preparatory stage had been completed. About 800 bungalows and 3,900 semi-permanent huts had been erected leaving an estimated 42,300 to be re-planned or removed during the next three years.
Some interesting social statistics were beginning to be accumulated as a by-product of these resettlement measures. Resettlement is preceded by an investigation of each squatter's circumstances, and by the end of the year particulars of some 21,000 persons had been recorded and analysed. The figures indicated that whilst most squatters are poor, extremely few are destitute and some are quite well-to-do; that whilst there are considerable and growing indications of under- employment amongst those squatters who are casual labourers there are few squatter families without at least one wage-earner with a comparatively steady income; and that the squatters can by no means all be described as refugees since many are old-established Hong Kong families who have been forced to become squatters by the housing shortage.
Fires
There were inevitably a number of fires in squatter settlements but no large-scale disaster of this kind took place until November. On 21st November at Tung Tau Village near Kowloon City some 15 acres of wooden huts and other illegal structures were razed to the ground. Over 10,000 persons were rendered homeless in a matter of hours and two lives were lost. Large-scale emergency relief measures were jointly organized by the Government and the Kowloon City Kaifong Welfare Association, and the public contributed for the relief of the fire victims large quantities of clothing and foodstuffs as well as over HK$225,000 in cash. It was unfortunate that squatter resettlement measures were not at the time sufficiently advanced to permit mass resettlement of the victims in resettlement areas; but it was possible to prevent "re-squatting" on the scene of the fire and to allocate resettlement sites immediately to about 600 victims who could find no alternative accommodation.
The fire is believed to have started in a small illegal factory of which there were several in the village, all erected in contravention of the conditions under which the land was occupied and not only unlicensed as factories but operating in buildings put up in defiance of the Buildings Ordinance. In order that the ex-squatter settlers in the new settlements may follow their normal occupations without a repetition of the danger brought to light by this fire, portions of some settlements have been set aside where simple non-hazardous industries be established. The first factory under this plan was already under construction at the close of the year. -
may
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