LAND AND HOUSING
123
total number of blocks of all types administered by the Resettlement Department was 480. Between them these blocks housed 1,071,129 people, some 49.3 per cent of them in the newer types.
A pilot scheme was in progress during the year for converting a block in an old estate into self-contained flats, each with its own lavatory and water supply and some with their own balconies.
Rents are fixed at the lowest possible level to cover reimburse- ment of the capital cost over 40 years (at 34 per cent interest), plus all annually recurrent expenditure including the cost of administra- tion and maintenance. Where appropriate, an element for water charges and rates is included in the rent. Rents vary according to the design of the block and the size of the room: the all-in rent of a standard room of 120 square feet in the oldest type of block is $18 a month (having been raised, for the first time, from $14 in 1965), while the all-in rent of a standard room of 135 square feet in a new block is $34. Despite the large population and the wide variety of rents charged, the number of tenants failing to pay is still extremely small. Of the total of $79 million due in rents for the year, only about 0.051 per cent had to be written off as irrecover- able arrears.
The resettlement estates are virtually townships (the population of Tsz Wan Shan estate, for instance, is around 129,620) and a wide range of community facilities must be provided. Some ground floor rooms are let as shops or workshops. Others are used by government departments or private welfare organisations as schools, clinics or nurseries. Even the rooftops in the older blocks are put to use. Most of them have been allocated to voluntary agencies who operate primary schools or children's clubs under the guidance of the Education or Social Welfare Departments. In the newer estates separate six-storey buildings (each with 24 classrooms) are provided for primary school accommodation and in the latest blocks provision has been made for self-contained kindergarten accommodation. Some estates have community centres and, in the latest ones, the tendency is to concentrate ancillary services into separate buildings for welfare services, restaurants and administration.
Provision is also made for the small factories which are often found in squatter areas or in areas under annual Crown land
Page 195Page 196