81. Many of the 2,925 stone or brick and 1,748 wooden huts in the cottage areas were put up by the settlers themselves, although a number have been built by welfare or non-profit-making organizations. Prominent among these sponsors were the National Catholic Welfare Conference, the Methodist Board of Missions, the Church World Service and the Hong Kong Settlers Housing Corporation. Most agencies have now found it more convenient to transfer ownership of their cottages to Government, to be administered by the Resettlement Department. Apart from permit fees, rents are charged for government- owned huts in the cottage arcas. Further information on rents and permit fees charged can be found in Chapter 9.
82. During the year the whole of Ho Man Tin/King's Park Cottage Arca was cleared to free land for the Ho Man Tin Development Stage VII. 153 cottages in Section 1, Chai Wan Cottage Area were cleared to make way for the construction of Chai Wan Sub-divisional Police Station. A further 205 cottages were cleared from Tung Tau Cottage Area to make way for the Tung Tau Tsuen Road widening and Govern- ment Low Cost Housing Scheme. 85 cottages in Tai Wo Ping Cottage Area were also scheduled for clearance in connection with Lung Cheung Road widening.
PRIMARY EDUCATION AND WELFARE
83. The cottage areas contain many schools and welfare facilities, which pay a nominal fee of $2.50 a quarter for their sites. The activities of the various bodies working in the Ngau Tau Kok Cottage Area are typical of those to be found elsewhere. Built mainly between 1952 and 1956 in what was then a rural area, this is one of the larger cottage areas. Its present authorized population of 7,250 consists of 1,284 families, who live in 1,209 individual structures. The principal social and educational work is in the hands of the Maryknoll Mission. The Mission runs a primary school which, by holding separate morning and afternoon sessions, has a total of 1,782 places; and a clinic, a handicraft training centre and a welfare centre with a children's library.
84. Although Ngau Tau Kok is particularly well-served, there are many denominational and secular educational and welfare activities in other areas. At the time of writing this report, the 14 cottage areas had between them 12 schools with primary places for 10,591 pupils, 19 small welfare centres, 8 clinics, 5 boys' and girls' clubs and 8 kaifong welfare associations.
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