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1893. NEW ZEALAND.

LUNATIC ASYLUMS OF THE COLONY (REPORT ON) FOR 1892.

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

■ The Inspector of Asylums to the Hon. the Ministee of Education. Sib,— 9th June, 1893. I have the honour to lay before you the following report on the lunatic asylums of the colony for the year 1892 :— The number of registered insane persons in the colony on the 31st December, 1892, was 1,917 : males, 1,154 ; females, 763 ; showing an increase of 39 males and 29 females : total, 68. These are distributed as follows :— Males. Females. Total. Auckland ... ... ... ... ... 267 ... 138 ... 405 Christchurch ... ... ... ... 231 ... 190 ... 421 Dunedin (Seacliff) ... ... ... ... 312 ... 225 ... 537 Hokitika ... ... ... ... ... 65 ... 36 ... 101 Nelson ... ... ... ... ... 63 ... 45 ... 108 Wellington... ... ... ... ... 197 ... 11l ... 308 Ashburn Hall (private asylum) ... ... 19 ... 18 ... 37 1,154 763 1,917 The proportion of the insane to the population is : New Zealand (exclusive of Maoris) ... ... 2-95 per 1,000, or Ito 339 New Zealand (inclusive of Maoris) ... ... 2-77 per 1,000, or Ito 361 New South Wales (1891) ... ... ... 2-69 per 1,000, or Ito 371 England (1890) ... ... ... ... 2-91 per 1,000, or Ito 343 It must be borne in mind, in considering these figures, that a large number of persons are admitted into the New Zealand asylums who are kept in workhouses in England. A striking feature of the figures for the year is the fact that in the Wellington District those admitted for the first time numbered 80, as against 75 for the districts of Otago and Southland, 59 for Auckland, and 57 for Christchurch. This, I think, is accounted for by the wonderful increase of settlement in the Wellington Provincial District, and the rapid concentration of trade in the port. The delay in opening the Porirua Asylum still causes such an amount of overcrowding in the other asylums as to burden the medical superintendents and myself with an ever increasing anxiety and responsibility. The prospect of my being able to provide separate accommodation for idiots, criminal lunatics, and inebriates is lam afraid still very uncertain. It is a very heavy burden for a young colony to provide such accommodation for these classes as modern public sentiment demands, especially where as with us the whole cost falls on the Consolidated Fund. Admissions. On the Ist day of January, 1892, the number of insane persons in our asylums was 1,849: males, 1,115 ; females, 734. Those admitted for the first time during the year was 311; while readmissions numbered 78: total, 389; against a total of 435 for 1891. DISCHAEGES. The total number removed by discharge and death was 321: males, 192; females, 129: as against a total of 383 for the year before. The percentage of recoveries on admissions during the year was 42-42, as against 37-24 the year before. I—H. 4.