ENG-1987 — Page 129

102

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

to fishermen, improvements to the markets, financial support for the 11 schools for fishermen's children, and scholarships for secondary and tertiary education.

In 1987, the wholesale fish markets handled 68 000 tonnes of marine fish, crustacea and molluscs which were sold for $494 million. This included 3 100 tonnes of imported marine fish sold through these markets.

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, traffic congestion and hygiene problems. To improve the situation, plans are going ahead to establish new wholesale market complexes 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 and poultry.

Mining

At the end of 1987, one mining lease, one mining licence and one prospecting licence 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. Construction work on the Eastern Harbour Crossing and Route 5 were at their peak during 1987 and the total consumption of explosives for the year was 4 773 tonnes.

Storage space was provided for 8.12 tonnes of fireworks for a display in January to mark the Lunar New Year. 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.