day, usually at one or more of the six relief centres. Free feeding con- tinues until the homeless have been re-housed, subject normally to a maximum period of one month.
76. Voluntary agencies such as the British Red Cross Society, C.A.R.E., Church World Service and the Catholic Relief Services often give valuable assistance on these occasions by providing blankets, used clothing and food parcels. Kaifong Associations also help by providing bowls, chopsticks and clothing and sometimes by distributing money subscribed by their members.
77. The period of very large squatter fires which made tens of thousands homeless is now over, thanks to the progress made by the Resettlement Department in the clearance of the large squatter areas and the resettlement of their inhabitants in 7-storey resettlement build- ings. Smaller fires are however still frequent. The largest during the year was at a squatter area in Kowloon on 26th October, 1958, when 250 huts were destroyed and 1,684 persons made homeless. Thirty six other squatter fires occurred and one fire destroyed six tenement houses in Shanghai Street, Kowloon. 6,434 persons were made homeless in these thirty eight fires and 899 more by other causes, a total of 7,333 as compared with 35,962 for the previous year. The main reason for this large decrease was the absence of serious rainstorm and typhoon damage which in the previous year had made over 25,000 persons temporarily homeless. There was however a large increase in the number of losses of junks and sampans, the total being thirty one as compared with four in the previous year. Statistics about this year's fires and other disasters are at Appendix 19.
CHAPTER X
CARE OF THE PHYSICALLY AND
MENTALLY HANDICAPPED
78. Although progress has been made in the care of physically handicapped persons, there is still a great deal to be done to improve and extend services for the different groups, each with their own special problems. The visits to the Colony of such prominent experts as Sir Kenneth Coles and Mr. Donald Wilson, President and Secretary- General respectively of the International Society for the Welfare of Cripples, of Dr. Henry Kessler, U.N. Consultant on Rehabilitation and of Dr. Howard Rusk, Professor and Chairman of the Department of
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