Criticism of Funeral Plan Rules Was Premature

One never looks good with egg on his face, and I’m no exception. But I do have egg on my face.

Your “Letters” column (April 13) included a letter from me on the subject of funds held in trust to pay for funerals purchased before need. I said, among other things, that the State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers had engaged in a conflict of interest. I said this occurred when they changed their rules to allow sellers of funerals in advance of need to take 4% annually of money held in trust to defray costs of administration, where only 2.5% has been permitted before. I wrote that the board had voted to allow these sellers to use this money to pay a sales staff. The only problem is that the board’s action March 30 was not final. Actually, the final word on this will not be said until the board formally adopts or rejects the changes sometime in the near future.

I regret any inaccuracies that future developments may show I have made in my appraisal of this situation.

JOHN BUCHANAN

Ventura