The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-04-29
SHIPPING DEAD BODIES
LOCAL UNDERTAkERs At WAR WITH
STATE HEALTH BOARD.
Claim There Is No Right to Charge
Them Fee for Certifi-
Gates.

cided to wage war the attempt TO make
all undertakers and embalmers secure GER
tificates before they are permitted TO ship
bodies of those who die of contagious dis
eases. Several examinations have recently
been held by the State Association of En-
balmers and a number of the undertakers
of this city have taken the examination,
but they have joined with those who have
not, in the determination TO test the ruling.
The object of the attack is DIR. Hurry. sec
rotary of the State Board of Health, which
body has Endorsed the movement TO license
embalmers.
The first examination was held in this
city last December. and since then three
other examinations have been held. one
here and two in other parts of the State.
An attempt was made during the last ses-
sion of the Legislature to secure the pas
sage OF a bill to create a State Board of
Embalmers. but with other bills of like
nature, it was defeated. Since then the
State Association has taken the matter up
and a fee of 20 is charged for the exami-
nation. Probably one-third of the embalm-
ers in the State have taken the examination
and the total number of embalmers in the
State is believed to be about 500. The local
undertakers and embalmers have held sew
eral meetings, and last night, after long
session, Il was decided to test the rule and
Smith & Korbly have been retained for
| that purpose The local undertakers will
carry the case to the Supreme Court, II
| necessary, and the proceedings will be COM
| menced on the first case wherein a permit
| is refused for the shipment of a body. APP
! plication will be made for a writ of man.
| damus and in this way will the test be made.
The position of the undertakers was stated
last evening by James Collier.
1t is the principle of the thing we object
| to- said he, land not a matter of the
money. The first examination TO issue Ger
| tlficateS was held last December, before the
| Legislature met. The movement was start
| ed by the Baggagemen's Association. and
| those who held certificates' certain priyi,
| legeS would be granted in the shipment of
bodies of those who died from contagious
| an examination, and the granting OF these
| privileges, so when the Legislature met a
| bill was introduced by the association which
| was intended to legaliZe the acts of that
/ committee. There provision in that
| bill which required fee of s. each year for
! renewal of the certificate. A number of
underwriters objected TO this, as we believed
| that If we got the certificate once IL should
be good for all time just as physicians
| diploma is good. We opposed the bill and
! then the committee pushing IL came to us
| and proposed that We get together and draw
| up bill that would suit all. We did this
and then all went in together to try to Sc
| cure the passage of the bill. but failed
| AFTER the Legislature adjourned DR.. Hurry
went ahead with the plan. Even if the
| Legislature would not give a law for it, DR.
| Hurry said to this committee to go ahead
, anyhow. for the Legislature didn't amount
| to anything, words to that effect. At any
| rate he told them to go ahead, and that the
State Board of Health would stand behind
| them, even IL there was no law for It,
| RIGHT TO REQUIRE FEES.
I'VE recognize the police power of the State
Board of Health and we acknowledge that
I IN has ba rich TO ali
and regulations governing the shipment of
bodies, but we deny that the board has the
right under Its general police powers to re-
quire the payment of fee from us DR..
Hurry is the whole thing there, and If he
can make US pay a fee of s. he can make
us pay fee of 500. We want some law
behind any such arrangement, and We want
| somebody or official TO whom an accounting
| of the money paid in be made. 1t is
| stated in the circulars that the fee is
charged TO pay all necessary expenses
That is too broad. We don't object in the
| slightest to an examination for competency,
| and the state board has the right TO order
| such an examination, but man who holds
one of these certificates. no matter how bare
| ly ne may have passed the examination, is
| entitled 10 more privileges than man who
| Is much more competent and who never
| would take the examination. If a barely
competent man holds a certificate. no mat
| ter how close he might have come TO fall
| ing TO pass the examination, he ship a
| body of one who died of a contagious dis
| ease much easier than who does not
| have the certificate. 1t does not seem right
| that an incompetent man should be permit
/ ted 10 ship a body in pine box If he wants
| 10, simply because he has paid s. ana has a
| certificate, when a thoroughly competent
| man may be required TO have a hermetically
sealed casket and do number of things
/ not required of the other man. To us IL
! looks like a case of hod-up.
THE first bill introduced was merely to
require of the undertaken a lot OF things
| that should be done by the board of health.
/ Ii would have thrown the expense on us
| and we could not have recovered ii. When
we first objected TO this fee and refused
| 10 take the examina tons a committee was
! appointed from the local undertakers to go
\ and see DR.. Hurry with Mr., korbly. DR..
| Hurry then told VS. that if we would present
| a statement signed by two of our neighbors
| as 10 our good moral character and regular
habits he would issue certificates TO us
/ without the payment of any Zee. Later on
he sent us circulars to make application for
the certificate which Ii was stated that
| We voluntarily made the application. We
did not voluntarily do IL and went 10 see
him again. He then said that he had not
agreed TO anything of the kind. but that he
! would give us receipts for the first pay
| ment so that we would not have 10 make
any more payments. We thought that he
had figured out that he was in a box and
| then when IL struck him that those who
had paid their money would protest If We
got ours free he would have to take IL back.
| There were six or eight of us there that
day and we all understood his proposition
| To he that way. and so did our attorney.
We did not know whether such an arrange
ment would be carried out. and. anyway. IL
| was the right TO charge fee without
law behind Ii that We questioned"