ENG-1970 — Page 30

REVIEW

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of the community has been excellent, and Hong Kong's young people now have an extremely wide range of leisure activities to choose from.

Those taking part in future programmes, as well as the general public, will be able to use an additional new swimming pool complex at Morse Park. This pool, which was completed in December, can accommodate 5,000 people at one time and its three teaching pools will be of particular value to the younger generation.

These summer programmes have been extremely successful and their scope has been extended each successive year. The need to encourage activity of this sort and its value to the youth of Hong Kong was recognised by the setting up, in February, of the Sir David Trench Fund for Recreation. An initial sum of $3.2 million was provided by a most generous anonymous donor, $3 million of which was to be by way of capital endowment. From the original $200,000 available, and from interest on the capital, $270,000 has so far been committed from the fund, mainly for coaching schemes and the purchase of sports equipment.

Among the various social services, a high priority has continued to be given to the expansion of hospital and clinic facilities for the rapidly growing population. Between 1960 and 1969 the number of hospital beds increased from 8,090 to 15,835. The provision of a further 636 beds during 1970 brought the total up to 16,471, which gives a ratio of almost exactly four beds per 1,000 of population.

Major hospitals at an advanced stage of planning or under con- struction include a 1,300-bed government general hospital and a 1,300-bed government mental hospital at Lai Chi Kok, the 350-bed United Christian Hospital at Kwun Tong, and a 200-bed govern- ment hospital for mentally subnormal children at Siu Lam.

The number of public housing estates administered by the Reset- tlement Department and the Housing Authority continued to grow. In November the Acting Governor declared open the 500th resettle- ment block and the 50th estate school, both at Lam Tin (formerly Ham Tin) Estate. There are now 23 resettlement estates accommo- dating in all more than 1,100,000 people; and it is expected that by 1974-5 this figure will rise to 1,370,000.

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