though they swell very considerably the total number of persons living in estates. Obviously management policy must be sufficiently flexible to take these special circumstances into account and must include a programme to relieve overcrowding when this becomes necessary. The year under review saw a drastic stepping-up of the number of people moved to other rooms because of overcrowding-16,708 as compared with 5,713 during 1963-64.
65. A proposal was considered during the year for letting out the cleansing of estates by contract instead of by departmental labour as at present. The object of the proposal is to improve sanitary conditions. and to reduce the recurrent cost of cleansing. The proposal is still under consideration but it is hoped to make a start, by way of an experiment, in 2 estates in the next 12 months.
66. The headquarters of the Estates Division is situated in the Resettlement Department headquarters at Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, where the staff take the more important decisions in tenancy work, deal with all aspects of general management of the estates, and formulate any necessary changes of policy for approval by the competent authority which, in the urban areas, is the Urban Council. An important part of the work consists of preparing papers on policy matters, drafting replies to questions asked at meetings of the Urban Council and answering Councillors' letters on individual cases and on a variety of subjects. The management of estates involves the division in many complex problems such as the assessment of domestic shop and factory rents, the cleansing of estates and hawker control. 'Organization and methods' work to improve efficiency, and the constant endeavour to improve management techniques without employing professional housing managers are other essential functions of the division's headquarters. Close liaison is maintained with the Government Architect's Office of the Public Works Department, especially in matters of detail arising from the opening of new estates. The division must also maintain liaison with the Police, Urban Services and other departments closely involved with the work of the Resettlement Department.
CHAPTER VII
WELFARE IN THE ESTATES AND COTTAGE AREAS
67. The resettlement estates and cottage areas, with their large concentrations of people, present both a great need and a great
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