SINGAPORE.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

A Social Survey of Singapore. First edition of this detailed analysis by the Department of Social Welfare of living conditions in the years following the Japanese occupation. The tables give detailed statistics on the occupations of women, size of rented accommodations, attendance at English and "vernacular" schools, frequency of remittance among the Chinese population, and incidents of overcrowding.In October 1946, T. P. F. McNeice, the secretary for social welfare, appointed a committee to gather data so that the newly formed Department of Social Welfare could suggest future domestic policy. One of the leaders of this group was Goh Keng Swee, one of the most influential statesmen and economists of Singapore's early years. In late 1947 it conducted a survey of over 5,000 households, a larger than usual sample size due to the racial diversity of the municipality. The appendices record the names of the investigators, the survey sheet they were given, and their training manual."Despite its shortcomings and limitations, the survey provided an overview of Singapore's post-war landscape, and highlighted the poor conditions of overcrowding as well as the low literacy rates among the population. The survey also tested the department's ability to conduct a large-scale assessment of the population" (NLB Singapore).

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.