0003160 G.F. 316
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2
pedestrian traffic, render road cleansing and maintenance
difficult and may present a serious health hazard.
4.
The number of hawkers operating on the streets of
the Colony varies from day to day and depends, to some
extent, on climatic or seasonal conditions, on the general
level of the Colony's economic prosperity and the availa-
bility of work in other fields. Currently the largest
concentrations of hawkers are found in Wanchai, Western,
Shaukiwan and Chaiwan on Hong Kong Island, in Sham Shui Po,
Wong Tai Sin, Mongkok and Kwun Tong districts in Kowloon and
in Tsuen Wan and Yuen Long in the New Territories.
5.
An examination of Urban Services Department (U.S.D.)
records has revealed that in December, 1968, some 31,000
persons were licensed to operate as hawkers in the urban
areas, These records, which are summarised at Annex 'A',
reveal that there are slightly less than 10,000 static
'fixed pitch' hawkers and that all other licensed hawkers
are classified as itinerant. The number of licence
holders decreased slightly in early 1969 and by the 31st
of March U.S.D. records indicated that there were only
27,800 licence holders. These diminishing numbers, however,
do not necessarily indicate any overall reduction in the
number of hawkers as those who have failed to renew their
licences may have joined the estimated 30,000 unlicensed
hawkers.
6.
The statistics showing the location and trade of
static licensed hawkers given in Annex 'A' must be considered with caution as these details concern only licensed static
hawkers. Many of both the licensed itinerant hawkers and the unlicensed hawkers in fact operate from 'fixed pitch'
stalls.
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/Hawker