ENG-1957 — Page 207

176

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

if they keep clear of the main thoroughfares. It is clear too that many licensed hawkers do not trade continuously.

During the year a Police Force and Urban Services Department liaison team was set up to examine the problems relating to hawker control. Their recommendations were under consideration at the end of the year, but experiments in new methods of hawker control were already being carried out in several areas. In these areas it was found possible after an intensive propaganda campaign to bring all fixed pitch hawkers and pedlar hawkers into line with the law without putting them out of business. The regulation of the crowds and of the scale of business of each hawker, and the institution of special night scavenging arrangements brought about a great improvement. Although these opera- tions affected 1,600 hawkers, it is gratifying to record that hawkers co-operated well and that only eight prosecutions had to be undertaken.

Public Latrines & Bathhouses. The provision of addi- tional public bathhouses and latrines proceeded in accord- ance with a long-term programme. Two new public latrine and bathhouse buildings were erected, making a total of 17 in the urban districts. In addition, seven new public latrines were erected. The 17 bathhouses were used by 1,713,335 persons during the year, giving a total average of 4,694 persons each day.

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Pest Control. The Pest Control Section of the Urban Services Department is responsible for the control of rats, mice, fleas, cockroaches, bed-bugs, lice, biting midges, and other pests. As from August the Section also assumed responsibility for carrying out mosquito breeding surveys and control measures, both by systematic 'block control' and in connexion with complaints from the public. During 1957 eighteen special Mosquito Control Units, each com- prising one Pest Control Foreman and one Pest Control Coolie, were recruited, trained and put into service for this

purpose.