I—H. 22.

H.—22

1900. NEW ZEALAND.

HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS OF THE COLONY (REPORT ON THE), BY THE INSPECTOR OF HOSPITALS.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Inspector of Hospitals and Charitable Institutions to the Hon. the Minister of Education. Sir,— From my point of view some time must elapse before any satisfactory judgment can be formed of the far-reaching social effects of the Old-age Pensions Act. The question of making provision for incurables is becoming of pressing importance. In the new Local Government Bill provision should be made for a special auxiliary building connected with the hospitals in each of the four large centres for cases of this description. This would, I think, be the cheapest and most satisfactory way of solving this problem, for there seems to be no tendency among the existing local bodies to combine to deal with this difficulty in any comprehensive way. As a measure of temporary relief Mother Mary Joseph Aubert, under the auspices of the Catholic Church, has provided a suitable house with ten beds near Sussex Square in this city.

AEEOWTOWN HOSPITAL. Number of patients on 31st March, 1899 ... ... ... 8 Admitted during the year ... ... ... ... 87 Total under treatment ... ... ... 95 Discharged ... ... ... . ... •• • 84 Died ... ... .... ■•• ■•• ■•• ■•• 5 Bemaining on 31st March, 1900 ... ... 6 Sex.—7o males, 25 females. Locality from which Patients came. —Wakatipu District. Nationality .—British, 80; Foreign, 7. Religion.— Church of England, 19 ; Presbyterian, 38 ; Wesleyan, 3 ; Eoman Catholic, 23 ; Lutheran, 2 ; Infidels,' 2. Total collective days' stay in Hospital, 1,720; individual average days' stay, 18-11. Daily average cost per head, Bs. l|d.; less patients' payments, 6s. l|d. Outdoor Patients. —Individual cases, 46 ; attendances, 104.