ENG-1978 — Page 126

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HEALTH

children, members of the catering trade and voluntary welfare agencies.

Licensing of premises under the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance and the Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance is now carried out by a central licensing unit.

Inspections and preventive measures to control rodents and major insect nuisances continued. Source reduction methods and regular larviciding were carried out on potential breeding grounds for malarial mosquitoes. The control of mosquitoes in the urban areas was supplemented by new legislative measures. The Pest Control Advisory Unit continued to provide technical advice to departments and the public. During the year 11 health inspectors were sent abroad to undergo more specialised training in health education, noise control, administration, food technology, and cemetery and crematorium management.

Markets

Several innovations in market design are featured in the Yue Wan Estate Market at Chai Wan which was completed in November at a cost of $5.7 million. The market complex includes a public library, sitting-out area, children's play area, cooked food centre, and an Urban Services district sub-office. Suggestions from the trade associa- tions representing meat, fish, poultry, vegetable and fruit dealers were considered during the planning of the market, resulting in the provision of partition walls for small stalls and working benches of varying sizes to suit different types of stalls. In order to speed up the construction of new retail markets, private architectural consultants have been engaged to design and build two multi-purpose market buildings in Tin Wan and Aberdeen. Both projects are at an advanced stage of planning.

Hawkers

The number of hawkers in Hong Kong is estimated to be about 43,000. It seems unlikely that this number will diminish significantly until more off-street markets are provided and hawkers can become market stall-holders.

In June, the Urban Council elected to disband the Hawker Control Force and to create additional General Duties Teams to control hawkers. To meet part of in- creasing management costs, licence fees for fixed pitch stalls and mobile vans were increased. The last increase took place in December, 1975.

As a matter of general policy, the Urban Council has decided that hawking should be regarded as a business and that welfare considerations should not influence the granting of hawker licences. Needy families are being encouraged to seek help through public assistance and other services provided by the government and voluntary welfare agencies.

Abattoirs

More than three million pigs and 162,000 cattle were slaughtered in the two abattoirs at Kennedy Town, on Hong Kong Island, and Cheung Sha Wan, in Kowloon, in 1978. The cattle dressing lines in the Kennedy Town Abattoir were fully mechanised in November and mechanisation at Cheung Sha Wan is proceeding. An additional