CO129-591-12 Military Administration- Civil affairs- directives to force commander and senior officials 24-2-1945 - 13-9-1945 — Page 21

27

( 14 )

population which was continually increasing, as essential service workers and employees of the Administration returned to the Colony, and as the services implemented their considerable shore establishments; and second, the gradual repair and refurnishing of damaged accommodation,

35. The first of these problems was met in its early stages by the requisitioning of all the large European-type hotels and a limited number of private houses. New arrivals, for whom the Administration was responsible, were accommodated, in the first instance, in hotels or hostels, and then were offered every encour- agement to make their own arrangements for more permanent accommodation. A certain number of unfurnished houses were put into commission by the provision of furniture from the stocks in the hands of the Custodian of Property. It was clear, however, that neither available stocks of furniture nor unoccupied houses and flats were sufficient to meet the Administration's ever- increasing requirements. By the middle of December a detailed housing census had been completed and requisitioning procedure had been regularized. Orders were given to ensure that maximum use was being made of such accommodation and furniture as the Administration controlled; but these restrictive measures, while easing for a time a situation which was becoming acute, in the longer view served only to emphasise the urgency of the Adminis- tration's second problem-the repair of damaged accommodation and the provision of additional furniture.

36. All efforts at obtaining heavy structural materials in the requisite quantities failed. A limited number of repairs were executed by private enterprise from the slim stocks available locally. But in the overall picture the effect of these was probably largely offset by continued looting of timber and fittings from damaged houses-an abuse which had become ingrained in certain classes during the occupation, and which the Administration found great difficulty in combatting with the limited police personnel at its disposal.

37. By February, however, looting had been restricted to outlying and isolated areas, and the first attempts at large scale reconstruction were possible. An Accommodation and Housing Committee was appointed, and it appeared as if the Administra-

( 15 )

tion were at last in a position to face both its housing problems. Reconditioning and repairs both take time, however; expiring Crown-leases, financial considerations, and the maintenance of supplies, all present obstinate and recurrent difficulties, and it is likely that the Colony's shortage of accommodation will be a burden upon the Civil Government for many months to come.

38. Housing of the type occupied by the Chinese, and particularly the poorer classes of Chinese, had suffered rela- tively less than the European areas. It had been largely occupied throughout the war period and, in consequence, had been spared the worst manifestations of looting and neglect, though damage from bombing was not inconsiderable. From the beginning, however, accommodation of this type was scarce; and it became scarcer as the population increased consequent upon the removal of the immigration restrictions on entry from China. In these circum- stances, and with the persistent limitations of supply of building materials, the Administration could do little more than ensure that landlords were prevented from using the housing shortage as a means of exploiting their tenants. This aim was happily achieved by the Landlord and Tenant Proclamation (No. 15) whereby rents were frozen at their 1941 level, and Tenancy Tribunals were established with powers of ordering eviction, varying rents and generally settling disputes between landlords and tenants. These tribunals were composed mainly of local residents, to whom great credit was due, both for the public- spirited and arduous duties which they performed, and also for the eminently satisfactory results which the tribunals achieved.

39. After the initial stage of clearing the Colony of the most Public Health. obnoxious signs of the Japanese neglect of all considerations of public health, the medical and sanitary rehabilitation of the Colony was still gravely impeded by the shortage of accommoda- tion and supplies of all kinds, and by delay in the arrival of key personnel. It must be admitted that in the early days of the re-occupation, the Colony's freedom from epidemics was largely fortuitous. The danger of an outbreak of cholera gradually receded as the colder weather set in. Malaria, alarmingly prevalent in September and October, decreased at a faster rate than could be accounted for by the difficult and laborious restora- tion of the Colony's anti-malaria precautions. Compared with

28