The total expenditure on Public Works Extraordinary in 1921 is put down at 84,967,400 an amount far in excess of any vote in former years. Under its policy of building loans the Government has advanced or has arranged to advance $1,000,000 in exchange for which it has secured the erection of 11 houses and 99 flats in Hongkong, 67 houses and 63 flats in Kowloon and one house at Fanling. It has under consideration schemes for the extension of the enterprise ing Colony at Ho Mun Tun and for the development, possibly on Garden-City lines, of a large area at Kowloon Tong. The chief obstacles have hitherto been inadequacy of communication, which will be largely remedied by an omnibus service, for which tenders are shortly to be invited, and the necessity for preparing in advance proper town-planning—schemes which will ensure the best use being made of the ground. On the island of Hongkong the road to Wanchai Gap has already led to several inquiries for building sites, and the enterprise of the Hongkong Hotel Company at Repulse Bay foreshadows the rapid development of that neighbourhood. The Government is in treaty with the Dairy Farm for the release of some of the land now under grass at Pokfulam and applications have been received for permission to build upon a farm lot on the Pokfulam road which has recently been resumed. Arrangements have been and are being made for the conversion of farm lots at Wongneichang for the purpose of the erection of a large umber of houses. The question of the resumption of military lands in Victoria is appreciably nearer solution, Such briefly is an outline of the steps which the Government has taken to solve the housing problem. The effect of these measures has not yet been felt and the shortage is probably more pronounced now than it ever has been. In this connexion it is interesting to record the Governor's personal views: "I have been at some pains," he remarked, "to ascertain to what extent there is an actual shortage of housing accommodation for Europeans, but without any very definite result. That there is a shortage appears to be generally admitted, but 1 have been struck by an advertisement which has for some time past been appearing in the Press to the effect that a number of European flats are available for occupation on Coronation Road. I understand that the flats are in every way suitable, but that inquirers consider the distance from the Star Ferry Wharf to be too great, and are not apparently disposed to use the Yaumati Ferry which is close by. Prospective tenants can hardly expect that in towns of constantly rising land values, such as Victoria and Kowloon, they can continue to rent dwellings at cheap rentals within easy distance of their offices. The question is primarily an economic one, which cannot be greatly affected by Government action. The Government can probably do little more than endeavour to secure that existing possibilities are made the most of, and I may say in this connexion that I have under consideration the question of taking steps to ensure that suitable land is, not allowed to remain unoccupied."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.