Resettlement_Department_Annual_Report_1966-1967 — Page 50

to 750 rooms, while in the taller and more complex Mark IV and V blocks, it is one to 700.

104. In addition to those in charge of blocks, there is an experienced Resettlement Assistant as second in command to help the officer-in- charge with his general administration, and in the largest estates there may be two such officers. Another Resettlement Assistant is responsible for stores, sanitation and looking after the labour force which cleans the common areas of blocks, the courtyards and open spaces. Finally, another Resettlement Assistant is posted to each estate, but under the direct supervision of the Treasury Accountant at the departmental head- quarters, to look after rent collection and administer the rent office.

105. The staff at the departmental headquarters concentrates on co- ordination and ensures uniformity of practice throughout the estates. It takes the more important decisions on tenancy matters, oversees and inspects the general management of the estates in all its aspects, and drafts proposals for any changes of policy that may be necessary for con- sideration by select committees of the Urban Council. It is also respon- sible for preparing answers to questions regarding the estates and cottage areas put to the Commissioner or chairmen of select committees at formal meetings of the Urban Council, and for drafting replies to personal letters and enquiries from Urban Councillors and other members of the public about individual cases.

106. Estate management brings individual officers into contact with a wide variety of problems. At the estate level, these include hygiene and cleansing, hawker control, encroachments on open space, the per- sonal problems of neighbours, the attitude of tenants to public events that affect them. Delegation and decentralization are being increasingly emphasised, and direct liaison with the Architectural Office of the Public Works Department, with the Police Force and Urban Services and other associated departments, at a practical working level instead of solely from headquarters, is encouraged.

107. The most dramatic and memorable event of the year was un- happily the very heavy rainstorm of 12th June, 1966, which resulted in some minor landslides and much flooding in a number of resettlement estates. The estate which suffered most was Tin Wan on Hong Kong island, which was invaded by three substantial landslides. In the upper part of the estate eight or nine feet of earth and rubble piled up behind Block 4. Most of the courtyards were under mud or water to varying

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