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hawking towards the factories by concentrating hawkers into suitable areas where they do not obstruct and can operate more hygienically and by whittling down existing able-bodied licensees in certain categories in favour of those who need licences on welfare grounds. I still think that every opportunity ought to be taken to deter potential hawkers and to encourage those who might tend to seek a living this way rather to move up the scale of the retail trade into market stalls or small shops or to seek industrial or other employment.

As for the congestion caused by hawking, it seems to me that the attempts which both the Police and the Control Force have to make to prevent undue obstruction of the public streets by hawkers represent a highly distasteful and difficult task which is being discharged generally speaking with humanity and in a commendable manner. I do think it important that this Council should give full support to all reasonable measures of control. Such measures may of course easily appear to a bystander to be unreasonable; may I quote an example: I was walking through a congested street in Yau Ma Tei with senior police officers about 10.30 p.m. one evening a few weeks ago and was told that pedlar hawkers had been concentrated on a disused plot, each with a barrow or movable stall measuring three feet by four feet; it was essential that they should not enlarge these if all of them were going to have space to operate. We had a look round this area and only two or three out of several dozen such stalls had got wooden extensions beyond the limit; the whole thing had been explained very carefully by the police to the hawkers, who all knew perfectly well, I am sure, that they must not go outside the measurements laid down. In these two or three cases the hawkers were asked immediately to remove the additional trays and extensions, which were packed with fruit. A passer-by might perhaps have thought, watching this incident, that the police were acting in a high-handed manner; in fact my impression was that they had shown a great deal of patience in trying to get the hawkers to keep within bounds and that it was quite essential to have those extensions removed on the spot if the whole set-up in this area was not going to break down completely; I am sure many other examples could be given. I should like to make a plea that those who are trying to preserve a measure of orderliness and to enable citizens to go about their business unobstructed should not be hastily judged in relation to a very trying and difficult task; I do not think that it would be fair to suggest that they have any wish to deprive individual hawkers of their means of livelihood.

One has to recognize that there is no easy answer to the problems of competition for space and obstruction of movement in our cities; we can only proceed by compromise and give-and-take if the situation, for the hawkers and for the rest of the public, is to remain tolerable. Members of this Council play an invaluable part in keeping these

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problems within bounds, particularly my colleagues who devote so much of their time and energy to the work of the Hawkers Select Committee, both at meetings and in observing the situation on the ground. I suggest, Mr. Chairman, that we can only continue to work in close concert with the Council's own Hawker Control Force and with the Police in striving to maintain the delicate balance between the requirements of the public at large to go about their business without undue impediment and the needs of the hawkers to make a living.

Mr. Chairman, I have pleasure in supporting the motion. (Applause).

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: -Mr. Chairman, as usual Members covered a very wide range of subjects, and many of the matters raised concern the Public Works Department. I do not think that Members would wish to sit here while I answer them in detail, but I shall try to cover the main points in general terms.

First, I would like to thank Members for their forbearance when speaking of water. Water, as the Honourable F. S. LI pointed out, is of great concern to this Council; it is essential for good sanitation and for high standards of cleansing. The Water Authority and his staff are doing all they can to increase the yields from existing sources, and to develop new sources of supply which will provide significant yields in the spring and summer of 1964.

Last month our consultants visited Hong Kong for on-the-spot studies of the latest proposals for sea water distillation, and we expect their final report before the end of this month. We are already making good use of the sea around us; over three-quarters of a million people are using salt water for flushing, and the numbers are increasing daily. Seven million gallons a day are being used, and to meet the demands of new development our present installations are sufficient to provide 20 million gallons daily. The value of sea water has not been ignored in our past planning, and it will not be overlooked in our future planning.

Any survey of the water situation would not be complete without a reference to the Tanker Operation. On January 1st over 600 voyages had been made since the operation started at the end of June, and a total of 1,856 million gallons of water had been brought in. In spite of increased salinity, and the need to go higher up the river with its restricted loading facilities, the tankers brought in a record of 375 million gallons in December, a figure which represents 35% of our consumption for that month, and 86% of our total yield for that month. An operation of this magnitude and complexity must be unique in the world. To the Director of Marine and his staff who are responsible for the day-to-day planning of the operation, as well as to the Captains and crews of the Tankers, I offer my thanks.