because of the political disturbances in China, began the first considerable increase in squatters in many areas. Before the war squatting was con- fined to hillside sites away from built-up districts but the influx very soon crept into the city itself. People began building very flimsy and very inflammable structures, illegally, on Crown Land and on privately owned agricultural land, without building permits.
Fundamentally the present squat- ter problem is a function of the housing shortage But it is in addition a factor of the same housing shortage. For example, the pilot Housing Scheme at Sheung Li Uk provides cheap housing for 270 working class families; the site formerly accommodated about half that number of families jammed tight in squatter huts. It therefore follows that anyone who puts a squatter hut on a possible building site is depriving not only his own family of the chance for proper housing but at least one other family besides. This results in a vicious circle, with squatting causing more squatting. This consideration alone would justify every effort being made to remove squatters from the urban area.
In addition the "wild" squatter settlements are a standing menace to public health. Most of the inhabitants make a desperate and pathetic attempt to keep themselves and their huts clean and tidy, and to cooperate with the staff of the Sanitary Department in removing rubbish and filth from the area. But among these haphazard masses of huts, without proper drainage and often with no water but what trickles down hillside nullahs, it is impossible to carry out thorough cleansing or scavenging; and so every squatter area harbours, in inaccessible cor- ners, noisome pools and festering heaps of house refuse, food waste, and rubbish of every description; a perpetual reservoir of infection, in which flies, cockroaches, mosquitoes and rats multiply unchecked. There are also the dogs, mangy, starving, ownerless- and of course unlicensed, unmuzzled and un-inoculated, keep- ing alive the rabies menace which would otherwise be under full con- trol. The risk of fire is common knowledge; in wooden huts, packed together in hundreds, the family rice is cooked over open fires. It needs only one chatty to be overturned
and a score of huts are in flames. It is true that in these squatter hat fires lives are seldom lost; but each one means the loss of the pitifully few possessions that the inhabitants possessed, and makes the struggle for existence just that much more grim.
Furthermore these "wild" squat ters in many places crowd closely round legal domestic buildings whose occupants are thereby exposed to great risk of fire, and of disease due to the conditions by their squat- ter neighbours.
Finally it need hardly be added that the "wild" squatter settlements may be a serious danger to public order. With their rabbit warren pattern they afford safe harbourage to the fugitive from justice, the gangster, the returned banishee; they abound in opium divans, gambling hells and dens of every description; arms and stolen property are easily hidden there; almost any kind of illegal activity can be planned with small risk of discovery. Squatter settlements can start off epidemics of crime as well as of disease.
Government had certain measures for dealing with these squatters but unfortunately they were not too effective. Officials were required to get official approval to clear away each specific body of squatters and by the time this was obtained the numbers had probably increased two or three fold. Other difficulties also arose as for instance in 1948 when one lot of squatters was being moved from Kowloon City and a certain amount of trouble arose involving the police. From that time on ap- proval had to be obtained from the
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Intermediate stage:
Secretariat as well before any action could be taken.
By 1948, the problem was be- coming really acute with squatters in considerable numbers all around Kowloon and in several parts of the central district in Hong Kong, and certain regulations were passed giving the Urban Council power, with the Colonial Secretary's ap- proval, to effect clearances. These clearances were done without giving any indication to the people in- volved as to where they could go. They were simply told to move and no interest was taken as to where they went. Consequently, they merely went and squatted some- where else.
At this time, although there was no definite Government policy laid down, some attempt was started to regulate the squatter settlements. Certain areas were set aside in which it was decided no objections would be made to settlers and the Social Welfare Officer attempted to pick out deserving cases to transfer to these areas. This was done by the staff of the SW.O. moving into a district and screening the people, that is, finding out exactly who they were, where they came from, what means of livelihood they had, etc. Approximately ten percent of the people interviewed were found to be up to the standard of eligibility laid down for these approved areas where they could build a hut of approved design and obtain some security of tenure. However, less than half of them took advantage of the op- portunity, the rest moving on with the main body to squat somewhere else when the area was cleared.
Wooden huts at King's Park.
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