The Department of Health may erect, maintain and operate a crematory for the cremation after dead bodies which have been held in its morgue for at least one year, and have not been identified or claimed. The crematory shall be erected, maintained and operated in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, and shall be subject to the restrictions herein provided. No dead body shall be cremated under this section if the body is claimed and removed within seven days after receipt of notice, by relatives or interested friends or by the agency responsible for the burial of the body, but any dead body may be cremated with the consent of the relatives, friends or agency responsible for the burial of the body.