To
The Right Honourable, Arthur Creech Jones,
Privy Councillor, Member of Parliament,
Secretary of State for the Colonies.
115
The Humble Petition of The Hong
Kong and Kowloon Hotels and Boarding
Houses Association of the Colony of
Hong Kong and its Dependencies.
RESPECTFULLY SHEWETH AS FOLLOWS :-
1.
20
Your Petitioners constitute an Association of member Hotels
and Boarding Houses totalling 83 (listed in the Schedule attached
to this Petition and marked "A") out of the total number of 91
Hotels and Boarding Houses now carrying on business in this Colony.
Your Petitioners desire to make respectful representations
anent a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to make provisions for the
control of accommodation provided by and charges made by hotels"
which has been presented to the Legislative Council of the Govern-
ment of Hong Kong and has passed its First Reading and is awaiting
a Second and a Third Reading together at the adjourned Legislative
Council meeting set for the 23rd day of February, 1949. The said
Bill in its printed form is attached to the Schedule to this
Petition and marked "B".
3. Previous to this Bill, i.e. on the 31st day of July 1948,
a Quartering Authority or, as he was designated in the Government
Notification appointing him as such authority under Defence
Regulations, the "Competent Authority", a Mr. P. F. J. Eardley
initiated the control of hotel prices in this Colony by an order
of the said Competent Authority of the said date.
4.
The rates established by the said Competent Authority cons-
tituted drastic cuts in the hotel rates extant on the 31st day of
July 1948, wherefor by reason of urgent representations made by
1.
Ind