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National Reserve, the Wellington Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association, the Warehousemen's Association, the Victoria College Social Service Club, the Wellington East Girls College, the Returned Soldiers' Association, the Red Cross Society, the Salvation Army, and to the many others whom have all helped so generously and so willingly in the above directions. My thanks are due, too, to Mrs. Fraser, Mrs. McVicar, and Messrs. Bothamley and Brady, Official Visitors, for the good work they have done during the year. To the ministers of religion lam also grateful, for all have been most kind in every way, and, without making invidious distinction, I should particularly like to thank the Rev. Mr. Harding for the enormous amount of time ho devotes and the great deal of cheer he brings to everybody here year after year. 1 am greatly indebted to my colleagues and to the staff generally for their loyal support throughout the year. NELSON MENTAL HOSPITAL. Dr. Jeffreys reports :— I. have the honour to submit my report for the year ended 31st December, 1929. At the beginning of the year there were 426 patients on the register (289 males and 137 females), and on the 31st December there were 412. The total number under care during the year was 464, while the weekly average number resident was 404. There were 38 admissions, and of these 33 (27 males and 6 females) were admitted for the first time. Of the 23 voluntary boarders who were under treatment during the year 7 were discharged, 1 died, leaving 15 remaining at the end of the year. During the year 23 patients died, and of these 13 were over sixty years of age, 9 of them being between seventy and ninety. There was a fairly severe outbreak of influenza during the late winter and early spring, and three of the patients who developed pneumonic symptoms died. Otherwise the general health of the patients has been fairly satisfactory. The earthquake of the 17th June caused considerable damage to the buildings at Nelson, particularly at Braemar Lodge, where every ceiling had to be replaced ; and practically every chimney throughout the Institution had to be rebuilt. One unusual result of the earthquake is worthy of note. A patient at Braemar Lodge who appeared to be drifting into a state of chronic neurasthenia and depression, and whose prospects of recovery were regarded as remote, was literally shaken out of herself by the shock, and made a rapid and good recovery. She is now with her relatives in England and from latest advices is continuing to keep well. Two of the new villas at Stoke are nearing completion and the third is well under way, and it is hoped they will be in occupation before the end of the year. The bakehouse is well on the way to completion, and before long we expect to be baking our own bread. Yorks' farm of 600 acres has been acquired during the year. This means that at Nelson and Stoke we now have something like 1,500 acres to work, and with our comparatively small number of working-patients it will be difficult to keep the farm up to the present standard. There are some ideal building-sites on this property, and in view of the necessity for further accommodation it is to be hoped that these sites will be made use of as soon as possible. The accommodation of the nursing staff is becoming a matter of extreme difficulty, and since it has been decided that no action in regard to the Nurses' Home at Nelson be taken, it will be necessary to provide some temporary accommodation to relieve the position. A night-nurses' cottage is the most urgent of staff requirements. Everything has been done throughout the year to give the patients as much in the way of recreation as possible, and the Nelson people have been as usual most generous in assisting us in this direction. Dr. Sadlier, who has been associated with me for the past two years, has been granted twelve months' leave to further his studies in England. I regret losing his services, and desire to place on record my appreciation of his assistance. My thanks are also due to the other officers and staff for their loyal co-operation throughout the year. HOKITIKA MENTAL HOSPITAL. Dr. Hayes reports : — I have the honour to forward my report for the year 1929. On the Ist January there were 205 patients (144 males and 61 females). The total admissions for the year were 67 (46 males and 21 females). The number discharged was 5. The total number under care was 272, and the number of deaths was 16. There were 4 voluntary boarders. During the year 9| acres of virgin ground has been cleared, drained, and left fallow. A new road of 22 chains has been constructed from the site of the new farm buildings to the paddocks. The milk-supply continues to show an increase. A creek through the vegetable-garden to the waterfall has been deviated to Jackson's dam, thus taking the main drainage away from the garden, and from possible future building-sites. The new drain is 17 chains in length. A road of 7 chains has been constructed through the vegetable-garden to the farm road, giving a more convenient access to the new farm-buildings site. A drain of 24 chains in length has also been made, running parallel to the new road from the farm buildings to the paddocks.