victims of natural disasters, arrange temporary shelter in transit camps of which the sub-division maintains six in Hong Kong and Kowloon, and in subsequent resiting if this is necessary. They also report cases of destroyed or seriously damaged huts after natural disasters to enable rebuilding and other grants to be paid to the victims from the Community Relief Trust Fund.
31. The structures found in squatter areas vary greatly. Some are the familiar wooden shacks, others are substantial buildings of stone or even of reinforced concrete. Most of the more substantial buildings are on leased agricultural land or in permit areas. Many of these are divided into cubicles and are as crowded as the regular squatter huts; others are occupied by only one or two families maintaining a reasonably high standard of living. Some squatter areas (in particular the permit areas) may have a high proportion of small-scale industries, and shops are to be found in many areas. Most squatter structures (particularly the flimsier ones) are owner-occupied; where rent is paid it is most com- monly from $25 to $30 a month, although this depends to some extent on location. The majority of squatters, possibly around 60%, work as labourers, craftsmen and production workers, mostly in the manufactur- ing or construction industries. Others work as sales assistants and in the service industries. A small proportion claim managerial or profes- sional status. The data on family incomes is suspect for various reasons, but according to the 1966 by-census the household incomes of 65% of the families living in 'marginal housing units' was below $400 a month (compared with the Colony overall of 45%), with 26% earning between $400 and $600 (Colony overall 27%), and 8% over $600 a month (Colony overall 27%).
32. During the year 11,249 new structures or extensions to old ones were demolished by squatter control staff, a decrease of 6,699 from the previous year. Of these, 300 were on the roofs of permanent buildings. 144 tons of materials, mostly loose wood and tin sheeting, were con- fiscated. By the end of the year under review, there were estimated to be 409,000 people still living in tolerated unlawful structures (of whom 48,400 were rooftop squatters) and nearly 34,000 in resite and licensed
areas.
33. In July the Squatter Control sub-division launched a three-month liaison campaign in squatter, licensed and resite areas. Ten of the most senior officers serving in the sub-division were taken off their normal duties and visited most of the squatter areas, some 130 in all. The purpose
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