The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-26
PROBABLE SOLUTION OF THE DIE
FICULTY THAT INVOLVES THE
CITY MORGUE.
THE COUNTY MUST HAVE ONE,
AND THERE IS NO CHEAPER WAY
TO GET 1T IN
SIGHT.
Charter Commission Must Depend
on Its Memory, for Short
Time at Least.

The committee On ways and means
from the board of aldermen met yes
terday afternoon and after listening to
County Commissioners Hardick and
Moritz on the question of leasing the
building and property on Hill street.
built by the city as morgue, recon-
mended a lease to the county for tive
years at a nominal sum. The county
commissioners explained to the COM
nlittee that under the laws OF 1898, the
county commits s.oners of each county
in the state have a population OF
over, 100000 were obliged to maintain
a public morgue. Some years ago a
morgue had been built on Hill street
ard the county had bsen under the En-
preston that it was Jointly by the
city and county. Investigation snow
ed, however. that the property and
building were owned by the city. Re-
Gently complaint had been made by
number of undertakerS that the col
oner and his deputies were displaying
some favoritism in having bodies on
which post mortems or autopSles were
held removed to certain establish
:.
commissioners had been called to the
law of 1893 and the result was that TN :
county would have to estapllsh ara
naint ain a public morgue under the
law. The law mentioned provides as
follows:
Section l. That the b ard Of co nty COM
mi.siuueiS, in al Coun.H N tnls ssdte HdV-
ing a 10, uluti N OF 1000 peop-e, or over,
nrD VI d
shall Gil or before July l, 1893, pro, "a aAo
equip a pubic no. sLe with the IN ol
the county seat OF each c uj4,1, Tor IN rec p
titn and proper di spositisr, without en- &c,
to any one of al. dead bodies, which, unoe'
the present law, are suUIec. to stmo? ten
exammarion OF coroners inqu~st; provided
that the entire cost OF the equ1pllng anu
building of such morgue shai not ex -eea
The sum of $3.50, and that the st OF
maintaining such morgue shall not exceed the
sum of $1,000 in any one year.
Sec. 2. Such public morgue shall be main
tanned in a su table building separate and
apart from any Ctaer business, and shall be
equipped with the best modern and approved
appliances Tor the hand ing and disposition
OF dead bodies and snail not be conn C ed
in any manner with any undertaking estab-
.ishment, nor shall any person be empoyed
in about sa moFgue who Is in any man
ner connected with or lntel ested IN any
undertaking business, and snail be at all
times under the control OF SAID Doafd o1
county commissioners.
Sec. 3. AL 1nqueStS, poStmortem eXamlna-
tions autopsies held by the coroner uto1
any bodies subject to the same within such
counties shall be held at such public morgle,
and the coroner or deputy coroner CT any
county having such pubic morgue is here
by prohibited from holding any post mortem
examination, autopsy or coroner's inquest up
on any body subject to the same at any other
place within said county, excepting only the
residence of such deceased person, where the
death occurred upon the premises of de-
ceased The county coroner and his deputy
or deputies, hereby prohibited from in
fiuencing, interfering OF in any manner at
tempting to direct or des gnate the undertaken
who shall take charge of and inter any dead
body from such pubic morgue.
Under the circumstances Commits
sioner Hardick stated that the best
thing to do would be for the city to
lease the building to the county for 81
term of years at a nominal rent. The
building not having been used for sew
eral years was in bad shape, and would
require about $1,000 worth of repairs
to put it in condition. If the plan pro-
posed could be agreed upon it would
save the county the cost of new
building, and in the future the county
would maintain the morgue The re-
pairs would include new roof, re-
painting of the building, both inside
and out, new plumbing and the refit-
ting of the room used for autopsies.
Commissioner Moritz wanted the lease
to run for twenty years, but the coun-
ell committee did not deem it advis-
able to tie up the property and build
ing for that length of time.
The communication from Secretary
Innis, of the charter commission, ask
ing the council to appropriate funds
for the employment of a stenographar
and other necessary expenses was laid
over. Aid. Lindahl said there appeared
to be quite a question as to the con-
stitutionality of the enabling act un-
der which the commission was work
ing, and until this point was settled
he saw no reason for appropriating any
money for a stenographer. Aid. San
born suggested that a stenographer
would probably have to be employed to
take down the speeches of the mem
bers of the commission. The point was
made that there was no funds from
which the money could be appropriat-
ed Just now as the fund for "the best
interests of the city for the current
wear had been exhausted. In view Of
the points made as to the power of
the commission to prepare charter
and the question Of no funds, the mat
ter was laid over to be brought up
q f+ar Ian.