LAND AND HOUSING
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private balcony, cooking place and a water point, but whereas the Authority's flats have their own toilet and shower these share toilet facilities between two flats. Management of these properties is carried out by the Authority on a non-profit basis, the costs being paid by Government and rents credited to government funds. Rents range from $35 a month for a four-person room to $80 for a 10-person room.
Maintenance and management of the Authority's and Govern- ment Low-Cost Housing estates is of a high standard and includes rent collection and supervision by trained housing managers, maintenance officers and assistants. The staff of the Authority are all government servants working in the Housing Division of the Urban Services Department under the direction of the Com- missioner for Housing. The Authority reimburses to Government all staff salaries, plus a percentage surcharge calculated to meet indirect staff costs such as pensions, housing and medical treatment.
A number of voluntary organizations have built housing for lower and middle income groups during recent years. The largest of these is the Hong Kong Housing Society, a pioneer in the field of low-cost housing in the Colony. The Society has now housed some 51,661 people in 8,428 flats on nine estates in different parts of the Colony. The rents of these flats are $37 a month for a small room with communal facilities and a maximum of $165 a month for a larger room with adjoining kitchen, toilet and balcony. The estates are well laid out with playgrounds and gardens.
During 1964 the Society housed 6,822 people in 1,069 flats. At the close of the year, 8,909 additional flats, to provide accommodation for 56,100 people, were under construction. The Society's programme for the next five years is to provide a further 8,937 flats for 55,892 people. Funds for the Society's schemes are normally provided by Government at low interest rates. The Society also operates a loan scheme under which firms lend money to cover the cost of con- structing flats, and in return are given a lease of accommodation for nominated employees. These loans are interest free and repayable over 20 years.
Other voluntary organizations providing accommodation include the Hong Kong Settlers Housing Corporation. This corporation manages a number of buildings and, with a government loan, is constructing seven blocks of multi-storey buildings with between