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WAH KIU MAN PO (October 16) described the home ownership scheme as "beneficial to all parties," saying that under the scheme, new flats would be sold to better- off families now occupying estate flats, thus releasing rented accommodation for less well-off
families.
The Communist TIN FUNG YAT PO (October 15) pointed out that the problem facing the majority of the people was that they could not afford private rents and that the supply of public housing flats fell far short of demand.
"If the Government is determined to solve the housing problem for the poor, all
it has to do is to provide more cheap public housing," the paper said.
Referring to remarks by the Chairman of the Housing Authority, Mr. Ian Lightbody, that the new scheme would not create unfair competition for private developers, the paper thought Mr. Lightbody was hinting that sale prices of Government flats would not be set at
a low level.
If this was so, the paper said, response to the scheme would not be good because tenants would rather buy private flats. As a result the large number of less well-off families would have to wait for a long time before being offered estate flats.
Estate Rent Increases
The Communist NEW EVENING POST (October 14) noted that in the Housing Authority's annual report for 1975-76 it was stated that in some cases rents for shop units in Group A estates were only 33 per cent of the market value and that the Authority had decided to increase these rents by up to 200 per cent in stages over a three-year period.
"Obviously, one of the world's biggest landlord is not satisfied with its annual revenue of $324 million. Likewise, we would like to tell the Authority that the tenants are very unhappy about its rent increase policy," the paper said.
Another Communist paper, CHING PO (October 13) said since public housing estates were designed for people in the lower income brackets, the Government must consider whether the tenants could afford high rents.
"If the residents' income fails to catch up with the sharp increases in rents, the purchasing power of every individual and society as a whole would be gravely affected, resulting in runaway inflation and even a breakdown of the economic system," the paper
said.