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Kong and Kowloon, and 5 for leave reserve. There are 20 new posts of Office/Workshop Assistant; of these, 8 are for Head Office, 4 for the Hawkers and Markets Offices, Hong Kong and Kowloon, 4 for the Scavenging and Conservancy Sections, and 4 for the Transport section; the increase in these posts is partially offset by a reduction of 4 posts of Office Attendant which will be redundant. An additional Telephone Operator is required for the Central Market Office switch board, and to provide a leave reserve for the two operators employed at Head Office.
2 Senior Health Inspectors are required to take charge of new health districts; 7 posts of Health Inspector were deleted during the year, owing partly to examination failures, and partly to transfers to other departments, 20 additional posts are required w.e.f. 1/10/58, which together with the existing vacancies will absorb the number of Probationary Health Inspectors which it is anticipated will pass the examinations in September, 1958. In continuance of the approved policy of expanding the Inspectorate to enable better coverage of health districts to be achieved, it is again proposed to recruit 48 Probationary Health Inspectors for training; only 45 new posts are required as there are existing vacancies.
The Pest Control Section requires increases of staff amounting to 1 Pest Control Assistant, 6 Pest Control Foremen and 9 Pest Control Coolies, in order to deal effectively with the increased number of complaints received from the public regarding rodent and domestic insect pest infestations; 4 Pest Control Overseers are also needed to provide more immediate supervision of the junior staff employed in the section.
Because of the rapid progress of building development in the urban area, particularly in Kowloon, it is necessary to expand considerably the scavenging services, necessitating the acquisition of additional refuse collecting vehicles and barges, and an increase of staff amounting to 5 Overseers, 2 Foremen Class I, 8 Gangers, 3 Motor drivers, and 159 Sanitary Coolies. In an effort to clean up streets and hawker sites which cannot be scavenged by day owing to obstruction by crowds, 2 Gangers and 24 Sanitary Coolies are needed to form two night sweeping gangs. It is necessary to reinforce the small staff dealing with sanitation in squatter areas, especially on Hong Kong Island: 3 Gangers and 30 Sanitary Coolies are provided for this purpose.
To achieve better supervision of the junior officers in various sections of the depart- ment, the following staff are needed:-1 Overseer (Cemeteries), 1 Overseer (Gin Drinkers Bay refuse dump), 2 Foremen Class II (Land Transport, Hong Kong and Kowloon), 5 Gangers (female) (Latrines and bathhouses), 1 Ganger (Repulse Bay beach). An additional 20 Overseers are required to enable the ever growing population of hawkers to be brought under some form of elementary control.
Increased cleansing of markets accounts for some of the additional posts of Foremen Class II (1), Foremen Class III (3), Gangers (11) and Sanitary Coolies (30).
An extension of the street washing programme entails extra posts of Special drivers
(9), Gangers (15) and Sanitary Coolies (90).
Three mechanical dumpers are being provided to assist in the transport of earth coverage at the Gin Drinkers Bay refuse dump, and 3 Artisans Class I are required to operate these machines; the other extra post of Artisan Class I is for renumbering headstones at Wo Hop Shek Cemetery to replace the present expensive contract system.
The title "Beach Guard and Rural Cleanser" has been changed to "Life Guard and Rural Cleanser", to indicate more appropriately the nature of the duties performed.
Turtle Cove beach has become very popular, and 2 Life Guards are required there to safeguard the lives of swimmers. Fourteen Sanitary Coolies are needed for scavenging duties at beaches, duties which had previously been carried out only on a part-time basis by the Life Guards.
The rapid growth of food shops both in Hong Kong and Kowloon makes necessary the recruitment of additional gangs of meat porters to keep up with the increased deliveries of meat; staff required are 2 Gangers and 24 Sanitary Coolies.
A total of 82 casual labourers are regraded as Sanitary Coolies, 22 of whom are required for carrying coffins at Wo Hop Shek Cemetery; the remaining 60, who are employed at the Gin Drinkers Bay refuse dump, will continue to be paid at daily rates; 20 posts of Sanitary Coolie are deleted following the transfer of the responsibility for scavenging in resettlement estates to the Resettlement Department. An extra 10 Watchmen are required, 6 at the depart- mental garages and 2 at the Diamond Hill Crematorium; these posts are offset by a reduction of 8 Sanitary Coolies who are carrying out the duties at present. The remaining 2 posts are needed for the Victoria Park Swimming Pool.