c) The authority had repeatedly explained to the representatives and the owners that exgratia payment would merely not issued to the owners of his units wholly rented. Nevertheless, when those owners with their units partially rented requested for the pay- ment, the authority deducted the sum of exgratia payment. From that, what clever man would have thought that the authority could be so cunning and villainous?
d) Removal Allowance for Evacuation: About two weeks after the measurement, a new valuation was sent together with an applica- tion form for removal allowance. Each of the owners was re- quired to retum the form within a week. Should the form not be returned within that period, it would be assumed that the owners had voluntarily surrendered their right of.
Note 4 Main points of conformity that the authority refused to accept
against the assessment.
The authority deliberately under-estimated the value of the seven build- ings at Sai Lau Kok, and its pretexts are:
I) The facilities and conditions of our buildings are incomparable to those of the flats - Although the seven buildings are so called Chinese type, they are well situated at the town centre of Tsuen Wan and easily accessible. The surroundings are quiet despite its prosperity. There factors make them among the best dwelling place in Tsuen Wan. Except the absence of lifts, they are constructed in the style of flats. With windows on all sides and good ventilation. This is the reason why we paid a price for the units much higher than that of the similar buildings. Moreover we Chinese, especially the older generations, like to live in tenements rather than flats because:
a) the floor heights of the tenements are higher, which render more
usable space and better ventilation;
b) the net floor area of flats is only 70-80% of the construction
area while that of the tenements is 80-90%;
c) the miscellaneous expenses are so less for our buildings that we small landlords need not shoulder an expensive management fee and higher rates.
— 12 -