AUCKLAND MENTAL HOSPITAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 155, 29 December 1911, Page 4

AUCKLAND MENTAL HOSPITAL

HOST. D. BUDDO INTERVIEWED. By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, December 27. The Hon. D. Buddo, interviewed today concerning the Auckland Mental Hospital, said that an effort was being made to make provision which would cope with the overcrowding which existed in the mental hospitals. Additions were to be made to the Seacliff, Sunnyside, Porirua ami Auckland' institutions, and he hoped these addition* would be available at an early date to meet the recognised lack of accommodation for mental patients. The difficulty seemed to have come about through a. considerable proportion of the population starting life in the Dominion at an age when mental troubles were more frequent than they are at a later period of life. The statistics did hot show that there was an excessive rate of mental affliction. The population had increased 30 per cent, during the past ten years, and naturally the number of mentally afflicted people had also increased considerably during that time. The result was that there had arisen a, necessity for greater provision for their accommodation. It had not been anticipated, that this increased accommodation would be required before the new buildings at Tokaanu were ready. The new institution was intended for patients who would he benefited by outdoor treatment, and a system of classification would be put into operation there. That would relieve the overcrowding to some extent, but the additions would also he pushed on. He believed a. tender had been let for the additions at Auckland. There had not been any complaint as to overcrowding at Sunnyside, but the additions there were considered necessary. He fully recognised that overcrowding did exist in some of the institutions, but he hoped the provision which the department was making would cope with the difficulty. •