equally unauthorized subletting; 1 for creating a deliberate public obstruction; and 111 for miscellaneous other reasons. Although the conditions provide for cancellation as soon as the monthly rent is in arrears few tenancies are in fact terminated for this reason, and most of those are the result of the tenants moving to an undisclosed destina- tion with no intention of returning.
105. Most of the overcrowding which occurs in rooms which have been occupied for a number of years arises from natural increase and from children reaching the age of ten and qualifying as ‘adults'. Other cases may arise from increases to the family which cannot casily be prevented. In 1964 the competent authorities decided that registered households could add to their household their dependent children, parents, and newly married wives or husbands; and if this addition made their room density unacceptably high they would then be entitled to move to a larger room. In 1966, concerned by the growing commitment to relieve overcrowding, the Housing Board recommended a review of this policy, and in December of that year, several changes were introduced. For example, a woman who is already a member of an authorized household is normally no longer permitted to bring in her newly married husband-he is expected to provide for her elsewhere; and the Social Welfare Department now assists in examining more closely the degree of dependence of elderly relatives whom tenants wish to add to their households.
106. Nevertheless, the problem of overcrowding never ceases to tax the attention and consciences of all concerned. As already mentioned, rooms have been allocated since the beginning of the resettlement programme at a density of approximately 24 square feet for each adult in the family, two children under the age of ten counting as one adult. The pressure to increase the size of the authorized household by adding close relatives (as distinct from new-born children) arises from traditional family loyalties and the fact that many Chinese families have in recent years been parted only to be reunited around a nucleus in Hong Kong. When their rooms become too crowded (at present, when room-density reaches 16 square feet for each adult), samilies are eligible to move to larger rooms in other estates, or in the same estate if any suitable rooms are available. This is known as 'direct decantation'. In addition, there is an 'indirect decantation' scheme whereby families living in some estates with less than 16 square feet an adult may apply to move to certain other estates in order to release their rooms for re-allocation to
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