49. In 1964, the Mark III block was introduced. The fundamental difference in this design is that access to the rooms is by a central corridor and not from a public balcony. Each room also has internal wiring installed and a small private balcony. Instead of communal latrines, lavatories are shared between two or three families, and there are refuse chutes in each corridor. 142 of these blocks have been built in six estates and now house 156,170 people.
50. A major change in the appearance of the estates was made in 1965 by the introduction of the Mark IV blocks, which are 16 storeys in height, and are served by lifts. The facilities were further improved by the provision of an individual private lavatory and, in later blocks, a water tap on the balcony of each room. By the end of the financial year 65 Mark IV blocks had been built.
51. During the year individual water taps were installed in all rooms in Mark III and in the early Mark IV blocks. 51,967 rooms in 170 blocks in eight estates were involved, at a total cost of $3 million. Room rentals in Mark III blocks were increased by 50¢ a month to meet the cost of improvement. No increase was made in the rents in the Mark IV blocks affected as they already paid the same rent as the later rooms of this Mark, which had a private water supply.
52. The Mark V block, introduced in 1967, is a slight modification of the Mark IV, with wider corridors and a greater variety of room sizes more closely matching the sizes of families resettled.
53. 33 Mark V blocks have been completed and 15 are still under construction. 380,411 persons in 11 estates now live in Marks IV and V blocks. The table at Appendix 4 shows the distribution of population by marks of blocks. Blocks now under construction in five estates are of the new Mark VI design, where larger rooms will be provided within the same 11 feet grid to enable initial allocations to be made at about 35 sq. ft. for each adult, as recommended by the Housing Board. A plan of the new design is at Appendix 12.
MANAGEMENT
54. The Urban Council is the competent authority under Parts IV and V of the Resettlement Ordinance for the management of estates, cottage areas and factories in the urban area. This authority is delegated to the Resettlement Management Select Committee who have in turn delegated the day-to-day management of estates to the Commissioner
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