G.—No. 26,

8

REPORTS ON NEW ZEALAND LUNATIC ASYLUMS.

suggestions made by Dr. Maunsell, the medical officer, or by myself, has been attended to. This asylum is, and has always been, overcrowded. On 31st December, 1870, there were confined in it— Males ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 Females ... ... ... ... ... ... 10 Total ... ... ... ... 11 The annexed tabulated statement, furnished by Dr. Maunsell, gives full information with reference to the various cases. I have purposely omitted the names of the patients. The accommodation consists of six patients' bed-rooms, each of them 6 feet by 8 feet, with sloping roof, and measuring about 10 feet in height on the side nearest the ridge. Occasionally three patients occupy one of these rooms in common. The roof leaks ; in some of the rooms this is such a nuisance that during rain the patients cannot inhabit them. The ventilation is very defective, and the building is generally in a bad state of repair. There is one sitting-room in the establishment, which opens on to a verandah in front of the building. There is a bath-room, detached closet, and padded room. There is no boiler, and hotwater has to be carried in buckets from the hospital kitchen for the use of the patients. By the time ■it reaches the asylum it has half cooled. There is nothing which can properly be called a recreationground. A very small patch of garden occupies the space in front of the building, and is surrounded by a low temporary fence. Immediately beyond are tho grounds belonging to the hospital, in which the convalescent patients of that institution take exercise. The lunatics do not have the uso of the grounds, because the absence of a sufficient fence, coupled with the small attendance, would facilitate escape. The staff consists of Dr. Maunsell, the keeper and medical officer, also surgeon-superinten-dent of the Hospital; the clerk, also dispenser to the hospital; Mr. Cook, the chief attendant, and his wife; and a man who acts occasionally as an attendant, but also does carpenter's work at the hospital. The accommodation of Mr. Cook, the chief attendant, is nearly as bad as it can be. He has a very small bed-room —a mere cell, and has no sitting-room, except that occupied by the lunatics. When I say that he is a married man with a family, it will be admitted that further house room should be provided for him. He and Mrs. Cook are excellent attendants, and old public servants, and are clearly entitled to this improvement in their position. By an arrangement with the Hospital Committee the patients are supplied with food from the hospital kitchen. The rations are of good quality, and sufficient. The clothing is generally supplied by the Government. The health of the patients is very good. The cost of this asylum to the County during the half-year ended 31st December, 1870, was as follows :— £ s. d. The six months'cost of provisioning to the Hospital Committee ... 205 8 1 Proportion of salaries ... ... ... ... ... 83 2 9 Total of Hospital Committee's Account ... ... £288 10 10 During the six months Government have paid direct from the Treasury : — Mr. Cook's wages ... ... ... ... £78 0 0 Mrs. Cook's wages ... ... ... ... 26 0 0 Menzies' wages ... ... ... ... 65 0 0 169 0 0 Accounts for Goods :— Johnston, ironmonger ... ... ... £14 5 6 Mulligan, drapery ... ... ... ... 17 18 6 Crerar, stationery ... ... ... ... 246 34 8 6 Net costs for South Spit Asylum for six months ending 31st December, 1870 ... " ... ... ... ... £491 19 4 There has been an average of 10 lunatics, but, as some of these were not in for the whole period, the average number treated for the whole time is reduced to 9£Taking 9|- as the basis, the cost per day is as under : — £ s. d. Provisioning and drapery, Ac. ... ... ... ... 0 2 10 Salaries ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 0 3 0 £0 5 10 AVith regard to the value of the buildings and enclosures occupied by the lunatics in the Westland Asylums', I may state that enclosing the recreation ground, and making certain alterations and additions in the Upper Gaol, for the benefit of the lunatics, during the past six months, cost about £430 without taking into account the convict labour which was employed throughout the works. These buildings and enclosures as they stand have been valued by the County Engineer at £1,150. The works were begun on 22nd August, and were finished 31st October, 1870. The building on the hospital reserve is of very small value, and is totally unsuited for the purpose for which it is used. Having thus stated the present condition of the lunatic asylums in the County, I will briefly suggest what further changes appear to me necessary. The late County Council were, I believe, favourable to the removal of all the lunatics to the asylum on the Hospital Reserve, as it was considered, improper that a lunatic asylum should be in any way connected with a gaol. AVhilst fully admitting the truth of this proposition, it seems to me equally clear that a lunatic asylum should not in any way be connected with an ordinary hospital. If it is an injustice to the insane to place them in a wing of a gaol, though altogether apart from prisoners, it would be a greater