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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT
a mobile library for the use of non-school children in the New Territories. With the aim of raising the standard of children's spare-time reading matter, the Council of Social Service sponsored the publication of two series of children's books. The first series consisted of three prize-winning manuscripts submitted for a competition organized by the Council for a Chinese novel suitable for teen-agers. The second series, specially selected and attractively illustrated, is for younger children.
The playing-fields of the Children's Playgrounds As- sociation's two centres (the War Memorial Welfare Centre in Wantsai and the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre at Mongkok), both equipped with football pitches and up-to-date stadia, are used by about 15,000 school and non-school children weekly, in addition to the numerous young apprentices who use the grounds daily. During the year, approximately 3,000 youngsters from poor families and orphanages spent a week's holiday at the Silver Mine Bay Holiday Camp, the manage- ment committee of which is appointed by the Standing Conference of Youth Organizations, the coordinating body for all youth welfare in the Colony.
Two Y.W.C.A. Industrial Girls' Hostels house 70 factory girls. The W. M. Thomson Memorial Boys' Hostel, run by the Salvation Army for apprentices, has reached its maximum capacity of 56.
A large number of underprivileged children are, however, not yet covered by existing youth services, and the training of potential youth leaders is still of primary importance. A Club Leadership Training Course is run by the Social Welfare Office, in conjunction with the Grantham Training College, and refresher courses, round-table discussions, practical training classes in handicrafts and physical culture are held by the Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association for its leaders.
Care of the Disabled
A Welfare Centre for the Physically-Handicapped, near Shap Long, on Lantao Island, was opened at the end of April. It is run by the Social Welfare Office, and was originally intended primarily for the disabled ex-Nationalist soldiers at Rennie's Mill. All except 80 of these men, with their depen- dants, have now been repatriated to Taiwan, however, and