7
18. Statement VIII—Finance.—The two extraneous sources of income of
lunatic asylums. viz., fees from paying lunatics and value of manufac-
tured stores, yielded an average annual revenue of Rs. 32,915 during the
triennium as compared with Rs. 29,732 of 1909—1911 or an average increase of
Rs. 3.183 per annum. The actual receipts from fees amounted to Rs. 20,285,
Rs. 21,124 and Rs. 16,682 in 1912, 1913 and 1914, respectively. The decrease
in 1914 is shared by all the asylums, the largest decrease taking place at
Bhowanipur which yields the bulk of the income under this head. Here the
fees amounted to Rs. 13,160 last year as compared with Rs. 17,061 in 1913,
due to a lower daily average strength of paying lunatics and to the employ-
ment of fewer private servants for them.
The revenue from the value of manufactured stores amounted to
Rs. 13,543, Rs. 14,096 and Rs. 13,016 in the three years, respectively, of which
the major portion, viz., Rs. 11,454, Rs. 11,935 and Rs. 10,860, was derived
from the manufacturing departments of the Berhampore Lunatic Asylum.
The decrease in 1914 is explained by the fact that there was a lesser yield of
vegetables from the garden of that asylum owing to unfavourable climatic
conditions.
The total expenditure for the maintenance of the lunatic asylums rose
from Rs. 1,91,302 in 1912 to Rs. 1,94,452 in 1913 and Rs. 1,97,828 in 1914,
the average expenditure for the triennium having been Rs. 1,94,527 as.
compared with Rs. 1,67,512 of the previous triennial period.
The annual cost per head of lunatics calculated on their daily average
strength was Rs. 185-1-7 in 1914 including all charges, as compared with
Rs. 179 4-9 in 1913 and Rs. 179-14-3 in 1912 and a mean cost of Rs. 170-2-11
of the triennium 1909—1911. Excluding Public Works Department charges
the cost per head works out to Rs. 157-13-11, Rs. 161-14-3 and Rs. 174-15-3 in
1912, 1913 and 1914, respectively, as compared with Rs. 158-0-7 the average of
1909—1911. The nett cost which Government had to bear per annum for the
care and custody of each pauper lunatic, taking all charges into consideration,
was Rs. 174-3 6 in 1914 against Rs. 164-11-10 in 1913 and Rs. 165-10-9 in
1912. If Public Works Department charges are left out of calculation the cost
to Government per head of pauper lunatic works out to Rs. 163-6-11 against
Rs. 146-12-9 and Rs. 142-15-9.
There was a nett saving of Rs. 662 in 1914 under the head Superinten-
dence which was due to the appointment of a Civil Assistant Surgeon on a
smaller pay in place of the Military Assistant Surgeon as Deputy Superinten-
dent of the Bhowanipur Lunatic Asylum, and the abolition of the post of the
Overseer of the Dacca Lunatic Asylum. The saving under the former head is
only temporary and due to the Military Assistant Surgeon having been taken
away on military duty.
Some saving also accrued from the appointment
of a new officer to act for the permanent Superintendent of the Berhampore
Lunatic Asylum when he was on leave during a part of the year.
The expenditure of the Berhampore Lunatic Asylum under Establishment
increased last year by Rs. 1,382 owing to the revision of the pay of its Warder
Staff ; while that of the Bhowanipur and Dacca Lunatic Asylums decreased by
Rs. 1,099 and Rs. 320, respectively, owing to the appointment of a fewer
servants for paying patients in the former asylum and the abolition of the
post of the Sub-Assistant Surgeon in the latter. Thus the total expenditure
under this head remained almost equal in both the years.
There was an increase of Rs. 12,049 in the past year in the total exendi-
ture under Diet of lunatics as compared with 1913, which was due to the
increased population and high prices of food-stuff. The increase occurred in
the Dacca and Berhampore Lunatic Asylums where it amounted to Rs. 4,196
and Rs. 7,830, respectively. The increased expenditure of the Dacca Asylum
was, however, mainly due to the payment last year of the outstanding charge
for the month of November 1913.
The expenditure of lunatic asylums on account of Clothing and Bedding
increased by Rs. 552 in the total, which was entirely due to the payment last
year of the price of the blankets purchased in 1913 for the Dacca lunatics.
Under Contingencies the expenditure of the Bhowanipur Lunatic Asylum
increased from Rs. 1,254 in 1913 to Rs. 1,982 in 1914 due to the cost of
electric current consumed in the electric fans and lights installed in the
asylum, and that of the Dacca Lunatic Asylum from Rs. 1,924 to Rs. 3,300