30,000 in 1963-64. More than half of those so-resited came from dan- gerous buildings, a fourfold increase on the previous year's figures. There was also a very substantial increase in the number of illegal new structures and extensions demolished by departmental staff, reflecting probably a greater capacity for controlling squatting rather than an actual increase in new squatting.
CHAPTER II
CONSTITUTIONAL
LEGISLATION
14. The legal powers of the Resettlement Department derive from the Resettlement Ordinance No. 16 of 1958 and Regulations made thereunder, which replaced the Emergency Regulations previously in force. The Ordinance defines a squatter as 'any person who occupies any land without lawful authority or without the consent of the person entitled to the beneficial occupation of such land', and goes on to define an unlawful structure. The main provisions of Part II of the Ordinance empower a Competent Authority to clear squatters and unlawful struc- tures from Crown land and confer certain powers upon him in respect of Crown land held on lease or permit. Under this part of the Ordinance the Commissioner for Resettlement is the Competent Authority for the Urban Areas (including New Kowloon) and Tsuen Wan, for the rest of the New Territories (except New Kowloon) the Competent Authority is the District Commissioner, while the General Manager of the Kowloon- Canton Railway is the Competent Authority for railway land. Part III deals with the screening of persons before resettlement, the Commissioner for Resettlement being the Competent Authority for the whole Colony. Parts IV and V are concerned respectively with the letting and manage- ment of resettlement estates and cottage resettlement areas. The Competent Authorities for these sections are the Commissioner for Resettlement in respect of the New Territories, and the Urban Council for Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Kowloon.
THE URBAN COUNCIL
15. As mentioned above, the Urban Council is the Competent Authority for Parts IV and V of the Resettlement Ordinance in respect of the urban areas. This means, in effect, that it is responsible for the
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