H.—7.

Concerning amusements and recreations, "the usual weekly cinema entertainments have been given, as well as dances at regular intervals ; concerts, also, by various amateur and professional artists interested in the hospital —and these are many. Indeed, the patients here are fortunate in the amount of interest that is displayed in their welfare by the people of the Wellington District, as there are very numerous associations, societies, and private individuals who have contributed in truly practical manner in the cause. I must particularly mention the work of Mr. L. 0. Hooker, of Hawera, who at his own expense organized an extremely comprehensive campaign for the installation of radio throughout the hospital. As a result of his efforts the people of the Wellington District have generously subscribed to the present over £1,300, and modern and most complete radio equipment has already been installed in Rauta, Tiro-Moana, Vailima, H Cottage, and the Nurses' Home, while further installation is to be made shortly in the male villas and the lower building. The Rev. Harding, too, in addition to the good work he customarily does here, presented, in conjunction with Mrs. Knight, a very fine Atwater-Kent radio-gramophone combination for the main building. Many thanks are due, too, to the Welfare Branch of the Women's National Reserve, the Wellington Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association, the Victoria University College Social Service Club, the R.S.A., the Red Cross Society, the Salvation Army, Messrs. Nimmo and Sons, and to the many others who have given so generously in the way of services and of donations. My thanks are due also to Mrs. Fraser and Mrs. McVicar, and Messrs. Bothamley and Brady, Official Visitors, for the good work they have done during the year. To the ministers of religion who have visited lam also grateful, for all have been most kind and helpful. I am greatly indebted to my colleagues and to the staff generally for their loyal support throughout the year.

NELSON MENTAL HOSPITAL. Dr. Jeffreys reports : —• I have the honour to submit my report for the year ended 31st December, 1930. At the beginning of the year there were 412 patients on the register (284 males, 128 females), and on the 31st December there were 434. The total number under care during the year was 478 (340 males, 138 females), while the weekly average number resident was 419. There were 66 admissions, and of these 64 (54 males, 10 females) were admitted for the first time. Twenty-three voluntary boarders were under treatment during the year, and of these 4 were committed as ordinary patients, 6 were discharged, and 1 died, leaving 12 remaining at the end of the year. The general health of the patients has been satisfact.ory, but the death-rate was fairly high. Thirty-five patients (27 males and 8 females) died. Of these, 12 were between sixty and eighty years of age. There were several outbreaks of influenza during the year, and the chief sufferers were mental defectives of poor physique and little resisting-power, 13 of whom died from pneumonia concurrent with or following on influenza. At the beginning of November the three new villas at Stoke were occupied by transfer of patients from the main institution at Nelson, which is now practically a home for mental defectives as distinct from the insane. The male side at Nelson is occupied almost solely by mental-defective boys and youths, but it was necessary to leave a few of the old women workers at Nelson to help in the laundry. When the new laundry is built at Stoke these patients will be transferred there. Braemar Lodge is still the receiving and convalescent home. Two of the new villas at Stoke are occupied by parole patients, who gre£Ctly appreciate their new surroundings, but particularly the fact that they are no longer behind locked doors and enjoy so much freedom. The third villa is occupied by female patients of the so-called " refractory " class, and the comparative freedom from irksome restraint has had a remarkably beneficial effect on these patients. Instead of having to spend their day in an enclosure, they now go for long walks, which they thoroughly appreciate. The doors are more often left open than not, and it is difficult to realize that this is a " refractory " ward. Since the beginning of December we have been baking our own bread, and the results are most satisfactory ; but the most urgent need of this institution is a new laundry, and it is to be hoped that before the end of the year a new one will be built at Stoke. The new villas were built for male patients, and, as the occupation of two of them by women is only a temporary arrangement made necessary to relieve congestion, I trust that it will be possible in the near future to build new villas for female patients on the excellent sites we have on what is known as York's Farm. Improvement in the accommodation of the nursing staff at Nelson has not yet been dealt with, and will have to be considered before long. In spite of the financial stringency, the Nelson people have been most generous in their donations towards the patients' recreation fund. We have now at Stoke an excellent wireless set, donated by a lady of the district. The Minister's Association has conducted religious services at Nelson, and it is hoped that similar arrangements will shortly be made for Stoke. To Dr. Brookes and other officers and staff I tender my thanks for their loyal co-operation throughout the year.

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