MENTAL HOSPITALS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 14, 29 December 1911, Page 4

MENTAL HOSPITALS.

ALLEGED OVERCROWDING AT

AVONDALE

THE MINISTER INTERVIEWED

(Per Press Association.)

Christchurch, December 27

The Hon. D. Buddo, interviewed today concerning the Auckland Mental Hospital, said that an effort was being ma.de to make provision which would cope with the overcrowding which existed in the mental hospitals. Additions were to he made to the Seacliff, Sunnyside, Porirua and Auckland institutions and he hoped these additions would, he available at an early date to meet the recognised lack of accommodation for mental patients. The difficulty seemed to have come about through a considerable portion of the population starting life in the Dominion at an ago when mental troubles were more frequent than they are at a latter period of life. The statistics did not show that there was an excessive rate of mental affliction. The populatin had increased 30 per cent, during the past ten years, and naturally tfie number of mentally afflicted people had also increased considerably during that time. The result was that there had arisen a necessity for greater provision for their accomodation. It had not been anticipated that this increased accommodation would he required before the now buildings at Tokaami were ready. The new institution was intended for patients who would 1)0 benefited by outdoor treatment, and a system of classification woidd lie put into operation there. That would relieve the overcrowding to some extent, but the additions would also be pushed on. He believed a tender had been let for the additions at Auckland. There had not been any complaint as to overcrowding at Sunnyside, but the additions there were considered necessary. Ho fully

rotognised that overcrowding did exist in some of the institutions, hut he hoped the provision which the department was making would cope with the difficulty.