“ It is Government's policy to encourage wherever possible that spirit of service to the community which is so characteristic of Hong Kong, and the Social Welfare Office is the direct link between the Government and the voluntary welfare organizations, both Chinese and non-Chinese. ”

“ Welfare work in present day Hong Kong is carried out against a social background probably without parallel anywhere else in the world. The outstanding factor in this background is density of population, a population which has become swollen far beyond the Colony's capacity to absorb it effectively, and which includes some 700,000 who came to Hong Kong as refugees from Mainland China. ”

“ Next in importance in the social background is the low standard of living of a large part of the population, and the fact that the restrictions on Hong Kong's traditional status as a free port, which have been in existence since shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, have caused a slow but progressive deterioration in living standards generally. ”