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resumption of Crown lands, required not only for public purposes but for redevelopment by private enterprise: this might contain a “definition of obsolete or obsolescent property which might reduce or eliminate compensa- tion altogether. Then again the building by-laws (while possibly still remaining under separate Statute) could be made to conform to more modern ideas of estate lay-out: at present they are framed to suit the existing type of Chinese tenement rather than to encourage any new type of estate development. Then again the cost of road widening requires reviewing: there is the unfortunate principle by which a frontager is paid full frontage value per square foot for setting back, although in many cases he does not reduce his floor space index', by reason of using more back land or building higher; indeed there are many cases (e.g. London) where a greatly increased volume has been allowed which, by engendering increased traffic, has taken All this type of amendment up the extra width provided for the road. should be much easier in Hong Kong, through Crown ownership of the freehold, than in many other countries.
108. It will be necessary to break through a mass of existing custom upon which much estate value has depended, owing to the unfortunate number of 999 year leases, and the absence of full building covenants. A bold system of legislation for land and development of land should be introduced, whether or no a fund for hardship claims' is provided as has been done under the 1947 Act. A period of rising prosperity is the moment in which to impose strong powers: these will not hamper private enterprise in its legitimate field but will provide it with a more efficient machine to operate for the general prosperity of the Colony.
(Sgd.) PATRICK ÅBERCROMBIE.
So
September, 1948.
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