Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1962-08-02
County Woman Reports
On Teemingg Hong Kong

A montgomery county 1COm-
an, Mrs. Margaret AShelnsaT.
Ednor, is on a Sunlmer-lono
tour of the Orient. The follo1v-
ing is a story she t0rote from
Hong Kong:
By Margaret Ashelman
HONG KONG (By Air MaiD
When we sighted the first of
the mountainous islands near
Hong Kong, saw the lights of
Kowloon peninsula reckoning
across the water, swooped down
on the finger of land made two
years ago from a mountain into
a jet air strip, and watched
the pink sky dim behind the
jagged peaks surrounding the
harbor, 1 realized all the labels
for Hong Kong-Pearl of the
East, Jewel of the fitted
so well l could probably invent
no new ones.
But even though Tokyo was
crowded tits ten million peo-
pie total more than the whole
population of Australia l was
unprepared for the flood of hui
mainly. that greeted me as soon
as we stepped out of our air
conditioned western-style hotel.
Near the dock wharves of the
Kowloon peninsula w h e r e
carved teak chests are made in
small streetside factory-shops,
children squat on the sidewalk
eating with their chopsticks
from a bowl, toting little broth
er on their backs. Sometimes
the older sister nursemaids are
no more than six or seven them
selves.
People are Hong Kong's great
est problem-and opportunity
Although the city has 20 reser-
voirs for rain storage and is
building more, water must be
shut off for five hours daily to
conserve the present supply.
This is supposed to be the rainy
season: more than 80 inches
fall a year. What will happen
as the city's population grows
not only in the usual way but
as refugees continue to enter
legally and unofficially?
Water, housing, sanitary IA
cilities and controls, employ
ment-these are the problems
of any city, but in Hong Kong
problems grow sometimes to
nightmare size. Housing short
ages are so severe that many
firms are forced to build apart
ment houses for their workers
In order to keep their stats.
Blasting goes on daily, as ten
and fifteen story luxury apart
ments shoot up against the spec
tacular mountains ringing the
congested flat areas near har-
bors and bays. Builders of apart
ments often get all their origin.
al investment back by the end
of five years. But the amount
of new housing is never enough,
especially for middle and low
income groups. People rent
stairways for small businesses,
or alleys, space in courtyards
to erect a shed or canvas shelter
to live inf the landlord agrees
at an outlandish price. Of
course the influx of refugees
has made the problem even
more acute. The colonial gov
eminent has been working en-
ergetically to build apartments
for refugees. Many seven or
eight-story buildings testify to
these efforts. Schools and school
play areas are on the roof. and
are usually run by church or
CARNATIONS. Balconies run all
the way around the buildings,
and act as corridors, extra liv-
ing space and book seats for
watching the hawkers and peo-
pie of all kinds in the court
yards below.
Washing, bathing, and toilet
facilities are centrally located
in one section. Each family, no
matter how large, has a ten by
ten foot room in which cooking,
sleeping and all other activi.
ties are carried on except those
In the public areas. Such an
apartment seems meager in
deed to us, but it has an iron
grille to lock it up when the
family is away, and is infinitely
better than the corrugated iron
or flimsy board shacks so many
families are living in, waiting
til their number is drawn and
they are lucky enough to move
into a government apartment.