area has to be changed with changing circumstances; it is an interesting intellectual exercise but mistakes are inevitable in the circumstances.
55. The complexities and uncertainties are not even con- fined to those indicated in the preceding paragraph, for there are certain historical circumstances to be taken into account. These do not apply to those temporary areas which have been opened up since the formulation of the policies described in the preceding paragraphs and chapters-e.g. Chuk Yuen, Tsun Wan and to a great extent Ngau Tau Kok-but they are of some importance in relation to the areas started in earlier years: of these the area known as Homantin and King's Park is the best example. This general area comprises about 150 acres of land in the heart of Kowloon, and it houses 25,000 persons. Every stage of the history of squatter resettlement is repre- sented in this area. One section is virtually still a wild squatter area, for it existed before resettlement started and little has been done to improve it except for the clearance of a number of fire lanes. Another area consists of sand-brick cottages built from funds subscribed by the public after the Kowloon City fire of 1950. Other sections consist of "approved" cottages built by contractors under franchise during the period when policy was governed by the distinction between "approved" and "tolerated" structures. Such contractors' cottages have nor- mally been sold to the occupants either by outright sale or under hire-purchase arangements; many are quite pretentious and some settlers have paid as much as $5,000 for their cottages. The same area contains also a substantial number of sandbrick cottages built by the Hong Kong Settlers' Housing Corporation, a non-profit-making Corporation which, as has been said, rendered valuable services to the community during what may now be called the middle period of the history of resettlement, that is to say the period after it had become clear that the operations of independent contractors under franchise were fundamentally unsatisfactory, but before Government was prepared to undertake the construction of resettlement accom- modation at the public expense. These cottages are nearly all in the process of becoming the property of the occupants under
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