H.—7

10

should not be ignored absolutely. The statistics are, as it were, ending their embryological development. The following is a table showing (exclusive of Maoris and Chinese) the proportion of unmarried, married, and widowed in every 100 persons, males and females, of all ages, at each census period from 1886 to 1906, with similar proportions of the insane calculated on the admissions since the preceding census, to which is added for comparison similar proportions for England and Wales taken from the census of 1901, and of the insane added to the register during the five years 1900 to 1904:—

One notes individual agreements and irregularities which may or may not be explained Dereference to periods of our history. For example, the steady relativity in the first two periods for males is very pronounced, and contrasts with the closer approximation thereafter, and this holds good (to a lesser degree) for the first three periods for females contrasted with the two last. The greater disparity of insane unmarried females to population than in the other sex and the higher proportion of married insane relatively to married population are deceptive, and can be explained by the excess of male unmarried immigrants and the inclusion among the unmarried of persons too young to be married. The irregularity of the proportion of widows contrasted with widowers is noteworthy, and the absence of general approximation over a number of years is what may be expected—we are dealing with very small numbers which are notoriously subject to fluctuations, and the stress of social disabilities consequent on the death of a conjugal partner is more likely to be felt by the widow. The closer correspondence of the female proportions with the English figures demonstrates the more settled state of our female population. A fairer conception of the part played by domestic relation would be obtained if one could exclude all males under the age of 20 and all females under the age of 18, for the number of married in the population under the respective ages is 69 and 83, figures which are negligible. But this is not practicable. In the following table all persons under the age of 20 are excluded to eliminate in a measure persons under marriageable ages, which are also the ages adding very little to the number of the insane. In other respects the table is constructed on the data employed above for the last period of the New Zealand figures and those of England and Wales: —

Both Sexei Males. 'emales, (a.) Census and (6.) Mental Hospital Returns. -j & _ T3 -H OS o _ 1= _ a _■ .2 "_ a © o is ax &_ a o 'C OS a _ _ o _ New Zealand— (a.) 1886—General population (..) 1881-85—Added to register (a.) 1891 —General population (_.) 1886-90—Added to register (a.) 1896—General population (_.) 1891-95 —Added to register (a.) 1901 —General population (..) 1896-1900—Added to register (a.) 1906 —General population (6.) 1901-5 —Added to register England and Wales—Eeturns of census and registered insane— 1901 —General population 1900-4 —Cases added to register Per Cent. 67-67 50-86 6762 50-39 67-05 51-74 65-53 54-31 63-72 54-47 Per Cent. 29-35 41-73 29-18 41-25 29-46 39-26 30-75 37 98 32-41 3675 Per Cent. 2-80 7-41 3-20 8-36 3-49 9-00 3-72 7-71 3-87 8-78 Per Cent. 70-35 6102 70-02 60-90 69 48 63-57 67-90 63-75 66-52 62-47 Per Cent. 27-61 3307 27-61 33-33 27-94 30-72 29-45 31-39 3078 30-97 Per Cent 204 591 2-37 5-77 2-55 5-71 2-65 4-86 2-70 6-56 Per Cent. 64-59 33-78 64-95 35-44 64-37 35-88 62-94 41-95 60-57 41-45 Per Cent. 3174 56-29 30 94 52-53 31-10 50-7. 32-17 46-61 34-24 46-15 Per Cent. 3-67 9-93 4-11 12-03 4-53 1340 4-89 11-44 5-19 12-40 59-65 43-61 34 83 43-73 5.52 12-66 60-82 45-91 35-68 44-70 3-50 9-39 58-54 41-40 34-03 42-80 7-43 15-80

Both Sexes : 1 Years of Age a: 'wenty id over. Males : Twenty Years of Age ar.d over. Females : Twen of Age and o ty Years iver. Census and Mental Hospital Returns. a X P _ a u H 2 •a . t o _ 0J & . a "9 '_ s © o _ • © a 73 __ 'u _ _ 6 o -a [ew Zealand— 1906—General population 1901-6 —Added to register Ingland and Wales —Eeturns of censusandregistered insane— 1901 —General population 1900-4—Added to register 32-20 50-96 55-19 39-58 6-61 946 44-34; 51-17 59-83i 33-14 4-49 7-03 30-88 36-28 59-98 50-23 914 13-49 3010 4015 60-31 46-40 9-59 13-45 30-47 63-31 42-22 47-75 6-22 10-03 29-78 38-21 57-61 45-12 12-61 16-67