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42. Refuse and night soil removal services in the urban areas operated satisfactorily.

43. In the New Territories, there was less overcrowding than in the city, but sanitary services were not entirely satis- factory, particularly in the towns which in recent years, have outgrown the sanitary services originally provided for them. Mechanization of the sanitary services in the New Territories is long overdue.

Housing.

44. Living accommodation in the Colony continued to be scarce and much of the accommodation available is unsatisfactory and unhygienic. During the year there was much new building but much of it was of expensive housing which did not meet the pressing needs of persons in the lower income groups. Nevertheless some progress was made by the Ilong Kong Housing Society which erected a number of flats to accommodate families with low incomes and steady progress was made in the resettlement of squatters.

Squatters.

45. As was mentioned in the last annual report unauthorized occupants of vacant Crown and privately owned land are to be found almost everywhere in the Colony, living in the most insanitary conditions and constituting one of the Colony's greatest public health and administrative problems. These squatters were resettled slowly but steadily throughout the year and this work, in the early months of 1964, was speeded up by the disastrous fire in a major squatter area on Christmas night.

46. The squatter population is estimated to be 350,000 and up to the end of 1958 the total number of these moved to approved resettlement areas was approximately 45,000.

47. The Colony is experiencing an enconomic recession and fewer persons are now being able to buy outright the permanent resettlement houses described in the last report, or even acquire

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them by hire purchase and when an area has been cleared of squatters many take to sleeping in the streets or on stairways and roof-tops and live in most insanitary conditions. Resettle- ment areas close to the built-up areas of the city were fully occupied and one large area on the mainland, which was avail- able for resettlement and capable of accommodating more than 100,000 persons, proved unattractive to potential settlers on account of its distance from the city and places of employment. Efforts were made to establish factories in this area in order to provide local employment for the settlers but little progress was achieved.

48. One of the greatest dangers in the squatter areas is fire. The buildings are mere shacks constructed of wood, canvas and even oiled paper and they are placed so close together that an outbreak of fire is very liable to devastate a considerable ATEL During the year six fires occurred in squatter areas, all but one of them were small but nevertheless caused much distress and suffering. On Christmas night the most disastrous Gre in the history of the Colony devastated a large squatter area in Kowloon. Four villages were completely destroyed and some 55,000 persons were rendered homeless. Terrible though this event was, the area was among the most insanitary in the Colony and its cleansing and removal by fire can only lead to improved sanitary conditions.

49. While steps were taken immediately to distribute free food and clothing and provide medical attention, measures were at the same time adopted to prevent the re-erection of huts in the devastated area. Government announced its intention to re-enter the land, to clear it and level it. This work was started immediately with the erection of lines of two storied cement- block houses. The homeless are being allocated these at a nominal monthly rental as they become ready for occupation. In this way it is hoped to provide safe housing of a minimum standard for some 35,000 to 10,000 persons. Those who cannot be accommodated in this area will be provided with similar facilities elsewhere in resettlement areas.

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