CO129-629-8 Social policy 1-12-1949 - 31-12-1951 — Page 125

HOUSING POLICY

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Even before the war a grave need for housing existed in Hong Kong and a Housing Commission was set up in 1935, but no action could be taken on its recommendations before the emergency supervened. To get any correct appreciation of the difficulties which faced the Hong Kong Government we must clearly look at the population figures and the damage suffered in Hong Kong during the war.

During the years 1941 to 1945 it is estimated that tenement type housing for 160,000 persons suffered destruction in Hong Kong, together with European type housing for 7,000. This destruction, combined with a very large increase in the number of persons coming into the blony, a situation recently so aggravated that the populat ion of Hong Kong is now estimated to have exceeded the 2,000,000 mark as compared with 864,117 in 1939 and an unofficial census figure of 1,600,000 in 1946, has virtually made it impossible for Hong Kong apart from attempting to overtake its arrears to meet its largely increased needs.

The reconstruction work has not yet been completed, though much was made good by the end of 1947. But the large fresh influx of population referred to in the Annual Report for 1948 on Housing, pages 5 to 88 inclusive, has largely nullified the effect of the reconstruction work. This explains why so much overcrowding still exists and why a start has not been made with condemning damaged housing and replacing it by something better as in Singapore.

In fact in the conditions set out above Hong Kong has been up against a set of circumstances with which it could not successfully cope. Indeed, to provide on a large scale better and newer housing accommodation in Hong Kong so long as Hong Kong maintains its traditional policy of free entry for Chinese merely means providing an added inducement for more and more Chinese to flock into Hong Kong from the even worse conditions in China. The Government of Hong Kong have up to the present left housing to private enterprise while encouraging new building as much as possible by providing land at reduced premia for workers' housing schemes, and enforcing improved building standards. If it is decided that Hong Kong's policy in this matter should be altered, then the Governor should be so advised at once.

In 1946 Sir Mark Young at the instance of a local committee appointed to assist in the preparation of a comprehensive plan of development for the Colony pressed for the appointment of an expert town planner. Sir Patrick Abercrombie, who had also visited Cyprus, agreed to visit Hong Kong and was there from the beginning of November till about the middle of December, 1947. In August, 1948, as nothing had been heard from him, the Colonial Secretary asked whether we could hurry matters up. We had ourselves assumed that Sir P. Abercrombie had been in direct communication with the Governor of Hong Kong, to whom his report was to be made. On receiving the Colonial Secretary's letter I at once wrote to Sir Patrick Abercrombie and heard that he hoped to have his report ready by the end of September, 1948. I received an advance copy from him on the 27th September, when he informed me that he had sent copies direct also to Hong Kong. After Hong Kong had notified us of various factual corrigenda to be made in the report, we approved its printing in Hong Kong, but printed copies were not received from Hong Kong till the 4th of October, 1949, and a

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