The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-03-16

ARE BELLICOSE
Propose to Sue City or County
For Bills.
TROUBLE OVER THEIR PAY
ARE NOT REIMBURSED FOR
BURYING THE INDECENT.
OVER THEIR PAY

1NHERE IS a war on between the
local undertakers and the county
commissioners. The bellicose at
titude Of the morticians is the result Of
the alleged refusal Of the commits
si0ners TO pay for the burial Cf indi-
gent dead in certain cases where the
undertakers claim they have to inter
the bodies and then stand the expense,
too. 1t is proposed to take the matter
before the city authorities and if the
grievance Of The morticians is not sat
isfied. the courts will then be called
into requisition.
The root OF the present clash lies in
the old dispute between the city and
county authorities as to which should
furnish the means for the burial OF
those persons who die pennileSs. Ac-
cording to the claim of the undertak-
ers. they. in order to protect the public
health and preserve health regulations,
have to bury these cases, but declare
that when they present their bills 20
the county commissioners the latter
inform them in many cases that they
cannot pay it because OF some tech
nicality When the bill is presented
10 the city authorities the same refusal
is made on the grounds that the case
is a county one. The undertakers say
they have been forced to stand the ex-
pense Of burial in cases of WTangllng
between the two sets Of officials unul
they do not propose to do it any longer.
and some of them go so far as TO de-
clare that unless some satisfactory set
tlement is made they will refuse TO
handle such cases.
Recent Case Made an Issue.
The present revival Of the matter
was brought about by an incident
| few days ago, as d result of which one
/ of the leading undertakers proposes 20
! bring suit against the county commits
| sioners unless his bill is paid. The
/ body was that of "a person dying from
a contagious disease, and immediate
! burial was necessary.
! L was ordered by the county ply
! sician, said the undertaken, TO bury
/ the body and to protect the people in
/ the neighborhood from the disease. L
/ had to do il. The doctor in charge of
! the case stated that he would Q. K.
my bill. but today the county commits
! siOners sent around the information
( that they could not pay it because the
patient was not a resident of the
( city. / was forced to obey orders and
/ bury the body at the instigatiOn Of the
/ county authorities, but when it was
( done my claims for remuneration are
I ignored on some petty grounds. The
( city authorities will not pay for the
burial because they. claim it is case
belonging TO the couTty, and there YOU
are. Every undertaken in the city has
gone through just this same condition
of affairs and it has reached a stage
where we viii not do it any longer.
Proposes to Sue.
q propose to go before the mayor
and city council and present the con-
ditiOns to them. If some arrangement
is not then made I viii sue the county
for the bill and in that way bring about
a final settlement Of the dispute that
has caused so much trouble all the
I time"
All the other undertakeTs expressed
! themselves in the same vein in regard
to the matter and they propose to back
the steps that viii be taken to bring
about a settlement.