ENG-1954 — Page 18

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1954

emotional vote. A careful study of the problem was made by a new and independent department, not, indeed, in an atmosphere of academic calm, but in a work-a-day world where squatter fires of the same type, but mercifully not of the same scope, as the fire of Christmas Night 1953, multiplied until, by the end of the calendar year, ten separate fires had occurred and over 40,000 persons had been rendered homeless. Hong Kong, small as it is, is not the only place that has had to face the problem of nearly a million refugees since the end of the war. But it is probably the only country (and in this respect Hong Kong is a country) which has had the basic problem multiplied by natural disasters which overnight have made many tens of thousands of desperately poor people completely and finally destitute. It was said last year that relief in such circumstances as these is no remedy. Shelter for tonight and tomorrow is of little consequence when one is faced with a problem of these dimensions.

It would be tolerable to be homeless for weeks ahead if there were some reasonable hope of final security in the future.

It was accepted, as one of the driest years on record advanced, that fires in the squatter colonies could not be prevented. The flimsy inflamable structures were like the cells of a honeycomb, except that they were open to the winds and suspended on parched cliffs too steep for normal development. A match and a light breeze were sufficient to doom these inaccessible com- munities. The danger could not be prevented but it could be limited in scope. This was the first step. Fire breaks were driven through the larger settlements and those few who were displaced were rehoused

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