H.—6

1880. NEW ZEALAND.

LUNATIC ASYLUMS OF NEW ZEALAND (ANNUAL REPORT ON).

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

No. 1. The Inspector of Lunatic' Asylums to the Hon. the Colonial Seceetaey. Sie,— Inspector of Lunatic Asylums' Office, Wellington, 6th July, 1880. I have the honor to lay before you my fourth annual report on the lunatic asylums of the colony. The number of registered insane on the 31st December, 1879, was 1,056. Their distribution is shown in the following tabular statement; —

Compared with the numbers at the end of the previous year, there was a decrease at Christchurch of 2, at Napier of 4, at New Plymouth of 3 ; atd an increase at Dunedin of 50, at Auckland of 33, at Wellington of 19, at Hokitika of 7, at Nelson of 1; and a total increase of 101. The increase at the end of each of the last seven years was as follows : — 1873 ... ... ... ' ... ... ... 55 1874 ... ... ... ... ... ... 77 1875 ... ... ... ... ... ... 56 1876 ... ... ... ... ... ... 61 1877 ... ... ... ... ... ... 81 1878 ... ... ... ... '•' ... 85 1879 ... ... ... ... ... ... 101 Total ... ... ... ... 516 The proportion of the insane to the estimated general population at the end of the year (Maoris being excluded) was lin every 445. This, as might be naturally expected, compares favourably with the proportions found in older countries. For the year 1878 it was, in England, lin 360; in Scotland, lin 392 ; in New South Wales, lin 362; in Victoria, lin 304. There are, however, so many circumstances by which these proportions are liable to be influenced that they cannot be acknowledged as the data of very reliable inferences. The total number of patients admitted during the year was 399, of whom 248 were males and 151 were females. Among this number were 79 re-admissions. The admissions exceeded those of the previous year by 21 ; the increase consisting of 1 male and 20 females, or of 7 in the number of the new cases, and of 14 iu the re-admissions. I—H. 6.

Patients. Asylums. Males. Females. Total. Auckland ... "Tew Plymouth Napier Wellington ... felson lokitika Christchurch Dunedin 156 13 83 34 57 146 206 73 6 53 26 20 86 97 | 229 19 136 60 77 232 303 Total 695 361 I 1,056 n crease over previous year 58 13 101 I