, 1888-08-15

owner of a house or dwelling, rests on the
chief person in authority, the inspector or
superintendent of the building or Institution,
residing or appointed to such position
there.
The duty of making report to the Police OF
the finding of a dead body rests on the
person finding such body as also on the
Official who conducts the Investigations IN
the matter.
"a.
Neglect of making the reports prescribed
in s Is shall be punished by fines of from
so cents to 5 dollars for each instance of
neglect, with additional fines, according to
the circumstances, of from so cents to 5
dollars for every week during which the
reports may be delayed.
In case of neglect to report q death,
where the deceased has left behind him real
or personal property, the fine may be increas-
ed, according to the circumstances, up to
$64.
The Policemaster, if he is also Dealing
Master, shall, on receiving the report, do
what is necessary, in accordance with the
laws concerning Dealings, but otherwise he
must inform the Dealing Master of the death
without delay,
Cases arising from transgressions of the
enactments contained in this Ordinance
shall be treated and adjudged as public
police suits.
The further instructions as to the way in
which the registers of deaths ut the Police
Offices are to be kept, as to how the items OF
information which are either altogether
wanting in the reports or are not sufficiently
reliable, are to be obtained, and as to the
way in which the registers may be corrected
and completed from the corresponding Church
books &c, will be given by the Government.
IS.
The provision in the Ordinance of 10Th
October 1896, 8, concerning the reporting
of deaths to the Dealing Court is hereby
abrogated as far as concerns St. Croix.
REMARKS.
The immediate reporting of all deaths to
the Dealing Court is made obligatory in the
Danish West India Islands by the Ordinance
of 18th October 1886, under q fine of 100 Rd.
This provision goes somewhat farther than
IS strictly necessary for on the one hand the
immediate reporting of deaths is not necessary
except in cases of sudden violent death
or OF suicide, and in cases where the deceased
leaves property behind him, while on the
other hand the fine for emitting to report is
so high that 1T cannot well be enforced IN all
cases, Consequently it has not been possible
that the compulsory reporting of deaths
should be completely carried out but as it is
nevertheless Of great Importance that the
Administration, not only should be informed
of deaths for the sake of Dealings and mat
ters Herewith connected, but should also,
with q view to the islands progress i'll gener-
al, be able to obtain accurate and reliable
information of the number of deaths, no less
than Of the number Of births, the Government
has considered it right to have the legal pro-
visions as to the reporting of deaths brought
into such q form that they may without
difficulty be carried out.
Such, therefore, is the purpose of the
present Draft of Ordinance, which imposes
no new obligation, but rather lightens one
already existing.
The Council consented tina the matter
be taken under discussion, although the
Draft had not been in Members hands in
the prescribed time.
The Vice Governor introduced the Draft
and said, last year the Council had adopt
ed an Ordinance concerning the obligation
to report births; at the same time as
the Ordinance was laid before the Council
the Government submitted another Draft,
concerning Corpse Inspection, the Council
was not pleased with this latter Draft,
it was rejected, and us a consequence we
IIr - Al