service were by no means forgotten. They were convinced that social welfare did not mean mere relief work, or socially unprofitable "charity", but should include a whole network of constructive services designed to help people improve in prac- tical ways their own welfare, and to maintain that improvement. The whole emphasis was to be on practical interest and work by as many residents as possible for the welfare of their own community. At the inauguration ceremony a general meeting of 500-600 people (the number rose nearer to 2,000 at a later Kaifong's inauguration) adopted the draft constitution with a few amendments, and elected the appropriate committees and officers for a twelve-month term.
76. The declared objects of all the recognized Kaifong Welfare Associations included the development of friendly neighbourliness and of a spirit of mutual help, and the advance- ment of all welfare activities in the neighbourhood.
year.
Officers, elected by secret ballot, were to serve for one All persons over 20 years of age and of sound mind who lived or worked in the Kaifong's area were eligible for member- ship. Subscriptions were kept down to $10 per year for firms, and $5 a year for individuals, although those who could afford to do so voluntarily offered a great deal more.
77. By the end of 1949 four Kaifong Welfare Associations had been formally inaugurated, and six more urban ones were in an advanced stage of preparation. Tai Hang District's post- war Residents' Association had associated itself with Kaifong welfare principles, as had also the hundred year old Stanley Land and Sea Citizens' Association. The Social Welfare Office continued to keep as far as possible in the background, pursuing the same aims as it did during the Shamshuipo experiment. After the launching of the Shamshuipo Kaifong Association it was never again necessary for the Social Welfare Office to take the lead in stirring up local interest, though in two districts it was involved in local antagonisms. In some districts there were long-established Chinese social or benevolent associations whose leading members were not only anxious to devote themselves to Kaifong work, but also put some of the amenities and services
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