Social_Welfare_Annual_Report_1967-1968 — Page 42

them. However, a tragic fire occurred in the early hours of 12th February 1968 at Shun Ning Road, Kowloon causing 19 dead and 7 injured although the number of victims involved was fairly small. During the year under review, there were altogether 41 fires, 101 closures of unsafe buildings and 3 shipwrecks with a total of 12,832 persons registered for emergency relief during the past year. The Community Relief Trust Fund, the purpose of which is to make grants and loans to persons who are in need as a result of natural disaster, expensed a total of $287,020.10 during the year under review.

95. A number of voluntary agencies provide public assistance in the form of foodstuffs. As Hong Kong is no longer considered as one of the most needy countries, donations of foodstuffs from overseas countries to Hong Kong agencies have decreased considerably because of the greater need of other countries in the region and the voluntary agencies were thus forced to reduce their public assistance work on a gradually diminishing scale. The Hong Kong Christian Service has ceased to give direct public assistance to needy people and distributed their foodstuffs instead to various institutions, but the Lutheran World Service, the Catholic Relief Services, the Co-operative of American Relief Every- where, Inc., and the Seventh Day Adventist Welfare Service still carry on with their former work of distributing foodstuffs donated by the United States Government. Flour and milk powder are used to provide milk and meals for needy school children and are supplemented by other gifts of canned food and vitamins. The Lutheran World Service also provides dry rations as temporary relief to families in need. The Children's Meals Society provides heavily subsidized ten cent lunches up to a maximum of 14,500 meals a day for school children in Kowloon and Tsuen Wan. Caritas also operates a school meals programme for the benefit of children in the Aberdeen and Shek Kip Mei areas, and Lutheran World Service and Caritas between them maintain a total of seven milk distribution centres and four mobile canteens. This emphasis on improving the diet of school children should help them to obtain fuller benefit from their education.

96. The Principal Officer (Public Assistance) also co-ordinates assistance to the Director of Legal Aid concerning inquiries into the means of those applicants applying for legal aid. Throughout the past year, a total of 908 cases had been referred for investigation; 914 (including 99 cases carried forward from last year) were completed or were withdrawn or cancelled.

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