Dear
Yishe
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your
formation
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انناه
struggling against this exupply com the real root of discontent in the 216 Prince Edward Road,
Kowloon.
16th. August, 1968.
At the last meeting where the hawker policy problem was discusse^ I withheld my opinion because I could not fully agree with either side in the argument.
I agree wộth Mr. Sales that the Hawkers Select Committee needs some reconstruction. To have committeas in all areas dealing with local problems seems a very practical approach to the problem. There is also something to be said for Nr. Bernacchi's opinion that delay in chenging policy is the fault of the Government rather than the fault of the Council, since plans have been shelved
However, I strongly disagree with Mr. Bernacchi's clain that
the problem could be solved by increasing the Hawker Control Force. Even where the H.C.F. operates, they do not attempt to control illegal sale of meat, or hawking in illegal sites. A meat hawker reported that each one has to pay $5 o day to soll meat illegally. To increase the HCF might even result in furvhez discontent among hawkers. The force as it stands should be scrapped, and replacod by a small number of well-trained and well-paid hawker advisors, who should be held responsible if illegal activities continue; however, some of the by-laws should be relaxed, as it is impossible to apply some of them.
The idea of a new committee with wider membership is good, provided that the final word rests with unofficials. Hawker representatives al meetings should be genuine hawkers and not rich men disguised as hawkers.
No plan, however, is of any use so long as soft-pedalling on corruption continues. This corrupt system belongs to the past and is not suitable today: it can only lead to further unrest and attacks on corrupt officials.
Officialdom strenuously denies that corruption is widespread,
that
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4 lane 2006.
Co show thr en mölüml fanta:
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1. An ex-policeman (Chinese) made the following sworn statement:
I was
"One day as I was on patrol I passed through Amoy Street and saw there a corked food stall, I checked on it and found that it did not have a licence. just about to take action when the owner of the stall came to me and said, "This stall belongs to your superior (named). Don't you touch it.'
"On another occasion as I was passing by the junction of Fleming Road and Thomson Road I saw another cooked food stall occupying a lot of space. I demanded from the owner to see his licence, but he said, 'This is the property of XXX (my superion there is nothing you can do about it.
This Chinese policeman was later framed and dismissed from the force. He reportedA to the Anti-corruption Branch, but heard nothing more about it, except that he was questioned about his own financial position.
2. A signed statement from a By
Pritish policeman tells the same tale:
"A point was made of infroming me of the unofficial maxim of the Force: Get o11 the wagon and enjoy the view; walk beside the wagon and see nothing; or thy to upset the wagon, in which case it will crush you.'
"Hawkers guilty of obstruction offences were detained in a police station without being subsequently charged, as a kind of "summary"runishment although the law provides no authority for such detention.
"Offences of a minor nature such as obstructions, about which members of the public had complained were not effectively dealt with, and attempts to organise effective action to clear up these problems were ignored by my senior officers This policeman was also framed and dismissed. No investigation was made when. he protested.
+
In case these two cases should be called "second-hand "ezidence, I submit the following cases, which any、ne can inspect any day:
summonsco
3. An unlicensed newspaper hawker took up an illegal site near a restaurant. A
nearby licensed newspaper hawker at once began to receive numerous for obstruction, while the unlicensed hawker encroached with impunity on his site. I have visited these two stalls on numerous aceasions, and this is true.
4. In a Resettlement Estate is a whole area of unlicensed hawkers. One huge stali
sells meat, and I have documentary proof that the police visited the area and sop the meat stall but took no action. Residents say that the hawkers pay $5 to
7.50 to operate there, daily.
Yours sincerely,
Elgie
卵