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Since we have offered the hawkers no rights they are at everyone's mercy. Recently some of them told me that they have to pay graft to Hawker Control Force, Police, sanitary coolies and protection racketeers, bullies. If they refuse they are in trouble: summonses for obstruction are all too easy to write out and a hawker will seldom plead not guilty because that would delay the case in court and waste his time; he would have little chance of winning the case anyhow, and could never afford to pay solicitors. It, is cheaper to pay a bribe than go to COU several times a month.
wo years ago the hawkers tried to stop the corruption rackets. They gave më pists of the places and times whero money was collected, and by whom.
I gave the facts of one area for investigation, but withheld names until I could have assurance that the witnesses would be protected from victimisation. The invostigation proved that corruption did exist, but the effort was stopped by the following statement which originated with the Advisory Committee on Corruption:
"The Police could not proceed with the case unless the informers were interviewed. The Police could not give a guarantee that the informer would not be prosecuted because if it should be disclosed that he had committed an offence the Police were bound by law to take action. The "offences" for which such action would be taken were named: "the offer of a bribe" or "membership of a triad society". This makes it completely impossible ever to stop corruption because it provides complete protection for the corrupt official, and no protection for any hawker, since they are all forced to pay or stop operating; moreover, it is easy to prove anyone a menberof a triad society, since evidence on this is often only hearsay; and indeed, hawkers live in fear of this kind of framing.
Newcomers to Hong Kong are usually told by influential people in their departments that bribery is a way of life of the Chinese. This was probably true a century ago (and not only in China), and it is true among certain types of unscrupulous rich and influential people. In Hong Kong today, poor people only offer bribes when they cannot earn a livelihood otherwise. The poor do not offer bribes unless they know they are absolutely required. I have dealt with tens of thousands of cases, and have only once been offered a bribe.
This state of affairs cannot go on indefinitely. There is always the danger of creating a situation where men find it easier to die than to struggle to live. In the past the hawkers were easily controlled because they operated very much as individuals. Now they are pushed together in such numbers that they are beginning to consider collective action. They have made some suggestions in the hope of finding a reasonable and peaceful solution, and below I have listed Jomo of those idens:
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1. The size 3' x 4' is too small and that is why hawkers try to get several sites.
Diferent trades require different sizes. Goods are bought in fixed quantities and as the stalls are too small, they must cause obstructions.
2. Stalls should not be placed in blocks of four. This is inconvenient for shoppers and wasteful of space. The hawkers end by breaking the law because it is not practicable. The stalls should be placed together in long rows, and they should be two or three times longer.
3. All hawker bazaars should be classified, including those in resettlement
estates. One stroot should be "cloth strect", one "fruit Street" and so on, so that shoppers know whore to go for what, they want to buy.
1. The Department should employ experts who will examine the problems, try to find out the circumstances of the hawkers and allocate the sites according to the needs of a family. The stalls could then be rented out in classes: A $60; B: $40; C $20, and so on.
5. The hawkers have no good to say of the Urban Council. The Council should
accept at least some part of the advice offered by hawkers; if not, what is the point in having unions and representatives? This year is the worst ever, and poses a grave social threat. Some hawkers have already taken to robbery as a way of living.
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This year there are 300% more hawkers, in 1949; business is becoming loss and less, but they are being harrassed more than ever.
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Hawkers are, generally speaking, law-abiding people, but, they are at the meray of lawbreaking H.C.F., Police, Sanitary coolies, Pest Control workers, and bullies. They have no means of redress except to fight, and when they do this,
• the hawkers are blamed. Complaints never reach the ears of the Urban Council or the Governor.