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CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (Continuation)
Up to the date of opening, the cost of the building was $40,000. A further $10,000 was later expended. The ground on which the building stood was virtually presented to the trustees by the Government, it being stipulated in the deeds that a nominal Crown rent of one dollar was to be paid annually.
The first trustees of the Chinese Chamber were Messrs. Li Sing, Ho Amei, Wai Yuk and Dr. Ho Kai.
For a time, the Chamber did useful work, but a period of inertia set in and in 1913, a group of Chinese merchants anxious to infuse life into a dying organisation, took control. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce was organised by the late Mr. Lau Chu-pak, one-time member of the Legislative Council, and a group of friends. Each subscribed $100 and a new building, costing $40,000, was erected. This building stands to-day in Connaught Road, Central, near the Harbour Office.
Its rules and regulations based on those of the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Chamber has made splendid progress and its efforts are keenly appreciated by the Chinese community in Hongkong.