43. Both the G.P.O., Victoria, and the Kowloon Post Office were completely refitted with modern sorting fittings made locally in the furniture workshops of the Government Stores Department from drawings and designs supplied by the British Post Office.
44. A portion of the wireless licensing counter on the first floor was given over to the Government Printer for the sale of government publications.
45. The need for good branch post offices is more urgent than ever and the various rehabilitation and new building pro- grammes will confer great benefits when they are completed. With the rapid growth of Kowloon, particularly in and around the Kowloon Tong and Kai Tak areas, also in the industrial areas beyond Shamshuipo and extending towards Laichikok, there are large communities of up to 50,000 inhabitants or more whose nearest post office offering full facilities is three to five miles distant. In the case of Tsun Wan, which has since the war grown to four times its former size and has some 30,000 inhabitants, the nearest post office is 10 miles away, in Kowloon,
STAFF WELFARE
46. A gratifying result of the alterations referred to under 'accommodation' was the removal of practically all working staff from the unhealthy basement to light and airy offices on the first floor. For some time Government in general and this Department in particular had been seriously perturbed about the appaling working conditions below street level and the conse- quent high incidence of lung complaint, and it is most pleasing to record that since the move there has been a rapid improve- ment both in the health, weight and naturally the mental outlook of the staff concerned.
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