LAND AND HOUSING
187
residential buildings. Non-domestic buildings included 23 schools, 1 clinic, 42 factories and workshops, 14 offices, 3 churches and chapels, 16 godowns and stores, 1 broadcasting station, 1 telephone exchange, 3 petrol filling stations, and 66 other miscellaneous structures.
The Buildings (Amendment) Ordinance, 1959, was passed by Legislative Council in November and was due to come into oper- ation on 1st January 1960.
During the year the Building Authority gave continued assist- ance to the District Commissioner, New Territories on building matters, and in August an interim procedure was brought into operation whereby all proposals for building works in the New Territories were to be submitted direct to the Building Authority for scrutiny.
The exceptionally heavy rainstorms in June made it necessary for a 24-hour shift system to be organized to deal with the resulting landslides and collapses. By prompt action and close co-operation with both Police and Fire Brigade a number of old buildings which had been rendered dangerous were closed and evacuated and subsequently demolished, thus averting collapses which might otherwise have resulted in disaster.
NEW TERRITORIES HOUSING
In the New Territories (apart from New Kowloon) the Buildings Ordinance does not apply, but control of buildings is exercised by the New Territories Administration, with the assistance of the Buildings Ordinance Office. In general the provisions of the Buildings Ordinance are followed where town buildings are con- cerned, but District Officers have wide latitude in respect of village-type houses. A survey was carried out during the year of the number and types of temporary structures which have been put up, often without official permission, in all areas of the New Territories. New control measures are being introduced with the object of ensuring that all existing and new temporary structures are covered by a permit from the District Office and that this sort of development only takes place in specifically designated areas. In villages of traditional South Chinese construction the houses are built in rows one behind another, usually all facing the same