 cents for ambulance service to the several city hospitals.
