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工人學生政治行動委員會
WORKER-STUDENT POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
The origin and objectives of Resettlement policy
In the event one very large fire, which made more
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than 50,000 people homeless on Christmas Day 1953, provoked the Government into action. Very swiftly indeed a public housing policy was devised and begun. Other large fires which followed soon afterwards helped maintain the momontum. Squatters were to be rehoused on a large scale.
Such activity was justifiod in Government papers by the claim that the wolfare of squatters was incidental to. Govaynmont's main objectivos. In a laissez-fairo economy, ovon hounẳng tho homolona has an economlo junbifiontion. In fact, I doubt that Government is quite as systematically hard-hearted as it would like to appear. Its practice does not match its public ideology.
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However that may be, the overt objectives of the Resettle- ment programme worei
(1) Firstly, to free land illegally occupiod by squatters and as such inefficiently used at low density. The 300,000- 'squatters had a stranglehold on land urgently needed for permanent development.
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(2) Secondly, to rid the colony of the risk of squatter fires. These led not only to high costs in welfare relief, but also to risk of political disorder.
(3) A third objective was also probably in officials1 minds: namely, to rid the colony of the higgledy-piggledy, ramshackle shacks which spoilt its image, cast reflections on its government, and, it was thought, threatened general levels of health; to Western eyes, squatter settlements look dangerous and dirty. At least among some government officials a genuine concern for social welfare played a considerable. part.
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When the roamining 800,000 squattors and bont-dwellers have been given better homes, and when the presont rosettlement aliuna are olonrod away and replaced with something bottor, and whon the "substandard tonomout houses have been replaood by something moro worthy of Hong Kong's much-
aunted reputation for "prospority" thon it will be justifiable to any that Hong Kong has made a considerable contribution to solving tho refugee problem; until then, the people who are really familiar with the
ituation here and that means the citizens of Hong Kong themselvos * will eel that the Hong Kong, Government hasn't even done as much as it could have done towards solving this problem.
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Your argument that the Government of Hong Kong has done much in the field of housing was meant, we believe, to show the enthusiasts in the United Nations that their enthusiasm against colonialism was perhaps