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The Hon. the Minister in Charge or Mental Hospitals to His Excellency the (Governor. My Lord,— Wellington, 30th September, 1909. 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 1908. [ have the honour to be, Your Lordship's most obedient servant, Geo. Fowlds, I • j. ■ i Minister in Charge of Mental Hospitals. The Inspector-General to the Hon. the Minister in Charge of Mental Hospitals. Sir,— Wellington, Ist July, 1909. I have the honour to present the statutory report on the mental hospitals of the Dominion for the year ended 31st December, 1908. The number of patients on the register at the commencement of the year was 3,240 (males, 1,909 ; females, 1,331), and at the end 3,414 (m., 1,997 ; f., 1,417), an increase of 174 (m., 88 ; f., 86). This is the largest increment we have had in any one year, and followed on one of the smallest —namely, 34 (m., 9 ; f., 25). The average annual increments for the three last quinquennials were, during 1893--97, 102 (m., 57 ; f., 45), with an average admission-rate of 547 (m., 315 ; f., 230) ; during 1898-1902, 84 (m., 55 ; f., 29), with an admission-rate of 573 (m., 336 ; f., 237) ; and during 1903-7, 78 (m., 39 ; f., 39), with an admission-rate of 665 (m., 403 ; f., 262). It will be observed that the residua show a tendency to decrease, notwithstanding the natural advance in the number of the admissions, and this accentuates the unusual position occupied by the figures for the year under review. The unenviable distinction is explained by the large admissionrate, and not, it will be seen, by there having been relatively fewer deaths and discharges. Distribution. —Counting 103 (m., 75 ; f., 28) absent on leave as still resident in the mental hospital whence they left, the 3,414 patients on the register at the end of the year were distributed as follows : — Males. Females. Total. Auckland ... ... .. ... ... 452 285 737 Christchurch ... ... ... ... ... 324 279 603 Dunedm (Seacliff) ... ... ... ... 450 313 763 Hokitika ... 146 59 205 Nelson ... ... ... ... ... 91 61 152 Porirua ... ... ... ... ... 355 303 658 Wellington ... ... ... ... ... 153 96 249 Ashburn Hall (private mental hospital) ... ... 26 21 47 1,997 1,417 3,414 Of these technically on leave, 39 men were resident at the Camp, near Dunedin, and 18 boys at the Home for Feeble-minded at Richmond. Ratio to Population. —The following calculations show the ratio of the patients on the register at the end of the year to the estimated general population both exclusive and inclusive of the Native race. The differentiation is necessary, because, in proportion to the Native population, the small number of Maoris on the register—namely, 39 (m., 28 ; f., 11) —would make the return unfairly favourable— The proportion of the total insane to the total population was, — Exclusive of Maoris ... ... ... ... 3513 per 10,000,0r lin 285 Inclusive of Maoris ... ... ... ... 33-86 „ lin 295 The proportion of the male insane to the male population,— Exclusive of Maoris ... ... ... ... 38-58 „ lin 259 Inclusive of Maoris ... ... ... ... 37-27 „ lin 268 The proportion of the female insane to the female population,— Exclusive of Maoris ... ... ... ... 31-22 „ lin 320 Inclusive of Maoris ... ... ... ... 29-99 „ lin 333 As may have been expected from the large increment to the mental hospital population at the end of the year, the ratio has risen, the advance being 0-33 per 10,000 for males and 1-03 for females. Admissions. —The number of .patients admitted to the mental hospitals during 1908, exclusive of 8 men and 7 women who were merely transferred from one hospital to another, was 744 (m., 426 ; f., 318), a truly phenomenal advance on the previous year when the admissions less transfers numbered 600. Of the 744 admissions, 134 had been previously resident in one of our mental hospitals, all but 14 returning to the hospital whence they were last discharged, and .610 were admitted for the first time.