H—7

Of all classes of admissions we were able to discharge 1,316, or 62-31 per cent, calculated upon the number admitted, but no more than 770, or 36*46 per cent., were fully recovered at the time of discharge. This number does not represent the true recovery rate, as patients who are sent home to convalesce on probation often omit to send a medical certificate, in the absence of which we require to regard them for statistical purposes as " unrecovered."

Voluntary Boarders

. Shortage op Nurses Despite several increases in the salary scales and many minor improvements in the conditions of nursing service in our mental hospitals, we have been unable to recruit from New Zealand sufficient nurses to replace those who leave for various reasons, such as marriage, home domestic obligations, or unsuitability for the work. Because of the shortage, we have been obliged, as foreshadowed in last year's report, to extend our field of recruitment to Britain. In view of the fact that Dr. Lewis, our Director of Clinical Services, is at present in London, on sabbatical leave, we enlisted his services to select up to 200 nursing trainees and 25 cooks, and the first contingent of 26 arrived in October. Up to the end of the year nearly 100 girls had arrived, and the majority of them have proved well suited for the work and have settled down to getting to know their duties. As must almost inevitably have happened, a few of the recruits have not become acclimatized to New Zealand conditions and have been drafted to other avenues of occupation.

2

Year. First Admission. Not First Admission. Total Admissions. Transferred to Register of Patients. Died. Discharged. Remaining on 31st December. M. p. T. M. p. T. M. P. T. M. p. T. M. p. T. M. p. T. M. P. T. 1912 6 17 23 0 0 0 6 17 23 1 3 4 0 0 0 4 3 7 1 11 12 1913 18 19 37 0 2 2 18 21 39 2 5 7 0 1 1 12 12 24 5 14 19 1914 17 19 36 3 2 5 20 21 41 7 5 12 1 1 2 11 15 26 6 14 20 1915 15 17 32 1 2 3 16 19 35 3 4 7 0 1 1 8 14 22 11 14 25 1916 13 23 36 5 8 13 18 31 49 4 4 8 1 2 3 14 14 28 10 15 25 1917 14 21 35 1 13 14 15 34 49 6 6 12 0 1 1 10 23 33 9 19 28 1918 23 38 61 5 11 16 28 49 77 1 4 5 2 2 4 15 30 45 19 32 51 1919 31 39 70 5 19 24 36 58 94 3 3 6 0 2 2 26 42 68 26 43 69 1920 26 38 64 16 12 28 42 50 92 3 4 7 1 2 3 33 33 66 31 54 85 1921 39 39 78 11 15 26 50 54 104 2 3 5 5 1 6 38 41 79 36 63 99 1922 47 38 85 10 16 26 57 54 111 6 5 11 4 4 8 40 48 88 43 60 103 1923 44 50 94 15 21 36 59 71 130 3 6 9 3 3 6 47 47 94 49 75 124 1924 38 44 82 16 20 36 54 64 118 4 8 12 6 3 9 39 48 87 54 80 134 1925 64 59 123 15 34 49 79 93 172 10 15 25 6 3 9 60 63 123 57 92 149 1926 71 60 131 11 29 40 82 89 171 10 11 21 7 2 9 49 71 120 73 97 170 1927 70 70 140 25 32 57 95 102 197 8 6 14 5 12 17 75 58 133 80 123 203 1928 120 94 214 37 39 76 157 133 290 8 10 18 10 8 18 102 97 199 117 141 258 1929 102 63 165 50 43 93 152 106 258 11 3 14 9 9 18 119 110 229 130 125 255 1930 152 84 236 41 35 76 193 119 312 15 9 24 8 6 14 130 79 209 170 150 320 1931 166 98 264 43 36 79 209 134 343 11 14 25 11 7 18 159 102 261 198 161 359 1932 150 85 235 50 40 90 200 125 325 24 32 56 14 5 19 190 108 298 170 141 311 1933 112 109 221 53 32 85 165 141 306 11 14 25 5 4 9 121 107 228 198 157 355 1934 132 90 221 56 33 89 188 123 311 7 11 18 10 6 16 152 99 251 217 164 381 1935 130 87 217 40 55 95 170 142 312 18 20 38 19 10 29 151 116 267 199 160 359 1936 98 99 197 62 44 106 160 143 303 21 20 41 7 10 17 137 111 248 194 162 356 1937 103 91 194 64 45 109 167 136 303 14 7 21 6 10 16 163 122 285 178 159 337 1938 111 105 216 60 53 113 171 158 329 11 15 26 11 8 19 144 125 269 183 169 352 1939 131 103 234 .63 72 135 194 175 369 22 21 43 16 15 31 157 130 287 182 178 360 1940 128 124 252 65 63 128 193 187 380 18 18 36 10 12 22 176 167 343 171 168 339 1941 93 104 197 48 58 106 141 162 303 11 9 20 10 13 23 140 151 291 151 157 308 1942 88 108 196 44 74 118 132 182 314 14 15 29 15 8 23 124 160 284 130 156 286 1943 95 126 221 66 87 153 161 213 374 2 8 10 13 14 27 115 159 274 161 188 349 1944 146 168 314 70 104 174 216 272 488 4 7 11 11 10 21 172 243 415 190 200 390 1945 178 181 359 90 112 202 268 293 561 9 8 17 20 8 28 244 272 516 185 205 390 1946 233 229 462 80 137 217 313 366 679 4 10 14 15 7 22 283 348 631 196 206 402