cooperative effort between Chinese charitable bodies, the Police, the Sanitary Section of the Urban Services Department, and the Social Welfare Office.
56. Matshed accommodation was provided at Rennie's Mills for the blind and the crippled, and for the small Chinese adminis- trative staff drawn from the Social Welfare Office. The ruins of the Mills were used for the kitchen, stores, and certain administrative work. By March 1951 a further 9,000 refugees had erected their own squatter colony around the Camp; these new comers received no rations or other assistance, except medical care, but nevertheless most of them contributed their share to the smooth running of the whole group. Government, through the Social Welfare Office, provided two austerity meals a day for the original 6,800, and a skeleton camp staff of eleven, including the cooks. Medical aid and sanitary supervision were provided through Medical and Health Services, and advice on fire precautions was given by the Fire Brigade. A voluntary Chinese Committee, at that time under the active chairmanship of Mr. Ko Cheuk Hung, M.B.E., organized additional material help, such as extra blankets and clothing for the winter, the erection of matsheds for communal activities, and the issue of books for the school children. The Social Welfare Office camp staff encouraged and guided the refugees themselves to build up and run their own fire brigade, camp sanitary services, camp schools, postal services, extra clinics and medical care, children's clubs, dramatic societies, etc. A number of religious bodies opened up missionary campaigns in the camp, and added materially to the medical and educational services available for the inhabitants.
At the end of January, 1953, Government ceased provid- ing food for the able-bodied and their dependants, but continued as before to accept responsibility for the care of the blind and the disabled, and their families, who numbered altogether just under 1,000 souls. The voluntary Chinese Committee took on the task of feeding about 1,400 able-bodied inmates, who were the balance of the original 6,800, the rest of whom had by that time either succeeded in entering Taiwan, or had found employ- ment in Hong Kong and had left Camp. Continuous efforts
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