1967 — Page 81

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MINUTES.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 4th July, 1967 were confirmed.

PAPERS.

THE CHAIRMAN laid upon the table the following papers: ---

(1) Report on the work of the Urban Council and Urban Services Department for the month of July, 1967. (2) Urban Council and Urban Services Department Statistical Report for the period 1st April, 1967 to 30th June, 1967. (3) Report by the Commissioner for Resettlement on the progress of clearance and resettlement operations during the period 1st April, 1967 to 30th June, 1967.

MR. BERNACCHI:- Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Hawkers Select Committee, I think it is incumbent on me to make a report on the unlicensed hawker position now prevailing, arising out of the report of the Urban Council for the three months passed that you have just laid on the table. Within the months of June and July I have had to make two public statements in my capacity as Chairman of this Select Committee, and I fully appreciate that the Government is aware of the hawker position. On the other hand, I am not so certain that members of the public are so aware of the present position. Perhaps it is an indirect result of the troubled conditions that Hong Kong is going through, but in recent weeks our licensed hawkers have been absolutely swamped by unlicensed hawkers trading alongside them with almost no interference by the authorities. Up to May of this year the licensed hawkers, even pedlar hawkers, were able to make quite a decent living if he or she worked hard enough. Especially as most licensed hawkers use one or more of their children, when their children are not going to school, as assistants, and indeed the Hawkers Select Committee has already made provision for up to two children of a licensed hawker to go on the licence as assistants. Now, however, with the enormous competition that has grown up from unlicensed hawkers, hardly anyone is able to make enough to meet even the necessities of life. I do not think that the problem of the unlicensed hawkers is just because the police have been otherwise occupied; I think it is a direct result of the fact that because of the disturbances, some factories have been laying off part of their labour force and other workmen, especially workwomen who reside a long way from their place of work, are unable to afford the increased transportation cost and take to unlicensed hawking near their homes instead. I do not suggest a solution to this problem although I think I can say, with confidence, that this Council through the Hawkers Select Committee will do everything possible to co-operate in finding a solution.

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Having made these general remarks, I would like to call the Council's attention specifically to certain types of unlicensed hawkers and hawking, namely, the unlicensed hawking of fresh food especially raw meat and raw fish and the unlicensed hawking of cooked food. The former has always been a worry to this Council, and as regards whole fish I have not myself given up the idea of a scheme whereby we could license the hawkers to sell whole fish in conditions of comparative safety, although I appreciate that some members of this Council do not think that this will be possible. At the moment, however, large numbers of unlicensed hawkers are hawking fresh meat, fresh fish and cooked food in a manner which is a complete danger to public health. We do at least license cooked food vendors, although it is a policy of this Council at the present time not to issue new cooked food licences. The licensed cooked food stalls are inspected by the health staff and by and large sell food in a reasonably satisfactory condition. The illegal hawkers of cooked food, however, hawk on a very small wheel barrow or even a basket in completely insanitary conditions, and I have already appealed to the public not to buy from such unlicensed hawkers. When they are charged, more often than not, they are charged with unlicensed hawking amongst a body of unlicensed hawkers that are not hawking food-stuffs, but some other, fairly innocuous, goods, such as perhaps haberdashery, and therefore are given only a small fine. We have by-laws as to how cooked food is to be hawked and presumably those by-laws apply to unlicensed hawkers as well as licensed hawkers, but of course only the health staff have the know-how to tell in what way the hawker is breaking the health regulations. Again as quite a number of cases of food poisoning have now been traced back to these unlicensed hawkers of cooked food and fresh food, I am indeed glad to say that this Council can expect the full co-operation from the Police in dealing with this very grave menace to public health, especially indeed in the hot season. Again, these types of hawkers are not a new thing that has developed as a result of the disturbances, they have been a gradually increasing danger over the past few years, but with the large number of unlicensed hawkers that have come on the streets since May of this year, there are quite a proportion of them that are hawking goods which constitute a definite health danger.

Finally, I would appeal to the unlicensed hawkers themselves. I know that you are hawking because you have a family to support, I know that the vast majority of you are people of Hong Kong and that you have the true interest of Hong Kong at heart, I know that the Hong Kong Government can and must rely upon you rather than on those that have basely fled just because of the disturbances of the past few weeks. But please, if you can possibly get off the street to other jobs don't be tempted to join the ranks of the unlicensed hawkers. Do not give the police more work at a time when they are coping magnificently with these disturbances, and don't break the licensed hawkers' rice bowls. Lastly, if you have to hawk for a living, at least

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