Resettlement_Department_Annual_Report_1965-1966 — Page 9

settlement to people evicted from dangerous buildings all lead to an increase in the resettlement commitment.

6. Early attempts to solve the squatter problem date back to 1948 when people in the central urban areas mostly living on war damaged sites were allowed to build huts in resettlement areas in which the Government provided basic services such as paths, drains, water supply, latrines and public lighting. Between 1952 and 1954 the main method of resettling was by the construction of cottages by charitable and non-profit making organizations, either for direct purchase by the settlers or for renting to them. Some of the latter have since been handed over to the Government to maintain and rent direct to the settlers. However, the land shortage and a disastrous fire on Christmas Day 1953 in which over 50,000 squatters lost their homes brought about a radical re-appraisal of policy and the Government decided to build multi-storey resettlement estates. In April 1954 the Resettlement Department was created to look after the new resettlement blocks, take over existing cottage resettlement areas and to be generally responsible for the control of resettlement and squatters. Some of these duties had previously been the responsibility of divisions of the Urban Services Department, Public Works Department and Social Welfare Office, and officers from these formed the nucleus of the new department. What was originally a temporary department is now here to stay and, after 12 years, is the fifth largest department in terms of personnel and still growing by about 15% a year. By the end of March 1966 it was manag- ing 18 domestic estates and 18 factory blocks built by the Public Works Department and 14 cottage areas. It was landlord to 860,000 people and had cleared 4.2 square miles of precious land, over one-hundredth of the Colony's total land area, for development. The key plan at the back of this report shows the location of existing and projected estates and cottage areas.

7. September 1964 saw an important landmark in the history of the department, when the Legislative Council approved the White Paper entitled 'Review of Politics for Squatter Control, Resettlement and Government Low Cost Housing' as a general guide to future policy. The White Paper, which revised and brought up to date the policies to which the department had, with a few relatively minor modifications, worked since its inception, followed in many respects the recommendations of the Working Party on Squatters, Resettlement and related matters which was set up in June 1963. It provided for the setting up of 'Licensed Areas' under the control of the Commissioner

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