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PENN
We don't believe enforcement of health and cruelty laws is seriously intended. A year or so ago the then Secretary of the Hong Kong SPCA, preparing a case against the draier Shing Lee Hong, 'phoned the Director's staff for the licencee's name.
Bovey
To our amazoment we were told that the shop was unlicenced. They had applied for a licence some time ago, but this had been refused because it didn't come up to standard.
Now this seems to me quite amazing. Here was a shop which was advertising quite openly in the Yellow Pages - one of the largest recognised animal dealers in Hong Kong, and yet it was operating illegally presumably with the blessing of the
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The shop operated illegally and openly for at least four years, and in late 1971 it was 're-legitimised' by the legal somersault that
I described earlier.
Nichols
T
They were technically unlicenceable, but it was considered - not by this Department alone I might add that it would have been
wrong to have enforced a technicality of the law upon them when there was every intention of changing the law.
TAPE 1 ENDS and TAPE 2 BEGINS.
PENN
Further accommodations cano in a more recent law which legitimised animal sales in a big Communist store, and introduced greater flexibility in animal housing in the shops. But legal amendments are academic anyway unless enforcement is intended. According to the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, no prosecutions were requested against any major
shop - which means retrunist affiliated ones by either the SPCA or Agriculture and Fisheries in the 17 months up to May 1970, despite
what we've heard.
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The Society's ex-Secretary Sheila Bovey, now in England, describes restraints imposed on her by her own Committee.
Bovey
Well, in the first place I was told I should never speak to the newspapers. I was also told I must not upset the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, because they belonged to Government and because the SPCA were given a large subvention from Government
they did not want to lose this.
I was warned not to upset the leftwing animal dealers, partly
by certain members of the Committec, the Vice-Chairman, but
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