16
LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN BENGAL.
37. Maintenance.—The amount realized on account of maintenance of
patients was Rs. 1,977, against Rs. 1,524 in 1880, and Rs. 1,650 in 1879. It
appears that the expenditure incurred on account of the maintenance of Assam
lunatics confined in the Dacca Asylum is not entered in the statements. The
charges amounted to Rs. 3,150 in 1881, which is debitable to the Assam
Government.
38. Manufactures.—The total expenditure on account of raw materials
and other charges amounted to Rs. 24,317, against Rs. 23,445 in 1880, inclusive
of the contingencies of manufacture. No work was done by the Public Works
Department for the manufacture department during the year. The value
of articles sold in the asylums was Rs. 19,444 in 1881, against Rs. 19,285 in
1880. The value of manufactured goods made over for asylum use was
Rs. 11,257, against Rs. 10,918. The cost of production only has been charged
as ordered in 1879, and not the value of manufactured goods at the market rate.
The total estimated profit amounted to Rs. 6,947, against Rs. 7,486 in 1880;
the actual profit as per memorandum at foot of statement No. XI amounted to
Rs. 7,511. In the Cuttack Asylum a loss of Rs. 143 was incurred according to
the new method of calculation, though the total credits would exceed the debits
by Rs. 235 under the former procedure. In 1880 the actual total was Rs. 8,214.
The actual profits in the several asylums in 1881 and in the preceding year
are shown below—
Dullunda
...
...
...
Dacca ... ... ...
Patna
...
...
...
Berhampore ... ... ...
Cuttack ... ... ...
1881.
Rs.
1,975
3,218
1,394
1,067
143 (loss)
1880.
Rs.
1,915
3,208
1,913
966
210
In Dacca, the amount of profit is higher than in any other asylum. This
is due to the manufactured articles being sold to the outside public at an advan-
tageous price, instead of being made over for asylum use. Moreover, from the
very small amount of the value of plant and machinery shown in the statement,
it does not seem that there are any separate sheds or buildings used exclusively
for manufactures, the maintenance of which causes a great strain on the manufac-
ture fund elsewhere and necessarily reduces the amount of apparent profit. The
Dullunda asylum maintains large sheds and a large stock of implements to the
value of nearly Rs. 45,000 from manufacture funds, at a large outlay. Again, the
greater portion of manufactured goods is made over for asylum use at cost
price, which, if sold outside, would secure a larger price. The value of articles
thus made over was Rs. 6,839 in Dullunda, Rs. 955 in Dacca, Rs. 1,990 in
Patna, Rs. 1,451 in Berhampore, and Rs. 20 in the Cuttack Asylum. The high
price of raw materials at the Presidency, such as paddy, wheat, cotton, &c., as
compared with the outlying places, makes manufacture more costly there.
The Berhampore Asylum shows a slight increase of profit on that of 1880.
39. General management, alterations, and improvement.—In the Dullunda
Asylum alone diet was altered. It was mentioned last year that, for a particular
reason, an extravagant scale of diet had been adopted. There was no justifica-
tion for continuing this. In 1881 reasonable reduction was made and, in
spite of greater sickness in the neighbourhood, the health of the asylum
improved. At Patna and Berhampore the water-supply was improved, and
arrangements for further improvement are in progress, as already stated.
At Dullunda the method of lighting the dormitories was greatly improved.
Quadrennial repairs were effected. The hospital will shortly be removed to a
more convenient situation, and a new latrine was planned and has since been
completed. At Dacca great changes are in progress, a portion of the old
premises being made over to the jail.
40. Conduct of establishment.—At Dacca the overseer was dismissed in
September for gross misconduct. The other superintendents speak in very
favourable terms of the conduct of their subordinates during the year as they
have in former years.