To the Baller of the onru-Gumma Dao News?
Sa—Your correspondent Domus who" Totus tothe gublest SIH, Pears speech before the Rotary on Shangha's housing problems leer which you published. Satta tas, heavens me rently td besits me to aot down the idea which have" presented themselves tne-"When ho one" wrote to your Columos carter I'wes afraid thai the City"was so obseusd with Lits copres Sion nat Mrs Peds" challenge, was Going. to pass unnoticed. Bonus Sistwnat othe nent atop"? Categorcally examines various bodies Alamisnes most a them a of being who might be expected to move and
inva poadon to do's0, Butt think all his loss are ally and the next sept have irendy"been touched upon by Yourself and by Mr Pook The Shanghai Municipal Couneit cannot "be too busy", The housing of its residents must be the concern of any administrative body. In your sub-leader which appeared the day following Mr. Peck's speech you apparently thought the time honoured approach of a "Commission" would rot be welcomed at this time, Neither do I think it is needed. The facts are known. But you indicated that! within the oMelal Council. frame= work there were several departments: concerned with the matter, and you suggested that collaboration among. representatives of these, with a view to propounding a useful policy, would be possible. In my view it is not only possible but the only economical and effective way to proceed.
'Then, in Mr. Peck's speech lay the germ of a second step which may well proceed at the same time as the, first, Domus is right, I think, in fall his other assumptions as to' the inability of the other groups he mon-{ions to make a contribution. Much as I dislike new groupings, here is, Tam afraid, a necessity to create one:
small group of interested citizens: should gather themselves together: and discuss what can be done other than by the authorities. This group should decide whether it may be possible to enlist the interest of realty. companies in reform, or whether an interim step of demonstration must first be necessary. Mr. Peck told of the work done in England by "Public Utility Building Societies", which are voluntary organizations oh which sit business men of acumen and sound, repulation, experienced in the work. they are irving to do. The Society:
holders in the usual way' as in a corporation, who receive a return on their investment. With these funds and others (in less straitened times!) borrowed, propferty is acquired and houses built whose designs are the subject of a close study. I came across an article ina journal published in England recently from the pen of Lord Balfour of Burleigh. Discussing "Public Utility Building Societies and. the Housing Plan" his reflections indicate the scope and usefulness of the Public Utility Society. Tam sending the article to you with this letter in the hope that you may find room to. reprint it in another column.
Why I think it may be necessary to evolve some such body as a Public Ulility Building Society in Shanghai Is because, as Mr. Peck pointed out, what is needed is 2 recognition that; the single room, and not the whole house, is for the mast part the "unit of occupancy in Shanghai. There must be experimentation and study and building of houses designed to take note of the capacity' of the People to pay. Proposing such a [Society dors not mean that one would Hnot expect real estate companies and others developing property as an investment fo give their minds to this question. "Indeed it may be hoped that the valuable experience of realty men may be available on the Society, assuming there may be one, and that they may otherwise make' their independent contribution, But what is needed in the first instance is demonstration and it may be that it will need such an organization to take the initiative.
But it is not only a question of construction and design: there Is the matter of management. Here also demonstration is needed. In Ensland women estate managers are specially trained and employed for the supervi" sion of properties administered by Public Uulity Societies. In Shanghai it does not take any imagination at all to realize what could be done with 2 group of trained Chinese women supervisors of housing areas! Any housing anywhere will deteriorate tunless "there is some imaginative (might T say loving?) care bestowed upon it. Does anyone suppose that the watchman employed in an all way has either the education or the imagination needed to handle poor 50 that they become desirous of tributing to a general good? Obviously not, Yet such is not impossible of attainment. Let those who speak in derogatory term of the dirty alley-side of the picture, Tam amazed at the liveableness of a single room in which a whole family has to perform all its functions: 1 have admiration, not condemnation. People such as these are excellent material for co= operation!
So, then, if concurrently there could be begun two approaches. to the question—that of officials who Would consider a possible policy: that of citizens, Chinese and foreign, who would examine how study and demonstration could be achieved which would lead to betterment, then we could hope that we could emerge from a situation of which none of lus are proud. Is Domus prepared to ask you to put in touch with one another those known to be interested. in this subject, whether they have written to you or whether they have expressed interest otherwise? Will those who are interested write to Domus in your care and tell him 50? Or to Mr. Peck? If so we may expect important outcome Shanghai, Sept, 23.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.