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Water Supply.
24. Work on the provision of a water supply for Tsuen Wan was completed and street fountains were opened to the public in September 1933. A scheme for levying water rates in the village is now under consideration.
Reclamation.
25. Of the two reclamations by private enterprise mentioned in the last annual report, one has been finally abandoned and the other, at Tai O, is progressing slowly. There is reason to hope that it will be completed during 1934.
Hygiene.
26. The Government travelling Dispensary attends to the needs of the mainland villages and a Medical Officer pays regular visits to the Islands. Reports indicate that these services are more and more appreciated by the villagers.
27. The St. John Ambulance Brigade have completed plans for the building of a modern hospital at Cheung Chau which is in the course of erection. The Sham Tseng Dispensary, the gift of a private individual, has been completed and will shortly be in working order.
Tai O.
28. It has been a very quiet year at Tai O. The fishing season, on the success of which the village depends, was again a failure. In a normal year the Wong Fa catch is reckoned to yield 10,000 piculs. In 1933 it barely reached 4,000 piculs, and in addition there was a decline in price from $18 per picul to $12.
29. The following table shows approximately the results of the fishing season.
Price per picul Ma Yau $18.00 Herrings 14.00 Wong Fa 12.00 Shrimps 6.00 360 piculs 400 4,000 1,000These are very poor figures, though hardly worse than last year, with the exception of the Herring catch which has dropped from 3,500 piculs in 1932.
30. Rice and vegetable crops were good and poultry farmers also enjoyed satisfactory results. The tiny village of Yee O alone exported 6,000 ducks to Hong Kong during the year.
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