248
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there will be too valuable for Workmen's dwellings. As soon as land passes into private hands, the land owners naturally seek to get as much as they can from tenants in order to recoup themselves, and high rents always mean insufficient accommodation. The only remedy is for government as owners of all the unoccupied land to open up and build on sites; a moderate rent would repay them and thus they would be able to reduce to a great extent the present overcrowding.
There remains the question what is to be done with the Sanitary Board? I think it impossible for it to remain as it is if any real Sanitary progress is to be made. Is it to be enlarged, made a more popular Board with a majority of elected members, with greater powers and a revenue of its own to convert it into a quasi-municipal body? I do not recommend this. First of all because government no doubt would refuse to exclude the representation of the large number of Chinese rate payers from such a body and the presence of Chinese on any Sanitary Board would be worse than useless. Secondly, you would not get the best men to devote the necessary time to public affairs. I do not wish to say one word against the present unofficial Members of the Board who have done their best and devoted much of their valuable time to Sanitary affairs, but I question very seriously whether they would be able to continue those services were they asked to make greater sacrifices of their time.
The best men have no time to give, nearly all of them are there only, as they hope, for a few years. Many of them are required by their deeds of partnership or their engagements to devote all their time to their own affairs and so you would have to fall back on a second class or on persons who would seek position to further their own interests.
(4)
1
248
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there will be too valuable for Workmen's dwellings. As soon as land
passes into private hands, the land owners naturally seek to get as
much as they can from tenants in order to recoup themselves, and
high rents alway mean insufficient accomodation. The only remedy
is for government as owners of all the unoccupied land to open up
and build on sites; a moderate rent would repay them and thus they
would be able to reduce to a great extent the present overcrowding.
There remains the question what is to be done with the Sanitary
Board? I think it impossible for it to remain as it is if any real
Sanitary progress is to be made. Is it to be enlarged made a more
popular Board with a majority of elected members, with greater povers
and a revenue of its own to convert it into a quasi- municipal
body? I do not recommend this. First of all because government
no doubt would refuse to exclude the representation of the large
number of Chinese rate payers from such a body and the presence of
And chinese on any Sanitary Board would be worse than useless. secondly you would not get the best men to devote the necessary time
to public affairs. I do not wish to say one word against the present inofficial Members of the Board who have done their best and devoted much of their valuable time to Sanitary affairs, but I question very seriously whether they would be able to continue those services were they asked to make greater sacrifices of their
The best men time. There is no leisure class in Hong Kong. have no time to give, nearly all of them are there only, as they hope, for a few years. Many of them are required by their deeds of partnership or their engagements to devote all their time to their own affairs and so you would have to fall back on a second class or on persons who would seek position to further their own
(4)
1
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