1938-10-14 — Page 7

IN

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1938.

HONGKONG'S HOUSING PROBLEMS : EFFORT TO SUGGEST SOLUTION Remarkable Document By Public Works Dept. Official

ECONOMICS OF COOLIE CHINESE A BIG FACTOR

PARTITION WALLS

NOT EXCEEDING G'O' MIGH

fioon TO CEILING.

LEGAL NUMBER OF OCCUPANTS

necessitated action being taken by the State. The economic effects of pre-war legislation controlling housing, pubile health and communications had led to the working close kaune becoming al most standardized in plan. The build- ing lot was deep and narrow frontes, imilar to the normal Chinese tenement in Hongkong. The high cost of bull!- ing after the war necessitated the strictest economy and, on examination,

J

it was found that the pre-war type of was found that the nearer

house was uneconomical in plan.

The plan approached to a square the cheaper the

azen of land and the greater the accen

cost of the building covering the same

of the utmost attempts at economy, to enable the working classes to pay nh providing working clan houses was

A MEMORANDUM, remarkable for its com- prehensiveness, and brilliant in its analytical description, Mr. W. H. Owen, B.Sc., A.R.I.B.A., A.M.T.P.I., of the Public Works Department,of light and air in all parts. In spite ondeavours to tackle the housing and slum pro bloms of Hongkong. The memorandum, which is incorporated in the Housing Commission's report published yesterday, makes bold, not only to show why Hongkong has such acute housing and over-crowding problems, but to indicate the lines along which to solve them.

costs could not be reduced suficiently economie cent. The responsibility for thrust on to the toral Authorities but agreed that, whatever the loss, no wart the pound should fall upon the Ibeal suiting from this wax, numerically, a

little was done until the Government of it exceeding a rate of end penny la authority. The supply of houses ze-

great success but the coat to the late enormous. In Coloquence methodn were changed and a grant was offered

of a fixed subsidy per house of specited mize built by private enterprise, to let rities for houses built to it. Thi or to sell, and a subsidy to local autho nethod resulted in 400,000 houses be

z

BIM MAC FOR

Section view of the madel type of tenement suggested by Mr. Owen in

report.

Mr. Owen insists that it is useless to consider hous- ing and slum problems, without taking into full cognisance the economics attached thereto. Legislation, he says, which ignores economics is useless. He thera ing built in six years, but the majority brought about the erection of blocks ↑ the living room from, the kitchen; fre-

fore pays considerable attention, not only to economics of Hongkong's housing problems, but to the financial considerations involved, while in an appendix he offers plans of what he regards as the most desirable type of tenement house to be built for the lower-class Chinese, whose incomes are too low to permit them to rent normal accommodation.

The memorandum is too long to produce in its entirety in one issue, but because it is a document of consderable interest and value, the Telegraph is reproducing it in serial form during the next two or three days. The first section which is published to-day deals with the history of housing and alum problems, as well as the sociological and economic aspects apropós Hongkong.

were built to sell and not to itt, The poorer working classes remained provided for. Other difficulties in the

way of providing houses were shortage of labour And the high cost of materials. Costs reached their peak in 127 but by 1999 had fallen to the levels of 1933. Even su rents were still be

of fals. On the continent, in Europe, quently there is no courtyard. A par the early tendency was to rehouse luj row sinircase, Jends up to the upper blocks of Ants. Plata versus houses I floor, which is n repetition of the long standing subject for controversy, ground floor; or to a cockloft (mezzan→ There is undoubtedly room for both, ine fuort wied for sleeping purposes. and the provision of one or the other Windows are small and the Interior must largely be dependant on local usually dark. The ground floor is the circumstances. For family life there living room, and also the work shop,

provided In congested arena as well. The factory is unknown the however where the majority of tenants country districts, and oli native indus- j must be rehunted on the apot, futs tries are carried on in the home. appear to offer the only solution. They Kive more recreational area and art more economical, when land prices are high.

and the slum problem hnd not been are many thefions to fata, even if maid in often used for sleeping purposes touched. Between the end of the war. built, of which about 1,000,000 wore for

nud 1031 over 1,500,000 huutsen were

sale and the remainder, owing to high renta, wore mainly let to the superior Artisan professional einases, most of whom enuld afford an economic reni. A Parliamentary Committee in 1031 stated that "the only solution appearect to the building of large number of working class houses at low rents," Without Anancial assistance from the State that was impossible.

J

SUBSIDY PROBLEMS

home.

bo

11. The Chinese pensant werks long hours for a scanty wage and gets prac. tleniy no holidays. In general theị Chinese are inclined tu

fatalists. 7. The standard of accommodation Although this attitude facilitates the to ho provided will depend on what government of the masses. It is unfor- the prospective touant can afford and tunately inimien to progress. Contact| on local usage, and; also, on what com- with Europeans la bound, in the coursej mmunal services are available. In many | of time, to have some effect on the European schemes no bathing or laun character of those who make Hongkong dry facilities aro provided, but in most their

Tho weekend hollday, cases this in balanced by the provision | sport, and a high standard of cleanl of commuant bath houses and laundries. ness and sanitation are taken for grant- G. The erection of large numbers of There must also be taken into accounted amongst the better paid Chinese. low rented houses brings in its train The cost and avalinbility of public sup- Sooner or later the cfulin for better) authorities totally unprepared. The first part of the memorandum is

subsidiary

pilen for water, power and light and problems. The

housing conditions for the masses, is heating. grew like mushrooms, without plan and x follows:

sure to be pressed. The longer action without control, Where sanitary pro-rst is that the rent must be within

8. I can be seen therefore that to is delayed the more costly it will be J. The provision of housing for the

extremely the means of the prospective tenant. it கரீத Witn viniuu

consider housing from one When Incunia is fimited, 'n rise in rent

estre. point of working classes is a world wide ra

vlow only is to court failure. The fac blem to which, as yet, no completely primitive; for the most part however it

tors affecting housing can be broadly Matisfactory solution has been found, was completely lacking. Badly bullt means less money for foud, and canes

classified undor four headings, so The problem is initially one of econLoures

ciology, hygiene and standards, finance, omics, arising from the fact that the majority of the working classes cannot,

and planning. out of their earnings, pay a reat which

SOCIOLOGY will ever ruaning costs and provide Interest on the capital outing required,

vate enterprise or by the State. For private enterprise house building in a method of putting capital to use for private gain. For the State it in a matter of social duty and the profit motive can be eliminated. Until ru cent years the State has hesitated to compete with private enterprise, but the stendily improving standards required for working class houses have cut down profts to auch an extent that, for the most part, the building of working clans house is no longer attractive to the privata Investor, and the State has been forced to enter the field,

TILA which

WAS

the workers

Towns

could not

humerous

have been known where tenants have been removed from alan areas and the

were crame together sightly as possible rouall the factories. death rate among them has increased Conditions became so appalling that! something had to be done. In England, through malnutrition. Many new hous- from 1848 to the end of the 19th Cen-ng estates, leally halt and, from the have failed to allract The working whether the capital bo provided by Iulilic Health Acts wore naxed, but clues for whom they were intoned, working class Chiness, la Hongkong, is tury, a long series of Sanitary and point of view of health, ideally situated, the net result was that, although sanit- ary conditions Improved, overcrowding they were situated so far from actually increased. Improved housing tans of livelihood, that the workers was achieved at the cont of increased could not afford either the time for

travelling or the Increased

transport costs. In Robe Casca the inck

of lord to pay.

schools, churches, shops and such like

tenants 3. The same thing bas happened in have kept prospective

away. Hongkong. Whilst the latest type of The slum dweller is a sociable person; tenement is healthy enough if each his environment and almost complete floor were occupied by one normal lack of privacy has forced upon hiin a family, the vast majority of workers degree of sociability entirely absent in cannot afford auficient money to rent the wealthier classes. In England the a fuor for the use of one family alone change from overcrowded and overbullt and the result is that, in nermal stun to the comparative solitude of periods, we have over-crowding alde by twelve houses por nero, with no social Bide with emply tenements. Leglain- centre or commjon meeting ground, bas don which ignores economics is use. occasionally proved too drastic, and ten

onts have drifted back to the more THE ENGLISH PROBLEM

familiar neighbourliness of the slums. 6. The type of dwelling, in relation 4. In England, prior to the war, the to the people to be housed, in a matter State had been content to supervise thej for serious consideration. In England, provision of housing by private enter the general tendency has been towards floors and roofs are constructed. The parts. Binca the coinmencement ef prise. The shortage of houses and the the "garden suburb" but, in rebufiding ground floor is one long room, with a high cost of bullding after the war',congestedl areas, ceonomie pressure has minute courtyard at the back dividing

2. The housing problem is as old as the hills, but it only in comparatively recent times that any concerted and sustained attempt has been made to roive it. The present movement began in Europe with the rise of industriallam at the beginning of the 19th Century. The rapid influx of people from the country to the towns found · municipal

WOOK

knot

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свя

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ENIDANCE TO FLETS

12. As, in Europe, the town attract- ed people from the country, so long- the neighbouring provinces kong has attracted the population from1 of South China. Their habits and "custome have had en enormous effect on the dovelop ment of the town. The standard tene- 9. A very large proportion of the ment has followed the traditionst lines of the village house, but with an In- South

creased number of flours. Overbufid- composed of immigrants from China. Defore their arrival in ilong-

ing, evercrowding, and fuck of ennita- kong they lived in villages and were

tion have been taken for granted, an engaged chiefy in agricultural pursuits the population have always bean uned and native industries. For the purpose to such conditions, and their fatalistic of defence the villages are generally attitude towards lifa han produced na

fur compactly bulit and surrounded by a strong demand Improvement. It wall. In the absence of whocled traffic, must be conceded that, when Hongkong roads are reduced to the minimum became British colony, condition Носсвилгу for pedestrian circulation. were litio better in Europe. It in As in most rural communities sanita- natural howover that the spirit of Im- tion is extremely primitivo. With no provement in Europe should be reflect. large herds of livestock to provide | éd in a British colony in the East, but, manure human excrota is used for the owing to slow communications in tho purpose. The imitations placed by the early days, longkang has lagged for urrounding wall on an expending behind the mother country. In conse- population "have inevitably resulted in quence, In 1931, when the population overcrowding.

was returned at nearly 850,000, thore were some 370 meres populated at an average density of over 1,000 per acr", with minimum of 200 per acro and a maximum of over 1,700 por sere in hostilities in China, there has been a | rapid Incrawan in the local population. which now estimated at about 1,230,- 000. During the last few years the rate of building has been below average. It is therefore asfo to assume that the above mentioned donaitics are tow greatly exceeded. The houses them. nelves average over threa torle In height and are built at a density of approximately 30 per sero, Much has been done to Improve sanitation Bul, even so, there are still hundreds of hounen with one latrine per house and that for the use of the ground tenants only. To aid more latrines, even when structurally possible, would only add to the cost of the building and would re: ault in increased rents and, in view of the poverty of the manues, increaseð <vercrowding. If any Improvement lo to be effected it can orly be done by reducing building and population den alty and rehousing the surplus popula tion elsewhere.

10. The normal village house is deep and narrow fronted, the width being fixed by the maximum unable length of the China fr pole with which most

Ground Beer and upper floor plans of the type of Chiquse isnament bulldings suggested in Mr. Owen's memorand

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13. The great bulk of Hongkona, in- dustries are still of the "home" variety. The ground flour of nearly every teno- ment is either a shop or workshop. The factory Bystem bas mnado lin appearance, but through lack of plan- ning and direction the Enctories are: competing with houses for building Aites and further adding to congestion and confusion.

14 Industry and housing are an in timately related that it is impossible to consider one without the other, l'eople livn by Industry and their standard of living is directly governed by the mea.. Fare of return derived from industry. The type of industry, to a great axiont,} governs the type of housing and ILÀ, situation in relation to industry.

INDUSTRIAL DIFFICULTIES

15. In any well planned community proper, proviston should be made for Industry and · housing. ·. In: Hongkong the basic industries are shipping and commerce. Arising from these two, numerous other Industries' kinyeʻbecom established, many of them, Buch building, shipbuilding and engineering being definitely major industries, and providing work for large numbers of employses. There still remain a thou.. sand and one things in the way of goods and services which are considered (Continued on Page 5.)

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1939

PROGRAMME

Flying Standard

MODELS AND PRICES

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