New Buildings, Rehabilitation and Repairs.
During the year, 3,041 plans were submitted for approval for work on 4,824 buildings. This number included 513 European type dwellings, 1,119 Chinese type, 52 factories, 4 hotels, 5 theatres, 6 schools, 66 godowns and stores, 45 site formations and 2,909 rehabilitation and alterations and additions to various property. The balance was for minor construction work such as garages, temporary sheds and kiosks. Completion permits which are only issued in respect of new buildings were given for 211 European type dwellings, 729 Chinese type dwellings and 125 miscellaneous non-domestic buildings.
Town Planning.
Great progress was made with Town Planning during the year. Pending the publication of Sir Patrick Abercrombie's Report, work proceeded along the lines suggested by him during his visit in the late autumn of 1947. Among the important aspects of general planning to which attention was directed were the placing of industry in its correct industrial zones, the preservation of open spaces, the correct siting of housing and the checking of densities of population. Obviously, the work of replanning the Colony is one which cannot show results except over a great number of years, but during the course of 1948 a good start has been made.
SOCIAL WELFARE.
Throughout 1948 Hong Kong's most pressing welfare
pro- blems on the material side continued to be caused by gross over- crowding and the consequent very grave housing shortage. It was estimated that the population density in the most crowded tenement area was as high as 2,000 persons to the acre, and that up to 30,000 people, including Government servants and employees of large public utilities, had to live as squatters in crude primitive shacks in bombed areas or on the hillsides. But a still more important factor is that the overwhelming majority of the Colony's residents, of whatever nationality, does not regard Hong Kong as its home; most of them come here solely to seek a living, more money, recreation or a political asylum, and strike no roots. Hence the Colony's interest in social welfare has tended to be focussed more on short- term and sometimes unproductive relief work, than on the goal of enabling every resident to become a reliable neighbour and a useful and informed fellow-citizen.
A Social Welfare Officer had been appointed in August 1947, and a Social Welfare Office with its own financial vote was establish-
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