XN000022-1975-02-17 — Page 2

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1975

SPECIAL HAWKING AREAS TO BE SET UP

TWENTY-SIX REPRESENTATIVES OF HAWKER ASSOCIATIONS WERE BRIEFED THIS AFTERNOON BY MR. JAMES SO, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF URBAN SERVICES (KOWLOON VEST

STREETS IN KOWLOON FOR AN EXPERIMENT OHAN TO SET ASIDE 15

ON HARKIES...

UNDER THE SCHEME, HAYKERS WILL BE PERMITTED TO CARRY ON THEIR BUSINESS INSIDE SIX HAWKER-PERMITTED AREAS WHILE HAWKING BEYOND THEM WILL BE PROHIBITED EXCEPT DY LICENSED STALL-HOLDERS.

THESE SIX AREAS ARE IN YAU MA TEI, MONG KOK, SHAN SHUI PO AND SAN PO KONG.

MR. SO TOLD THE HAWKEN REPRESENTATIVES THAT THE SCHEME RECOGNISES THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE AN HONEST LIVING IN SPECIFIED AREAS WITHOUT CAUSING UNDUE INCONVENIENCE AND NUISANCE TO THE PUBLIC. PARTICULARLY NOW THAT HAWKERS HAVE INCREASED IN NUMBERS IN THE WAKE OF THE ECONOMIC RECESSION.❖

THE ESSENCE OF THE SCHEME, HE SAID, WAS TO PROVIDE A PLACE WHERE HAWKERS COULD EARN AN HONEST LIVING, PROVIDED THERE WAS NO SERIOUS OBSTRUCTION, NUISANCE OR HEALTH AND FIRE RISKS.

UNDER THE SCHEME, HAWKER-PERMITTED AREAS WILL DE THOROUGHLY CLEANSED AT THE CLOSE OF THE DAY'S DUSINESS AND HAWKERS WOULD BE STRONGLY ADVISED NOT TO LEAVE ANY TRADING EQUIPMENT AND GOODS BEHIND.

THE HAWKER REPRESENTATIVES SUGGESTED THAT LICENSED HAUKERS SHOULD BE ACCOMMODATED IN THE HAWKER-PERMITTED AREAS FINST.

THEY PROPOSED THAT SPACES IN THE HAWKER-PERMITTED AREAS BE DEMARCATED BEFORE BEING ALLOCATED TO HAUKKERS.

THE REPRESENTATIVES ALSO CALLED FOR THE ISSUE OF MONE HAWKER LICENCES AND THE SETTING UP OF MORE HAUKER-PERMITTED AREAS,

THEY EXPRESSED DOUBT THAT THE HAWKER-PERMITTED AREAS COULD ACCOMMODATE ALL HAWKERS IN THE DISTRICTS COVERED, AND SAID THAT THEY EXPECTED THERE WOULD BE CHAOS AND FRICTION BETWEEN HAUKERS.

IN REPLY. MR. SO STRESSED THAT THE PRESENT SCHEME WAS EXPERIMENTAL AND WOULD DE CARRIES CUT ON A LIMITED SCALE.

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