6. Basic fact No. 2 is that the population of the Colony more than 99% Chinese-the majority of whom are Cantonese from the neighbouring province of Kwangtung.
7. Basic fact No. 3 is the acute shortage of land. Most of the Colony's 391 sq. miles consist of mountains and semi-barren islands. The enormous population is, therefore, almost entirely urban, and lives and works in the two great cities of Victoria and Kowloon.
8. From the foregoing derives basic fact No. 4, which is the unavoidably low standard of living of the population in general. A family income of HK$200 per month is above the general average, which probably lies somewhere between HK$120 and HK$150 per month.
9. Restrictions on trade with China and the American embargo on trade with Hong Kong which followed shortly after the outbreak of war in Korea in 1950 have had a delayed but very marked effect on the livelihood of those living in this Colony, and the social worker in particular is aware of this.
10. During the period covered by this report, pressure on the staff of the Social Welfare Office continued to increase, and it was not possible to undertake much in the way of experi- mental work, or any great expansion in the range of the depart- ment's activities. Indeed, the staff found it very difficult to deal effectively with the increasing demands made upon their services.
11. His
His Excellency the Governor and Lady Grantham continued to show a deep interest in social welfare work, both official and voluntary, and during the course of the year visited many centres and welfare institutions.
12. Early in March 1957 the department was honoured by a visit from Lady Patricia Lennox-Boyd, wife of the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
CHAPTER II-THE SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICE
13. Work in the department continued to be carried out by seven sections, namely Relief, Child Welfare, Youth Welfare, Women and Girls, Probation, Community Development, and Special Welfare Services.
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