The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-12-01
LIVING UP TO THEIR LAW.
ABSURD CLITTONs GOVERNIN0
BURI1LS ~ PATERSON.
Red Tape BY the Yard, snd Cash for some-
bsdy's Pockets-How Funeral Proces-ions
are Kept Waiting at the Cemetery Gate.

Red Tape BY the Yard, and Cash for some-
body's Pockets-iow FuueraI Proces-ions
are Kept waiting st the Cemetery Gate.
Paterson's charter provides for Depart
meni OF Health and Register OF Vital Statis-
tics. The functions OF these oficlals are similar
30 those of the Health Board OF this city. 1t Is
the especial duty OF the Register to furnish
burial permits for internents In his baIllwick.
The following extract from the city charter de-
fines his du,ics:
sscnos 100 The said Register shall issue burial per
ms TO uudertakers OF oher pertons for the nternent
wiihin or the removal from said city Of persons de-
ns sS saS Register Of % pTop,y
ss sss s@s D1 "a Sss Is sa rtse pe
aeath and attending phy .lcan or phys tho psr
ecrtiaed 70 b, physicisn o. Coroner, or both. ANY
he Soy ~ any deaea from se e or
shall inter such BODY therein without such permit shall
be liable to penalty Of nitI collars.
A strict Interpretation OF this enactment must
render II Illegal for tho Register TO grant a
burial permit upon the simple permit Of some
other Register In whose bailiwick tho person
died. without seeing also ths physiciau's death
certificate, but this feature has not been
insisted on by Psters on's Register. althou oh he
has insisted on granting burial certificate for
every corpse to be inferred In tho nelRhbOring
cemeteries. THIS Is simply following tue ex-
ample OF other New Jersey cities, for II per-
son dying IN Camden wasto be uttered In Jersey
City, burial permits might he required Uy every
REGISTER through whose balliwiok the corpse
The tedsr Lawn Cemetery, situated between
Passaic and Paterson, has within t1c past two
years furnished twenty instauces Of hardship,
not to say scandal, growing out OF tue enforce
The son ~ an esteemed resident ~ Passaio
died In the Trenton Asylum. His friends arr ,nged
to inter tho remains In the family lot IN Cedar
Lawn. They we're asked for an additional per-
init III Jersey CITY. Fearful OF further compica-
funeral cortGse aud Was informed by Mr. Hsnes,
the cemetery superintendent, that a Paterson
permit must he obtained. Tho Patterson REGIS
ter % vital etltistics. samuel X. Dean. was
newly appointed ana eraoneously Informed
the applicant that the permit Of the Regis,
| ter for Passao was sufn nrisnt. He declined
| to give one himself. Mr. Sproull, Register for
passaic, happened TO be the undertaken In
charge Of the burial. Supposing that his col
League In Paterson Was acting under lnstruc-
| tions OF his board he conducted tho procession
| SUPERINTENDENT Hines reff.ed to recognise IL,
ana Mr. Sproull was compelled to deposit the
| corp7e on the grass outside the cemetery while
| he welt to Paterson for tho unnecessary out re-
| quircd document. lie was gone more than an
| hour.
| has been called 50 particularly and pontedly to
| the penal clause OF tn act quoted that he knew
| the hne must be enforced u he granted admis-
| sl"n to the cemetery without the legal warrant.
lie suggests that the re son for the strictness OF
the raIerson nc itn bnaTa may nave ,,H I.ssn 70
arrange with the New York Health Board to
| make their permits intorchange.ble, as are
| those OF Jersey CITY and New York. New YORK
| refused its assent, and whether from pique or
| not, the Paterson authorities became strict
| constructtoni,ts Of their own liw.
| The gamers by their action are the Paterson
under akers, who occ lsionally divide fees with
| their New York brethren who nave dead 10
| bury IN Cedar Lawn Cemetery. aud do not wish
to trouble themselves about the procurement OF
| permits.
| Those who have suffered through ignorance oi
| the law have theory that 1t was designed tc
| help the Paterson undertakers, and the same
| theory Il growing in favor among others Inter
| ested In the prosperity OF Cedar Lawn Gene terry