ENG-1963 — Page 213

HEALTH

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Hawkers and Markets. An estimated 100,000 people are engaged in full or part-time hawking in Hong Kong and Kowloon. Most of them are concentrated in about one-tenth of the urban area, often around markets and there are comparatively few hawkers in the main traffic thoroughfares. During the year resiting schemes affecting many hundreds of hawkers were carried out. In some cases the hawkers had to be moved to make way for new bus routes or to provide better access for fire appliances. In other cases they were resited in the interests of public health and street cleans- ing. In every case all possible steps were taken to safeguard the hawkers' livelihood. In recent years wall stalls have sprung up in large numbers throughout the urban area. In many cases these obstruct pavements or scavenging lanes and block or partly block the windows or ventilators of the building against which they are erected.

Legislation to facilitate the licensing and control of wall stalls has therefore been enacted.

In March the Tang Lung Chau multi-purpose market was opened for business. This was to be the prototype for a new design of market accommodating both retail market stalls and hawkers on several floors, but experience with this market was not entirely satisfactory. Further study will be needed before proceeding with the construction of additional multi-purpose markets.

Hawker Control. A squad of 24 recruit hawker control con- stables was inducted into the training school at Brick Hill in August, bringing the Hawker Control Force up to its establishment of 337. A further three hawker areas, at Chai Wan, Western District and Kowloon City became Hawker Control Force opera- tional areas, bringing to 19 the number of such areas on Hong Kong Island and eight in Kowloon. Further expansion of indi- vidual areas was undertaken throughout the year.

Although a relative innovation, the role and nature of the Hawker Control Force is receiving increasing understanding and acceptance by the hawking community and relations between the two groups are improving. Evidence of this was reflected in the relatively small number of prosecutions against hawkers during the year, arising from the emphasis placed on education and, where appropriate, persuasion by members of the Force in their dealings with hawkers.