ENG-1962 — Page 208

HEALTH

167

watch to be kept on the possible introduction of plague by infected fleas. During the year 319,934 rodents (including those placed by the public in rat-bins) were collected. Fleas from rats are regularly collected and identified in order to keep a check on the species known to be capable of transmitting plague.

NEW TERRITORIES

The Director of Urban Services is responsible in the New Territories for public cleansing, markets and hawker areas, public latrines and bathhouses, and also for cemeteries, burials, public parks, playgrounds and beaches. The District Commissioner is the licensing authority for premises used for the processing and sale of food for human consumption, for hawkers, private markets, slaughterhouses and offensive trades, though in practice he exercises his function on the advice of the Director of Urban Services.

The Principal Medical Officer of Health, New Territories, is responsible to the Director of Medical and Health Services for most hospital, clinic and other medical facilities in the New Territories. He also advises the Director of Urban Services on New Territories health matters, and exercises day-to-day super- vision over certain staff of the Urban Services Department. In the remoter areas of the New Territories, where the Urban Services Department cannot effectively operate, the Principal Medical Officer of Health has executive responsibility for sanitation and hygiene, as well as for the development of health services. Here the emphasis is on health education, advising villagers on elementary sanitation, and ensuring that village houses are built to certain minimum health standards.

The Urban Services Department carries out regular street- sweeping and refuse collections in the New Territories townships, and during the year these were again extended to cover more of the rural areas served by road. Steady progress is being made with the construction of public flush latrines and bathhouses in the New Territories townships, and by the end of the year five combined latrine/bathhouses and six latrines were in operation. Hot and cold water is supplied free of charge in the bathhouses. Modern market buildings and hawker bazaars are also being planned for several townships.