ENG-1970 — Page 169

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LAND AND HOUSING

month. 'Family income' is defined for this purpose as the total of the main or permanent emoluments accruing to the principal wage earner, together with 50 per cent or such higher proportion as the authority might from time to time decide, of his casual earnings and of earnings of other members of the family.

The Housing Authority also manages a new type of local govern- ment officers' housing scheme, financed by the Government, planned by the technical staff of the authority and built for sale to local government officers. The first of these estates, Lung Cheung Court, consisting of 296 flats, was completed during the year. Another estate at Kwun Tong, was under construction.

All the accommodation under the control of the authority is managed and maintained at a high standard. The staff are all government servants working in the Housing Division of the Urban Services Department under the direction of the Commissioner for Housing. The authority reimburses all staff salaries to the Govern- ment plus a percentage surcharge to meet such costs as pension and medical treatment.

The Government also provides its staff with housing accommoda- tion. Apart from staff quarters provided in accordance with the terms of service, 15 per cent of the accommodation in government low-cost housing estates is offered to junior local staff on the same tenancy terms as for the public. Government loans were also made available to co-operative building societies formed to promote home-ownership. Up to the end of 1970, there were 228 societies with 4,809 members.

The largest voluntary housing agency is the Hong Kong Housing Society formed in 1948. The first flats were built at Sheung Li Uk in 1952. Up to the end of 1970, the society had provided 18,830 flats for 116,413 people in 15 estates. During the year, 1,542 flats were com- pleted, providing homes for 8,560 people. Other voluntary bodies in the housing field include the Hong Kong Settlers Housing Cor- poration Ltd, the Hong Kong Model Housing Society and the Hong Kong Economic Housing Society.

The Hong Kong Building and Loan Agency Limited, established in 1964, provides long-term loans for the purchase of domestic flats. In 1970, the agency had approved 56 developments for loan