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proportion of the house property in the Colony, the Marquess of Lansdowne considers that, while no increase of the rates is at present necessary for Officers, and others in lodging at Kowloon and on the lower level in Hong Kong, a case has been made out for an increase for officers in lodgings on the higher level at the Peak, where rents have doubled since 1883.
(4) owing to the increase of the European population, and to the occupation by the better class of Chinese of houses in Victoria, formerly let to Europeans, senior officers especially are being more and more compelled, in the search for suitable and sanitary accommodation, to hire houses at the Peak, where the rents are much higher than in the densely crowded lower levels, hemmed in by Chinese. The total annual rent of unfurnished accommodation hired by officers at the Peak is £1,017 as against the total annual amount of lodging money of £576, and there are further heavy expenses for tramway fares and stabling accommodation:
Besides this, the officers do not in some cases have, even for the high rent paid, the number of rooms to which they would be entitled if in barracks.
In addition, there are five officers in
furnished accommodation at the Peak who are not included, as their rents do not form a fair basis of comparison.
(5) Lord Lansdowne, therefore, proposes to have two rates of ledging money for Hong Kong, as is now the case for Malta. The present rates to be retained for Kowloon and the lower level in Hong Kong and 50 per cent to be added to these rates for officers living on the higher level at the Peak, except that no increase is necessary for Class 13.
C
(c) The increased annual expenditure involved in this proposal is estimated at about £450.
(7) A certain proportion of the Officers in Hong Kong must necessarily reside on the lower level in order to be near their men in the case of Regimental Officers, and their duties in the case of Departmental Officers. It may well be left to the General Officer Commanding to
decide which officers should be allowed to live on the
Peak, but it is not likely that more than one or two in
addition to the present numbers could reside at a distance
from their duties. The Officers stationed at Kowloon
must necessarily reside on the spot.
(8) The Marquess of Lansdowne therefore hopes that
their Lordships may be pleased to sanction the proposed
increase with effect from the 1st April last, to be met
out of Army Vote 7, and would be glad of an early decision.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
(Sd) Frank T. Marzials.
(6)