Resettlement_Department_Annual_Report_1964-1965 — Page 11

11. Apart from the re-orientation of policies and the consequent re- organization of the department, the year was notable for the number of records set. 107 multi-storey estate blocks, nearly all of the recent Mark III design, were taken over from the Public Works Department, bringing the number administered by the department to 354 in 17 estates (13 a year previously). The number of blocks built during this one year thus approached one-third of the total constructed during the previous ten years, and gives some indication of the enhanced new priority accorded to resettlement by Government. No new factory blocks were taken over, although several were at an advanced stage of construction; likewise several of the Mark IV blocks, which are similar to the Mark III design but have 16 storeys instead of 8 and incorporate lifts; a private lavatory is provided for each room, as against one shared between two rooms in Mark III accommodation. The run-down of the cottage areas proceeded at a higher tempo, over 11,000 residents being resettled into estates from cottages in areas required for other forms of development, as compared with 3,500 during the previous year. However, the reduction in the cot- tage area population was more than offset by the remarkable growth in the population of the estates, which shot up by nearly 137,000 (as against 81,500 in 1963-64) to a total of 681,000 authorized persons. Of this increase 108,000 were persons who had been cleared and resettled: the previous record was 85,000 people in 1962-63.

12. For some years a programme for moving settlers from over- crowded rooms in old estates to larger rooms in the same or other estates has existed. This programme was stepped up during the year, some 16,000 people being thus decanted as against 5,700 during 1963-64. An important step was also taken in August towards regularizing the position of 'tolerated unauthorized persons' in estates. By the end of March the great majority of these people had been added to the tenancy cards of the authorized tenants with whom they had been living, and under 7,000 remained to be dealt with.

13. The activities of the strengthened Squatter Control Sub-division also continued at a higher level than ever before. A resurvey of all squat- ter structures in Kowloon, Hong Kong Island and Tsuen Wan, the most thorough yet undertaken by the department, was carried out in the last quarter of 1964. The survey showed that the population of tolerated squatter huts was in the region of 546,000, with another 78,000 living in the 29 departmentally-controlled resite areas. Inclusion in this survey will be the future criterion for toleration of squatter structures. Over 50,000 people were offered resites during the year compared with under

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