PARK AND CEMETERY. 
239 
Chairman — It kept monuments from 
crowding too near the avenue, and pro- 
vided for landscape planting. 
Mr. Wise — A wide boulevard would give 
you a chance of raising the price of lots 
along that section, as it would be a more 
desirable position. 
Chairman — It is not a question so much 
of what the price is ; it is the location. 
We read that death levels all ranks and 
distinctions, but that idea does not work 
out in cemeteries. There is still a part of 
the community that wants the select places. 
They do not care about the price, there- 
fore we give it to them and charge them 
up accordingly, and that helps the poor 
i man out and also helps to put the cemetery 
| in an ideal condition. 
Building of Foundations. 
F. D. Clark — The usual foundation is six 
j feet in depth. 
Chairman — Regarding cement construc- 
tion, you cannot give any set rule as to 
how much gravel you would use to. the 
cement; all the cement you require is 
enough to cover every grain of sand, and 
coat what stone you put in with enough 
sand to fill up the voids. If the stone is 
angular it will not require as much cement 
as if it be round, such as lake-washed 
gravel whose rough edges have been worn 
away, but you cannot lay down any given 
amount. 
One combine controls the cement produc- 
tion in Canada, and sometimes you have 
to take whatever cement they like to give 
you. I find National and Star to be the 
best cement; it is quicker in setting. 
Belleville cement is very slow, but it makes 
a good, solid concrete when it has had 
time to set. 
The President — -A man can very easily 
see how much cement his gravel will re- 
quire to form a perfect block, but when 
he gets experience in construction of con- 
crete he can tell pretty nearly immediately 
by looking at his gravel how much it will 
stand. I got my experience by merely 
separating my stone from the sand in pro- 
portion to gravel and working it out that 
way. 
Mr. Clark — The cement combine has 
done one good thing for this country; 
they issue a pamphlet of some 110 pages 
which can be had free of charge. If a man 
wishes to know how to use and prepare 
concrete, the information therein contained 
will help to that end. This work is en- 
titled “The Farmer’s Handbook on Con- 
crete Work.” 
Mr. Foord — I would advise every man 
who has charge of a cemetery to put his 
foundation down to the depth of the grave. 
No matter how small a monument, put 
the foundation right down to the depth. 
The foundation should be, at the very least, 
six feet in depth, and then it will cause 
you no trouble hereafter. 
FIRST MEETING OF BRITISH CEMETERY ASSOCIATION 
The first annual convention of the United 
Kingdom Association of Cemetery Super- 
intendents was held in London on the 15th 
and 16th of July and proved a successful 
meeting in every respect. 
The members met at Anderton’s Hotel, 
Fleet street, E. C., at 11 a. m. on the 
morning of the 15th, with a good propor- 
j tion of the membership present. 
The president in a few words welcomed 
j the members to London and hoped they 
| would go back home well repaid for their 
visit. 
At 12 noon the party boarded a motor 
car that was in readiness at the door, for 
Hampstead Cemetery, where the chairman 
of the Hampstead Cemetery Committee 
and N. W. A. Cochrane, the superintend- 
ent, met them at the entrance, and it was 
soon evident that the members were inter- 
ested in all they saw. 
This fine cemetery is twenty-five acres in 
extent, and great credit is due to Mr. 
Cochrane for the manner in which the 
grounds are kept, and the attention given 
to the graves and floral displays. 
The next stop was at the St. Marylebone 
Cemetery, an ideal cemetery under the su- 
pervision of T. Bevan, known as an expert 
horticulturist, and from the condition of 
the grounds it was quite evident that what 
Mr. Bevan preaches he puts into practice. 
Mr. Bevan explained at some length the 
drainage arrangements of the cemetery 
which were considered by the members of 
the association to be perfect. 
The members then rejoined the motor 
and were conveyed to the Great Northern 
Cemetery. This is a beautiful place, well 
wooded and an ideal site for a cemetery. 
From here the members were taken to 
Islington and St. Pancras cemeteries, which 
adjoin, and at the kind invitation of Mr. 
Bucherfield and Mr. King tea was par- 
taken of in the joint board room at the 
entrance. 
These cemeteries are well laid out and 
nicely kept. The large range of green- 
houses at both places proved a source of 
interest to the members. 
At 7 :20 p. m. the members and others 
assembled at Anderton’s Hotel, where a 
well-earned dinner awaited them, presided 
over by J. D. Robertson. 
The meeting was opened by a pithy 
speech from the president, as follows : 
President’s Address. 
The old adage “United we stand, divided we fall,’? 
comes home to us very forcibly today in almost 
every walk of life. It is well therfore that we 
cemetery superintendents, at last bestirred our- 
selves, and from efforts put forth by a few last 
years we, today are on the fair road in, becoming 
an association of which we expect things as 
time goes by. 
I may mention in passing that _our association is 
the outcome of a conversation which took place 
between a few superintendents in Februarv, 1913, at 
the Guildhall. 
Although some years ago an attempt was then 
made without success to form an association, from 
the conversation referred to, one of our members 
sent a circular letter round the London cemeteries, 
with the result that our good friend, Mr. Tate was 
able to secure a room at the Kensington Town 
Hall, and called a meeting. 
At this meeting the question of the wisdom, or 
otherwise of forming an association was fully dis- 
cussed with the result that there and then a com- 
mittee was appointed to draw up a report ^and rules. 
Subsequent meetings were held at various centers 
in London until at last we were able to say we are 
an organized body, not, let me .say to grind any 
individual’s axe, but for the good and welfare of 
the communities which we serve. 
There is no doubt that if we had such, an organi- 
zation, say, 50 or 60 years ago, we would not have 
to lament the fact today that many of our ceme- 
teries are mere^stoneyards. 
Planned as many cemeteries were by men w T ith 
little or no* taste or 1 knowledge of landscape gar- 
dening, and indeed many of our cemeteries after- 
wards managed by men trained behind, the counter, 
little wonder if visitors feel chilled and have a 
horror to enter many cemeteries. 
I am sure there is a great future before our 
association, and with a good committee and an able 
secretary, such as we have in Mr. Tate, we 
should impress as much as possible the wisdom 
and indeed, the necessity, of consulting us on many 
important questions, such as planning and lay- 
ing out new grounds, filling positions with fully 
qualified men, and other matter of equal impor- 
tance to the public. 
I may menton in passing that we are already 
taking active steps to have some of the clauses 
in the deaths registration and burials bill now be- 
fore parliament, amended. In this and in other 
directions we purpose making our power felt. 
May I take this opportunity to impress upon 
the members who are here from the province 
the wisdom of pressing any superintendents they 
may know in their district to become members 
without delay. We look to the time when we shall 
have several branches in the provinces, with London 
as the center. 
I sincerely trust that our country members will 
go home satisfied with what they saw today and 
what they will see tomorrow of our London ceme- 
teries, and further convinced with the fact that 
we in London are out not for self advertisement, 
but for the good of the whole. 
The next item on the program was a 
paper entitled “The Laying Out, Draining 
and Planting of a Cemetery,” by T. Bevan, 
superintendent of St. Marylebone Ceme- 
tery. 
The report of the secretary, C. F. Tate, 
of Kensington Cemetery, was as follows : 
“The association was first formed in Oc- 
tober of last year, since when some sixty- 
two members have been enrolled. Six 
meetings have been held in various parts 
of London. The meetings have been well 
attended and various subjects in connection 
with cemetery matters brought forward 
and discussed. The association is in a 
sound financial condition and I am look- 
ing forward to the time when every ceme- 
tery superintendent will become a member 
of this association.” 
A. Cochrane read a very interesting pa- 
per on “The Evolution of the London 
Burial Ground,” which was full of inter- 
est to the members and showed that Mr. 
Cochrane was well informed on the his- 
tory of the old London burial grounds. 
The election of officers resulted as fol- 
lows : 
President — J. D. Robertson, City of Lon- 
don Cemetery. 
Vice-President — A. King, Islington. 
