satisfactorily but general introduction of the system was not practicable on account of high cost of plant.
60. Night soil disposal is effected partly by dumping at sea and partly by treatment in maturing tanks in the New Territories. After treatment it is disposed of for fertiliser through various distributing depots in the New Territories.
61. Domestic refuse is removed daily from the urban dis- trict by refuse lorries and then by specially designed barges to Kuntong, on the north east side of the harbour, where it is used as filling for reclamation.
62. The pilot scheme for composting night soil and refuse, referred to in the previous report, continues. Following the visit of an expert in this matter from England, consideration is being given to developing this activity on a considerable scale.
Water Supplies.
63. The main water supply of the urban area is a piped one. Its source is from controlled catchments on the Island and in the New Territories which drain into large reservoirs. The water is then filtered and chlorinated.
64. Qualitatively it is excellent but quantitatively it is in- adequate and water restrictions are necessary for a substantial part of the year.
65. Because of this water shortage additional casual supplies, such as streams, wells etc., are made use of by the urban people.
66. In the New Territories wells constitute the source of supply to the greater part of the population.
Housing.
67. There Was again considerable building activity throughout the year but the housing erected was largely of an
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expensive type. In one area of the Island, however, a number of houses, suitable for workers of the lower income groups, was erected.
68. A considerable amount of new housing resulted from the general scheme for the resettlement of squatters.
Squatters.
69. This remains Hong Kong's major sanitary and social problem. It is estimated that some 350,000 persons occupy un- authorized buts of the poorest type.
70. Early in 1952 resettlement of these squatters com- menced in approved areas where the people were permitted to build their own huts to approved specification, conforming to a planned layout which provided fire lanes. Piped water supply was led to these areas and latrines were erected. Health educa- tion of the squatters was carried out extensively by the health inspectorate, and extensive preventive inoculations were carried
out.
RURAI, HEALTH
71. The work of the Department in the New Territories is similar, in most respects, to that in the urban area, but is con- trolled by separate legislation made under the New Territories Ordinance (Cap. 97).
72. The control of building standards, both in permanent and temporary buildings, is a matter which requires constant at- tention. Conditions are rather different from those in urban districts where space is limited. The type of building is often simple, but it has been possible, in several cases, to achieve buildings which are cheap and simple while being of aubatantia) construction and far more healthy than the tin shacks they replace.
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