Monday, March 26, 1973
"The fact that 19 years later we are still facing a tremendous
housing shortage, and are still struggling to house people at the same
basic standard of 35 sq. ft. per person, is not a reflection of any inadequacy
on the part of the Authority," Mr. Robson pointed out.
"In very great measure, it was due to the population explosion
which increased the number of people in Hong Kong from an estimated two
and a half million in 1954 to over four million in 1973.
"It also partly stemmed from the lack of sites for the Authority
to take over and develop which in turn restricted its expenditure so
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that even today we still have not taken up fully the original loan by
Government of $260 million," he said.
Frustration
"This," he added, "had been the cause of much frustration among
both members and staff who had all felt that, given the essentials, they could
have done so much more to counter the housing shortage and raise the people's
living standards."
Mr. Robson went on to say that since the first estate at North
Point was completed in 1958, the Authority had followed a policy of continuously
seeking to improve the designs and features of its estate, while, at the
same time, trying to reduce the effects of an ever-increasing price spiral.
He recalled that the Authority had always resisted suggestions, which
were sometimes presented with some pressure, that it should lower its standards,
for example, by abandoning the building of self-contained accommodation
in favour of cheaper types of housing.
/Time,