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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, I am not quite sure if I know the answer, so may I ask if the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee would clarify the discrepancy between the four days and two days and the three months and eight months, when it is on a "first come, first served" basis. Why should some obtain a pitch in such a short time whilst others take such a long time. I think I know the answer, but I am not certain?
MR. LOBO:- A pitch is not always available, and applicants do not always accept the first pitch offered to them.
MR. C. K. CHAN:- One supplementary, Mr. Chairman. How much time does the departmental staff spend on helping the applicant to choose a site? I understand they sometimes complain that the overseer who takes them to see the site gets a little bit impatient after one or two afternoons. Normally, Mr. Chairman, how much time could be spared for this kind of duty?
CHAIRMAN:- Mr. CHAN, if you want details I will need notice of that question, but to offset what you have said, I know of cases where the staff have tried to get hawkers to go and look at sites, and they have invariably failed to turn up. But if you want details, you will have to give me notice of that question.
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, may I ask the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee, on the question of allocation of sites, whether the "ballot method" or the "first come, first served" or some other method might be kept under constant review?
MR. LOBO:- All matters pertaining to hawkers and better management are always under review, Mrs. ELLIOTT.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Mr. Chairman, when the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee says about "the shortest waiting period" and the "longest waiting period," does he mean the waiting period before first offering the hawker a site?
MR. LOBO:- But first the hawker has to wait before getting a site. We are not using the ballot any more, which means that the man who is at the top of the list sometimes waits for two days, sometimes as long as two months.
(2) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:
In the past there were numerous complaints about the illegal poultry market in Waterloo Road near Canton Road. Has this market been resited as promised? What is being done about complaints in newspapers of dirt and stench?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:-
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I would first like to make it clear that these dealers do not constitute a "market" in the accepted sense nor are their activities illegal. They are "laans" engaged in wholesale-dealing in live poultry and operate under Fresh Provision Shop licences issued by this Council.
As you are no doubt already aware, these dealers have not yet been resited. However, a general review of wholesale fresh food distribution facilities in the urban areas has recently been completed by Government and the question of resiting the existing dealers in Kowloon is now under active consideration in the Secretariat. Members of the Markets Select Committee have been kept informed on this matter and other Members of the Council will be more fully informed about this in the near future.
In the meantime, the Urban Services Department continues to try to keep the public areas adjacent to the poultry "laans" as clean as possible. The pavements and streets adjacent to the "laans" are swept six times during the day and twice in the evening. In addition, the whole street is given a thorough clean and wash every Thursday.
I am not aware of any recent complaints in the newspapers of dirt and stench in this area but I would be glad of details of any such complaints so that any action which is considered necessary may be taken.
MRS. ELLIOTT: - Mr. Chairman, I notice you are not aware of any recent complaint. Now, I cannot remember the date, but there was a complaint in the newspaper a few weeks ago. I received a complaint through the newspaper. Are you aware that there have been complaints for the past few years about this area?
CHAIRMAN:- Certainly, there were complaints twelve years ago when I was in this department, and I am sure they have continued ever since, Mrs. ELLIOTT. We do our best to keep the place clean, but the obvious answer is to eventually move the laans.
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, are you aware that a promise was made three years ago that they would be moved at least one year ago?
CHAIRMAN:- We hope this will be decided fairly soon, Mrs. ELLIOTT.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, I had some correspondence on this subject with the City District Officer, Yau Ma Tei. The Assistant Director of the Urban Services Department has been aware of the situation, because I copied my letter to him, and I understand that it
Page 114 of 237
Page 114 of 237
206
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, I am not quite sure if I know the answer, so may I ask if the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee would clarify the discrepancy between the four days and two days and the three months and eight months, when it is on a "first come, first served" basis. Why should some obtain a pitch in such a short time whilst others take such a long time. I think I know the answer, but I am not certain?
MR. LOBO:-A pitch is not always available, and applicants do not always accept the first pitch offered to them.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-One supplementary, Mr. Chairman. How much time does the departmental staff spend on helping the applicant to choose a site? I understand they sometimes complain that the overseer who takes them to see the site gets a little bit impatient after one or two afternoons. Normally, Mr. Chairman, how much time could be spared for this kind of duty?
CHAIRMAN:-Mr. CHAN, if you want details I will need notice of that question, but to offset what you have said, I know of cases where the staff have tried to get hawkers to go and look at sites, and they have invariably failed to turn up. But if you want details, you will have to give me notice of that question.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee, on the question of allocation of sites, whether the "ballot method" or the "first come, first served" or some other method might be kept under constant review?
MR. LOBO:-All matters pertaining to hawkers and better manage- ment are always under review, Mrs. ELLIOTT.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Mr. Chairman, when the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee says about "the shortest waiting period" and the "longest waiting period," does he mean the waiting period before first offering the hawker a site?
MR. LOBO:-But first the hawker has to wait before getting a site.
We are not using the ballot any more, which means that the man who is at the top of the list sometimes waits for two days, sometimes as long as two months.
(2) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:
In the past there were numerous complaints about the illegal poultry market in Waterloo Road near Canton Road. Has this market been resited as promised? What is being done about complaints in newspapers of dirt and stench?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:-
207
I would first like to make it clear that these dealers do not constitute a "market" in the accepted sense nor are their activities illegal. They are "laans" engaged in wholesale- dealing in live poultry and operate under Fresh Provision Shop licences issued by this Council.
As you are no doubt already aware, these dealers have not yet been resited. However, a general review of wholesale fresh food distribution facilities in the urban areas has recently been completed by Government and the question of resiting the existing dealers in Kowloon is now under active consideration in the Secretariat. Members of the Markets Select Committee have been kept informed on this matter and other Members of the Council will be more fully informed about this in the near future.
In the meantime, the Urban Services Department continues to try to keep the public areas adjacent to the poultry "laans" as clean as possible. The pavements and streets adjacent to the "laans" are swept six times during the day and twice in the evening. In addition, the whole street is given a thorough clean and wash every Thursday.
I am not aware of any recent complaints in the newspapers of dirt and stench in this area but I would be glad of details of any such complaints so that any action which is considered necessary may be taken.
MRS. ELLIOTT: ---Mr. Chairman, I notice you are not aware of any recent complaint. Now, I cannot remember the date, but there was a complaint in the newspaper a few weeks ago. I received a complaint through the newspaper. Are you aware that there have been com- plaints for the past few years about this area?
CHAIRMAN:-Certainly, there were complaints twelve years ago when I was in this department, and I am sure they have continued ever since, Mrs. ELLIOTT. We do our best to keep the place clean, but the obvious answer is to eventually move the laans.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, are you aware that a promise was made three years ago that they would be moved at least one year ago? CHAIRMAN: --We hope this will be decided fairly soon, Mrs.
ELLIOTT.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, I had some correspondence on this subject with the City District Officer, Yau Ma Tei. The Assistant Director of the Urban Services Department has been aware of the situation, because I copied my letter to him, and I understand that it
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