No_6_July_and_August__1949 — Page 51

8th June

HONG KONG BUILDING INDUSTRY DIARY

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING EVENTS

DURING JUNE & JULY 1949

Appeal to the Full Court by H. K. Woo, Solicitor, against a decision of the Chief Justice in waiving judgment to the plaintiff in the original action for specific performance of an agreement for the sale of No. 48 Kennedy Road, together with an order that Woo execute a proper conveyance of the pro- perty was dismissed with costs. The action involved the sale of the property in August 1943, during the Japanese occupa- tion, and was a test of the effect of the Debtor & Creditor (Occupation Period) Ordinance No. 24 of 1948.

12th June

Representatives from three villages called on Mr. T. W. Kwok to Ale a protest against the Hong Kong Government's airfield project at Deep Bay.

13th June

Full Court of Appeal ruled that the tenants of 1 to 14 Tung Shing Road, Aberdeen, were entitled to appeal against a closure order made by two Justices of Peace under Section 26 of the Public Health (Sanitation) Ordinance, 1935. The order was made as a result of the China Provident, Loan & Mortgage Company, the owners of the premises, being sued by the Urban Council for failing to effect repairs to the houses which were said to be in dangerous condition, and the object of the order was to have the premises vacated until they had been rendered fit for occupation.

The "S.C.M.P." describes an amazing new balloon house made of only air, glass and rubber, the house is half a huge balloon, 36 feet high and 53 feet in diameter, fastened to a concrete base. It will stand up under winds of 140 m.p.h.

14th June

Work has commenced in Happy Valley in connection with the widening of the Race Course on the side bordering on Wong Nei Chong Road.

The Arbitration Board constituted under Crown Lands Resumption Ordinance held its first hearing in the Supreme Court yesterday to determine the amount of compensation to be paid in respect of the resumption by the Crown of 14 house sites in Bridges Street and 7 house sites in Wing Lee Street, together with a length of street built on private land.

At the annual General Meeting of the Metropolitan Land Co., Ltd., Mr. C. H. Duff, the Chairman, reported that the company's properties in Shanghai continue to show poor returns.

16th June

In a letter to the Editor of the "S.C.M.P.", a correspondent urges that before Government requisition private properties the Services should make use of the great many empty and derelict properties of their own. He also mentions a few Government properties that could be handed over for the purpose of requisitioning.

17th June

In the first case of its kind since the promulgation of the Price Control (Hotel Service) Regulations 1949 came into effect in February last, a foreign resident of the Waldorf Hotel contested a claim against him for arrears of rent in respect of a room he occupied in the hotel. He claimed that the built-in cupboard should not be included in the room measurement and, if that were so, he was chargeable at the rate of $7.00 instead of $14.00 per day. His contention was upheld by Mr. Justice Scholes.

3rd July

more than 900

Several acres of land studded with squatters huts and other buildings belonging to shops on each side of Tam Kung Road, near the approach road to Kai Tak, were cleared under Government order.

7th July

A correspondent of the "S.C.M.P." complained that, although Government requisitioned 35 properties in October of last year, in order to provide accommodation for worthy cases, no official announcement was ever made concerning the use to which these premises were put.

11th July

Alternative accommodation has been arranged for fifty odd inmates of the Ma Tau Chung Eastern Camp, Kowloon City, who had previously been given notice to vacate the place pending its occupation by the Military.

13th July

The announcement that Government is planning to requisi- tion La Salle College for the purpose of converting it into a 600-bed military hospital has aroused a considerable amount of adverse criticism. Government announced that the College is to be accommodated in wooden huts to be constructed at Argyle Street.

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14th July

That St. Stephen's College was to be enlarged by the building of a hall for preparatory school, a swimming pavilion and the first half of the chapel was disclosed at the annual prize presentations yesterday.

A new hotel was opened at 17-Milestone on Castle Peak Road on the site of the former Jesuit Mission, "Loyola".

15th July

All along the 60-mile road enclosing the New Territories, troops are busy setting up roomy accommodation to house the ever swelling number of the Colony's garrison. Close to thirty camps of different sizes are in the process of being set up.

The case involving excess charge of brokerage of accommodation or tenancy, believed to be the first of its kind, came before Mr. Wicks yesterday.

16th July

The question of whether a tenancy remained a monthly tenancy or whether a new tenancy agreement was entered into between the original occupier and the landlord whereby a lease for a set term of nine months was granted by the landlord under which the rent was not payable monthly within the meaning of Sec. 20 of the Landlord & Tenant Ordinance was dealt with by Mr. Justice Scholes in the Appeal Court to-day, when he gave judgment in an appeal against the decision of a Tenancy Tribunal. The premises affected were No. 51 Kimberley Road, 2nd floor, Kowloon.

17th July

The China Mail in an editorial criticises the Quartering Authority for not making his position clear with respect to the dissatisfaction expressed by hotel residents in his handling of the workings of the Hotels Ordinance.

21st July

The South China Morning Post editorial of this date starts, "The fact has now been established that Hong Kong's reinforced garrison is going to be very much larger than first expected, and for this reason alone the whole subject of requisitioning private and public property for military needs assumes a new and more complicated aspect-To an already overcrowded Colony which has been struggling desperately for nearly four years to find accommodation which could be called Home the prospect of wholesale requisitioning stimulates fresh fears of dispossession and further wearisome months of house finding."

In reply to a series of questions asked by the Hon. Sir Man-Kam Lo regarding requisitioning of accommodation for garrison reinforcements in the Colony a full official statement was tabled at the meeting of the Legislative Council yesterday.

22nd July

In an editorial The China Mail gives some perturbing examples of vicious key money rackets "It is our opinion that, late though it is, the public should begin moves to force Government to take action about this grave menace to com- munity welfare."

23rd July

The new building of the Bank of China will be a seventeen storey structure despite the official announcement on February 1st last that only five storeys were planned.

24th July

The Wing On Godown on Des Voeux Road West which was the scene of the disastrous fire of September last year is being reconstructed.

26th July

Rapid progress is being made in Macao in the building of the Don Bosco School of Arts and Crafts for Portuguese in the Far East. The school which will cost about M$3,000,- 000.00 is expected to be completed by next December.

28th July

Compensation was fixed at $7.50 per sq. ft. for Bridges Street and $4.50 per sq. ft. for Wing Lee Street when judgment was delivered in the Supreme Court yesterday by the Board of Arbitrators in respect of compensation for the resumption of this area. The Board comprised the Chief Justice, Sir Leslie Gibson, as Chairman; Mr. J. E. Richardson, nominated by the Governor; and Mr. G. W. Grey, nominated by the Chairman on behalf of the former owners.

31st July

Some brief details were given in to-day's news of the rapid gravity filtration plant being built off Stubbs Road at the junction of Wongneichong Gap Road.