ENG-1950 — Page 77

and even on rooftops, have been kept under control. During 1950 alone 17,060 huts were demolished obliging a total of 106,748 persons to find other accommodation or else return to China; a third of the demolitions were of huts which squatters had attempted to re-build on sites already cleared. There were no riots or other public disturbances in connexion with any of this work which is handled firmly and reasonably by the officials concerned. The whole situation was under detailed review at the end of 1950.

Fires

Inevitably there were a number of serious fires in squatter settlements. There were two striking features common to all of these fires. The first was that, provided no tenement houses were involved, it was exceedingly rare for anyone to be killed. The second was the astonishing way in which most of the victims, having survived the fires, looked after themselves. Both these characteristics were illustrated by the Kowloon City squatter fire which burned down the huts of over 20,000 people in January 1950 without a single confirmed death. In spite of this enormous number rendered homeless relief measures were never needed for more than 5,000 of the victims, and the maximum number for whom temporary accommodation had to be found was as low as 800. On the night of the fire only nine homeless persons were discovered; all the rest had found temporary accommodation on their own.

After this disastrous fire Kaifong Welfare Associations and certain other Chinese charitable and commercial organizations joined together to plan and carry through, in cooperation with the Govern- ment, a full-scale scheme for immediate relief and for long-term rehabilitation of the victims. The long-term plans included the development of a cheap rehousing scheme in a valley in Homantin and at Lo Fu Ngam. The schemes were successful. Moreover the Management Committee encouraged the growth of a genuine com- munity desire which manifested itself for self-help and the ensuring of decent physical and social standards. This resulted in a striking contrast between this new Homantin village settlement and the surrounding hillocks of squatters' huts which were infested with aimless or undesirable characters.

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