XN000022-1982-05-04 — Page 8

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 1982

SOMETHING NEW ON FA YUEN STREET

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THE PAVEMENTS ARE DRY, THE ROAD SURFACE IS CLEAR, AND THE GUTTERS ARE LITTER-FREE FA YUEN STREET IS NOW A CLEAN STREET.

LOOKING AT THIS MONG KOK BYWAY, WHICH IS A BUSY HAWKERS' MARKET, ONE FINDS IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT FIVE MONTHS AGO IT WAS CONSIDERED A LITTER BLACK SPOT.

AT THAT TIME, THE STREET WAS A PRIME TARGET IN THE BLOCK-TO- BLOCK URBAN CLEANSING STRATEGY OF THE FIRST PHASE OF THE CLEAN HONG KONG CAMPAIGN. ACCORDINGLY, URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT CLEAN-UP SQUADS MOVED IN TO DO THEIR JOB.

WHEN THEY MOVED OUT, THEY LEFT FA YUEN STREET CLEANER THAN IT HAD EVER BEEN BEFORE, BUT THE FACT THAT THE STREET IS CLEAN TO THIS DAY IS A CREDIT TO THE EFFORTS OF TWO MEN.

MR LO WING SELLS VEGETABLES AND MR NG KWOK CHEUNG SELLS HOUSEHOLD ACCESSORIES. IN JANUARY, THEY INITIATED A SELF-FINANCED REFUSE COLLECTION SERVICE FOR THE 200 HAWKERS ON THE STREET.

AT THE MIDDLE AND THE END OF EACH WORKING DAY CONTRACTED RUBBISH COLLECTORS COME TO THE MARKET AND EMPTY THE RED PLASTIC LITTER BINS WITH WHICH EVERY STALL HAS BEEN EQUIPPED.

THIS IS THE FIRST SUCH SERVICE IN KOWLOON THERE ARE TWO ON HONG KONG ISLAND -- AND IT WAS INSPIRED BY THE CLEAN-UP THAT TOOK PLACE DURING THE CAMPAIGN'S FIRST PHASE.

THE STRUCTURE WAS ALREADY THERE IN THE FORM OF TWO MUTUAL AID COMMITTEES WHICH HAVE BEEN IN EXISTENCE SINCE 1974 AND EMBRACE ALL THE HAWKERS ON FA YUEN STREET,

AS CHAIRMEN OF THE TWO COMMITTEES, MR LO AND MR NG SUCCESSFULLY SOLD THE IDEA TO THE MEMBERS BY EMPHASISING, +CLEAN STALLS WILL ATTRACT MORE CUSTOMERS AND INCREASE BUSINESS. +

*AND THE SERVICE COSTS ONLY $12 A MONTH FOR EACH MEMBER, + MR LO ADDED.

THE MOVE WAS ALSO WELCOMED BY THE USD, WHICH COLLECTS ABOUT FOUR TONNES OF RUBBISH IN MONG KOK NIGHTLY.

A USD SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE STANDARD PRACTICE OF HAWKERS EVERYWHERE WAS TO DUMP RUBBISH AT THE END OF THE STREET, TO BE PICKED UP EVERY NIGHT BY DEPARTMENT REFUSE COLLECTORS.

+ BUT THE HAWKERS OF FA YUEN STREET HAVE RELIEVED US OF THIS BURDEN THERE, HE SAID, AND I HOPE OTHER HAWKER MARKETS FOLLOW THEIR EXAMPLE.+

IN THIS REGARD, HE WAS PLEASED TO NOTE THAT PLANS WERE ON HAND TO SET UP A SIMILAR SERVICE AMONG THE HAWKERS ON YAU MA TE'S RECLAMATION STREET.

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