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particularly between families which may have to share a room. It is also his duty to see that the settlers observe the conditions of their tenancy cards. These conditions are made as simple as possible, the most important being that the rent must be paid each month in advance on the rent day; that the tenant may not transfer his room to any other person or sublet any part of it; and that he must not allow his room to be used for any illegal purpose. There are also special conditions for workshops; and restaurants, cafes and food shops must comply with the conditions of an Urban Council licence.
50. If the conditions of the tenancy card are not observed verbal warnings are given by the staff, to be followed, if necessary, by pre- liminary and final warning letters. Usually these warnings are effective; but if no notice is taken of the final written warning it is necessary to terminate the tenancy and to require the tenant and his family to vacate the premises. So far as rent payments are concerned, the conditions of the tenancy card provide for cancellation as soon as the monthly rent is in arrears, but these tenancies are not in fact terminated unless either the rent is more than twenty eight days in arrears or unless the tenant is persistently more than fourteen days late in paying his rent. 188 tenancies had to be terminated during the year; 145 were terminated for non-payment of rent, 21 for unauthorized transfers, 4 for trafficking in heroin, and 18 for miscellaneous offences.
51. In order to spread rent collections over the whole month each estate is divided into sections, each of which has a different rent day. If, for example, the rent day for a section is the 12th the rent paid on that date will be for the period ending on the 11th of the following month. As all the rooms in each section have the same rent day it is easier for the estate staff to remind settlers when payments are due. Out of a total of $11,214,763 due in rents for the financial year 1960-61 only $2,748 had to be written off as irrecoverable arrears.
52. The Urban Council is kept in close touch with the problems of the multi-storey estates. The Resettlement Areas and Estates Select Committee meets once a month. The subjects with which this Committee deals are of great variety and include evictions, heroin cases, applications from voluntary agencies for the allocation of rooftops and rooms, and the hundred and one other matters which must arise when very large numbers of people have to live together at such close quarters. In addition any member of the Council may, if he so wishes, become a Visiting Member to the estates and he then has the opportunity to visit one section of about two blocks once a month.
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