CO129-456 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1919 [10-12] — Page 158

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4.

I take this opportunity of enquiring

whether it is Your Lordship's desire that questions of this nature should continue to be referred to you as they have been in the past. Owing to the great demand at present exist- -ing for housing accommodation, there is and will be for some time to come a growing activity in the development of sites suitable for building and the present case is only one of a number which will if the present practice is continued, have to be submitted for Your Lordship's approval.

5.

I am most anxious to encourage this activity, since the provision of additional houses is one of the most urgent needs of Hongkong and I should be very glad if it were possible to avoid the delay involved in a refer- -ance to Your Lordship both because valuable time is thereby lost and because a failure to close a bargain immediately that mutually acceptable terms have been settled tends to discourage applicants, who may think it better to devote to another purpose the money which they were prepared to set aside for building, so as not to lose the use of it for the two or three months involved in correspondence.

6.

I may add that it is very difficult, however good the plans and however full the explanations supplied, to appreciate such matters as this except on the spot owing to the peculiar physical features of Hongkong. For instance, judging by plans and papers it may appear that land is being given on too easy terms, whereas an examina- -tion of the actual site shews that it will be necessary for the grantee to spend large sums in removing a con si der- -able stretch of granite hill-side and building costly retaining walls. I have found in several cases that personal investigation has entirely changed the views which I had formed from a perusal of papers and plans and for this reason I make a point of examining every case on the spot with the assistance of the Director of Public Works.

7.