destitutes' reception centre, and an asylum for desperate cases of many other kinds. To encourage self-help and defeat the evils of inaction, inmates were induced as far as possible to take part in some Camp service; they also provided their own hut leaders who were responsible for general cleanliness, dealing with minor complaints, etc. Morrison Hill Camp catered for the homeless but not so destitute. It offered in fact rent free but only temporary accommodation. Schools were run for the children in both camps, and there were also special classes in rattan work, tailoring, carpentry, and gardening.
58. Repatriation of distressed persons was one of the services undertaken by the Special Welfare Services Section. During 1955/56, 40 persons received such assistance. Their destinations are listed in Appendix X. Approximately half were British subjects from the Chinese Mainland, for whom temporary accommodation in the Colony had to be arranged in addition to their onward passages to the United Kingdom or other British Territories.
59. A survey team from the Relief Section completed a survey of street sleepers in Hong Kong and Kowloon and at the end of the year was embarking on a pilot survey of roof-top squatters.
60. This chapter would not be complete without a tribute to the many voluntary welfare organizations which bring sub- stantial relief to those in need in Hong Kong. Special mention must be made of the Catholic Welfare Committee of China and the Lutheran World Federation, which have brought into the Colony regular supplies of food, clothing, and medicines most generously donated by the people of the United States of America.
CHAPTER XI
EMERGENCY RELIEF
61. The most encouraging feature of this work was the complete absence of major fires in the last quarter of the year. Winter is normally the worst season for fires, and this absence
17