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Housing.
The Government of Hong Kong have not under taken
housing schemes (except on a limited scale for
expatriate Government servants). their policy has
been to leave housing to private enterprise. We have
in the circumstances no statistics of rehousing and
no details of schemes or plans beyond the very
general long-term aspirations of Professor Abercrombie's
planning report. Hong Kong have estimated the cost
of housing schemes to be carried out in 1948-51
at £9 million, of which £4 million's worth have
already been approved. (Reply to Circular on
capital investment projects.)
Government has encouraged new building as
much as possible, and has offered land at reduced
premia for workers' housing schemes;
this
represented a substantial measure of assistance, since
land is normally sold at public auction and fetches
very high prices.
Government has also laid down and
enforced improved building standards, as a result
of which the newly-built tenements are healthier and
less unpleasant.
Nevertheless, the
Large-scale rehousing depends on planning
policy as it emerges from present consideration of
the Abercrombie Report; and the financial problems
of any major scheme to be carried out by Government
would be very difficult.
Department has now under consideration an approach to
the Governor urging the importance on grounds of
humanity and expediency alike of pushing ahead with
rehousing in spite of the acknowledged difficulties;
and drawing attention to the excellent results
achieved by the Singapore Improvement Trust as a
possible model.
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