4
21. The cost which Government had to bear for the maintenance of the
lunatic asylums (omitting the expenditure on paying patients) amounted
to Rs. 1,73,327 or Rs. 164-11-10 per head per annum for each pauper patient
as compared with Rs. 1,71,017 or Rs. 165-10-9 per head in 1912. Excluding
Public Works Department charges, the cost per head works out to Rs. 147-5-4
against Rs. 143-10-5. Taking all charges into consideration the average cost
per head for European pauper insanes, viz., Rs. 707-1-10 must be very much
higher than that per head for Indian insanes, mainly because the expenditure
on diet and clothing is necessarily higher in the former class of patients.
22. Statement I —Establishment.—The pay of the clerk and sweepers
and the local and house allowances of the Sub-Assistant Surgeon of
the Bhawanipur Lunatic Asylum, which had been low, were increased,
and an additional Sub-Assistant Surgeon was also appointed to the Berham¬
pore Lunatic Asylum in February 1913, as the work was considered to be too
much for one Sub-Assistant Surgeon to cope with. Sanction has also been
accorded to the revision of the pay of the keepers of the latter asylum on a
liberal scale, and this will come into effect from the 1st April 1914. It is
hoped that the difficulty hitherto experienced in getting a good class of
keepers will not. be so acute. A personal allowance of Rs 100 per mensem
has been sanctioned to Military Assistant Surgeon H. V. Mann, Deputy
Superintendent of the Berhampore Lunatic Asylum, in recognition of the
thoroughly conscientious and excellent work which he has done at this
asylum whilst he has been in charge as Deputy Superintendent.
The
Superintendent again brings his good work to the notice of Government and I
endorse his opinion of this officer's work.
23. Statement —Manufactures.—As in former years the inmates
of the Berhampore Lunatic Asylum were employed on various kinds of
manufactures from baking to making jute slings, no less them 71.31 per
cent. of the population having been employed in this way. Besides being a
source of income to the asylum. work of some kind may also be regarded
in a therapeutic sense as of considerable value ; occupation not only helps
many patients in tiding over a critical period of illness. but gives them also
a sense of trust and responsibility. The system of rewarding hardworking
and well-behaved lunatics also acted as an incentive to good work and good
behaviour, and was greatly appreciated. The amount of the reward varied
from one rupee to one anna and most of the recipients spent the money thus
obtained on small luxuries, as sweets, slippers, clothes, etc. ; some insanes,
however, preferred to accumulate the cash and to remit it to their relatives.
The net profit from manufactures amounted to Rs. 9,827-1-6 or an increase
of Rs. 513-2-6 over that of 1912. At Dacca only 31.56 per cent. of the
population was employed on manufactures and the net profit amounted to
Rs. 2,215-3-6 or Rs. 106-1-3 less than that in 1912.
24. The dairy at Berhampore worked most successfully and is a great
been to the sick and infirm inmates of the asylum who are given milk daily.
The surplus milk is sold, the profit in the year under report amounting to
Rs. 845-1-9. The dairy at Dacca yielded a profit of Rs. 19-3-3 only during
the year.
25. General remarks.—In March 1913 Captain Peebles, the Superintend-
ent of the Berhampore Lunatic Asylum, and myself visited Ranchi with the
Chief Engineer, Bengal, to discuss with the officers of the Bihar and Orissa
Government the plans of the proposed Central Lunatic Asylum. As it is
probable that the Central Lunatic Asylums at Ranchi will take at least four
or five years (if not more) to be completed, and as the existing accommoda-
tion of the asylums in Bengal is insufficient, it would appear that temporary
measures of some kind will have to be considered to provide the necessary
increased accommodation. In 1912, the capacity of the Berhampore Lunatic
Asylum was increased by 90 cells by carrying out certain structural altera-
tions, and last year the accommodation of the Dacca and Bhawanipur Lunatic
Asylums was raised by 40 and 10 cells, respectively, in the same manner.
Though these additions may suffice for the present, I have grave doubts
as to whether they will suffice until the Central Asylums at Ranchi are
completed. The question of increasing the accommodation of the Berhampore
Lunatic Asylum on an adequate scale has engaged and is still engaging my