Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-10-12
Board of Health, With Bills to
Pay and Funds on Hand,
Can't Liquidate
THE AUTHORITY is LACKING
Attorney General MuIIan Reverses tho
Opinion of His Predecessor, Declar-
ing That Board Has No Right to
Receive Fees From Undertakers -
Where Are the Papers?
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines, Oct 12.--Till the legis-
lature comes together and straightens
out the tangle involving $1,000 cash ON
hand in the state treasury, and the
payment of 5000 bills contracted by
the state board of health in the exam
ination of emlsalmers and undertak-
ers, the state board must stand in the
light of having, examined undertakers
and embalmers for the past five years
collecting fees of SIS each from each ex-
animation and renewal, without au-
thority of law
Under a general provision of the
statute that gives the state board gen.
eral supervision over the health of the
commonwealth, the state board OF
medical examiners began to examine
undertakers and embalmers and arbi-
trarily fixed fee of IS, to be charged
in each instance. The board reasoned
that the transportation of dead bodies
was matter seriously affecting the
health of the people of the state, and
that therefore they had right to exer-
else supervision, and one of the rules
of the supervision was that every un-
dertaker shipping body should first
have a certificate from the state board
of health. The board secured an opin-
ion from Attorney General Milton
Remley. to the effect that it could, un-
der the general powers conferred up
on it by the legislature make such re-
quirement o6 the undertaAers.
Recently the legislature passed a
law requiring that all fees be paid into
the state treasury, and disbursed from
there instead of thru the
hands of the heads of the
departments. Under this there has
gathered in the treasury about $1,000
from fees from the examination of. ur-
dertakers. All went well till the state
board attempted to pay from these fees
bills amounting to about 5000, from the
examination of undertakers and en-
balmers. The executive council looked
up the law and found that it had no
authority to pass upon such bills, and
questioned the authority of the board
to collect such fees. Attorney General
Mullen was asked for an opinion, and
he reversed the opinion Of Milton Rem
ley, and ruled that the board was
without authority and recommended
that "a law be asked for to straighten
out the tang.le. In the meantime the
5000 bills must be hung up till the leg
islature gets together the. middle of
next January. The board, at its meet
ing, appointed DR.. Linn, of Des Moines,
DR.. Eiker Of Leon. and DIR. Kennedy,
the secretary of the board, as a COM
mittee to lay the matter before the
legislature.
So far as the board Is concerned it
considers that some such action as 1t
took five years ago was necessary.
The various associations of baggage
men, railroads, the national health as
sociations and various others handling
dead bodies in transit had ruled that
no bodies would be received for inter-
state transportation except from liz
censed embalmev. Had not the board
acted promptly no body could have
been taken from the state.
Some place between Des Moines and
Sioux City twenty-one examination
papers on the subjects OF materia
medica and medical practice have be-
come lost, and twenty-one would-be
doctorsi of the regular" school" are
waiting patiently till they can be
found before they can be told whether
or not they will be allowed to practice
medicine in the state of Iowa. Follow
ing the recent examination in this city
the papers we're sent by express to the
members of the state board Of examin-
alton and grading. Two sets Of papers
for the entire class were sent to DR..
Commit. of Sioux City, member of
the state board of medical examiners,
to make corrections. He was given
both the papers on materia medica and
medical practice. They We're rolled in
to one package by DR.. Kennedy, secre-
tary of the state board, and delivered
to the express company, and the ex-
press company's receipt is now in the
office of the secretary.
When there was delay in hearing
from the papers, DR.. Kennedy COM
municated with DIR. Conniff, and re-
ceiyed a telegram back to the effect
that the papers Idu ucNCI IedChGo IAlIi.
The express company has been direct
ed to send a tracer after the missing
papers. Just about the time the pa
pers were sent to the doctor the acci-
dent occurred in Sioux City by which
the doctor and his wife were thrown
from the buggy and three of the doc
tors ribs broken. AT the office in this
city they cannot persuade themselves
but that The papers arrived all right,
but the shake-up to the Sioux City
member of the board was such that
he has forgotten about having received
them and they have been misplaced.
In the meantime, however, the matter
is a very serious one for twenty-one
students who took the examination.
Till the papers are found it can not
be told who passed, and il the papers
are permanently lost, what then? Some
OF the would-be doctors no doubt
would be glad to have an opportunity