LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN BENGAL.
19
other countries, and that by giving the superintendents a wide discretion as to outlay, neither
difficulty nor delay could occur in obtaining what was considered beneficial for the asylums
or their inmates, or necessary for developing or maintaining industries. The subject was
referred to the special committee assembled in connection with the Dullunda Asylum, whose
proceedings and the orders passed thereon will be referred to in my next report
Contribution to the
maintenance of
patients.
28. A report was at the same time called for as to whether some uniform system of
contribution to the maintenance of patients could not be levied according to the circum-
stances of their friends. In my letter No. 1226, dated 1st March 1872, I discussed this
subject fully, and recorded my opinion that section 15 of Act XXXVI of 1858 placed
sufficient power in the hands of Magistrates to investigate the circumstances of parties and
enforce payment of maintenance in part or in whole, if he found them competent. The reports
of superintendents showed that this section had been administered loosely, and I urged that
neither visitors nor superintendents were empowered under the law to demand payment for
public patients. No orders have been received on the subject of this correspondence.
Forms of accounts.
Difficulty of esti-
mating value of
lunatic labor.
29. The accounts of the several asylums are given according to the forms hitherto in
use. The value of stock in store has been eliminated, as directed in paragraph 14 of the
Resolution of 30th October 1871, and only money actually received entered. It is difficult
to exhibit accurately the profit, if any, obtained from industrial pursuits, because the debits,
which are shown against the receipts, are not the only items which render the industrial
products possible, and strictly speaking, the value of the labor of the agents, or the cost of
their food and lodging, should be shown against the receipts.
Summary
of
finances of the
year.
Receipts from pay-
ing patients.
Industrial profits
omitted.
Why.
30. The following abstract gives the main financial facts of the year. Column 2
gives the total expenditure, and column 4 the cost per man of the average strength ; the
average cost is Rs. 90-9-5, against Rs. 92-15-4. The sums actually paid into the treasury on
account of paying patients are given in column 3, and column 4 shows that the average cost
of each patient is diminished by about Rs. 5 through these payments. The sum realized
for maintenance during 1871
was less than in the two previous
years, but higher than in the
three years preceding. The de-
crease is due to smaller receipts
at the Dullunda Asylum. The
columns showing the credits of
the industrial fund have not been
inserted because they are not,
except in the case of Dullunda,
which shows net receipts, clear
profits. This could not be the case unless all the debits were included in column 2, which is
not done. If Government received all the credits and sustained all the debits, then the
sums realized for the products of industry would be a clear gain. This shows the incon-
venience of a separate fund and the advantage of a single account for the whole of the
Asylum transactions.
1866 ... ...
1867
...
...
1868 ... ...
1869
...
...
1870 ... ...
1871
...
...
Total cost of
Asylums.
Rs.
55,025
56,435
58,508
66,464
71,965
75,255
A.
9
0
13
15
3
6
P.
5½
9½
11¼
9¼
7½
8
Amount realized
for maintenance.
Rs.
102
447
751
1,742
1,696
1,333
A.
9
15
4
4
9
12
P.
4
8¾
4
2
0
6
Ratio per
cent.
0.18
0.79
1.28
2.62
2.35
1.77
Abstract of ac-
counts of the
several asylums.
STATEMENT No. 11.
Showing the Expenditure and Receipts of each Asylum.
ASYLUMS.
Dullunda ...
Dacca ...
Patna
...
Cuttack ...
Moydapore ...
Totals & aver-
ages ... ...
1
Daily
average
strength.
335.12
213.4
211.39
44.61
26.21
830.73
2
Total expendi-
ture.
R.
30,810
21,711
16,544
4,596
1,591
75,255
A.
3
12
12
12
13
6
P.
0
7
10
11
4
8
3
Realized
from the
friends of
patients.
R.
910
375
48
A.
8
4
0
P.
6
0
0
......
......
1,333 12 6
4
Average
cost of each
patient as
per col. 2.
R.
91
101
78
103
60
90
A.
15
11
4
1
12
9
P.
1
10
9
1
1
5
5
Average
cost of each
patient
deducting
col. 3.
R.
89
85
78
103
60
85
A.
3
14
1
1
12
6
P.
7
9
2
1
1
0
6
7
8
9
10
AVERAGE COST OF EACH PATIENT IN RELATION TO
Establish-
ment.
R.
*25
41
40
72
41
36
A.
9
3
6
10
6
6
P.
5
8
9
3
7
5
Diet.
R.
58
50
32
25
18
46
A.
15
8
3
7
6
14
P.
1
5
3
4
8
4
Bazaar¬
medi¬
cines.
R.
0
0
0
0
A.
2
8
1
3
P.
4
1
9
2
......
0 3 8
Contin-
gencies.
R.
4
4
2
2
0
3
A.
3
12
1
8
14
10
P.
5
5
8
0
10
0
Clothing.
R.
3
4
3
2
A.
0
11
7
4
P.
10
3
4
4
......
3 7 0
* Exclusive of Superintendent's salary.