66 TlMEHRl. 
nsane in the colony at large. The Registrar-General 
gives no comparison of these figures with the returns of 
1881. 
The number of deaf, dumb, deaf and dumb, and blind 
show an increase. See the figures : — 
1881. 171 Deaf 52 Dumb. 44 Deaf and Dumb 185 Blind. 
1891. 252 „ 43 m 58 11 „ 439 » 
Some of this increase may be due to natural growth, but 
more accurate returning must account for the increase 
in the larger figures. As far as I am aware there has been 
nothing in the colony to cause such a large increase as 254 
in the number of the blind people in the last ten years. 
Proportioned to the total number of inhabitants, these 
figures, as to the infirmities, give the following results. 
There are 1*2 lepers to every 1,000 inhabitants, or 1 leper 
to every 788*4 inhabitants, but this is probably not correct. 
There are 2*2 insane persons to every 1,000 inhabitants 
or 1 insane to every 448 persons. In 1881 there were 
1 8 insane to every 1,000; but the rise in the figures must 
not be taken as indicating an absolute increase in the 
rate of production of insanity. The explanation of the 
higher figures is to be found in the fa6l that persons now 
send their sick to the Asylum more readily than for- 
merly. Another fa6lor in the rise in the number of the 
registered insane is the prolonged life of the Asylum 
patients. In England the insane a short time ago were 
given as being 2*71 per 1,000 persons. There is 1 deaf 
person to every 1237*6; 1 dumb to every 6626*8; 1 deaf 
and dumb to every 4882*9 and 1 blind to every 634 per- 
sons. The proportion of blind is high here, for in England 
there is only 1 blind to every 975 persons. Like all other 
figures in the householders schedules, one cannot feel 
sure of the accuracy of the returns, but taking them as 
