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hut spaces available, and began to put people into Transit Centres, without privacy, without personal belongings, and often even without lighting. These facts have never been revealed by the public relations section of the Housing Department. Even some compassionate cases recommended by the Social Welfare Department have been rejected by the Housing Department, which has set up its own unqualified and self-appointed social investigators to reduce the demand for compassionate housing.
Moreover, rents have risen beyond the rentability of low-income workers. According to figures supplied by the Housing Department, the new flats are to be amortized over a period of 40 years. Working on official figures, therefore, the total building cost for a flat for five persons could be amortized at a monthly rent of $30 - $40, yet the tenants are being asked to pay rents varying between $200 and $300 a month for these flats. This means that a sum equal to six or seven times the building cost is charged for profit and management.
One may ask where all this money, squeezed from the livelihood of our low-income workers, is going. I can explain at least some of it, but not all. The luxury of the Department's premises at Ho Man Tin caused a stir among other Government servants when they were opened; more and more high-salaried posts are being unnecessarily created; glossy literature to show visitors is being produced; and unnecessary paper work is beyond imagination. In spite of this enormous and expensive departmental machinery, which tenants and not taxpayers are paying for from their daily rice, applicants and tenants still have to race from office to office for information, and usually end up in Urban Council ward offices, because they cannot get the information they need from the Department. Even the ward offices have some problems in explaining to the people, because policies are confused, and changes are made at the whim and fancy of the Department, sometimes without even bothering to consult the Housing Authority—at that that makes any difference—the Housing Authority usually agrees anyhow.
In spite of premises of better living conditions, tenants of Group B estates are now living in worse conditions than ever before. In the past they were allowed to apply for splitting if there was serious quarrelling between family members or flat-sharers. Now they are not. In the past tenants used to be able to get extra space if any member of the family had psychiatric problems, physical handicap, or sickness such as TB. Now they cannot. Consequently, there has been an increase in serious cases of quarrelling resulting in injury, and unbearable tensions have built up in families unable to cope with handicapped or sick persons because of the limited space in which they have to live. Cases recommended for more space by the Medical Social Workers, like those recommended by Social Welfare Workers, are being rejected by the Housing Department's self-appointed doctors.
Moreover, in order to cover up the fatal mistake of raising rents beyond workers' rentability, the Department has also adopted a method of allocating rooms in the Group B estates to those who cannot pay the rent of the new, expensive housing. In the past, empty rooms in Group B estates were allocated to other tenants on the same estate to relieve overcrowding. Now these empty rooms are no longer available, and overcrowding is quite incredible, in spite of official figures to the contrary.
May I remind the Government that until 1973, Government low-cost housing was an asset to our economy, providing cheap accommodation as a substitute for living wages. Since 1973, we have had neither housing nor living wages for low-paid workers. Once the workers were happy when clearance took place and they were offered Mark VI housing. Now they are afraid of clearances, because they know that they will have to choose between the slums of Group B type, or new housing which they cannot afford. Inability to pay the high rents results in delay in allocation, and they are not told what to do when demolition day arrives. The lack of human understanding in this Department is unbelievable.
I have spoken strongly and at length on this subject, because I want the Government to reconsider the wrong economic course it is taking, in overcharging for rent, and affecting the livelihood of so many families.
While on this subject of housing, may I also throw out a suggestion for consideration by architects. Instead of using space at ground-floor level for limited recreation, would it be possible to build on to the blank end of each block some layered areas for sitting-out gardens and play space for small children, the use to be strictly controlled by tenants' committees on each floor? This would make for good neighbourliness, and provide a place for rest and relaxation for old and young, obviating the necessity for them to go to the ground floor.
3. Justice
This subject may be far removed from Urban Council jurisdiction, yet it is a huge problem now in our Urban Council wards. In the past year or two, legal cases in my ward office have increased from 30 to about 100 a month.
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Page 75 of 135
Page 74 of 135
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
hut spaces available, and began to put people into Transit Centres, without privacy, without personal belongings, and often even without lighting. These facts have never been revealed by the public relations section of the Housing Department. Even some compassionate cases recommended by the Social Welfare Department have been rejected by the Housing Department, which has set up its own unqualified and self-appointed social investigators to reduce the demand for compas- sionate housing.
Moreover, rents have risen beyond the rentability of low-income workers. According to figures supplied by the Housing Department, the new flats are to be amortized over a period of 40 years. Working on official figures, therefore, the total building cost for a flat for five persons could be amortized at a monthly rent of $30 - $40, yet the tenants are being asked to pay rents varying between $200 and $300 a month for these flats. This means that a sum equal to six or seven times the building cost is charged for profit and management.
One may ask where all this money, squeezed from the livelihood of our low-income workers, is going. I can explain at least some of it, but not all. The luxury of the Department's premises at Ho Man Tin caused a stir among other Government servants when they were opened; more and more high-salaried posts are being un- necessarily created; glossy literature to show visitors is being produced; and unnecessary paper work is beyond imagination. In spite of this enormous and expensive departmental machinery, which tenants and not taxpayers are paying for from their daily rice, applicants and tenants still have to race from office to office for information, and usually end up in Urban Council ward offices, because they cannot get the information, they need from the Department. Even the ward offices have some problems in explaining to the people, because policies are confused, and changes are made at the whim and fancy of the Depart- ment, sometimes without even bothering to consult the Housing Authority—at that that makes any difference-the Housing Authority usually agrees anyhow.
In spite of premises of better living conditions, tenants of Group B estates are now living in worse conditions than ever before. In the past they were allowed to apply for splitting if there was serious quarrelling between family members or flat-sharers. Now they are not. In the past tenants used to be able to get extra space if any member of the family had psychiatric problems, physical handicap, or sickness such as TB. Now they cannot. Consequently, there has been an increase in serious cases of quarrelling resulting in injury, and unbear-
!
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
115
able tensions have built up in families unable to cope with handicapped or sick persons because of the limited space in which they have to live. Cases recommended for more space by the Medical Social Workers, like those recommended by Social Welfare Workers, are being rejected by the Housing Department's self-appointed doctors.
Moreover, in order to cover up the fatal mistake of raising rents beyond workers' rentability, the Department has also adopted a method of allocating rooms in the Group B estates to those who cannot pay the rent of the new, expensive housing. In the past, empty rooms in Group B estates were allocated to other tenants on the same estate to relieve overcrowding. Now these empty rooms no longer available, and overcrowding is quite incredible, in spite of official figures to the contrary.
are
May I remind the Government that until 1973, Government low- cost housing was an asset to our economy, providing cheap accom- modation as a substitute for living wages. Since 1973, we have had Once the neither housing nor living wages for low-paid workers. workers were happy when clearance took place and they were offered Mark VI housing. Now they are afraid of clearances, because they know that they will have to choose between the slums of Group B type, or new housing which they cannot afford. Inability to pay the high rents results in delay in allocation, and they are not told what to do when demolition day arrives. The lack of human understanding in this Department is unbelievable.
I have spoken strongly and at length on this subject, because I want the Government to reconsider the wrong economic course it is taking, in overcharging for rent, and affecting the livelihood of so many families.
While on this subject of housing, may I also throw out a suggestion for consideration by architects. Instead of using space at ground-floor level for limited recreation, would it be possible to build on to the blank end of each block some layered areas for sitting-out gardens and play space for small children, the use to be strictly controlled by tenants' committees on each floor? This would make for good neigh- bourliness, and provide a place for rest and relaxation for old and young, obviating the necessity for them to go to the groundfloor.
3. Justice
This subject may be far removed from Urban Council jurisdiction, yet it is a huge problem now in our Urban Council wards. In the past year or two, legal cases in my ward office have increased from 30 to about 100 a month.
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