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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
as they were established in the year 1903 in modern fashion of three storys. We have even tried our best to find suitable premises to move into but to our great difficulty we are unable to find even one. If these houses are really to be rebuilt it will cause hundreds of us to suffer ruin, starvation and homeless- We beg of you to do what you can for us and the hundreds of us will thank you and never forget your kind- ness. Thanking you in anticipation and Awaiting your esteemed good news, we have the honour to be."
ness.
The Building Officer reports that these buildings were erected in 1905 and that the condition of the property is good. There, again, Sir, is a question of distur ing people in their businesses, turning them out of premises reported to be in good condition and apparently the only reason or object for turning them out which can he discovered is that a plan has been sub- hotel. Now, Sir, that seems to me a case nitted for erecting a Chinese residential
and Reasons put forward by the Govern- which is exactly contrary to the Objects ment in 1921. It is a case of turning out present occupiers, who wish to stop on and who are willing to pay their rent, for the pur- pose of the premises being erected into a Chinese residential hotel for the use of all and sundry, including any persons from outside who many desire to come and reside in that hotel. It seems to me, Sir, it is quite contrary to the idea expressed in the Objects and Reasons of the first reading of the 1921 Bill to keep a roof over the heads of exist- ing occupiers so long as they continue to pay their reuts.
The third case, Sir, is the case of 23 Amoy Street, Wanchai. I received a letter from the occupiers of 23 Amoy Street, Wanchai, on the 30th of last month as follows:
This case, Sir, nas also referred to in the columns of the South China Morning Post on 5th June. It would
Sir, appear.
and I think this is an important point to bear in mind-that this petition which has been forwarded to ine in the last few days is by no means the first appeal that these people have made for assistance, because & petition (it appears from this article in the South China Morning Post) chopped by the firms occupying the ground floors, was brought up and submitted to the Hon. Secretary for Chinese Affairs on 13th April for transmission to your Excellency.
"Sir, We, the undersigned, have the honour The petition sought the
to approach you intervention
and respectfully beg of that the proposal initiated by the owner the authorities and in .it. the of the above mentioned houses to rebuild tenants mentioned the suitability of such premises as per copy of letter from Mr. the houses for continued occupancy. Hewlett, the architect, be rescinded on the It also appears from the same article that following grounds: (1), That the said the tenants interviewed the Hon. Secretary premises is still in its best condition, for Chinese Affairs several times, but they being only about seven years since its erec- conkl not receive from
him any
tion. There is no necessity for such action surance of protection. That is a case, Sir, just at this critical moment when the where a number of business firms will Government is confronted with a housing have to be turned out unless they are afforded some relief, and I understand problem, (2), The present owner, many of those firms are of several years,
just purchased the house about one and a half months ago, for speculation, has standing. I submit to your Excellency up to the present, not been able to show the that it is a very great hardship that these people should be put in this position. No claims that it can be inspected at any plan of proposed new house, although he doubt we shall be told by the Govern- time at Mr. Hewlett's office. (3). With our ment in reply that there storeys going up on
present means, coupled with the fact that the reconstructed there is a shortage of houses at the present plan, but that affords very little satis- time, we are not able to find any accom- faction indeed to men who are being modation elsewhere. With the forego- turned out of their business premises and ing reasons we sincerely hope the Govern nder the conditions now prevailing in this Colony have nowhere to go to.
ment will give due consideration to the plight of the people affected should Another case, Sir, is that of a block of this action be put into effect. Thanking. houses partly in Des Voeux Road and you in anticipation". Then follow the partly adjacent, a block of houses on marine chops. lot 325-317
to 321 Des Vieux Road The letter was Central, 2, 2A and 2B, Morrison Street, addressed to the Hon. Unofficial Mem- sent to me but it was and 159 to. i61 Connaught Road Central,bers of the Legislative Council of Hongkong.
are
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more
who
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Now, Sir, that is * case where the premises are only seven years old. There cannot be any reason as far as the con- dition of the premises is concerned for having them reconstructed.
I now go to other blocks of premises, also Chinese, Nos. 198-202 Hollywood Road and 11, 13 and 15 Taipingshan Street, These premises are stated to be very old and it is only fair to state that they are also stated to be in a dilapidated con- dition not dangerous but dilapidated. In the case of these premises one naturally looks to see whether there is any good object for turning these tenants out, and also one would like to know in the case of these premises and the others I have referred to, what is to happen to the displaced tenants. In answer to my enquiries to the Building Authority on the subject of whether a plan had been sent in or not, I got this answer: "No plan has actually been submitted but enquiries have been made by Messrs. Painer and Turner regarding a proposed cinema on this site, that 19 the site of these two blocks 198-202 Hollywood Road and 11, 13 and 15 Taipingshan Street. Apparent. ly it is proposed to turn the people, who must number some hundreds out of these premises to make way for a cinema theatre.
Another case. Sir, to which I wish to refer is that of No. 340 Shanghai Street This house was erected in 1921. The condi- tion of the premises is stated by the Build- ing Ordinance officer as "OK." and his remark with regard to the plans for this house is that the plans have been sub. mitted for rebuilding and the adding of an additional storey in conjunction with the rebuilding of the adjoining houses. Well, Sir, although it may possibly be a praiseworthy thing to rebuilt the other houses, I submit it is nothing short of criminal in the present state of housing ac- commodation to sanction any scheme which involves pulling down a house which was erected as recently as the year 1921.
Now I come to the last Chinese case with which I shall trouble the Council. It is the case of 18 to 24 Des Voeux Road West. These houses are reported by the Building Ordin- ance officer as being old but in fair condi- tion. In this case plans have been submitted but not yet approved. Now, Sir, I think that I have stated quite sufficient to show that these cases which I have
cited ale Cases which do inflict a very considerable hardship on existing occupiers, some of them old established business firms, persons who ask
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nothing more except that the pledge which the Government gave in the Objects and Reasons of the 1921 Ordinance should be maintained: that is to say, that existing occupiers so long as they continue to pay the rent shall be allowed to stop in possession of the premises.
Now I have already, in connection with British people, referred to the imminent danger which there is in Kowloon unless some steps are taken by the Government, of numbers of British residents being shortly turned out of the central part of the Kowloon Peninsula. The remaining case which I will cite to this Council is that of the Portuguese in Belilios Terrace, bat before doing that there is one which I have so far omitted to mention and that is in regard to the tenants of Rutter Street, who are Chinese working men. The Rutter Street houses are certainly old but they are stated by the Building Ordinance officer to be in fair condition. Plans have been sub- mitted for rebuilding them. There
is again, Sir, it
a question of dia- placing a number of tenants, many of whom are of the poorer class. There are various other cases I have before me, but I think will be sufficient from the Chinese point of view to quote only those I have mentioned.
of the
Now,
Then there is the case Portuguese in Belilios Terrace. Sir, I cannot help thinking that that ouse also is a
case of considerable hardship. These tenants, or many of them, have for very many years been residing in Belilios Terrace and all that they ask for is to be let alone. They do not see, any more than the Chinese in the cases I have mentioned are able to see, why they should without any fault of their own and so long as they are willing to pay the rent, be turned out and it is no satisfaction at all to them to tell them they are being turned out for the general public good. What is proposed to be. done with them i I have made some rather searching enquiries in connection with that matter. So far as I can ser no accommodation has been offered to them which is within the means of all of these displaced tenants. Belilion Terrace consists of four rows of houses and the average rent-except for certain corner houses and the houses which are of better construction on the topmost terrace-is between $73 odd and $85 a month. It is rather necessary, in con- nection with the question of hardship, to
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