per annum, it is not surprising that housing is regarded as the most important challenge which the community has to face in the social and economic field.
8. It is estimated that 13.5% of the population live in the New Territories and the islands, 6.5% are boat-people, and the remaining 80% inhabit the 36 square miles of the urban area. At the end of 1958 the urban population on this basis amounted to 2,240,000 persons. Over 275,000 persons were housed in resettlement accommodation, an increase of some 44,000 persons over the previous year, and it was estimated that there were still about 325,000 persons without regular housing of any kind.
9. At the end of 1958, the regular domestic accommodation available in the urban area consisted of 1,168 houses, 9,419 large flats, 14,208 small flats, 88,622 tenement floors, and 8,229 low-cost housing units. 50% of this accommodation was of post-war construction; the increase in percentage over the previous year's figure of 44% shows the considerable extent during the year of new building and the demolition of old pre-war property. 10,420 new domestic premises were erected during the year, but 2,207 were also demolished, so that the total increase was 8,213 domestic premises. This represents a considerable improvement over the average increase of recent years of about 4,000 premises a year.
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON HOUSING
10. In last year's report it was mentioned that in February, 1956, Government had set up a Committee with wide terms of reference to examine and report on the Colony's housing situation. The Committee rendered its Final Report in 1958 (there was an interim report, recom- meending a Development Division of the Public Works Department, in 1957), and from the statistics produced it was for the first time possible to gain a fair picture of the condition of property, and the living conditions of the population.
11. Most buildings are constructed of brick walls, with reinforced cement concrete roofs and floors, and concrete stairs. There are, nevertheless, a fair proportion of old-style property (mainly built before 1903) with wooden floors and stairs, and roofs of tiles on rafters. 95% of present-day building is of reinforced concrete construction. The standards of constructions are generally the minimum permitted by law, and the facilities provided are in most cases poor by any
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