| Estimated Scale of Charges for Interments in the Metropolis, inclusive of Compensations; the payment for the purchase of new Cemeteries; and new Establishment Charges. | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Existing Burial Dues. | Proposed Charge for Officer of Health and Registration of Death. | Scale of Expense for Undertaker’s Materials and Services. | Charge for New Cemeteries and Establishments. | Total estimated Scale of Expense of Burials. | Annual Number of Cases of each Class. | Total estimated Expense of Interments to each Class per annum. | ||||||||||||
| £. | s. | d. | £. | s. | d. | £. | s. | d. | £. | s. | d. | £. | s. | d. | £ | |||
| Gentry | {Adults | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 10 | 0 | 1,724 | 66,374 |
| {Children | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 529 | 7,406 | |
| 1st Class | {Adults | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 3,979 | 65,655 |
| Tradesmen | {Children | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3,703 | 23,144 |
| 2nd Class | }Adults | 1 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 2,996 | 28,312 |
| Tradesmen | }Children | 0 | 16 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2,761 | 9,042 |
| (Undescribed)} | ||||||||||||||||||
| Artisans | {Adults | 0 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 12,045 | 30,113 |
| {Children | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 13,885 | 19,439 | |
| Paupers | {Adults | } | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3,655 | 2,376 | |||||||||||
| {Children | } | |||||||||||||||||
| Totals | 251,861 | |||||||||||||||||
| Or an annual saving on the estimated total expense of the interments and parochial charges for the whole metropolis | 374,743 | |||||||||||||||||
§ 220. In this estimate the expense of the funerals of the classes “undescribed” in the mortuary registries may be taken as representing the second or third class of tradesmen. In the estimate of the expense of funerals of persons of the first class, no account is taken for a long cavalcade of mourning coaches; but those who are conversant with the details agree that several may be supplied, with a full retinue of hired mourners, and the expense be yet kept below one-half the present amount of charges. A confident opinion is expressed that interments might be performed, under general arrangements, with all the advantages specified, and full compensation be given, at a rate of between 5l. and 6l. each funeral, instead of about 15l., the present average.
§ 221. On the eight chief cemeteries opened in the metropolis by private companies, and comprising about 260 acres, or considerably more than the space occupied by all the parochial and private burial grounds whatever, a capital of about 400,000l. has been invested. The expenses of litigation and of procuring Acts of Parliament, and purchasing grounds, must have been excessively heavy; and it appears probable that, for an amount not much greater or not exceeding it by more than one-fifth, superior national cemeteries, with houses of reception and appropriate chapels, may be formed on the present scale of expenditure of these companies, and in a style commensurate with what is due to the metropolis of the empire. If the charge of the purchase of the land and the structural arrangements be spread over 30 years, and the payment of the money charged, with interest, on the burials of persons of the higher and middle classes, the amount might be included in the total charges for funerals above estimated for the several classes, which charges, though so much below the amount at present usually paid, are yet higher than asserted to be necessary by respectable tradesmen, ready to verify their assertions by sureties to supply the materials and service of an equal or of a better description for the public than that which they now obtain. If the charges of the new cemeteries and establishments at such rates as those suggested were taken as substitutes for the existing rates of charge for graves, the new rates would be for the middle and higher classes greatly below the charges usually found in undertakers’ bills and executors’ accounts. If those new expenses were levied in the shape of a poll tax, or as burial dues, a sum of about 5d. per head per annum (exclusive of the expense of collection) would suffice in the metropolis to repay the principal and interest of purchase-money in 30 years, and also to defray the annual establishment charges.
§ 222. The establishment charges of the existing eight principal cemeteries amount, it is stated, to about 7500l. per annum. I believe, that by appropriate arrangements of a public establishment a far more efficient service might be obtained for national cemeteries for the same money. Assuming that the greatest solemnity and the highest cathedral service is due to funerals, four full choirs of 20 choristers and four organists to lead them might be obtained for less than 10,000l. per annum for four national cemeteries to meet the wishes of those who desire a service of the highest solemnity. The lowest aggregate charge for the separate establishments of parochial and suburban burial grounds, if only on the scale of that of St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields, must be at the least 25,000l., and would probably extend to 30,000l. or 40,000l. per annum. Such an amount in connexion with national cemeteries would suffice to maintain, in addition to the superior religious establishments above described, a superior description of intermediate houses of reception for the dead, with houses and offices for the residence of the officers of public health in care of them: it would beyond that suffice to provide the means for accommodation, on a large scale, for the reception and treatment of all persons labouring under infectious diseases. It might also suffice for the establishment of public baths, in which the metropolis is also deficient.
§ 223. The number of the officers of health requisite for the due execution of the service could only be determined by experience; but, judging from analogous experience, a much smaller staff than on the first view might be expected would suffice for the performance of all the duties specified, if their whole time were devoted to them. Medical officers of dispensaries, within their districts, visit, examine, and treat twenty or thirty cases per diem; physicians in full practice, and driving to distant parts of the town, on the average (which includes cases of short visits of a few minutes and cases where a long attendance would be required), visit about three cases in the hour. This appears to be the best analogous experience. On this experience, and considering that it would be good economy to provide each officer with a one-horse vehicle, he may be expected to visit fifteen cases a-day, one day with the other, out of the daily number of deaths. The two public medical departments, the navy and the army, have rendered the highest, if not the only, public service in the prevention of disease—the navy medical department especially; which service it has been enabled to achieve from having the subjects of its care under the most complete control. The scale of remuneration to these officers, who, whatever diploma they may possess, are required to undergo, and do undergo, a special re-examination, is taken for estimating the expense. There are various grounds that, at all events at the outset, and for their superior responsibility, this class of officers should be selected. The proposed staff would be as follows:—
| Per Annum. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| £. | s. | d. | |
| An inspector of public health, of the rank of an inspector-general of hospitals in the army, or of fleets in the navy, at full pay of 1l. 16s. per diem, at the rate given after ten years’ service | 657 | 0 | 0 |
| A deputy inspector-general, at the rate of the army full pay of 1l. 4s. per diem | 438 | 0 | 0 |
| Eight inspectors of public health, of the rank of staff surgeon, at the rate of the army full pay of 19s. per diem | 2,774 | 0 | 0 |
| Two supernumeraries, of the pay of regimental surgeons, at the rate of the army pay of 15s. per diem | 547 | 10 | 0 |
| Ten single horse vehicles, and ten drivers, at 1l. 1s. per week, total 3l. 3s. per week each | 1,638 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 6,054 | 10 | 0 |
Ten officers, visiting fifteen cases per diem, would suffice to take order such as described, for the burial of 45,000 persons. They will also be enabled in upwards of 8,000 cases to direct measures for the protection of the survivors and their neighbours from the spread of contagious disease. Supposing that each class of deaths occurred daily, with the same regularity that they occur yearly, the distribution of the duties of verification and examination may be seen from the following table, made from the Registrar-General’s returns.
| Metropolis Pop. 1,870,727 | Liverpool Pop. 223,045 | Manchester Pop. 192,408 | Leeds Pop. 168,627 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Number of Deaths of Children under 15. | Daily Number of Deaths of Adults. | Total Number Daily. | Weekly Number of Deaths in Liverpool. | Weekly Number of Deaths in Manchester. | Weekly Number of Deaths in Leeds. | |
| Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagious Diseases | 18 | 42 10 | 222 10 | 526 10 | 348 10 | 203 10 |
| Sporadic Diseases:— | ||||||
| Nervous Disease | 146 10 | 66 10 | 212 10 | 287 10 | 18 | 156 10 |
| Diseases of the Respiratory Organs | 132 10 | 256 10 | 386 10 | 468 10 | 346 10 | 24 |
| Diseases of the Organs of Circulation | 24 10 | 27 10 | 18 10 | 11 10 | 8 10 | |
| Diseases of the Digestive Organs | 55 10 | 38 10 | 93 10 | 105 10 | 95 10 | 61 10 |
| Other Sporadic Diseases | 54 10 | 127 10 | 181 10 | 135 10 | 16 | 102 10 |
| Old Age | 94 10 | 94 10 | 51 10 | 57 10 | 56 10 | |
| Violent Deaths | 1 | 24 10 | 34 10 | 38 10 | 49 10 | 27 10 |
| Causes not specified | 2 10 | 3 10 | 5 10 | 1 | ||
| Total | 581 10 | 672 10 | 1628 10 | 1248 10 | 863 10 | |
| Total Deaths Daily | 1254 10 | 232 10 | 178 10 | 123 10 | ||
Note.—The data upon which this Table is calculated are taken from the Registrar-General’s Fourth Annual Report—the Metropolis, p. 330; Liverpool, p. 281; Manchester, p. 281; Leeds, p. 283. The Metropolis is calculated on the average of the years 1840 and 1841, the other places on the year 1840.
§ 224. The total number of funerals and deaths requiring verification daily would be—for Birmingham about 12, for Nottingham 5, for Leicester 3, for Derby 3. From the data above given it will be seen at how small an expenditure of time a well directed force for the prevention as well as the alleviation of misery—vast interests of the population, that are now neglected—may be placed, under responsible superintendence, and on the most sordid views of economy of money, immense savings, under proper regulations, be made. In Liverpool alone, in the business of cure or alleviation there are now engaged 50 physicians, and 250 surgeons, apothecaries, and druggists, and not one responsible public officer to investigate the causes of disease with a view to prevention. Nor has the city of London, with a population of 125,000, one such officer, though it has an expenditure of 72,000l. per annum in hospitals and endowed medical charities alone, for the alleviation of disease.