35 38
15. SOCIAL VELFARE AND RELIEF.
cont'd.
+
were each given charge of an allotted number of floors to supervise, but it would take many months with his present staff to visit all the houses in Victoria and get them more under control.
This picture, which is typical of the built-up area of Victoria, surely one of the most congested areas in the world, shows the ever-present danger of epidemic disease breaking out. It is like the proverbial bit of tinder needing only a spark to set it alight. The area seen was already overcrowded, while the immigration figure is rising daily. The policy is not to harrass the movement of coolie population into Hong Kong
but there must
be some limit, based on the capacity of the accommodation available.
I have discussed this question at some length under the section of Housing. The above paragraph is included to help to give a background to the larger question of social welfare and relief. If conditions like the above persist there can be no real social well- being and some solution of the problem must be found. There is no one solution and there is no easy way out of the situation. Under other sections I have touched on some of the factors adversely affecting social well-being in Fong Kong and have suggested an enquiry on a high-up level into all the possible factors giving rise to disease and destitution. I have recommended that within the scope of this investigation should be included research into such factors as the inducements to immigration to Hong Kong, the likely trend of immigration in years to come, the immigrational capacity of Hong Kong, with and without. expansion of housing accommodation, and the devising of some method whereby an estimate of urban population may be made from time to time.
Relief is generally under Lt.Col. W. Kay, the S.0.1 Pelief officer. Co-operating with him is the Hong Kong Social Welfare Council which integrates the activities of religious groups, including the Y.M.C.A., the Salvation Army and the British Red Cross. The Hong Kong Social Welfare Council is an advisory Pody mainly responsible for relief. Its function could with advantage be expanded to include the whole question of social welfare provided the representation on the Council were expanded to include Government Departments interested and there was at a high level a Government officer whose job it was to take charge of social activities. This is a matter which, no doubt, Miss Finder will take up when she arrives here.
During October 24,000 free meals were supplied daily from the different kitchens in Victoria and Kowloon City. This figure has been reduced to 1,700 and is expected to decline gradually to a much smaller figure, as destitution diminishes. From what I have seen of these kitchens only a small proportion of those attending are really destitute.
42878-1
ied.
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