The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-07-15
DEAD FOR
DOLLAR EACH
Uncle Sam Gets Cheap Rates
for Seamen's ! funerals
In Seattle.

late Senator Ho4r once refused to
speak to a well-kn0Wn newspaper man
Of the far west because an editorial
paragraph in his paper concerning one
Of the senator's friends had stated that
he refused to die in order to save
funeral expenses" At the present time
they are burying men in Seattle.
declared by the government that they
get f,rst-class funeral. Evidently Sem
ator Hoars friend was born a bit too
soon, for It II cheaper to die than to
live, especially In Seattle.
As part Of IT'S paternal interest In
nearly all things. the common man Of
the sea.is a ward Of the government.
The government furnishes him with
hospital treatment either in its own
marine hospitals, or 1t pays tor his
treatment in certain designated con-
tract hospitals, ana il he is 80 unfor-
! tunate to die. 1t buries him. The gov
eminent has recently concluded a con-
tract In Seattle with leading firm to
bury all dead seamen at 81 each. 1t is
the cheapest Of all contracts Of this
character made by the government,
but 1t Is asserted that a seaman who
dies In Seattle gets real burial for
the figure named. Just what is in
cluded in a hrst-class dollar burial IL
say no trust furnishes any part of the
accessories.
Treats tho Sick; euries tho Dead.
A. H. Glennan, acting surgeon-gen~
eral of the marine hospital service, has
just sent out circulars to the account
Ing officers Of the treasury, Informing
them that contracts have been made
| In various parts Of the country for hos
pital care and treatment OF sick sea.
men and for their interment in case OF
death. These contracts cover cities
where the government has no marine
hospital OF its own, AZ Is true in most
of the seaports Of the country. There
are over 100 such places designated IN
the order and seamen are not allowed
to be treated or cared for elsewhere at
government expense.
The cost Of caring for sick seamen
or burying dead ones is paid by the
government out Of the tonnage tax on
| vessels and all merchant seamen are
During 1904 5S,556 seamen were cared
| for at the relief stations. 14,303 in the
| regular government marine hospitals
and 44,253 in the contract hospitals.
The maintenance of the stations cost,
exclusive of salaries, rents, lights and
other incidentals, $s53.oo0, and the
| total expense of the marine hospital
service for the year was $1,16S,25S.
Rivalry in undertaker's Work.
On the Pacific coast there seems to
be deadly rivalry between under
men. While Seattle leads by a wide
margin in point Of cheapness, San
Diego will bury then at the low price
Of $4.97 each and Los Angeles, where
real estate is q bit higher, will do the
| work for $685. each. Except for jack
scnville, Fla, where the price Is 81 a
burial, Ashtabula, O., ranks next to
Seattle in the whole country for cheap
burials. It boasts quite q list Of sea
heroes in it's inland cemetery who
found a resting place, at $40 each.
At Cairo, ILL.,, the figures are 1886,
while at Sault ste. Marie, where the ice
breaks late in the spring and closes
early in the. fall, the rate Is IS. st.
Louis asks the most aristocratic inland
price and it Is suspected the profits are
greater, for, officially, 1t Is not known
that a st. Louis funeral Is better than
any other. The price is SO. A New
England funeral costs most Of all,
however. possibly because its grave
seafaring dead. At Portsmouth, N. H..
the cost Of burial Is 50: at Bangor
Me-, $40; New Haven, Conn.,, SIS, and
New London. in the same state $3.50.
The prices for the treatment Of pa
tients range from IS cents to 81 a
day. Quarters, subsistence, nursing
medicine and medical attention are In
cluded. In case Of contagious dis
ease the price is much higher. The
prevailing figure for treatments il SLIPS
day. In the contract hospitals the
treatment Is limited to twenty days
unless absolutely necessary and pa
tents needing longer treatment must
be moved to the nearest marine hos
pital If the medical officer in charge