5

H.—7

Inspections. The thanks of the Department is due to the District Inspectors and Official Visitors, who have done useful work and presented valuable reports reflecting their interest in the patients. Mr. Smail, whose daily visits at Sunnyside are appreciated by both patients and staff, follows the excellent principle of assuming that he is a close friend or relative of each patient, whom he visits without emotion, but to whom he can extend sympathy, advice, and assistance when necessary. Mr. dimming has been appointed to a similar office at Seacliff. Miss Maclean, Assistant Inspector, has paid visits to different institutions, and conducted examinations in nursing. Hereunder are epitomized notes of my visits to the different institutions, which may be prefaced with the general statement that all patients were seen and given an opportunity to speak to me, and that they were adequately clothed and well fed and cared for. Auckland. —Visited in February, November, 1916, and March, 1917. Dr. Cow, my Deputy, did relief duty at this hospital in. January of this year to enable Dr. Beattie to have a holiday, and later we were able to get the services of Dr. Clayton, enabling Dr. Tizard to have a spell. Dr. Beattie in his annual report notes the large admission-rate, due to the increase of population in the north, filling all the recent additions. The admission of Waikato patients at Tokanui is under contemplation, as the main surplus at Auckland is not made up of patients who can be readily transferred thither. These and other difficulties notwithstanding, to the credit of the Medical Officers and senior staff, the year has been uneventful. Further progress has been made in the scheme of inside alterations, modernizing the main institution, chiefly in the kitchen. An addition to the male infirmary is now being carried out. Sunnyside. —Visited in January, April, June, August, November, December, 1916, and May, 1917. Dr. Gribben was single-handed after Dr. Lee went to the front, but was relieved for a vacation by Dr. Jeffreys, from Nelson. More recently the services of Dr. Beale were secured. The main day-room, F ward, has been converted into a constant observation dormitory, and C ward attic dormitory has been closed because of insufficient escapes in case of fire. The installation of the Vigilant automatic fire-alarm will relieve the anxiety of the administration. The expediency of having a stand-by electrical plant has been mentioned, but for the main supply the stand-by, in my opinion, should not be provided by the consumer, and all the stand-by wanted for the Vigilant could be supplied from a few cells, the cost of which is negligible. The kitchen offices have been further improved by the new vegetable-room, and now the kitchen itself needs extensive alterations. The food inspected was of excellent quality and well cooked. The purchase of the Templeton Farm will add greatly to our resources. Seacliff. —Visited in June, August, October, December, 1916, and May, 1917. Dr. Gray left for the front when Dr. McKillop, who had attained the rank of Major, returned invalided, and was able to replace him. Tho medical care of the institution at Waitati, seven miles south, and of Anzae House Hospital, Karitane, three miles north of Seacliff, is efficiently administered from that centre. The successful introduction of nurses in the male-reception cottage, library ward, and infirmary has afforded relief to the male staff, who have a number of difficult and dangerous cases to contend with. The general health of the patients was good. Here, as at Sunnyside and Hokitika, the improvement of the meat-supply following our purchasing our own stock, and killing was very evident—we get the best. With Mr. Anderson's assistance, Dr. King, Mr. Miller, and 1 discussed various engineering matters requiring attention— e.g., means to render the water-supply more adequate; central bathrooms, similar to those established some years ago and working successfully at Sunnyside; freezing-chambers for our produce, including fish, which we get in large quantities from our fishing-station at Karitane, and other matters, which, however, under present conditions must be deferred. Hokitika. —Visited in August, 1916, and January and May, 1917. Mr. and Mrs. Downey, lay Superintendent and Matron of this Hospital, retired at the end of the year after long and faithful service, and the institution sustained a further'loss in the death of Dr. Macandrew, its Visiting Medical Officer, who was respected and beloved by patients and staff. Mr. Sellers succeeded Mr. Downey, and Miss Williams was appointed Matron, and will take up iter new duties as soon as she can be spared from Sunnyside. The health of the patients and staff has been good till quite recently, when an attendant was found to be suffering from enteric, and three other attendants contracted the malady. The first attendant died; the others are progressing favourably. A carrier has been discovered. No patients were affected. With this exception there was nothing calling for special report. Nelson. —Visited January, 1916, and January, 1917. The new kitchen is now completed, and promises to be a successful start for a new order of things, for the old building has more than served its time. The next addition should be the reception cottage, and then the orderly rebuilding of the main institution ward by ward. Our drainage also should be led into the new sewer —at present it passes into the old sewage system now used chiefly for storm-water. The Richmond Home for Defective Boys, which was associated with Nelson Mental Hospital, has been handed over to the Education Department, and the boys who could not be educated have been transferred to a special ward at Nelson, where they are just as well off and are apart from the other patients. Looking to the future and the provision which will have to be made for this class, I would suggest that it be kept in mind when planning the new building scheme at Nelson. There is not a big admission-rate in this hospital, and a small institution will meet the requirements of the district for the mentally unsound —sufficient for the land area at our disposal. Nelson, therefore, and because of its beautiful climate, is the most suitable of our institutions for mentally deficient children. Porirua, —Visited February, March, April, September, October, 1916, and January, February, March, April, 1.917. Dr. Hassell, for the greater portion of the time, had this strenuous