H.—7

1908. NEW ZEALAND.

MENTAL HOSPITALS OF THE DOMINION (REPORT ON) FOR 1907.

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

The Hon. the Minister in Charge of Mental Hospitals to His Excellency the Governor. My Lord,— Wellington, 18th August, 1908. I have the honour to .submit to Your Excellency the report of the Inspector-General of Mental Hospitals on the mental hospitals of the Dominion for the year 1907. I have the honour to be, Your Lordship's most obedient servant, Gbo. Fowlds, Minister in Charge of Mental Hospitals.

The Inspector-General to the Hon. the Minister in Charge of Mental Hospitals. Sir '~ . . ~ , , , . Wellington, Ist July, 1908. I have the honour to lay before you the statutory report on the mental hospitals of the Dominion for year ended 31st December, 1907. Upon that date the number of persons known to be of unsound mind, from the fact they had been so found and that their names were on the register, was 3,240 (males, 1,909; females 1 331) At the same date of the previous year the number was 3,206 (m., 1,900; f., 1,306) an increase of only 34 (m., 9; f 25) in the year. In the previous five years the average residuum (omitting o'rSSSIJS w 6 as ( "4'(m 9 ; 64^'30)' "*" PreVioUB **" 89 *»" "' «" ** in For figures approximating the gratifyingly small addition to the number in the mental hospitals at the end of the year one has to go back to 1890, when the increase was 36 and when the actual admissions numbered 381 against 600 in 1907. Distribution.—The 3,240 patients on the register were distributed among the mental hospitals as follows :— r . ~ , Males. Females. Total. c l tla ° d 415 270 685 Chnstchurch ... ... ... ... ... 303 251 554 Dunedin (Seacliff) ... ... ... 45 1 284 735 Hoiutika ... ;;; 149 58 207 N elson 90 67 157 ™ r . ua ... 337 286 623 Wellington ... ... ... ... 1 41 94 235 Ashburn Hall (private mental hospital) ... ... 23 21 44 1,909 1,331 3,240 The figures do not exactly represent the number resident upon that date at each of the institu tions named, but the numbers on their register, including patients absent on probation Of patients technically on probation nineteen were at the Camp, near Dunedin, and eighteen boys at the Home for Feeble-mi,,,!,,! at Richmond. These places not being gazetted as asyfums pat en t could not be transferred thither in the ordinary course, but, apart from other functions, they have subserved the purpose of easing the accommodation at the mental hospitals.

I—H. 7.