get the boot.

Secretary of the Corporation of Hamilton Roger Sherratt promised this after Bruce Andrew told The Royal Gazette that he feared a uniformed car washer plan by the corporation would affect his business.

Mr. Andrew has been washing cars for five years. He began working full time at City Hall parking lot in January and boasts he has many valued customers.

But he is worried about a new scheme between the Corporation and Co-op Taxi Transportation to regulate car washers.

The scheme -- which requires car washers at Bull's Head parking lot to wear uniforms, have their names clearly displayed, and charge a fixed fee for washing and waxing cars -- was drawn up after complaints that some car washers were harassing motorists, particularly women.

But Mr. Andrew said he wondered if the plan to have uniformed car washers at Bull's Head parking lot would soon be put into place at City Hall.

And he explained that while he had nothing against the plan, he did not want any part of it.

"A lady who I wash cars for told me I should get involved with that, but it's not for me,'' Mr. Andrew said. " I'm satisfied working alone.'' He admitted that some men who washed cars were unscrupulous and cleaned cars without permission of the owner or not doing a complete job and still expecting full compensation.

"One guy was up here cleaning cars and he wasn't waiting for the owner to give them the OK,'' he said. "He was just going ahead. Then when they came back he would say they owed him money.'' This, he said, caused several people to insist that car washers be licensed.

But Mr. Andrew stressed that he has never had a complaint about his service.

He pointed out that he met his clients as early as 7 a.m. to find out what they wanted to have done with their cars.

"Meeting clients early is what it's all about,'' Mr. Andrew said. "I wash around five or six cars a day. On a real nice day it could be higher than that.'' Charging customers $20 for cleaning the exterior of their cars and $30 for what he calls "in and out'', Mr. Andrew said any tip given to him was unsolicited and appreciated.

But he added that he wanted to do what he loved without being told how to do it.

"This is a free park and anyone who wants to come and wash cars are free to,'' Mr. Andrew said, adding that if he had to move out of the car park it would not stop him from making money.

"The majority of people I wash cars for know me and like the work I do,'' he said. "I'm a person who likes to work, so I would look for work regardless.'' A few customers who were parking their cars for Mr. Andrew to wash while The Royal Gazette was there said they took their vehicles to him on a regular basis and always received them back spotless.

And Mr. Sherratt also spoke very highly of Mr.

Andrew.

"I have the greatest respect for Bruce. Every time you see him he has a smile on his face,'' he said. "He's really a wonderful person.

"Certainly if we were to expand this programme further we would hold him in very high regard and we would find a way to work out something fair for both he and the Corporation.'' He said the Corporation was approached by Co-op Taxi Transportation's George A. Scott who offered the service of uniformed car washing attendants at Bull's Head after numerous complaints, mostly from women, of men asking to wash cars and then becoming hostile and threatening.

Concerned for the safety of all the customers using the park, they hoped the uniformed car washer plan would eliminate the problem, Mr. Sherratt added.

And he said if the pilot programme at Bull's Head was successful, the Corporation would consider putting it at other parking lots with similar problems.