If this goes on, he says, within a few years Bangkok will have a population of 4.5 million. (At present the population is about two million). With the removal of the capital to a place like Nakorn Nayoke or Lopburi, the population of Bangkok will be lessened by 200,000 officials and their families, totalling about 500,000 people.
CEMENT CARTEL HALTED
CEMENT manufacturers in Korea are soon to ordered by the Government to abolish their price cartel system. The Economic Ministers' Council has decided to take this step in order to create free competitive pricing.
It is not proposed to lift the control price of 176 won per bag until the five cement manufacturers wind up their joint sales company, formed last year. The com-
pany was formed to prevent dumping sales when three new plants started operation and added 1 million tons of production capacity to the then 800,000 tons output.
If the five plants operated at their full capacity it is estimated that over 400,000 tons would be over-produced and made available for export.
BUILDING SLOW-DOWN
A SLIGHT Slowing down in the momentum of building construction in Hong Kong is reported, as a result of the tightening of credit by banks and suppliers of building materials.
According to local press accounts, wages for build- ing workers have been reduced by about 5 per cent. since the banking crisis in February and their total income had been cut further by the stopping of overtime.
There has been a clamp down by smaller banks on the release of money for real estate development, which in turn has led some materials suppliers to withdraw credit sales.
However, a leading businessman has said that the present unfavourable business climate was due to a technical condition of the market to correct over- building and over pricing of land in the colony rather than to any fundamental fault of the economy.
FAMILY PLANNING HQ
WORK starts this month on the construction of a new MS400,000 headquarters building for the Singapore Family Planning Association. To be erected at the corner of Dunearn Road and Gilstead Road, it will comprise a three-storey block with the ground floor, containing administrative offices, spread in two wings. An internal garden court will be visible from both the public and administrative areas.
Construction will be of reinforced concrete and the column grid will be 20 ft, in both directions. The ground floor has an internal floor area of 8,400 sq.ft. and the upper floors, 4,400 sq. ft. each.
The architects are Chan Kui Chuan, and the struc- tural engineers are Steen, Sehested and Partners, Singa- pore. Toh Seng Sit are the general contractors. Piling work has been carried out by West's Piling (M) Ltd. The building is due to be completed by April, 1966.
20-STOREY DEVELOPMENT
THE former Dairy Farm site at East Point, Hong Kong, is to be developed at cost of about HK$45 million. A syndicate headed by Mr. Henry Fok, has acquired an area of 50,000 sq. ft. for the project. Mr. Fok was the
A P 25 million complex to house the various offices of the Queen City Government in the Philip- pines is soon to be constructed around the City Memorial Centre. The development is designed by Ruperto C. Gaite, of Makati, Rizal, who was voted "Commercial Architect of the Year, 1957" by the Leaque of Philippine Architects.
First building to be erected will be the ad- ministration block (right). Sixteen storeys high. It will be the tallest in the area. The contract has been let to Weldon Construction Corporation. Above is artist's impression of the complete complex.
Far East Architect & Builder May, 1965
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