The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-12-15

l<9e nSWly elected county judge. e. II
II tnakink some very radical in.
psGt5onS IA tho conduct Of county affairs
n ~ startcd cut with the avowtd de-
tyfsmination Of running tito county upon
y strictly business principles.
Heretofore county officials nave been
pefmitted TO purchase their supplies as
they ncaicd them and from what sources
they plcased. simply approving the bills ami
having them sent in to the commissioners
\ ,c6rrt for payment
Yesterday an order was passed by the
commissioners that all orders for supplies
\ y whatever nature, before being filled
mist first he approved by the county Judge.
OF the commissioner OF the precinct In
which may reside tho officer needing the
supplies.
An order was also passed requiring that
every officer IN the county who may be
tn possession or tho custodian OF personal
rtvperty belonging to the county shall
before January render to the county Judge
complete and detailed Inventory OF all
properly In his possession belonging 10 The
county, 80 that a dIopaned statement OF as
sets may be made I'm. &
In the matter Of holding inQuests, Judge
Vasnler has also announced very radical
change.
Hitherto II has been the custom OF Jus
tices Of the peace In their capacities as
Uoroners to hold iuquesta in every case
where death has occurred without an at
tending physician, whether or not there
may have been any suspicion connected
with the case warranting an investigation.
y What gave rise to this indiscriniinate
al t..r.,
operative in this city that no undertaken
In the city shah bury a body unless he re-
ceives certificate as TO the cause nf death.
These certificates are procurable only from
the attending physician or from the coroner
who may nave held the inquest. When
death. though from purely natural causes.
may occur without an attending physician.
as they frequently do. no physicianwll is
sue certificate as to THE cause Of death.
and as the undertaken. under the require
ments or the city ordinance, will not ac-
cept a body FOR burial un.sss accompanied
with u certificate of Gtath, the coroner is
called il to provide the certificate. and
every time this Is done it costs the county
Sc for coroners fees
Judge Vasner holds that this is prostitute
Ing tile purposes for which inquests were
instituted. namely TO inquire into cases
where Crime is supposed to have been COM
mitted With the view of bringing the guilty
party to Justice. He contends that the
county has nothing to do with helping the
city carry out its sanitary ordinances and
has given 1t out that In future no inquest
bills will be approved by the commission
ers court unless II can be established that
some suspicious circumstance is attendant
,ipon TIE death. narratirg the necessity
for holding all inquest under the law made
to cover such cases.
In the meantime coroners are not likely
to hold inqucsts unless paid for them
and pndertalters will not bury bottles I'M
less they have an official certificate as
provided by the city ordinance. and the only
way &c nfHet the consultations thar are
likely to arise under This ruling OF the
county Judge is that the city amend It's
ordinance upon the subject requiring the
city health officer to furnish certificates
II. casrs where people did of natural causes
without an attending physician.