ENG-1986 — Page 125

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PRIMARY PRODUCTION

Facilities in the existing wholesale markets are becoming inadequate for handling the ever increasing quantities of imported fresh vegetables, fruit, poultry, eggs, freshwater fish and crustacea. Marketing activities have spilled on to adjacent public streets, causing obstruction and traffic congestion. To improve the situation, plans are going ahead to establish new wholesale markets in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island to centralise the wholesale marketing of fresh foodstuffs. In the interim, the government has introduced a number of temporary wholesale markets at Cheung Sha Wan in Kowloon for freshwater fish, poultry and imported vegetables, and at Western District on Hong Kong Island for fruit.

Mining

At the end of 1986, one mining lease and two mining licences for the extraction of feldspar and kaolin were in operation. Details of the leases and licences are published twice a year in the Government Gazette.

The Mines Division of the Labour Department enforces legislation and safety regula- tions relating to mining and explosives. It processes mining and prospecting applications, inspects mining and prospecting areas, stone quarries, blasting sites and explosives stores, and issues shotfirers' blasting certificates. The division also controls the possession, conveyance, storage, manufacture and use of explosives in Hong Kong, including the delivery of explosives from government depots to blasting sites. In addition, it manages government explosives depots which provide bulk storage facilities for imported explosives. The Mass Transit Railway Island Line tunnelling works from Chater to Sheung Wan were completed during the early part of the year and explosives were no longer required, resulting in a sharp reduction in the overall consumption of explosives. The total consumption of explosives during the year was 4 594 tonnes.

Storage space was provided for about 2.3 tonnes of fireworks for a display in February to mark the Lunar New Year. Space was also provided for about 2.7 tonnes of fireworks for a display to mark the visit of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Hong Kong in October. Additionally, transit storage facilities were provided for explosives imported from the United States and France for use by off-shore oil well drilling companies in the South China Sea.