The record-union., 1891-03-01
A BILL RIPE For DEATH.

is bad in principle, form and detail In
deed the bill is unconstitutional, but it
should not, however, be allowed to en-
cumber the statute books under any con-
sideration.
The bill, in brief-and we omit no ma
terial part of it-provides for the appoint
ment of three undertakers, who are to
constitute the State Board of Funeral Di-
rectors-it were better to style it close
corporation, born of San Francisco
conspiracy, with authority to ''cinch" all
other undertakers. The board is to open
and keep register of funeral directors,
and license all who register, but it is to
register none after six months from the
date of the bill whom it does not see fit
to license, and it is to be all offense under
penalty of fines for any one not registered
to bury the dead.
Some faint and feeble excuse for the bill
is given by styling the business of under
taking an art. For it is provided that no
one shall enter upon the business of
funeral director, after the six months
prescribed for initial registry, who is not
skilled in the arts of preserving, dis
injecting and caring for the bodies of de-
ceased human beings, and the 'art'' of
fumigating and disinfecting apartments
where death has occurred from any con-
tagious or infectious disease. But this
new commission, with both executive
and judicial powers, is to be the sole
judge of competency in the practice of
the "arts'' named.
But it is provided that all undertakers
duly licensed must disinfect houses
wherein death by contagious or infectious
diseases take place, as also the bodies of
all who die by such diseases. OF course
this invades the realm of health boards.
Moreover it saddles a cost upon the rel
atives of the dead that may be wholly un-
necessary.
The itch is q communicable disease;
death may result from it, but the disin-
fection of the house wherein such death
occurs, or of the body of the deceased,
has not been held to be necessary. In
short, there is no limit placed upon the
power of the undertaken to disinfect. In
his sweet pleasure, and with none TO curb
him, he may fumigate our houses and
present and collect his bill whether it is
necessary to fumigate and disinfect or
not, since he is made the sole judge of the
necessity-not even the physician attend
ing in the last sickness is permitted to
advise him, and as for health officers,
they are wholly ignored in this bill.
But the Senate was told that unskilled
men may engage in the business who
will bury the dead without disinfecting
the houses of death where necessary. In
response it is to be said that there is no
provision in the bill to compel the
licensed undertakers to disinfect prem
ises. They are told in one section that it
is their duty to do so, but there is no
penalty for failure, not even the threat of
revocation OF the license. So far, then,
as the chatter about guarding the health
oft people through the agency of the
undertakers is concerned, it is silly,
since law with no provision for its en-
forcement is worse than no law.
A joker in the bill is the provision for
the levying Of an assessment of 81 for
every one registering. and S. for every
license issued, and out of the fund thus
extorted from the men of pail and plume,
the three chosen ones OF the board are to
pay themselves S. a day for their services
for each day necessarily and actually de-
voted to the business of the board, and in
addition all necessary expenses incurred
in holding meetings of the board. These
meetings are to be three each year,
divided between San Francisco, Sacra-
mento and Los Angeles, and each meet
ing shall last at least two days. The board
may meet as many times more as its
judgment deems necessary. All the peo-
pie in cities, villages and rural parts
north of Sacramento, not now in the bus
mess, but who may wish to engage in the
business of burying the dead, must,
therefore, come to Sacramento to be ex-
amined by the board, and pay in their S5
per head. If there are ten such in year
the sum realized will scarcely repay the
three chosen men and secretary for two
days sojourn here and transportation. if
we concede that the board will be above
even the suspicion of putting its hand be-
hind its back to be convinced" by his
rivals that here and there prospective
undertaken should be kept out of the bus
mess.
1t will be observed that the bill pro-
cides that all undertakers now in the
business shall be licensed, whether or no;
they are assumed TO be competent in the
ARTS involved, it is only the newcomers
and the men of the oncoming generation
who are to be examined as to the qualifi-
cations. This is nothing less than con-
fession that those in the business are
competent and satisfactory. If so, what
is the need for the bill? Will not the
undertakers of the future be as likely to
prove competent as their predecessors?
The bill is an absurdity. 1t is alb
solutely ridiculous. 1t puts the entire
undertaking business of the State, as the
old crop of funeral directors dies off, into
the hands OF three men. 1t gives them
powers at once arbitrary, unnecessary
and dangerous. The Boards of Health