PROGRESS
15
Pacific Rehabilitation Conference was held in the City Hall, where international delegates discussed mutual problems in the field of rehabilitation.
Later in October a new training centre and hostel for 200 mentally retarded children and adults was completed. While much of this welfare work refers to work among young people, older citizens were not forgotton. During the year the Hong Kong Christian Service, together with the Social Welfare Department and the Hous- ing Authority, co-operated with an allocation from the government Lotteries Fund to start a scheme whereby aged citizens might be provided with individual furnished homes instead of the more usual institutional accommodation. -
The Government itself made significant administrative changes which are likely to improve achievements in social welfare, both domestically and generally for the people in Hong Kong. The Social Welfare Department consolidated its reorganization into three main divisions, and the Colonial Secretariat established a new Social Services branch to co-ordinate work in the fields of education, labour and health and welfare generally, including prisons and drug addict institutions.
Rarely does a year go by without some discomfort or disaster being brought upon the Hong Kong people by the weather. This year it was sudden flooding which came in June-strangely upon the same dates as the more extensive floods of 1966: 326 mm (12.84 inches) of rain fell in 48 hours, causing landslips and road blockages, especially on the steep slopes of Hong Kong Island. The greatest tragedy was the loss of 16 lives, mainly from among the families living in Ma Shan Village which perches above the Shau Kei Wan district of eastern Hong Kong Island. Relief workers from many different government departments as well as volunteers helped with rescue work. Afterwards the Community Trust Relief Fund gave financial assistance to those in greatest need. The Resettle- ment Department helped some families to re-establish themselves in more permanent and secure accommodation. Later in August, typhoon Shirley hit the Colony. Compared with other major typhoons, Shirley was relatively lenient, but there was still a con- siderable outlay of voluntarily-donated public funds and relief