No_4_November_and_December__1952 — Page 63

TH

SINGAPORE IMPROVEMENT TRUST

HE introduction to the 1950 Report of the Singapore Im- provement Trust states, "1950 has been a year of solid achievement for the Singapore Improvement Trust. It is almost five years since the Trust started its activities after the

Japanese Occupation and the British A great Military Administration. deal has been accomplished in this time and the tempo is still increasing. So much work lies ahead however that it would be presumptuous to try to analyse the nature and size of the organization required five years from now. The tasks which loom ahead are truly formidable and to many they seem almost insoluble. The population of the Island is now well over a million and growing at the Half this rate of 36,000 a year. population is badly housed and the present housing programme is deal ing with only half the natural increase. The Island has no over-all plan nor has a survey to prepare this plan been undertaken yet."

Always

say

"DULUX

to your painter

DULUX

FINISHES PERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSPRITE SARA

******

DIVISION ILOVEN

Housing Finance

The factor which contributed most to the above reduction in rents was the arrangement which it has been possible to make with Govern- ment to borrow money on sixty years repayment at three per cent. Formerly Government had agreed to forty year loans but this was not considered a sufficiently long time to amortise properties which would last for approximately a hundred years. Housing

During 1950 the rate of housing development in Singapore has de- finitely been speeded up both by the official bodies and by private owners. The main proportion of the low cost housing was again, as in previous years, carried out by the Singapore Improvement Trust. The Trust's building programme for 1950 amounted to approximately $11 million and an additional $4 million remained to be carried out from the 1949 programme delayed through reasons outside the Trust's control. By the end of the year a

· for maximum durability"

under tropical conditions

DULUX has proved its

wonderful qualities over and over

again... for those who are

proud of their homes (both interior

and exterior decoration particularly shutters or railings or for an inviting "front door")... in offices and government buildings.. schools. hospitals, etc.

considerable amount of this backlog had been overtaken: during the year 855 flats, 236 artisans' quarters and 43 shops were completed, with a further 1342 flats. 152 artisan's quarters and 130 shops under con- struction at the 31st December, 1950.

A wide variety of flats have been built ranging from one to four bed- rooms, with and without balconies and with varying standards of finishings. In all cases however the policy has been followed of using the best possible materials within the standard set, in order to keep down

maintenance costs to a minimum. All multi-storey flats now have refuse chutes, showers and good ironmongery and paint- work, and in the better class flats electric power points and gas are laid on. All flats are laid out in generous open spaces, which are turfed and planted with trees and maintained in first class order by the Trust's maintenance staff

The hollow block flats evolved by the Trust in 1949 have still proved the

ICI

DULUX

DUCO

DECORATIVE AND

DURABLE PAINTS, LACQUERS, VARNISHES

IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES (MALAYA) LTD.. SINGAPORE IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES (CHINA) LTD., HONGKONG

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