and arrange for the subsequent resiting and or resettlement of the families concerned, if necessary. They also keep a record of destroyed or seriously damaged huts after natural disasters so that re-building and other grants can be paid to the victims from the Community Relief Trust Fund.
19. During the year under review, a total of 12,183 new or reerected structures or extensions to tolerated ones were demolished by the squatter control staff, and another 2,916 were dismantled by their owners. 388 of these were on the roofs of permanent buildings. 69 tons of materials, mostly loose wood and tin sheeting, were confiscated. By the end of the year under review, there were estimated to be 286,500 people still living in tolerated squatter huts (or the like), which again represent a reduction on previous years, as the following table in round figure illustrates :
31st March
1965
1966
1967
1968
A
1969
...
+
1970
1971
1972
***
Squatters
Resitees/
Licensees
...
T
463,000
75,300
430,000
84,800
428,000
57,100
409,000
33,600
:
:
F:
44
401,000
27,700
380,000
31,145
358,000
34,700
286,500
36,660
RENT ADVANCE SCHEME
20. The rent advance scheme provided immediate priority for reset- tlement to tenants of pre-war dangerous buildings but was discontinued at the end of 1971. During the period to the end of December 1971, 8,477 persons from dangerous tenement buildings were registered by the Resettlement Department. Of these, 6,227 opted for the scheme, 2,205 reserved their right to join within a year and 45 opted for resites. The amount collected in rent advance during the year was $2,256,373.00. Since the scheme started in May 1965, the department has collected over $15 million in advance payments and has registered a total of 58,024 persons from dangerous buildings of whom 29,765 opted to join and were resettled, 4,025 were resited and 22,029 made their own arrangements. It was decided, with effect from 1st February, 1972, to offer public housing to tenants of buildings declared dangerous whether pre-war or post-war, and without requiring rent in advance.
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