PRICE: $1
ANNUAL
DEPARTMENTAL
REPORTS
1954-55
QUARTERING AUTHORITY
い
HONG KONG
ANNUAL DEPARTMENTAL REPORT
BY THE
QUARTERING AUTHORITY
FOR THE
FINANCIAL YEAR 1954-55
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY W. F. C. JENNER, GOVERNMENT PRINTER.
AT THE GOVERNMENT PRESS,
JAVA ROAD, HONG KONG.
こ
CONTENTS
REQUISITIONING
OFFICE ACCOMMODATION
Paragraphs
1
2
9
ACCOMMODATION (RESIDENTIAL) FOR GOVERNMENT
OFFICERS:
(a) Non-departmental Quarters
(b) Hotels
(c) Hostels
(d) Departmental Quarters
·
(e) Private Tenancies
STAFF
10
12
13
15
16
17
18
20
£21
23
24
•
TABLE I List of non-departmental quarters according to grades, as on 31st March, 1955.
TABLE II Numbers of non-departmental quarters and estimated numbers of officers eligible to apply for them on 31st March, 1955.
TABLE III Numbers of officers in hotels and
hostels on 31st March, 1955.
TABLE IV
Numbers of officers in private tenancies on 31st March, 1955.
}
1.
REQUISITIONING
For the purposes of this Report, requisitioning is dealt with under four heads:
(A) Property Requisitioned during the 1945/6
Military Administration.
At the end of last year a total of 414 units was held under requisition, divided between Government and the Services as follows:
Royal Navy 2, Army 81, R.A.F. 10,
Government 201.
During the year under review 2 units have been derequisitioned by Government thus reducing the total to 381. The position at the end of the year was as follows:
Royal Navy 2, Army 81,
R.A.F. 10,
Government 18.
place.
(B) Property Requisitioned by Government to relieve the housing shortage
No further requisitioning for this purpose has taken One and a half units were derequisitioned during the year under review and the total now held under requisition has been reduced to 261 units.
(C) Property Requisitioned by Government since
the Military Administration.
At the end of last year there were 9 units held under requisition. There has been no change during the year under review and the 9 units still remain held under requisition.
1
(D) Property Requisitioned for the Services since
1st May, 1949.
A total of 191 units were held under requisition at the end of last year.
These units were divided between the Services
as follows:
Royal Navy 6,
Army 139,
R.A.F. 46.
During the present year 5 units were requisitioned for the Army and 11 units derequisitioned (3 for the Army and 8 for the R.A.F.) making a net decrease of 6 units. The total of 185 units still held under requisition is divided between the Services as follows:-
Royal Navy 6,
Army 141,
R.A.F. 38.
OFFICE ACCOMMODATION
2. The demand for additional office accommodation con- tinued during the year and every effort was made to meet this demand.
3. The completion of the link (or extension) adjoining the first section of the Central Government Offices gave a further opportunity to move departments into more suitable accom- modation.
4. The following departments were transferred into this extension during December, 1954:—
Audit Department
Urban Services Department (part of Sanitary Division) Resettlement Department (Headquarters Office)
Civil Aviation Department
Quartering Department
Crown Lands & Surveys Office (Public Works Department)
2
(
1
5.
These moves made it possible to afford some relief to
the following departments of additional accommodation, or transfer to new accommodation: -
6.
Inland Revenue Department: allocated additional office space
in Windsor House (vacated by the Audit Department).
Registry of Trade Unions: allocated offices in Statue Square
(vacated by Civil Aviation Department).
Medical Department: allocated additional space in Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Building (vacated by Quartering Department).
With the completion of the new Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Building in Gloucester Road on the 19th July, 1954, the following departments were allocated office space:
Civil Aid Services-from Leighton House.
Essential Services Corps-from Leighton House.
Manpower Directorate-from Leighton House.
Medical Board (Medical Department)-from General Post Office
Building.
School Health Service (Medical Department)-from General
Post Office Building.
7. These moves enabled the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Police Force to occupy much needed additional space in Leighton House vacated by Essential Services Corps.
8. The vacated offices in the General Post Office Building previously occupied by the Medical Department were taken over by the Urban Services Department.
9. Other minor allocations and transfers were made during the year under review to suit requirements of various departments.
3
ACCOMMODATION (RESIDENTIAL) FOR
GOVERNMENT OFFICERS
Non-departmental Quarters.
10. At the beginning of the year 313 quarters were avail- able. An additional 24 were acquired during the year, 1 returned to the owner and 1 demolished in connexion with the Government building scheme at Chater Hall, thus creating a net gain of 22 quarters making the total number available at the end of the year 335. Details of those acquired, returned to owners and demolished are as follows:
The White House, Tai Po
165 Argyle Street, 1st floor,
Kowloon
2 Fortress Hill, Hong Kong
Acquired.
1 'B' grade house.
partmental quarter.
Reverted from de- to non-departmental
1
'C' grade flat.
ment.
Purchased by Govern-
1 'C' grade house. Purchased by Govern-
ment.
12/14 Lomond Road, Kowloon .. 2 'CD' grade flats.
94 Waterloo Road, Kowloon
...
111 Austin Road, Ground Floor,
Kowloon
56 Conduit Road, Hong Kong
1 Fortress Hill, Hong Kong
Total
3 'CD' grade flats.
ment.
'D' grade flat.
partmental quarter.
Leased.
Purchased by Govern-
Reverted from de- non-departmental
1
to
...
13
'D' grade flats.
Leased.
Purchased by Govern-
2 'D' grade flats.
ment.
24
Returned to Owners.
5B Broom Road, Hong Kong
1 'C' grade flat.
Demolished.
Marble Hali Lodge, Hong Kong 1 'G' grade flat.
4
11. During the year under review the grading of the flats at Sunning Road and Hoiping Road was reconsidered and it was finally agreed to downgrade them from 'E' to 'F' and 'F' to 'G' respectively. This regrading will affect the number of quarters in grades 'E', 'F' and 'G' but does not change the overall total.
12. A complete list of non-departmental quarters available at the end of the year is given in Table I of this report while Table II gives the number of non-departmental quarters together with the estimated number of officers who were eligible to apply for them.
Hotels.
13. The necessity for accommodating officers in hotels further increased during the year for whereas the previous 'year's highest figure at any one stage was 107 (60 single, 47 married, of whom 24 had children) the figure reached this year was 123 (57 single, 66 married, of whom 41 had children). To emphasize further the increasing demand the lowest figure for any one stage in this year was 71 (54 single, 17 married, of whom 8 had children) against the lowest figure at any one stage last year of 54 (36 single, 18 married, of whom 3 had children).
14. The cost of accommodating officers in hotels and non- Government hostels during the year amounted to $1,058,598.06 as against the previous year's figure of $887,524.07.
15. Table III gives the number of officers accommodated in hotels as at the end of the financial year.
Hostels.
16. The Macdonnell Road Hostel which was used for single male officers was closed down on the 7th August, 1954, and returned to the Custodian of Enemy Property. The two re- maining hostels, i.e. Buxey Lodge for single men and The
5
Hermitage for single women were kept fully occupied during the year. The former, i.e. Buxey Lodge, was purchased by Govern- ment and formally derequisitioned during the year. A small number of officers continued to be accommodated in non- Government hostels such as the Y.M.C.A., Hong Kong Club, Church Guest House, Helena May Institute etc.
17. Table III gives the number of officers accommodated in both Government and non-Government hostels at the end of the
year.
Departmental Quarters.
18. Departments such as the Police Force, Prisons, Medical etc. have a considerable number of quarters allocated to them for use of officers in the departments who by the very nature of their duties have to reside in close proximity to their work. These quarters are allocated by the heads of the various departments and are known as 'departmental quarters' as opposed to 'non- departmental quarters' referred to in paragraphs 10-12 above which are allocated by the Quarters Allocation Committee. The number of quarters, which varied from 'A' grade down to 'L' grade, allocated to these departments as at the end of the year was as follows:-
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry Civil Aviation Department
Department of Commerce & Industry Civil Aid Services
21 quarters
32
5
1
"}
Education Department
113
}}
Fire Brigade
51
J
Government House
6
""
Kowloon Canton Railway
187
""
Marine Department
37
""
Medical Department
145
""
District Administration, New Territories
15
Police Force
922
""
Post Office
10
Prisons Department
Public Works Department
216
""
126
>>
6
Resettlement Department Royal Hong Kong Defence Force
Royal Observatory
Secretariat for Chinese Affairs
Social Welfare Office
Stores Department
Supreme Court
Urban Services Department
39 quarters
2
8
1
15
10
4
296
"}
19. Fourteen flats, 11 at Nos. 190. 194, 196 and 198 Prince Edward Road and 3 at No. 25 Kimberley Road, Kowloon, used as departmental quarters for the Police Force, were handed back to the owner. Alternative accommodation was leased for the use of the Police Force in Chatham Road, Observatory Road and Prat Avenue.
20. In addition to the above departmental quarters most departments had a number of ‘barrack' type quarters for accom- modating various sections of their lower paid staff who are "on call."
Private Tenancies.
21. Private Tenancies, which refer to non-Government quarters rented privately by officers themselves but for which they draw an allowance from Government, increased from 57 at the end of the previous year to 87 at the end of this year. The allowances paid by Government for this year compared with last year are as follows:-
Year
1953/1954
1954/1955
Amount
$402,641.24
$675,196.00
22. Government's continued support of private tenancies continued to prove a relief to those officers who for various reasons failed to obtain a Government quarter and did not wish to reside in a hotel.
23. Table IV gives the numbers of officers accommodated in private tenancies at the end of the financial year.
7
STAFF
24. Mr. H. R. J. Woulfe Flanagan returned from home leave on the 20th September, 1954, and resumed duty as Quarter- ing Authority with effect from that date. Mr. E. L. Strange who acted as Quartering Authority was posted to the Public Works Department with effect from the same date. Mrs. M. Budden resigned the post of Hostel Manageress with effect from 16th December, 1954. Miss J. Goldman was appointed to fill the vacancy with effect from 6th December, 1954. Mrs. M. Redwood's appointment as Hostel Manageress was terminated with effect from 1st September, 1954, when the Single Officers' Mess at Macdonnell Road was closed down.
H. R. J. WOULFE FLANAGAN, Quartering Authority.
8
00
TABLE I
List of Non-Departmental Quarters according to Grades, as on 31st March, 1955.
GRADE "A"
Address
No. of Quarters
Brief Description
152, 153, 154 The Peak (Homestead
Houses)
CO
3
6-room houses
157 The Peak, "Homedale"
1
7-room house
275 276 The Peak
2
7-room houses
361 The Peak, "The Bracket"
1
5-room house
406 The Peak, "Sailing Look"
1
4-room bungalow
407 The Peak, Severn Road 534 The Peak, Magazine Gap 556 The Peak, Middle Gap
1
4-room house
1
6-room house
1
5-room house
Queen's Gardens (Nos. 4, 6, 8, 10, 12,
18, 20, 22, 24, 26)
10
5-room flats
Queen's Gardens (Nos. 5, 7, 9, 11, 13,
17, 19, 21, 23, 25)
10
4-room flats
45 Shouson Hill
1.
5-room house
Total
32
GRADE "B"
Albany Flats (Nos. 1-5, 7-10, 12-14)
12
4-room flats
12 & 17 Branksome Towers
2
3/4-room flats
16 Homuntin Hill Road
1
6-room house
150A, B, C & 151B & C, The Peak,
(Homestead Flats)
5
5-room flats
155 & 156 The Peak
(Homestead
Houses)
2
5-room houses
403 The Peak, Severn Road (Bottom &
Top floors)
2
4-room flats
9
TABLE I-Contd.
Address
No. of Quarters
Brief Description
404 The Peak, Severn Road (Bottom &
Top floors)
2
4-room flats
405 The Peak, Severn Road (Bottom &
Top floors)
2
4-room flats
1-9 & 11 Peak Pavilions
10
5-room flats
Queen's Gardens (Nos. 2 & 16)
2
5-room flats
Queen's Gardens (Nos. 1, 3 & 15)
White House, Taipo
دن
3
4-room flats
1
7-room house
Total
44
GRADE "C"
126 & 128 Argyle Street (Ground, 1st &
2nd floors)..
6
165 Argyle Street (Ground & 1st floors)
2
5-room flats
5-room flats
9 & 18 Burnside Estate
2
5. room flats
11, 14, 19, 21, 22 & 24 Burnside Estate
6
4-room flats
Epworth Lodge (Nos. 1-4)
4
3-room flats
2 Fortress Hill
1
5-room house
King's Park (Nos. 1-12)
12
4-room flats
Leighton Hill (Nos. 1, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21,
23 & 25)
00
8
4-room flats
Leighton Hill (Nos. 2-13, 16, 18, 20, 24 &
26)
17
5-room flats
6 Macdonnell Road (Flats Nos. 4-9)
6
3-room flats
270 The Peak (Ground, 1st & 2nd floors)
3
3-room flats
271 The Peak (Ground & 1st floors)
2
3-room flats
557A The Peak, Middle Gap
1
2-room flat
557B The Peak, Middle Gap
1
3-room flat
2 & 3 Victoria Flats
2
3-room flats
4 & 5 Victoria Flats
97C Waterloo Road, Ground floor
Total
2
4-room flats
1
5-room flat
76
10
(
TABLE I-Contd.
GRADE "CD"
Address
No. of Quarters
Brief Description
32B Braga Circuit (Ground, 1st, 2nd &
3rd floors)
4
4-room flats
19 Homuntin Hill Road (Ground & 1st
floors)
2
4-room flats
King's Park (Nos. 13-20, 23-31, 33-39,
41-48)
32
4-room flats
12 Lomond Road, 2nd floor
1
6-room flats
14 Lomond Road, 1st floor
1
6-room flats
Ventris Road (Nos. 1, 4-14)
12
5-room houses
1 Victoria Flats
1
2-room flat
94 Waterloo Road (Ground, 1st & 2nd
floors)
3
4-room flats
Total
56
GRADE "D"
111 Austin Road (Ground & Top floors) 56 Conduit Road (Flats Nos. 1, 2, 3 4, 102, 103, 104, 202, 203, 204, 304, 401, 404)
2
4-room flats
13
4-room flats
"Courtlands" (Nos. 3D, 3F, 3H, 5B, 5F,
5H)
6
4-room flats
Cox's Path (Nos. 1-6)
6
5-room houses
1 Fortress Hill (Ground & 1st floors)
2
3-room flats
1 Garden Terrace, 1st floor
1
3-room flat
251 & 252 The Peak
2
3-room bungalows
Total
32
GRADE “E”
20 Austin Avenue (2nd, 3rd & 4th floors)
CO
3
4-room flats
20A Austin Avenue (3rd & 4th floors) 2
4-room flats
24 Austin Avenue, 3rd floor
24A Austin Avenue (3rd & 4th floors)
NH
1
4-room flat
2
4-room flats
6B & 6D Carnarvon Road
2
2-room flats
11
TABLE I-Contd.
No. of
Address
Quarters
Brief Description
*9 & 11 Cornwall Street
2
2-room bungalows
*7 Cornwall Street
1
3-room bungalow
"Courtlands" (Nos. 3A, 3C, 3E, 3G, 5A,
5C, 5E, 5G)
00
8
3-room flats
26 Homantin Street, 2nd floor
1
4-room flat
1A & 1B Minden Row
2
3-room flats
*Mount Nicholson (Nos. 1-12, 24 & 25) 14 *Mount Nicholson (Nos. 13-22)
2-room bungalows
10
3-room bungalows
1
3-room flat
255 Prince Edward Road, Ground floor Wongneichong Road (Nos. 97, 107, 109, 111, 113, 115, 117, 119, 121, 123, 125 127, 129 & 131) Wongneichong Road (Nos. 99, 101, 103
& 105)
Total
GRADE "F"
14
5-room houses
4
4-room houses
67
6A & 6C Carnarvon Road
"Courtland" (Nos. 31 & 51)
N N
2
2-room flats
2
3-room flats
4 & 6 Hoi Ping Road (1st, 2nd & 3rd
floors)
6
Co
4-room flats
12 Hoi Ping Road (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th
floors)
4
4-room flats
3 & 5 Sunning Road (1st, 2nd & 3rd
floors)
6
4-room flats
Total
20
GRADE "G”.
2
4-room flats
4 & 6 Hoi Ping Road (Ground floor)
14 Hoi Ping Road (Ground, 1st, 2nd &
3rd floors)
7 & 9 Sunning Road (Ground floor)
Total
4 2
2
4-room flats 4-room flats
8
335 quarters
Grand Total
* "E" grade for rent purposes only.
12
(
TABLE II
NUMBERS OF NON-DEPARTMENTAL QUARTERS AND ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF OFFICERS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THEM ON 31ST MARCH, 1955.
Total No. Estimated No. of Offi-
Grade of Govt. Quarters
Leased
Property
Ex- Enemy
Requis- itioned
of
cers Eligible to Apply
Quarters
Married
Single
A
32
32
47
2
B
42
2
44
80
10
C
46
30
76
74
6
CD
50
6
56
77
22
D
16
13
32
141
38
E
55
10
67
52
24
F
16
20
26
6
G
8
8
16
11
Totals
245
85
2
3
335
513
119
Note: The number of officers shown include those on leave but do not
include those in departmental quarters.
TABLE III
NUMBERS OF OFFICERS IN HOTELS AND HOSTELS ON 31ST MARCH, 1955.
Single Officers
Married
Total
No. of Rooms
Officers
Male
Female
Hotels
39
12
58 (32)
109 (32)
132
Government
Hostels
15
17
32
30
Non-Govt.
Hostels
8
3
1
12
12
Totals
62
32
59 (32)
153 (32)
174
TABLE IV
NUMBERS OF OFFICERS IN PRIVATE TENANCIES ON 31ST MARCH 1955.
Single Officers
Married Officers
Total
No. of Tenancies
Male
Female
Private Ten-
ancies
26
2
63 (38) (incl. 1 widower)
91 (38)
87
Note: (1) Figures in brackets indicate numbers of married officers with children in
the Colony.
(2) Single officers include officers whose wives are not in the Colony,
Married officers are those whose wives are in the Colony.
13