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The Inspector-General to the Hon. the Minister in Charge op the Department for the Care op Mental Defectives. Sir,— Wellington, 24th June, 1914. I have the honour to present, pursuant to section 78 of the Mental Defectives Act, 1911, the report for the year ended 31st December, 1914. The number of patients on the Mental Hospitals Register at the beginning of the year Was 3,964 (m., 2,332 ; f., 1,632), and at the end 4,111 (m., 2,408 ; l, .1,703), an increase of 76 males and 71 females. The total number under oversight, care, or control was 4,856 (m., 2,858; f., 1,998), as against 4,805 (m., 2,816 ; f., 1,989) in the previous year, an increase of 51 (m., 42 ; i, 9) ; while the average number resident in our institutions during the year was 3,950 (m., 2,309 ; L 1.641), as against 3,849 (m., 2,252 ; L, 1.597) in 1913, or 101 more in the year under review. Distribution. The 4,111 patients on the register at the end of the year were distributed as follows : — Males. Females. Total. Auckland ... ... ... ... ... 558 359 917 Christchureh ... ... ... ... ... 338 324 662 Dunedin (Seacliff and Waitati) ... ... ... 528 388 916 Hokitika ... ... ... ... ... 190 62 252 Nelson ... ... ... ... ... 84 108 192 Porirua ... ... ... :... 519 422 941 .J; , ;. Tokanui ... ... ... ... ... 94 ... 94 Ashburn Hall (private mental hospital) ... ... 21 23 44 Absent on probation on 31st December, 1914 ... 76 17 93 2,408 1,703 4,111 Ratio to Population. The following calculations show the ratio of patients on the register at the end of the year to the estimated general population, both exclusive and inclusive of the Native race. The number of Maoris on the register was 27 only (m., 19 ; f.; 8). The proportion of total mentally defective to the total population was, — Exclusive of Maoris ... ... ... .., 37-26 per 10,000,0r lin 268 Inclusive of Maoris ... ... ... ... 3588 „ lin 279 The proportion of mentally defective males to the male population,— Exclusive of Maoris ... ... ... ... 42-05 per 10,000,0r lin 238 Inclusive of Maoris ... ... ... ... 40-50 „ lin 247 The proportion of mentally defective females to the female population,— Exclusive of Maoris ... ... ... ... 3211 per 10.000, or lin 311 Inclusive of Maoris ... ... ... ... 30-90 „ lin 324 In England and Wales the number of notified insane persons on the I st January, 1914, stood to the estimated population (mean) in the proportion of 1 to 267, or 37-4 per 10.000, and in Ireland 1 to 175, or 57 1 per 10,000. Admissions. Exclusive of 24 patients (m., 17 ; 1, 7) transferred from one institution to another, the admissions numbered 868 (m., 509 ; f., 359), or 84 (m., 43 ; f., 41) in excess of the admissions during 1913. Of the 868, those admitted for the first time to any mental hospital in New Zealand numbered 734 (m., 440 ; f., 294), and those not admitted for the first time 1.34 (m., 69 ;1, 65). To the first admissions 13 immigrants, who became insane within a year of landing, contributed. Of these, 6 men and 2 women came from the United Kingdom; 3 men and 1 woman (one of each sex had been previously insane) came from the Commonwealth; and there Was 1 foreigner, who had been insane before. Tn addition. 2 NeW-Zealanders were admitted shortly after their return from residence abroad. Ratio of Admissions to Population. Excluding the Native race (10 male and 1 female) and all transfers, the proportion of admissions (whether first or not) and first admissions to the estimated general population (mean) stands respectively at 7-86 and 6-67 per 10,000 ; or, in other Words, every 1,272 persons in the general population contributed an admission, and every 1,500 a first admission.

In England and Wales during 1913 every 10,000 of the general population contributed 4-98 first admissions and 6-04 total admissions (idiot establishments excluded); in Scotland the ratio for total admissions was 7-78, and in Ireland 7-89.

Ratio to 10,000 of Population of Number of Persons in Population contributing Year. Admissions. First Admissions. One Admission. 0ne First Admls - sion. Quinquennial average, 1904-8 Quinquennial average, 1909-13 .. Decennial average, 1904-13 914... 7-01 5-71 7-50 615 7-27 5-94 7-86 6-67 1,426 1,333 1,375 1,272 * 1,751 1,627 1,683 1,500