TNAG-0913-FCO40-1123-Policy-on-housing-and-resettlement-in-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 24

1.

TRANSLATION

ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE WORLD OF

FOUR THOUSAND INDUSTRIAL UNITS

PERSECUTED BY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT

Developing industry to save Hong Kong from disaster

Prior to 1949, the economical source of origin for Hong Kong

was mainly the transit trade of import and export.

Following the abrupt

change of the international situation, the transit of goods was at a

standstill and the social economy was at the margin of collapse. In

addition, with the influx of over one million refugees, the authorities

was at a loss and in a state of flurry and embarrassment. Fortunately

among the refugees there were quite a number of men in the field of

industry and commerce, who developed industry hand in hand with those

in the industrial and commercial circles of llong Kong, but were afflicted

with anxiety for lack of factory buildings and equipments.

The authorities

allowed those who were willing to be industrialists to lease deserted

land for the construction of factory buildings (adopting the tactic of

lease for initial period of one year and then renewal upon expiration of

the lease) and to use dwellings, village houses, etc. as factories. The

Fire Department, Labour Department and the Commerce and Industry Department

one after the other issued licences. Luckily enough, with the cooperation

of several hundred thousands of workers, and furthermore the factory

owners busying themselves with drudgery from morning till night, copying

management with great pains, undergoing hardship by bleeding and perspira-

tion, highway of industry was finally fought out. Today, the industry of

Hong Kong is well known to the whole world, resulting in the land as

precious as gold and further creating countless super-millionaires.

what have the mini-industrialists and the workers gained? The increase

of value of the land sacrificed our factory buildings!

But

2. The mercenary policy of raising land prices reverting factory land to

the Government led to the birth of factory buildings

In Hong Kong, with an area of less than 400 sq. mls., the

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