TNAG-0225-FCO40-261-Ministerial-meetings-on-internal-affairs-of-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 12

G.F. 326 0003260

CONFIDENTIAL

2.

Varas 12395 ванах

eshacker в нкк

5.

Housing

I said that we recognised there was

substance in the arguments in the Governor's letter

against the concentration of housing programmes

on the eradication of the remaining squatter areas;

but, on the other hand, these areas were frequently

the cause of damaging criticism by tourists and

other outside visitors and you could not be

expected in view of the Prime Minister's personal

interest in this question to let matters rest.

All you were asking for was for a full study of

the problem to be made available to you. The

Governor said that consideration of these matters

could not be taken out of the hands of the Housing

Board. I agreed, and the Governor agreed to

[

put the problem again to the Board, for reconsideration

of their previous advice and a further study of the

problem of squatters on Crown Land not needed for

development:

problem lay

since it was here the remaining

those on land needed for development

would be resettled in the normal course.

Whilst

he was not hopeful that they would find it possible

to eliminate the squatter problem early and entirely,

it might conceivably be possible by undertaking a

change or extension of policy to find some acceptable

way of rehousing the (very much estimated)

CONFIDENTIAL