market or restrictions imposed by unknown men in some far off land. Any illness in the family may still mean disaster and every small vagary of nature may still spell ruin.
39. Against such a background the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society did yeoman service in keeping families intact through the provi- sion of loans or grants of money, clothing, medical treatment or school fees. The constant object of the society is to keep families intact as units, to buttress them at weak points and to help them gain economic independence. To this end numerous loans were made, chiefly to aid poor families in buying essential stock-in-trade for small businesses, and in the vast majority of cases the loans were faithfully repaid. During the year the society assisted nearly 12,500 families in one way or another, as against about 10,000 the previous year. In addition, about 1,000 children were given their school fees. The society opened in temporary premises at Tsuen Wan and will later move into the new community centre in that town. This brought to seven the number of centres which it operates.
40. Aid and encouragement were also given to families to maintain those members who were physically handicapped, chronically ill or aged. In the past there has been some tendency to pass these members on to institutions to be supported by society at large. It is hoped that this tendency will become less in evidence as various social services develop and provide home visitors with special training.
41. Even without considering the influx of refugees, the natural increase of about 91,500 in the population during the year points once again to the dangerous pressures being built up in Hong Kong. In common with many other parts of the world, the poor in Hong Kong undoubtedly tend to produce more offspring that can be properly sup- ported. Education in family planning is a slow process but progress is being made by the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong. The association opened one new centre and handled about 26,000 cases during the year. Altogether it now operates 27 centres.
CHAPTER VII
MORAL WELFARE
42. In Hong Kong, special economic and social conditions com- plicate the age-old problem of prostitution. Whereas in many other cities in the world women drift into this way of life by choice, in
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