186
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Assistant; 62 Sanitary Coolies; and 1 Cleaner, totalling 110. Of these only 9 Overseers and 6 Sanitary Coolies are engaged solely on Hawker duties.
(d) I was not consulted before this modification but I must emphasize firstly that there was no obligation on the part of the Police to raise the issue beforehand and secondly, all this was by way of experiment and thirdly that, basically, the plan was identical with that advocated by the Department about August, 1958; i.e. to clean up areas and put hawkers into line, but without ballotting (as we and the Police simply had not got the staff to run any more bazaars).
(e) The Select Committee was similarly not consulted but this matter was brought to their attention at the first meeting thereafter on the 26th January. The present questions were, in fact, submitted as a result of this meeting and were allowed under Standing Order 8(1) in view of the public interest in this problem.
Since then the following points, which were a little obscure, have been cleared up. It has been agreed that-
(i) Streets chosen for Hawkers must not be too close to the Hawker Demonstration Areas.
(ii) Within these streets the Police must help to ensure that pedlars do not put up fixtures.
(iii) All such streets must be cleared for scavenging purposes every night.
(iv) Pedlar hawkers must not be tolerated in Resettlement Estates outside the Hawker Bazaars already established.
(v) Hawker lines must not be sited in front of fixed pitches.
(vi) No hawker stalls must be moved without reference to this Department.
(vii) The Police must continue to assist in the event of unlicensed hawkers, particularly in Hawker Demonstration Areas and Bazaars and all Food for man hawkers and unlicensed Cooked food hawkers.
Discussions are still proceeding and Members of the Select Committee will be kept fully informed of any radical changes.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
187
MR. KAN:--One supplementary question. With reference to your sub-paragraph (e) of your reply, if it is not considered that the Select Committee should be consulted beforehand, why was it necessary for the Assistant Director to mention, to bring the attention of members of the Policy Select Committee to this matter at their meeting which was convened for a particular purpose where there was not even an "other business" item on the agenda.
CHAIRMAN: -It was I that brought this matter to the attention of the meeting and I simply did so because I am most keen that the Select Committee should be kept informed of all developments.
MR. SALES—It is not my intention to ask supplementary questions, but it is only a question of clarification. How do you reconcile the opening sentence of your paragraph (a) with the expression "did modify their action in certain fields"?
CHAIRMAN: That first sentence is not related to the later paragraph. It is related directly to your question. Your question referred to relaxation and even abandonment.
MR. SALES: You assure this Council that this is not a contradiction in terms?
CHAIRMAN: It is not a contradictory term.
ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN.
Before we conclude I should like, as has already been done by one member of this Council, in this case to express my personal thanks to Mr. John Ferris for the good work he has done in the post of Secretary over the past two years. He is shortly proceeding on leave and will be succeeded by Mr. J. V. G. Mitchell who is known to many of you in the Resettlement Department.
MR. FUNG PING FAN:-On behalf of my nominated Unofficial Colleagues on this Council I have much pleasure in associating myself with your remarks about my friend Mr. Ferris who has served this Council so well and faithfully. Members have always received helpful co-operation and every courtesy from Mr. Ferris and it has always been a pleasure to work with him. We wish him and his family an enjoyable holiday and it also affords me great pleasure to welcome Mr. Mitchell as Mr. Ferris' successor, and I wish him every happiness and success in his new responsibilities.
MR. BERNACCHI-On behalf of the Reform Club members I would associate myself with these remarks of yours, Mr. Chairman, on Mr. Ferris. I will not indulge in any eulogy for the simple reason that we hope we shall have Mr. Ferris back with us again.
Page 101 of 10
Page 101
Page 101
186
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Assistant; 62 Sanitary Coolies; and 1 Cleaner, totalling 110. Of these only 9 Overseers and 6 Sanitary Coolies are engaged solely on Hawker duties.
(d) I was not consulted before this modification but I must emphasize firstly that there was no obligation on the part of the Police to raise the issue beforehand and secondly, all this was by way of experiment and thirdly that, basically, the plan was identical with that advocated by the Department about August, 1958; ie. to clean up areas and put hawkers into line, but without ballotting (as we and the Police simply had not got the staff to run any more bazaars).
(e) The Select Committee was similarly not consulted but this matter was brought to their attention at the first meeting thereafter on the 26th January. The present questions were, in fact, submitted as a result of this meet- ing and were allowed under Standing Order 8(1) in view of the Public interest in this problem.
Since then the following points, which were a little obscure,
have been cleared up. It has been agreed that-
(i) Streets chosen for Hawkers must not to be too
close to the Hawker Demonstration Areas.
(ii) Within these streets the Police must help to ensure that pedlars do not put up fixtures.
(iii) All such streets must be cleared for scavenging
purposes every night.
(iv) Pedlar hawkers must not be tolerated in Resettle- ment Estates outside the Hawker Bazaars already established.
(v) Hawker lines must not be sited in front of fixed
pitches.
(vi) No hawker stalls must be moved without refer-
ence to this Department.
(vii) The Police must continue to assist in the event of unlicensed hawkers, particularly in Hawker Demonstration Areas and Bazaars and all Food for man hawkers and unlicensed Cooked food hawkers.
Discussions are still proceeding and Members of the Select Committee will be kept fully informed of any radical changes,"
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
187
MR. KAN:--One supplementary question. With reference to your sub-paragraph (e) of your reply, if it is not considered that the Select Committee should be consulted beforehand, why was it necessary for the Assistant Director to mention, to bring the attention of members of the Policy Select Committee to this matter at their meeting which was convened for a particular purpose where there was not even an "other business" item on the agenda.
CHAIRMAN: -It was I that brought this matter to the attention of the meeting and I simply did so because I am most keen that the Select Committee should be kept informed of all developments.
MR. SALES—It is not my intention to ask supplementary questions, but it is only a question of clarification. How do you reconcile the opening sentence of your paragraph (a) with the expression "did modify their action in certain fields"?
CHAIRMAN: That first sentence is not related to the later para- graph. It is related directly to your question. Your question referred to relaxation and even abandonment.
MR. SALES: You assure this Council that this is not a contradic- tion in terms?
CHAIRMAN: It is not a contradictory term.
ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN.
Before we conclude I should like, as has already been done by one member of this Council, in this case to express my personal thanks to Mr. John Ferris for the good work he has done in the post of Secretary over the past two years. He is shortly proceeding on leave and will be succeeded by Mr. J. V. G. Mitchell who is known to many of you in the Resettlement Department.
MR. FUNG PING FAN:-On behalf of my nominated Unofficial Colleagues on this Council I have much pleasure in associating myself with your remarks about my friend Mr. Ferris who has served this Council so well and faithfully. Members have always received helpful co-operation and every courtesy from Mr. Ferris and it has always been a pleasure to work with him. We wish him and his family an enjoyable holiday and it also affords me great pleasure to welcome Mr. Mitchell as Mr. Ferris' successor, and I wish him every happiness and success in his new responsibilities.
MR. BERNACCHI-On behalf of the Reform Club members I would associate myself with these remarks of yours, Mr. Chairman, on Mr. Ferris. I will not indulge in any eulogy for the simply reason that we hope we shall have Mr. Ferris back with us again.
Page 101 of 10
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.