H.—3

1883. NEW ZEALAND.

LUNATIC ASYLUMS OF THE COLONY (REPORT ON,) FOR 1882.

Presented to both Souses of the General Assembly by Command of Sis Excellency.

To the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sir, — Lunacy Department, Wellington, 4th May, 1883. My duties as Inspector-General of the lunatic asylums of this colony commenced on November 7th, 1882, and I have now the honour, in accordance with section 143 of the Lunatics Act of 1882, to present my first annual report. On the 31st December, 1882, the number of lunatics under care and treatment was 1,269. Their distribution is shown in the following table :— Asylums. Males. Females. Total. Auckland ... ... ... ... ... 191 83 274 Ashburn Hall, licensed house ... ... 7 3 10 Christchurch ... ... ... ... 199 108 307 f Dunedin ... ... ... ... ... 84 111 195 \ I Seacliff ... ... ... ... ... 135 5 140 j Hokitika ... ... ... ... ... 59 28 87 Napier ... ... ... ... ... 14 5 19 Nelson ... ... ... ... ... 47 38 85 Wellington ... ... ... ... 91 61 152 Total ... ... ... ... 8^27 442 1,269 The increase in the number of the insane since 1881 is 93 —viz., 58 males and 34 females. These additional patients are thus placed: At Auckland, 21; Ashburn Hall, 10; Christchurch, 25; Dunedin and Seacliff, 8; Hokitika, 5 ; Nelson, 14; Wellington, 13. The number at Napier has diminished by 3. The increase is very large when compared with that of the two previous years, which showed 69 and 50 respectively, but it was considerably exceeded in 1879. It is not due to any diminution in the discharges and deaths, but simply to a large number of new admissions, which cannot be traced to any special cause. The proportion of the insane to the general population of the colony (excluding Maoris) is about 1 in 413. In England and Wales the ratio is 1 to 553, in New South Wales 1 to 352, and in Victoria 1 to 277. The asylums of this colony contain a number of patients who would not be placed in this category in England. The fact that the expense of their maintenance in these establishments is defrayed by the Government becomes a powerful incentive to the removal to them, from home or hospital, of infirm or paralysed persons, with some impairment of intellect, but who do not require asylum treatment, and would not receive it were payment for their maintenance as vigorously exacted from their friends as in the Old Country. The same cause operates in delaying, and rendering difficult, the discharge of patients who have sufficiently recovered to be committed to the care of their relatives. The total number under treatment during the year 1882 amounted to 1,594, and the daily average number to 1,217. I—H. 3.