勞工處年報 Labour Department (Office) Annual Report 1947-1948

HONG KONG

ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

COMMISSIONER OF LABOUR

1ST APRIL, 1947 TO 31ST MARCH, 1948.

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

SECTION

List of Staff

II.

Duties and Remuneration of Staff

III.

Industrial Working Conditions

IV.

General Review of the Labour Situation

Labour Advisory Board

Employment and Distribution of

Labour

Industrial Training

СТ СП со по

Wages, Hours of Work and Holidays

Employment Exchanges

Accidents and Workmen's Compensa-

tion

Trade Unions

- 23

Living Conditions

VI.

Health and Nutrition

وو

VII.

Sociological Conditions

VIII.

Employment of

Women, Young

Persons, and Children

IX. Labour Legislation

TABLE

Industrial Disputes, and the Outlook Numbers Employed in Registered and Recorded Factories and Workshops at 31st March, 1948

2288888

2. Wage Rates and Conditions of Service

in Selected Industries

3. Weekly Food and Fuel Costs (April,

1947-March, 1948)

4. Summary of Prosecutions Relating to

Labour

Accident Statistics

List of Strikes ...

ANNEXURE A.

6. List of Trade Associations

Graphic Representation of Man-days Lost in Industrial Disputes 1946-1948

I. LIST OF STAFF.

Commissioner of Labour The Hon. B. C. K. Hawkins, o.B.E.

Deputy Commissioner of

Labour

Labour Officers (4)

Assistant Labour Officer

Chief Labour Inspector Labour Inspectors (8)

Executive Clerk

(Colonial Administrative Service).

Q. A. A. Macfadyen (Colonial Adminis-

trative Service).

Major H. F. G. Chauvin. Appointed 5th May, 1947. (Previously seconded from the Army in the same post).

K. A. Baker. Appointed on transfer

from Mauritius on 6th June, 1947. Mrs. M. Allinson. Appointed on 12th

July, 1947.

1 post not filled.

R. HAW Gay.

D. W. Phillips.

E. C. Drown.

V. C. Bond. Appointed on transfer from the Medical Department on 21st April, 1947.

J. Gellatly. Seconded from the Medical Department on 20th February, 1948.

M. A. Cheng. Appointed on probation

on 19th January, 1948.

Miss LAM Chiu Ping.

Miss Norah Wing-wa KWOK.

NG Sui-tong. Left the service on 8th

July, 1947. Not yet replaced.

LAU Yan-cheuk. Left the service on

8th July, 1947. Not yet replaced.

TAM Kam-wai.

By resolution of the Legislative Council on 4th September, 1947, the title of the Labour Officer was changed to Commissioner of Labour. The styles of the Deputy Labour Officer and Assistant Labour Officer were altered accordingly to Deputy Commissioner of Labour and Labour Officer respectively.

II.-DUTIES OF STAFF.

1. The Commissioner of Labour is the adviser to the Government on all matters connected with labour in the Colony. He is the ex-officio Chairman of the Labour Advisory Board. In his executive capacity he is responsible for ensuring that conditions in factories and workshops are in accordance with the requirements of existing legislation, and in trade disputes he provides a channel for the conduct of negotiations between the parties involved. He is also the Registrar of Trade Unions. The salary provided for the Commissioner of Labour is that of a Cadet Officer Class I: $26,400 × $800 $28,800.

2. The Deputy Commissioner of Labour is the Commissioner's deputy in all respects and is specially charged with ensuring as far as possible effective observance of International Labour Conventions and the preparation of the legislation necessary to give effect to those conventions. The post is at present held by a Cadet Officer Class I, and salary is provided accordingly: $26,400 × $800

$28,800.

During the year under review, the Deputy Commissioner of Labour attended the Preparatory Asian Regional Conference of the International Labour Organisation (held in New Delhi in October and November 1947) as adviser to the United Kingdom Delegation.

3. Labour Officers. The authorised establishment for the year under review was four labour officers. By the end of the year three of these posts had been filled, by two men and one woman. The work of the department was divided between these officers on the following broad general lines:

(a) Mediation and Conciliation.

(b) Trade Union affairs, including advice on policy and assistance in problems of development and adminis- tration.

and young persons.

There is, however, no hard and fast demarcation of duties.

The salary provided for labour officers is $8,640 $9,120 × $480 - $12,000 x $720 $19,200 × $960 and for the woman labour officer it is $7,560 $7,560 $480

$13,200.

$8,640 :

$20,160;

$7,920 ×

The fourth post has not yet been filled but it is hoped to engage an administrative officer with some experience of labour exchange work. The salary provided is that of a Cadet Officer, Class II.

4. Assistant Labour Officer. The duties of the assistant labour officer are mainly concerned with the investigation and settlement of disputes, particularly in industries where organisation

still follows traditional Chinese patterns. The Assistant Labour Officer speaks eight Chinese dialects and often acts as an additional interpreter. The salary provided is $4,800 $4,800 $5,100 × $300 $7,200 × $480

$8,160.

The Chief Labour Inspector is in charge of the Labour, Factory and Workshop Inspectorate and the registration of factories. He is responsible to the Commissioner for the satisfac- tory administration of the ordinance governing conditions in factories and for prosecutions arising from breaches of the law. The salary provided for the Chief Labour Inspector is $12,960 × $480 $14,400.

—

6. Labour Inspectors. There are eight labour inspectors, six men and two women, whose duties include the inspection of factories and workshops. There are two grades of Labour Inspector but no fixed establishment for either grade. Promotion is dependent on satisfactory service and ability. The salary provided for male inspectors is $3,000 $3,000 $3,600 × $300 $4,200; $4,800 $4,800 $5,100 × $300 $7,200 x $480 $11,520. The salary for women labour inspectors is $1,440 : $1,440: $2,880 × $240 $4,080.

―

During the year under review two European Inspectors Grade I have been at work, for a brief period two Chinese Inspectors Grade II, and two Chinese women inspectors. For most of the year four appointments remained unfilled, but in 1948 one Inspector Grade II was appointed on probation, and a Health Inspector from the Medical Department was seconded for duty with the Labour Office.

7. Clerical and Minor Staff. The office. staff consists of one executive clerk, five clerks, one woman confidential assistant, three office attendants, two messengers, two motor drivers, and a coolie, who are paid at standard Governmental rates. The staff

for which financial provision was made represented an increase of four labour officers, one assistant labour officer, one clerk and two office attendants over that provided for in the previous year and a reduction of one coolie.

III.—INDUSTRIAL WORKING CONDITIONS.

8. During the year under review, industrial production has experienced ups and downs due partially to unsettled trade condi- tions and partially to the increase of competitive trade outside the Colony. Hong Kong with its usual buoyancy returned to normal more rapidly than many countries and so its industries, small as they are, flourished during the latter part of 1946 and during 1947, but import restrictions into India and China, increasing external competition, political disturbance outside the Colony, and the high cost of production contributed to some falling off in output towards the end of the year among the older established industries. On the other hand, political disturbance in China is having another effect in that it induces Chinese industry

to gravitate to the more settled conditions available locally. Thus there are now three cotton spinning mills in operation where before there were none. They are not yet in full operation owing to lack of skilled workers and incomplete installation of machinery, but the largest mill will operate 15,000 spindles. Five other mills are either in course of construction or being planned. They will be of modern design fitted with up-to-date machinery and in at least one instance the building will be windowless and entirely air-conditioned. Some of these mills will operate up to 30,000 spindles each.

The construction of these mills and the general tendency, encouraged by the Labour Department, to construct new factories in proper factory-type buildings, as opposed to the small type of factory housed in domestic-type buildings, should prove a great addition to Hong Kong's industry. The enforcement of health and safety standards is greatly facilitated in the new type of factories now being constructed.

10. Standards in ventilation on the whole are good, even in factories located in tenement accommodation, though it is difficult to impress on some manufacturers that good business is not an excuse for crowding more employees into their factories than the numbers authorised at the time of registration. Sanitation still leaves much to be desired, but the factory hands and owners are no better and no worse in this respect than the average tenement dweller. Cleanliness is on the whole good. First-aid equipment is usually provided and is accessible, but the training of factory staff in first-aid is very inadequate. There has been an improve- ment in machinery safety precautions, and the accident rate, if not the number of accidents, is less than the preceding year; this can be taken only as a relative improvement, as accidents are frequently not reported although the law requires that they should be. The most outstanding improvement that has occurred during the year has been the widespread introduction of gaseous-discharge lighting, which has caught the imagination of employers because it is cheaper than the normal filament lighting. The brighter and more natural lighting which it produces during the hours of day- light is of benefit to the workers.

11. Improvements of working conditions in the processes involving the use of manganese and lead, and in the trades of glass blowing, melting and glass polishing, and the making of tooth brushes and paint are effected mainly by improved ablutional facilities and the installation of dust exhaust and fume collecting systems. This work is being hindered through shortage of suitable exhaust fans and motors. It was found that tetra-ethyl (leaded) petrol was being fairly extensively used in the rubber shoe trade. The factory managers were informed of the danger of lead poisoning and advised to use lead-free petrol only. Subsequent inspections have revealed that this advice is being followed.

12. During the year under review 379 applications for regis- tration of factories and workshops were received. 139 registration certificates were cancelled during the year, and 85 factories or workshops temporarily ceased operating. Of the 1,100 (approx.) now working, 952 were granted registration certificates during the year. The latter figure represents an increase of 390 over the preceding year. An analysis of registered factories and workshops by trades will be found in Table 1.

13. During the year the Woman Labour Officer made very useful surveys of working conditions in five of the more important industries: the Rubber, Glass, Electric Light Bulb, Weaving, and Knitting and Hosiery industries. These surveys were undertaken primarily to investigate the conditions under which women and young persons were working, but the reports were not confined to these alone and provide much useful factual information on working conditions in these industries generally, the data from which are incorporated throughout this report. The Factory Inspectorate continued routine inspections totalling

totalling 8,407, including 781 night inspections. In addition 1,033 visits were made to markets for the purpose of daily price enquiries, from which the food and fuel figures are computed.

IV.

GENERAL REVIEW OF THE LABOUR SITUATION.

14. Apart from one major strike the year has been notably free from upheavals and unrest and good relations between employers and workers have on the whole been uniformly main- tained. There has been an increase in the number of written agreements between managements and men. The continuing shortage of skilled labour has given artisans and craftsmen the opportunity to make the most of their scarcity value at a time when a strike meant a loss of lucrative business, and, in the case of smaller concerns, would involve the possibility of going out of business altogether. Relations between the Labour Office and both employers and workers have remained good.

15. The large scale strike mentioned above involved 11,000 skilled workers in European employ and lasted nearly a month. The strikers demanded an increase in wages and the employers yielded to their demands, though by no means to the whole extent. The strike incidentally had the effect of consolidating the position of the Chinese Engineers' Institute, one of the largest and longest established unions in the Colony. This strike is dealt with in greater detail in Section X.

Labour Advisory Board.

16. The Labour Advisory Board has been consulted on all major questions affecting employers and workers, and especially on all projected legislation. The Board is appointed by the Governor and its composition at the beginning of the year under review was—

Chairman

European Employers'

Representatives

Chinese Employers' Representatives

The Commissioner of Labour

(ex-officio).

The Captain Superintendent,

H.M. Dockyard.

Mr. L. Kadoorie.

Mr. J. Finnie.

Mr. SHUM Choy Wah (DE).

Mr. YU Kwai

余 *).

Mr. FUNG Yat Hing

(5 = 1).

Labour Representatives

Mr. HON Man Wai

Mr. LIU Yu Kan

(韓文惠).

(廖汝根).

Mr. LAI Wah Hin

(黎華軒)

Secretary

Major H. F. G. Chauvin,

Labour Officer.

With effect from 1st January, 1948, Mr. U Tat Chee (2) replaced Mr. FUNG Yat Hing. In March, 1948, Messrs. CHAN Kwan Lung and LAU Pong were appointed as members during the temporary absence of Messrs. SHUM Choy Wah and U Tat Chee, who had left for England as Hong Kong's representatives at the British Industries Fair.

17. At its first meeting in 1948, the Board considered the following Conventions of the International Labour Organisation which had been ratified by Great Britain either in whole or in part, and some of which were already incorporated in local legislation:-

Statistics of Wages and Hours of Work Convention.

No. 63 (1938).

Social Policy in Non-metropolitan Territories Convention

No. 82 (1947).

The Right of Association and the Settlement of Labour Disputes in Non-metropolitan Territories Convention No. 84 (1947).

Labour Inspectorates in Non-metropolitan Territories.

Convention No. 85 (1947).

Length of Contracts for Employment of Indigenous

Workers Convention No. 86 (1947).

Application of International Labour Standards to Non- metropolitan Territories Convention No. 83 (1947).

*Minimum Age (Industry) Convention (Revised), 1937.

*Minimum Age (Sea) Convention (Revised), 1936.

Already applied in Hong Kong either wholly or in part.

*Minimum Age (Trimmers and Stokers) Convention

(Revised), 1921.

*Medical Examination of Young Persons (Sea) Conven-

tion, 1921.

*Night Work of Young Persons (Industry) Convention,

1919.

*Night Work (Women) Convention (Revised), 1934. *Underground Work (Women) Convention, 1935.

Equality of Treatment (Accident Compensation) Con-

vention, 1925.

Marking of Weight (Packages Transported by Vessels)

Convention, 1925.

Medical Examination of Young Persons (Industry)

Convention, 1946.

Maternity Protection Convention, 1919.

Workmen's Compensation (Accidents) Convention, 1925.

Weekly Rest (Industry) Convention, 1921.

18. Meetings during the remainder of the year were largely concerned with the last four conventions, three of which were considered desirable, but impracticable to implement in the present state of industrialisation of the Colony. The remaining convention on Workmen's Compensation was embodied in a draft bill, and further meetings of the Board were devoted to careful consideration of this draft, with a view to its eventual enactment as an ordinance.

19. In December, 1947, the Colony was visited during the course of an Eastern tour by Mr. E. W. Barltrop, c.B.E., Labour Adviser to the Secretary of State. Allowing for the limited time at his disposal and the incidence of Christmas holidays, Mr. Barltrop was given a fairly thorough insight into industrial condi- tions and labour matters generally. He met the Employers' Federation and the Trade Unions; visited some Chinese factories, and the three big Dockyards, the British Cigarette Co., the China Light and Power Co., and the Kowloon Wharf and Godown Co. He also met the Colonial Secretary, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, the Social Welfare Officer, the Secretary for Development, the Director of Education, the Fisheries Officer, and the Chairman of the Urban Council, with all of whom he discussed various aspects of their work in relation to the social problems of the Colony. New Year's Day was devoted to a general meeting with the senior staff of the Labour Office for a discussion on International Labour Legislation, which was of great value. Mr. Barltrop's visit was stimulating and extremely helpful, especially in clarfying certain problems which had been for some time causing concern.

Already applied in Hong Kong either wholly or in part,

Employment and Distribution of Labour.

There is,

20. The Labour Office has so far confined its activities and investigations mainly to registered factories and workshops, and good progress has been made in obtaining information and particulars of employment and general labour conditions in this direction, particularly among concerns under European manage- ment and the larger Chinese industrial undertakings. however, little exact information available about the working conditions of casual and contractor labour, which form a large proportion of the general labour force of the Colony. Little attempt has yet been made to investigate working conditions among shop and restaurant workers, and the clerical and technical portions of the community. Conditions in agriculture and the fishing industry are also deliberately excluded from anything but passing reference in this report.

21. The industry of Hong Kong is characterised by the very large number of small concerns, often based on the family as unit, which in aggregate sometimes make up an extensive industry. Many of these concerns rely on manual labour without mechanical assistance, and the number of employees may be very limited. These concerns are not required to be registered as Factories or Workshops, and the Labour Office is frequently not even aware of their existence. This is particularly true of the many small general engineering workshops which carry out vehicle repairs and minor repairs to machinery. The available information on the distribution of employment is tabulated in Table 1. The informa- tion provided must be accepted with reserve, as it is obtained from employers without compulsion and is not subject to any secondary check. Again the employment figures represent only the labour in registered and recorded factories, and these may form only a small percentage of the number of concerns which go to make up any industry; examples are: the radio-repair industry, in which only two concerns are registered, and the furniture-making industry which is very much larger than the available figures indicate. Subject to these limitations, the larger industries, apart from the public utilities, appear to be ship-building and repairing (the figures do not include employment figures for the Royal Naval Yard), manufacture of miscellaneous metal and glass wares, the metal industry, the cotton weaving and knitting industry, the printing trade, the rubber industry, and the electric-torch industry.

22. Altogether 61,714 persons are stated to have been working in registered and recorded factories or industries during March 1948, an increase of 10,376 over the figures for March, 1947. The increase is not necessarily attributable to an increase in employ- ment, as a number of factories ceased to operate during the latter part of 1947, but rather to closer inspection and an increase in the number of undertakings which have been registered. Employ- ment in many of the smaller industries, where most of the workers are on piece rates or daily pay, varies enormously with the state of trade. It is obvious however from the figures given for industries within which the number of undertakings have not

increased during the year under review that there has generally been an increase of employment in these industries.

23. No unemployment figures exist, and it is doubtful whether in such a fluctuating population the collection of such figures is practicable. There is undoubtedly unemployment in the Colony, but so much of the labour force is employed on a casual basis that it is probable that unemployment also is inconstant.

24. Employment during the year under review has clearly been more difficult to obtain than in the previous year, and this is evidenced by the considerable dissatisfaction which arose from the reduction of the Royal Naval Yard staff during the year by 500 hands, consequent on a cut in the Admiralty estimates.

Industrial Training.

25. The majority of Chinese operated concerns have systems which aim at training either youths or young women for employ- ment in metal working, textile and other industries. The conditions under which the apprentices work and their wages are very unsatisfactory, but workers are glad to have any form of employment, especially one which leads to a good wage as a skilled worker. The establishment of new spinning factories during the year has given employment to a number of learners, as this is a new industry in Hong Kong and there are no skilled workers in the Colony except those imported from Shanghai. The larger European concerns such as the dockyards have a regular system of apprenticeship run on sound lines, the apprentices being more often than not sons of employees of the company. This arrange- ment has been found to work very satisfactorily, with the possible exception that it has thus become rather a family concern and it is difficult for any boy other than the son of a dockyard employee to become an apprentice. The Government railway between Hong Kong and Canton also sponsors an apprenticeship system but this is on a limited scale owing to the small size of the undertaking.

26. In addition to the apprentices actually employed in industry, there is a small Government Trade School which always has a long waiting list for Chinese secondary school educated boys and which is intended to further their education generally to fit them for posts as junior engineers. Apart from the Trade School, there are no other official training establishments for industry, although the Government subsidises the training school for apprentices mentioned in the paragraph below.

27. The Aberdeen Industrial School, which was founded by local Chinese philanthropists and which is run on their behalf by the Salesian fathers, is probably the nearest approach in the Colony to an industrial training school. The school takes in orphan boys and, after four years' primary schooling, they are trained as apprentices for between three and five years in electro- mechanics, mechanics, carpentry, shoe-making, and tailoring. The occupation of the Colony by the Japanese seriously disrupted

the training programmes, so that no trade diplomas have been issued for two years and the proportion of students to apprentices is abnormally high. At the end of the year under review the number of boys in training was as follows:—

Shoemaking

Carpentry

Electro-mechanics

Mechanics

Tailoring

The maximum capacity for the school is 245 apprentices.

28. There is a small aviation training school which trains students to be pilots and ground engineers, finishing each course with the regular British standard examinations for the various services required.

Wages, Hours of Work, and Overtime Payments.

29. Whereas 1946 was characterised by considerable wage movements in an effort to adjust wages to the increased cost of living that resulted from the war, wages during the twelve months under review, with two major exceptions, remained stable. The system adopted by European industrial employers and by the Government of paying a basic wage together with a cost of living allowance (still known as the "rehabilitation allowance" from its inception shortly after the liberation of the Colony) remains in operation. The allowance is based on the food and fuel figures collected by the Labour Office. The method of obtaining the food and fuel figures is discussed fully in the succeeding section, and the rehabilitation allowance is calculated monthly from them and published in the press. When a rapid fall in the food and fuel figures indicates an equivalent rapid descent in the rehabilitation allowance, the decrease is cushioned by calculating the allowance on the average food and fuel figures over the preceding two months, as opposed to the normal monthly period. When the food and fuel figures rise, the allowance is invariably calculated from the average of the preceding month. The rates of rehabilitation allowance over the course of the year are given below.

Allowance April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.

Foremen, $/month 90 84 81 78 75 87

Artisans,

93 90 87 84 93 90

Semi- skilled $/day

3.20 3.00 2.90 2.80 2.70

3.10 3.30 3.20 3.10 3.00 3.30 3.20

Unskilled (male)

Unskilled (female)

$/day

2,55 2.40

2.35 2.25 2.20 2.50 2.60 2.55

2.50

2.40 2.60

2.55

$/month 64.50 | 60

57.75 55.50 53.50 62.25 66.75 64.50 62.25

66.75 64.50

(female)

Unskilled $/day

1.95

1.80 1.75 1.65 1,60 1.90 2.05 1.95 1.90

1.80 1.95

1.95

30. In August 1947 the major strike, which involved the Chinese Engineers' Institute and several Government departments, and on which further comment is made in Section X, resulted in an increase of approximately 50% in basic wages for skilled workmen. The Government was a party to the settlement of this strike and was placed in a peculiarly awkward position by reason of its desire not to disturb the rates of pay for monthly-paid staff until the Salaries Commission, which had then almost completed its deliberations, had made its recommendations.

It was necessary, however, to adjust the rates of pay for its wages staff, and the opportunity was taken to eliminate the so-called 1941 high cost of living allowance, which the Government alone among large employers had not consolidated into basic rates of pay. Government wages staff were then substantially better off than their salaried equivalents, but this was rectified early in 1948, when the revised scales of salaries for monthly-paid workers were introduced. Now government wages and salaried staff of equivalent grades draw roughly the same pay for a month's work. The strike left its mark on the cost of living allowance devised by the Salaries Commission for staff drawing less than a basic salary of $150 a month. Having recommended for such personnel a basic wage in which was incorporated a substantial portion of the rehabilitation allowance, the cost of living allowance proposed for staff with salaries below $100 a month was the rehabilitation allowance less $30, and for staff drawing salaries of between $100 and $150 a month, the cost of living allowance was $60 flat. After 12th September, 1947, the date on which the Chinese Engineers' Institute strike was settled, the cost of living allowance was amended for those earning under $100 a month to the equivalent of the rehabilitation allowance less $15, and for those earning between $100 and $150 a month to the equivalent of the full rehabilitation allowance. In passing, it may be noted that the total emoluments of government monthly-paid artisans, labourers, and minor staff were not increased to any great extent, as they were considered adequate, but their pensionable emoluments (on which overtime is also drawn) were increased in the lower salary ranges by approximately 300%.

31. There has been little alteration in the wage rates paid by Chinese employers, although a falling off in business in certain industries towards the end of 1947 is reported to have resulted in attempts by employers to decrease wages. Chinese employers have a more opportunist approach to wages than British employers. They rarely pay any form of rehabilitation or cost of living allowance, unless one can say that meals for employees, which are often provided for male workers by employers, vary with market prices and thus operate as a sort of cost of living allowance. Wage rates paid in Chinese managed industries are frequently higher than those paid in European concerns, but usually the work is of a far less permanent nature. Piece rates are also very common. Should there be a falling off in business and a lowering in living costs, attempts to reduce wages in Chinese concerns may well be a source of industrial unrest.

32. By general agreement between all European employers, and now an increasing number of Chinese employers engaged in more modern forms of business such as the omnibus companies, the 48-hour week is recognised as standard, and any work over 8 hours for six days is treated as, and paid for, at overtime rates. Workers in Chinese owned industries continue to work longer hours, nine hours a day being standard. These hours are quite often combined with a seven day week. This is not as reprehen- sible as it sounds, as Chinese workers prefer long hours at a slower tempo to shorter, more concentrated hours. This is perhaps partially due to habit and climate, but in many cases workers do not know what to do with the increased leisure resulting from shorter hours and prefer the increased wages from which they benefit in a longer working week. As an instance of this, at conferences leading to an agreement between the taxicab companies and their employees, it was put to the employers that they should allow the drivers one holiday a week. The suggestion was rejected by the drivers, who preferred to work an extra day, obtaining for this work the normal wage of $6 together with tips. On Sundays tips are generally greater than on other days. Even longer hours are often worked where employment is at piece-rates. These are particularly prevalent in the textile, electric torch, and rubber industries. Moreover, in the textile industry, where work is often particularly light (much of it consists in the mere watching of machines, with an occasional adjustment or the joining of a broken strand), many women are content to sit and watch for 12 hours. They resent interference with their desire to earn more money by working the longer hours.

33. Notwithstanding what has been said above there is a definite tendency to demand the grant of holidays, even unpaid. Such demands have been frequently coupled with demands for higher rates of pay; There are seventeen official government holidays a year, in addition to Sundays. Chinese festivals are the occasion of or coincide with a number of these.

The more

progressive and better organised Chinese concerns also grant these holidays, but there is a marked reluctance among the small concerns to grant holidays at all, even without pay. This is especially noticeable when business is good, except on big festivals such as the Chinese New Year. The interest of workers in holidays is awakening, and employers are exhorted wherever possible to accede to reasonable demands for holidays.

34. Wages, hours of work, and other conditions of service in a number of trades in representative industries will be found in Table 2. No wages have been fixed by statute, as the Trade Board Ordinance has never yet had to be invoked. Most industrial wage rates and conditions of service have been fixed by agreement between employers and workers. These agreements are often rather elastically interpreted by the employers in Chinese concerns. Breaches of agreement are a fruitful source of trouble. impossible to assess average weekly earnings with the information at the disposal of the Labour Office, and it would be necessary to

It is

introduce compulsory legislation to acquire the information. The Labour Advisory Board has considered the matter and has recommended that the introduction of legislation enabling this Government to implement the International Labour Conventions on this subject is neither practicable nor expedient at the present time.

Employment Exchanges.

35. So far official employment exchange has been established in Hong Kong. In spite of this, considerable numbers of unemployed present themselves at the Labour Office and efforts are made to obtain employment for them. Employment has been found for many hundreds of applicants but the work is necessarily limited because it is of an unofficial nature and not recognised by employers. These do not, therefore, apply to the Labour Office when requiring new men. Another factor militating against the placing of a large number of workers is the surfeit of labour in the Colony. This results in vacancies being snapped up without much effort on the part of the employer. It must also be noted that it is a long established practice for employers to rely on their foremen to find staff required. This is convenient from the employers' point of view as it makes the foremen either partly or solely responsible for the conduct of the men so intro- duced. Unfortunately also there is the long ingrained Chinese practice whereby a new employee has to pay a considerable sum of money to anyone introducing him to employment. This is an evil exceedingly difficult to eradicate as, apart from being long accepted, the worker himself is willing to pay for employment as a natural quid pro quo for obtaining any job.

36. There would be a number of difficulties to overcome in setting up employment agencies, and their success would depend mainly on the co-operation of employers. Office space, among

other things, would be difficult to find. The matter is, however, under consideration. Whether labour exchanges are set up or not, it will probably be necessary to set up some sort of office for the engagement of seafarers, and discussion on this subject has taken place with employers.

Accidents and Workmen's Compensation.

37. There is no Workmen's Compensation legislation in Hong Kong, but during the year a draft bill for its introduction has been under consideration with the Labour Advisory Board. However the Government, the majority of European employers, and some of the larger Chinese employers, have their own com- pensation schemes, which are not ungenerous. Most of the smaller employers have no such schemes, and the Labour Office can only endeavour to persuade employers of the justice of compensating workers for injuries incurred in connection with their employment, advice which is generally accepted when the case is brought to this office.

...

38. Owners of registered factories are required to notify accidents and during the year 225 accidents, involving 241 workers, were reported, of which 13 were fatal. This is an increase of 171 (including 5 fatal) over the number reported for 1946/1947 and is due in part to a tightening up of the system of reporting notifiable accidents, increased activity in ship repairing, and the increased number of factories and workshops in operation. Causes of accidents are set out in Table 5, and it will be seen that falls from staging and falling objects accounted for a large proportion, 104 persons (including 4 killed) being involved. Most of the accidents caused through contact with moving machinery were minor ones, and in the main due to lack of care on the part of the workers. In many cases workers had either attempted to replace belting on moving pulleys, or removed guards for the purpose of machine repairs, omitting to replace the guards afterwards.

39. Of the two fatal machine accidents one occurred in an unregistered factory, the existence of which was unknown. A young man of approximately 17 years of age went to sleep on a flimsy wooden guard over a V-type main driving belt. The guard collapsed and he was decapitated. The other death occurred when a worker, in his haste to put out a small petrol fire, tripped and fell on to the unprotected pulley of a motor which he was repairing.

40. An explosion occurred in the laboratory of a match factory when a chemist had both hands blown off and an assistant sustained severe abdominal injuries. The chemist stated that he had been experimenting with a view to producing an improved colour for match heads and that at the time, he was grinding various chemicals, including Potassium Chlorate, dry, with a pestle and

mortar.

The

41. Compensation amounting to $18,349 was paid to dependants of the deceased in nine of the fatal accidents. In the other case no relatives could be traced, but the company employing the deceased made itself responsible for funeral expenses. practice in non-fatal accidents is usually that the company pays for medical treatment of the injured workman and grants him pay while away from duty. When recovered he is allowed to resume duty either in his former job, if the injury does not prevent him, or in another job. Compensation amounting to $861 is known to have been paid in cash to workmen not fatally injured.

Trade Unions.

42. In China there exists a long tradition of craft and trade guilds, membership of which comprised both workers and employers. These guilds were formed with the object of fostering the craft and protecting its trade secrets, but the advent of industrialisation altered the character of those guilds which represented trades prominent in large factories and they began to acquire some of the recognised characteristics of western trade unionism. The development of industry in Hong Kong gave a

trade union slant to a number of the craft guilds which represented the workers in these industries. Previously there had been in existence for a long time a large union of seamen and a responsible artisans' union in the Chinese Engineers' Institute. By 1939, there were 84 labour unions with a membership of about 44,000, and also about 89 clubs, some of which were purely social, others more nearly resembling unions, with a membership of about 7,000.

43. There was no compulsory registration of guilds or unions, but since 1920 it has been the practice for persons proposing to start up a guild to get prior permission from the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, a permission which was gratuitous and never refused, but which none the less conferred a certain formal recognition of activities, without giving any measure of control. Since the re-occupation of the Colony and up to the end of 1947, 147 guilds which can be classified as unions, 106 guilds of employers, and 65 guilds comprising jointly employers and workers in individual trades have been voluntarily registered with the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs. In addition some hundreds of guilds were voluntarily registered as clubs and miscellaneous associations, a number of them approximating to labour unions. A list of these guilds and unions will be found in Table 6. It must be stressed that none of these organisations has any obligation to register or to disclose its membership or constitution, so that the classification by numbers depends largely on the rather optimistic figures supplied by the organisations themselves. With the passing of the Trade Unions and Trade Disputes Ordinance, 1948, voluntary registration is superseded. After 1st April, 1948, all associations of workers or employers with certain defined objects are required by law to be registered in the Labour Office by the Registrar of Trade Unions. This should have the effect of clarifying the objects of these associations, both to their own benefit and to that of the public, and should enable the Labour Office to assist the unions to develop healthily along well-tested, recognised and responsible lines. It is difficult to judge at the moment the real strength of the unregistered unions and associations already in existence as their objects are so often ill-defined and as compulsory registration has not existed. However there has clearly been expansion since the re-occupation. A tendency to form industrial rather than craft unions, particularly in the dock- yards, is observable. There are instances of the reverse tendency, such as in the building and glass-blowing industry. In these industries the guilds have agreements with the masters that all workers should be employed through the guilds. This develop- ment springs rather from old guild principles than from the western idea of the closed shop. Industrial unionism is likely to win in the long run, at the expense of the craft guilds, especially if those industrial unions within the same industry can sink their differences and amalgamate. For instance in the dockyards there are three industrial unions recruiting and attempting to regulate conditions of service for all types of worker, co-operating with each other, but yet unable to surrender their individual authority to a single union.

44. During the year under review there has been a tendency for unions to align themselves in two rather loose federations, the line of demarcation being the sympathy or lack of sympathy of the constituent unions with the present political government of China. To describe these federations at present as trade union councils would be to give a false impression of their activities. Their organisation does not correspond with the Trades Union Congress in the United Kingdom. As long as the bases of the federations remain political, there is unlikely to be amalgamation or any real unity, and differences of opinion and lack of a common course of action can only do harm to trade unionism generally.

45. Since 1946 there has been development in the organisation of women workers, who are very numerous in the Colony. In the past these workers have been noticeably apathetic towards the idea of combining together for their common benefit, but the year under review has seen some energetic developments in their organisation and there are now some 10,000 women members of unions, about 1,500 being in the Spinning and Weaving General Labour Union. Unfortunately during the year some of these women members have felt that their interests were not being fully represented in the general union of male and female workers. About 900 of them have formed in consequence a separate organisation, the Female Knitters' Association. A further purely female union was set up during the year, the membership of which was drawn from women engaged in electric-torch, bulb, and battery manufacture.

46. In general the unions suffer from the scarcity of respon- sible and effective leadership. On the other hand an ability to negotiate with employers is developing, and a number of minor strikes, occurring through ignorance rather than premeditation, have been quickly settled when once the parties have been brought together. Relations between the Labour Office and the Unions are generally satisfactory, and the advice of the Commissioner of Labour and the staff of the office is frequently sought and accepted.

V.-LIVING CONDITIONS.

47. Hong Kong's wealth comes from its entrepôt trade and the processing of materials rather than the production of raw materials or primary products. There are no large estates and the agricultural community forms a numerically small but stable proportion of the population. The vast reservoir of labour to be found in Southern China and the natural tendency of the population of these parts to gravitate to an urban area where a wage can be earned does away with the necessity for any form of organised recruitment and the provision of special constructions for the accommodation of workers, though, as will be mentioned below, a few undertakings do provide accommodation for their employees.

48. The urban area, on the fringes of which most industrial undertakings and factories are established, is concentrated round the centre of the harbour, which divides it more or less equally

in two. The central area of Victoria does not contain any large undertakings where labour is employed on an extensive scale other than the Naval Dockyard. The other dockyards and factories on the island are situated at the city limits, at Shau Ki Wan, North Point, Wanchai and West Point. In Kowloon, again, the dock- yards are on the fringes of the city, whilst the factories are mostly situated on the Northern outskirts, at the foot of the Kowloon Hills. Both on the island and on the mainland, the workers live in the urban area and travel outwards to their places of work. Many workers, particularly in the smaller concerns, live on the factory or workshop premises, or in the shops in which they are employed. Such accommodation offers few of the amenities of a home, even though small spaces may be partitioned off for living purposes. On the other hand it probably offers as much privacy as a cubicle in an overcrowded tenement. Factory premises are often better ventilated than private dwelling houses.

49. The workers, then, occupy such accommodation as they can find in competition with other members of the community. The Colony suffers from a chronic shortage of accommodation relieved only on the rare occasion when unfavourable business conditions direct the flow of the migrant population back to their native places. (This aspect is dealt with more fully in Section VII). The average worker lives in a cubicle on one floor, or, more rarely, occupies the whole floor, of a tenement building. The older types of building are often dark, insanitary, and insufficiently ventilated, but they are being gradually replaced by tenements which are required to conform to certain statutory standards and which compare favourably with accommodation for similar classes of the population elsewhere in the Far East. Unfortunately the habits of the population itself and the general scarcity of accommodation lead to extensive overcrowding. This is difficult to control and tends to nullify the better constructional features of the more modern buildings.

50. A very few undertakings provide some of their workers with specially constructed accommodation, either free or at a nominal rent. One of these is the Taikoo Dockyard which provides sufficient accommodation of a tenement type to house adequately the majority of its permanent staff. This Dockyard is situated some miles from the centre of the city, near the large fishing village of Shau Ki Wan, from which came much of its labour staff. It is further from the urban area than the majority of under- takings, but is connected with the city by a public tramway. The accommodation provided by the company is perforce now overcrowded, as many of the workers who formerly lived in Shau Ki Wan have lost their accommodation in that village and have had to double up in the company's quarters. Another under- taking that provided quarters, and very good ones, for its workers is the Hong Kong (now the San Miguel) Brewery in the New Territories. This brewery is situated some ten miles from Kowloon and it was therefore necessary to erect accommodation for those employees who did not live in the village of Tsun Wan, a mile

or so away. The Dairy Farm Company also provides some accommodation for its agricultural workers. Many small under- takings permit their workers to live on the premises, but provide no special quarters.

51. Rents for all types of accommodation are high and demand proportionately too great a percentage of the worker's wage.

To this, in times of excessive overcrowding, as at present, must be added the evils of "key money" and the charging by landlords of illegal rents. The poorer type of worker often evades such costs by sleeping during the summer in the streets or by erecting a shack on waste ground, which creates a difficult problem for the sanitary authority.

52. During the year under review a certain amount of tenement type houses damaged or destroyed during the war have been rebuilt or reconditioned, but housing conditions cannot be said to have improved materially in 1947. Rents for a cubicle, which can be described as a partitioned portion of floor space about 8 feet square, are officially pegged at 30% above the pre-war rent, but in fact the percentage increase is usually very much higher. The increase extends even to the bed-space, pre-war the cheapest form of accommodation. It is difficult to check this illegal raising of rents without the co-operation of the sufferers, and this is in most cases not forthcoming.

53. As has been pointed out earlier in this section, the worker in large concerns frequently does not live at the scene of his work, except in outlying districts, but good transportation facilities exist by tram or bus or harbour ferry where the distance is too great to be undertaken on foot. The numbers of vehicles and ferries have increased during the year as the companies concerned repaired their losses during the war. The cost of transport has risen proportionately less than wages, so to that extent the real wages of the worker may be said to have risen since the war.

54. Amenities for workers at factories are practically negligible, and it is probably too early to urge that any be provided before the actual working conditions in factories themselves are improved. Some fuller observations on working conditions will be found in Section III.

55. A simple rationing system for imported rice has been in force since 1945, and remains in force. During the year the ration has been approximately 2.45 catties of rice per person per week, together with a supplementary ration of one catty of flour. Flour is not usually included in the diet of the southern Chinese, but there is evidence that bread is being accepted as an item in the diet of the worker. The rice ration does not pretend to be adequate for the normal worker, who necessarily supplements his ration by buying free market rice, but it has a useful stabilising effect in the rice market generally. Ration tickets are only granted to those workers who can prove seven years' residence in the Colony.

56. Table 3 summarises the average cost of various items in a basic diet for workers throughout the 52 weeks of the year. The quantities on which the costs are based are as follows:-

Rice and Flour

Fish

Pork

Vegetables

Salt Fish

Oil

Salt Cabbage

Firewood

7.2 catties

1.9

10.0

57. The cost of these items is averaged weekly and to the average is added the cost of 2 catties of tea and 14 pieces of bean curd. The prices given are those ruling in the four main markets of the Colony, and are obtained daily from those sources by women labour inspectors. The rice and flour figures are based on the cost of 2.45 catties of rationed rice, 1.05 catties of rationed flour, and 3.70 catties of "open market" rice; these figures vary slightly owing to variations in the official ration of rice and flour, but the quantity is brought up to 7.2 catties by the addition of "open market" rice. The figures thus obtained are published weekly in the press as the "food and fuel figures" to give the public an idea of the general trend of food and fuel costs. The lowest figure recorded was $10.543 for the week ending 24th May, 1947, and the highest was $15.338 for the week ending 14th February, 1948. It will be noted that these figures do not pretend to be a cost of living index, and they make no allowance for rent or the cost of clothing.

VI. HEALTH AND NUTRITION.

58. The general condition of the workers who come under the notice of the Labour Office has progressively improved, and the malnutrition of the war years seems to have been almost completely off-set by better food supplies. On the whole the Chinese worker's diet is well balanced. Rice is still the staple, but the greater use of flour resultant on the post-war shortage of rice is still noticeable. The majority of the workers classified as engaged in heavy manual labour continue to receive extra quantities of rationed rice, though in other respects their diet is the same as other workers.

59. The health of women factory workers and of young persons has been the object of special notice by the inspectorate staff. The general level of health is good and in some cases (e.g. the Shanghai women cotton mill operatives), remarkably so. There are no obvious indications of occupational diseases although skin infections or lead poisoning might have been anticipated in the electro-plating or printing industries. In cases where workers are liable to come into contact with dangerous substances

such as acids it is becoming usual to issue protective clothing (gum boots and rubber gloves). One small exception to the otherwise healthy condition of young persons has been observed. This concerns young persons engaged in the glass-blowing industry. These workers appear frequently to have developed boils. The exact cause has not yet been ascertained, but may be due to the clogging of the pores of face and neck owing to the combination of heat and dirt. It is anticipated that the whole question of occupational diseases will be more thoroughly explored with the projected attachment, for this purpose, of a medical officer to the Labour Office.

VII.—SOCIological CONDITIONS.

60. To understand the sociological conditions of labour in Hong Kong, it is necessary to consider the Colony against the greater background of China. In times of comparative quiet and relative stability in China, the Colony supports a large labouring population, ample for its needs, with enough artisans to undertake the skilled work required in the shipyards, in industry, and the community services. The needs of the worker are simple and he lives on a subsistence level in dingy surroundings, on a plain diet, with a sufficient wage to buy cotton clothes, to pay his rent, to smoke an occasional cigarette, and to send a little money to his family in the country. The woman worker is worse off, but can still afford to live. Even at the best of times the balance between subsistence and want is fine, and a disproportionate segment of wages is expended on rent. In such conditions the working community has been comparatively settled and a large proportion of it will have been born and lived all its life in the Colony. accordance with custom individuals may have been from time to time on visits to some town or village of China, which each will regard as his ancestral place. Only those who are more or less permanently in the Colony will as a rule have their families with them, but a tendency for new arrivals to bring their families with them was noticeable before the war.

61. Such a period of normality as is described above has existed in few out of the last 30 years, and the last time that settled conditions could be said to exist was 10 years ago, just before the Japanese started to make war in China. Since then the land has been troubled with constant strife and misery, and the end of an international war has seen only the intensification of a civil and political war, which had been quiescent during the national danger. The sons of the peasant, whose ancestral fields provide insufficient sustenance for a large family, the workers in towns where factories have closed down, and all those who find it difficult to make a living in their own districts, seek refuge and work elsewhere. For the inhabitants of Kwangtung and Kwangsi province Hong Kong is often the nearest place where settled conditions prevail. These people do not as a rule bring with them their families, but they come to earn wages which can be transmitted to families in the interior. The economic effect of

these additions to the reservoir of labour in Hong Kong is not so much to reduce the wages of the labourer but to increase the cost of rent and food, and in that way to depress the standard of living.

62. The war in Hong Kong and the rule of Japan had the effect of reducing the population. The end of the war, aided by the unsettled state of China, reversed the direction of migration, and by the end of 1946 the population was again normal, but still increasing. Although exact statistics are, of course, not available, it is probably now relatively stable, but still far larger than is economically desirable both for the worker himself and the Colony generally.

63. The most obvious effect of the war in East Asia was com- pletely to upset the economics of rice production and distribution, and to this single factor can be attributed largely the rise in the cost of living of a population the staple article of whose diet is rice. Locally, the cost of living is probably higher than elsewhere in the East, and this is attributable to exaggerated rents which in turn spring from an increased population and shortage of houses. Although a certain amount of damage to residential property occurred during the war, the housing of the Colony has always been inadequate and war damage cannot be said to be a major component of the present serious housing shortage. Paradoxically, it is due to the stable conditions of the Colony that rents are high.

64. As has been explained in a preceding section, the housing of the workers can be described only as reasonable in comparison with that found in other cities of the Far East, and for such accommodation the worker has to pay a disporportionately large amount of his wage. Difficulty in finding accommodation and its high cost has the effect of keeping the worker severed from his family in the interior. While this is unlikely to have here as serious sociological effects as it has in many countries, it is bound to have a rather unsettling effect on workers generally.

65. Reducing a complex problem to a perhaps unwarranted simplification, in order to improve the sociological conditions of the worker it is necessary therefore:

(a) to reduce the cost of rice;

(b) to attain a settled condition in China;

(d) to build more houses of a type suitable for the

workers.

66. There is little that can be done by anybody in this Colony which would affect (a) and (b). The domestic price of rice is kept under control by a rationing system introduced in 1945 and still in operation, some further details of which will be found in Section V. As a system it is rough and ready, but works reasonably satisfactorily. It undoubtedly helps the worker. With regard to (c) it has never been found practicable or politically desirable in

the past to restrict immigrants of Chinese race from entering the Colony. It is still impracticable. But were conditions in China to become more settled, the interchange of population would almost certainly slacken. The only factor which could be directly influenced by local action is the improvement of housing conditions, but little progress has as yet been possible in this direction. By the end of the year under review, there were very few houses damaged or destroyed by the war which had not been repaired or replaced, but little in the way of new accommodation had been built. This aspect again is covered more fully in Section V.

67. It has been pointed out earlier in this section that the needs of the worker are simple. The wages paid to artisans and to semi-skilled workers are sufficient to cover such needs, but remittances to families (outside the Colony) tend to absorb any surplus.

68. Some European-owned concerns provide for the security of their workers by provident funds or contributory pension schemes, but little is done by Chinese-owned concerns in this respect. It must therefore be said that little security for workers exists in the Colony other than that ultimate and pervading security which arises from the traditional Chinese family system and the association of almost every worker with some individual family place in the interior of China.

69. During the year a workmen's compensation bill has been receiving the attention of the Labour Advisory Board.

In anticipation of the passage of the bill, employers, both European and Chinese, have been encouraged to provide compensation for their workers who have been injured, or for the families of workers who have been killed as the result of accidents incurred whilst on duty. In many cases when workers have been the victims of accidents and have complained to the Labour Office, it has been possible to persuade the employer to pay compensation in accordance with the terms of the projected Ordinance.

70. Some of the larger concerns, both European and Chinese, have medical facilities available for their staff, but usually not for their families. These facilities extend to the provision of simple medicines prescribed by government clinics or by physicians recognised by the companies. It is usual among such concerns also to pay for treatment and accommodation at government hospitals, and to grant pay during sick leave up to a maximum of three months for workers who have been in the service of the firm for a long time. Maternity leave with pay is not granted to women workers except by a few concerns including the Govern- ment. This matter is treated more fully in Section VIII. most of the smaller concerns sickness spells trouble for the unfortunate worker, as there is no guarantee that he will be allowed to resume employment, and no assistance is given to him when sick. An improvement in these conditions can only be effected gradually.

71. Some European and very few Chinese concerns grant 17. paid holidays a year, in addition to holidays on Sundays, but the great majority of Chinese employees work on every day in the year, with the exception of certain recognised seasonal festivals such as the Chinese New Year (when up to a fortnight's holiday may be taken by the more well-to-do), Ching Ming festival and Christmas. There has been a noticeable trend among workers to demand holidays with pay, a demand to which employers in general do not tend to oppose much resistance, but until the working population generally is in a position to make better use of the extra leisure time thus obtained it is not likely that the demand for holidays will be a really major point in workers' general policy. The deep-rooted tendency is simply to make use of leisure time to find casual employment elsewhere than in the usual working place.

72. Education for children of workers is frequently provided in vernacular primary schools run by guilds or unions of which the workers are members, but the standard of teaching is in general low, and the number of schools totally inadequate to meet the strong desire always felt by the Chinese population for education.

73. The Relief Section of the Medical Department provided free food kitchens for the destitute or very poor, and various voluntary bodies provide relief in one form or another, but the extent to which public assistance can be given is obviously limited by the fact that there is no control over Chinese immigration into Hong Kong.

VIII.-WOMEN AND YOUNG PERSONS.

74. As was stated in the last annual report a fair proportion of the workers engaged in Hong Kong's light industries are Women. Further investigations into working conditions have brought to light some new facts, but largely served to substantiate general remarks that have been made before. The number of women more or less regularly employed in registered industrial undertakings is between 15,000 and 20,000 in seventy different industries. Many more are employed in small unregistered concerns, and fairly large numbers in the building trade, as stone- breakers in quarries, and as earth carriers, etc., for road building. The percentage of women employed in the various industries has not altered during the year under review: well over a third normally work in the weaving and knitted piece goods factories, though at the time of writing the fraction may be less, as there has been something of a slump arising from cheaper production elsewhere. The number of textile workers will, however, tend to increase owing to the establishment of several large spinning mills which, when operating fully, are likely to employ some hundreds of women workers. In the other industries rather less than a third of the total number of women are employed in factories making metal ware, electric torches, torch batteries, rubber shoes and boots. It is still very difficult to obtain exact employment figures

as all but a small percentage of the female labour is on either a daily or a piece rate basis, and the numbers vary from day to day, according to the state of the business in individual trades. Most of the factory work is light-though the work of the earth carriers is a greater tax on women's strength-and with a few exceptions the work is semi-skilled.

75. Wages and hours of work vary considerably in different industries: some factories, where a large proportion of the workers are women, work an 8-hour day, but the great majority of Chinese concerns have a 9 or 10-hour day, some even 11 hours or more. The tendency appears to be for women paid on piece-rate basis to work a longer day than those on a daily paid basis. Very few factories have a 6 or 53 day week, and these are mostly European owned; a small number, owned generally by Shanghai proprietors, give their employees 2 days off per month, sometimes on pay, sometimes without pay; the majority do a 7-day week. These hours are much too long, and although there appears to be a growing realisation on the part of the more progressively minded women that this is so, their efforts are still frustrated by the attitude of many women who prefer the longer hours for the extra money they can earn. This is understandable in some ways, as most of the women work- from economic necessity.

There appear

to be as many married women as single, the married women often having large families or elderly relatives to support, while many of the single ones are not only entirely dependent on their own earnings, but sometimes have a mother or younger brothers and sisters to support. The casual nature of their work, and consequent financial instability, tends to increase this desire to earn more while business is good and employment assured.

76. Inspection work in connection with juveniles continued. At the end of 1947 some three hundred Young Persons (i.e. those between the ages of 14 years and 18 years according to the European, and not Chinese, method of reckoning) employed in registered industrial undertakings were registered with the Labour Office; by the end of March the numbers registered had increased to 844. Every one of these Young Persons has been seen by either the Woman Labour Officer or one of the Women Factory Inspectors, as the prime object of registration is to see that these adolescents are not doing work beyond their physical strength, and to try to impress on factory owners the paramount importance of adequate rest periods for persons who are not fully grown. Sometimes proprietors seem to find the truth of this difficult to accept, and they are equally sceptical when told that a rested person is more productive than one who works long hours and every day-though this latter argument has rather more appeal.

77. Still very little exists in the way of social amenities or welfare benefits though, here again, there are signs of a growing consciousness amongst some of the women of the necessity for these. Some factories provide medical facilities for their workers; one or two have a first-rate dispensary with a dresser or nurse in

charge, where first-aid is administered, or free medicine issued to all employees, male or female. But these are exceptions.

Far too often the women employees are regarded purely and simply as casual workers and therefore not entitled to anything in the way of sick benefit, though most proprietors recognise their responsibilities in the case of accidents and injuries resulting from them. A similar state of affairs exists with regard to maternity benefit. The Government gives a period of leave with pay, before and after confinement, for women with a certain length of service. A few concerns, both European and Chinese, do likewise. One or two other Chinese factories are prepared to give a little financial help if a woman is in poor circumstances, while at one particular factory it is the custom to give a certain sum of money for "ginger and vinegar" at the time of confinement. But for the rest leave

only is given. Proprietors seem prepared to grant any length of time that is requested, but in practice from two weeks to two months seems to be taken, according usually to the financial state of the woman concerned and her potential earnings.

78. There is much to be done before any really appreciable advance can be made in general welfare, but the beginnings are there. The women's unions and the women's sections of the mixed unions are fully alive to their responsibilities with regard to the working conditions of women in the Colony. Many voluntary organisations are working to the same end, and it should be possible slowly to develop these beginnings so that women shall achieve a better status as workers.

IX.-LABOUR LEGISLATION.

Legislation in existence in March 1947,

79. The Factories and Workshops Ordinance (No. 18 of 1947). This ordinance is administered by the Commissioner of Labour and provides for the registration and inspection of factories. It also gives effect to the provision of certain conventions of the International Labour Office. Restrictions are placed on the employment of children in any industrial undertaking (child being any person under the age of 14 years). Without the written consent of the Commissioner, women, young persons under the age of 16 years, and female young persons (i.e. any person between the age of 14 and 18 years) may not be employed in dangerous trades. Restrictions are placed on the carriage of heavy weights by young persons. No female may be employed on underground work in any mine. Normally no woman or young person may be employed in any industrial undertaking between the hours of 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., but in exceptional cases the Commissioner may authorise the employment of women or young persons of 16 years or over for not more than 60 days in any one year between 8 and 9 p.m.

Restrictions are placed on the hours of work of young persons under 16 years of age, and provision made for a weekly rest-day. Proprietors are required to keep a register of young persons employed in industrial undertakings. There are regula- tions dealing with the prevention and notification of accidents and the provision of fire and health precautions.

The number of prosecutions under this ordinance and the nature of the charges are given in Table 4.

80. The Employers and Servants Ordinance (No. 45 of 1902). This ordinance provides, inter alia, for the giving of one month's notice or the payment of a month's wages in lieu thereof before dismissal in the case of monthly contracts for service.

81. The Trade Boards Ordinance (No. 15 of 1940). This ordinance provides the machinery for fixing minimum wages, determining the normal working hours and fixing overtime rates in trades where the wage standards are unnecessarily low. The ordinance has not yet been invoked.

82. Employment of Young Persons and Children at Sea Ordinance, 1932. This ordinance restricts the employment of children under 14 years of age to vessels where only members of the same family are employed, or to junks or sampans where the child is placed in the charge of an approved relative who is also a member of the crew. The ordinance is administered by the Marine Department.

83. The Merchant Shipping (Hong Kong) Order, 1936, and The Merchant Shipping (Hong Kong) Amendment Order, 1936. These orders deal with employment indemnity in the case of loss or foundering of ships, fix the minimum age for the admission of young persons as trimmers or stokers, and provide for the com- pulsory medical examination of children and young persons at sea. These orders are administered by the Marine Department.

Legislation enacted during the year under review.

84. The principal legislation enacted during the year was the Trade Unions and Trade Disputes Ordinance which was passed on 11th March, 1948, and which was to come into operation 1st April, 1948. The ordinance in general follows closely the United Kingdom model, with certain variations to suit the special condi- tions of the Colony. These may be summarised as follows:-

(i) Registration of any society describing itself as a trade union is compulsory. If it does not seek registration or is refused registration, it must be dissolved.

(ii) Every officer of a registered trade union must be actually engaged or employed in an industry or occupation with which the trade union is connected but the Governor in Council is empowered to make exceptions.

(iii) Except with the consent of the Governor in Council, affiliation or connection with trade unions or organisations outside the Colony is prohibited, if such affiliation entails the placing of the local union under the control of the trade union or organisation outside the Colony.

(iv) The purposes for which union funds may be utilised are laid down specifically in section 20 of the ordinance. These are more limited that those allowed in the United Kingdom. The utilisation of funds for political purposes is expressly excluded. (v) The ordinance provides for the submission of Trade Disputes with the consent of both parties to an Arbitration Tribunal to be appointed by the Governor.

The ordinance provided for the repeal of the Illegal Strikes and Lockouts Ordinance, No. 10 of 1927.

85. The Factories and Workshops Amendment Ordinance, 1947 amended the principal ordinance by broadening the definition of "workshop" to include premises in which certain trades were carried on, even though less than 20 persons were employed on such premises.

It empowers the Commissioner of Labour to make regulations, subject to the approval of the Legislative Council, to ensure safety and health in industrial undertakings. It also increased the scale of fines for contravention of the ordinance.

86. The Regulations of the Ordinance were amended in January, 1948 to allow the Commissioner of Labour to authorise the employment of women and young persons of 16 years or over to work between the hours of 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., and, in specific undertakings, to authorise the employment of women over the age of 18 years between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., provided working conditions are suitable and work is organised in shifts of not more than 8 hours each. Employers are required to keep a register of women employed in each shift.

Legislation Contemplated.

87. Owing to its occupation by the Japanese, the Colony is somewhat behind hand in giving legislative effect to International Labour Conventions, ratified on its behalf by the United Kingdom Government, but legislation to give effect to the Recruitment of Indigenous Workers Convention, 1936, and the Contracts of Employment (Indigenous Workers) Convention, 1939, is under consideration. These conventions will require on application a certain amount of modification owing to the peculiar conditions arising from the Colony's geographical relation to China, the free exchange of population with the country, and the lack of a stable. community. In the Asiatic Emigration Ordinance, 1915, legisla- tion already exists providing for the proper medical care and housing of emigrants in transit to or from China through the Colony.

88. Legislation for the regulation of apprenticeship in con- formity with the International Labour Office Apprenticeship Recommendations of 1939 is in preparation, and a draft Workmen's Compensation bill is being considered by the Labour Advisory Board.

X.-INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES, AND THE OUTLOOK.

89. A considerable amount of the work of Labour Officers and the Commissioner of Labour is devoted to conciliation and mediation in disputes, and the Labour Office has been instrumental during the year under review not only in preventing a number of unnecessary strikes but also in bringing workers and employers together with a view to negotiating agreements governing condi- tions of service in several industries and undertakings. During the year, the Labour Office was able to do this in some 25 disputes, some of which entailed many meetings and protracted negotiations. There were, of course, other disputes in which the office intervened to the extent of giving advice to one side or the other. Labour Officers were also able to settle 276 minor disputes, mostly concerning individuals who alleged wrongful dismissal or dismissal without adequate notice.

The Chinese Engineers' Institute Strike.

The

90. The principal strike during the year was a strike of artisans and skilled craftsmen called by the Chinese Engineers' Institute. The strike affected the dockyards, including the Naval Yard, certain workers in the Government Waterworks and the Kowloon-Canton Railway and certain other European-owned concerns to a minor degree. It is very difficult to separate clearly the various causes which led to this strike. They were by no means entirely economic, though the demand made by union was a straight-forward demand for an increase in basic wages. main difficulty in the early stages was that the union would not apply its demand to specific groups of employers, but persisted in putting forward a claim for 150% increase in basic wages for all skilled craftsmen throughout the Colony. There was no doubt that this vagueness was largely the result of the fact that the union itself was seeking to re-establish its position as the representative of all skilled artisans, a position which had apparently been weakened by the growth of various industrial unions whose claim to represent all workers in a particular under- taking cut right across the jurisdiction of the Chinese Engineers' Institute, which is of course a craft union. It was most unfortunate that all early attempts at negotiation broke down on this question of whether or not the union was in fact representative. Employers were unwilling to accede to a blanket demand when they were being informed by other unions that the Chinese Engineers' Institute did not in fact represent skilled workers in their employment.

91. This inter-union rivalry constituted the powder magazine in which any dispute might cause an explosion. The necessary spark was smouldering in the tow of the wages system which had been adopted in 1946. Broadly speaking, the system was the same for all the big European firms and for Government. distinguishing feature was the division of daily-paid wages into two parts, i.e., basic wages which were fixed within certain limits and a rehabilitation allowance which varied according to the rise

Its

and fall of the retail prices of certain staple commodities. It was prepared by employers and agreed by the Chinese Engineers' Institute early in 1946. The basic scale was based on minimum hourly rates arrived at by adding approximately 38% to the wages current in 1941. It was not intended to be permanent, but was an attempt to control the inflationary tendencies of the post-war period by eliminating cut-throat competition for labour and by keeping basic wages at a figure which industry in the Colony would be able to pay even if prices suddenly slumped. The rehabilitation allowance, on the other hand, was intended to ensure that the workmen should be adequately compensated, having regard to current prices. The overall wage was not unreasonable, even allowing for the increase in the cost of living since 1941.

92. Two factors militated against continued acceptance of these scales: the first was that Chinese industry generally had never adopted the system and was prepared to pay higher wages to obtain the skilled labour which was in short supply. As against this must be set the fact that other working conditions and the duration of employment were respectively less satisfactory and more easily affected by temporary increases or slumps in the volume of business. Both the Chinese worker and his employer look, however, more to the immediate profit than future security. It did, however, affect the position when skilled workers in European concerns saw their colleagues drawing much higher overall wages. The second factor was that some of the European employers had been slow to regrade their pre-war employees above the minimum rate for a skilled tradesman (25 cents an hour), which had been won in 1946 by the Chinese Engineers' Institute. It is true that most of the employers had regraded their men, moving really skilled pre-war employees well above the minimum rate. Where this had not been done, however, workers found themselves, after years of service, drawing the same pay as newly- engaged men on the minimum rates, who were possibly far less skilled than themselves. A tendency developed for the better men to adapt the pace of their output to that of their least skilled neighbours. Overtime was unpopular because of the far better rates which could be earned on odd job labour in other concerns after working hours.

93. Although, owing to continued protest by many of its members, the Institute originally put forward its demands early in 1947, the facts that the wages demand, as mentioned earlier, was a blanket one and that there were constant inter-union rivalries made it difficult for the employers concerned to decide with whom they should negotiate and entailed a delay of several months. The position became acute, however, in July 1947 and as this department was able to ascertain that the workers generally affected were those in the dockyards, an effort was made to narrow the issue in the first instance to those concerns. Negotiations unfortunately broke down on the jurisdictional question. It was pointed out to the industrial unions that if their members obeyed the strike call of the Institute, they were in effect conceding the latter's claim to represent them.

94. In the final event, when the strike began on 15th August, the utility companies (except for some 40 fitters in the Gas Company) and the tramways did not join the strike. In the dockyards, however, the call-out of the Institute was obeyed by all skilled men and the same applied to Government employees in the Kowloon-Canton Railway and, to a large extent, in the Waterworks. Even after the strike had started negotiations were continued, mainly in the Labour Office, and resulted a month later (12th September) in an agreement, the main items of which were an increase of 50% in basic wage of skilled workers and an under- taking on the part of the managements to make an immediate and careful regrading of their men. As a result of the strike it may be said that the Institute very largely regained its previous position, and the settlement entailed a re-adjustment of from 25-30% in the wages of clerical staff and the semi-skilled and unskilled workers and 50% for skilled workers, not only in the dockyards, but in the other concerns represented by the Institute. Since the Government Departments previously mentioned were involved, this also affected the wage rates of Government daily-paid staff.

This dispute has been commented on at some length as being the most outstanding and complex, but others raising special points of interest are commented upon in succeeding paragraphs.

Fisheries Wholesale Market Strike.

95. When the staff for the Fisheries Wholesale Market (which is run under the direction of the Government Fisheries Department, but financed from its own resources) was originally engaged the then rehabilitation allowance of $42 a month was incorporated in the basic wage.

At the same time members of the staff were informed that if at any time the rehabilitation allowance increased, they would receive in addition the difference between the new figures and $42. Added to this fixed basic wage was what was called a "central union allowance" which in most cases amounted to some $50 a month. In November 1947 when the rehabilitation allowance had for some time been around $84 per month and the Fisheries Market staff had been receiving the difference between $42 and the current rehabilitation allowance, representatives of the men came forward demanding that they should receive the rehabilitation allowance in full. Their contention was that the original $42 was part of the basic wage and had not been incorporated in it as a rehabilitation allowance component.

96. A number of meetings were held at which the representa- tives of the workers refused to move from their original position and on 12th November a strike was called. The strike was carefully planned and was very well conducted, but it was soon obvious that it was not supported by the majority of the employees, who were in fact satisfied with their existing conditions. After five days 70% of the 270 men involved returned to work and, after due warning, the places of the remaining 30% were filled by engagement of new workers. The opportunity was taken to

re-organise the wage system in the market and to bring wages and the cost of living allowance into line with that obtaining in other Government departments.

China Motor Bus Company Strike.

97. During the second half of 1947 the agreement between the management and the employees of this company was under discussion for revision, particularly on the point of a retiring gratuity, early consideration of which had been provided by the management, but which had never been implemented. Further delay in these negotiations was caused by the absence in England of the Managing Director and the unwillingness of his fellow Directors to make a final decision on this point in his stead. The result was that the men lost patience and went on strike on 11th December, almost immediately after the Managing Director's return to the Colony. The strike involved the whole of the traffic staff and the business of the company was brought to a standstill. Settlement was effected after 30 days (involving a loss of 5,700 man-days) by the company granting conditions of service similar to those granted by the Kowloon Motor Bus Company, which operates on the mainland.

Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotel Strike.

98. This strike, which involved the Chinese staffs of the three big European hotels under the management of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd., was the result of dissatisfaction with the action of the management who brought in a change in payment of overtime allowances. The matter was settled after four days by direct negotiations between the management and the Foreign Labour Union. The new system of overtime payments was retained, but adjustments were made in wages to compensate for this change.

Minor Strikes and Disputes.

99. As will be seen from Table 7 there were strikes in various other industries, but these were not of sufficient importance to justify a detailed report. Annexure A gives a graphic representa- tion of man-days lost in the period under review as compared with 1946.

The Outlook.

100. As regards the future outlook, one lesson which is illustrated to some extent in these disputes and which is one which the Chinese workers in Hong Kong will have to learn, is that a strike is a two-edged weapon. Unless used with discretion, a strike may well involve loss of employment for many of those who take part in it. The department has, ever since its inception, attempted to incorporate in all agreements between managements

and workers clauses establishing conciliation machinery within the industries concerned. It is to be hoped that in the future both sides will endeavour to make use of such machinery for the purpose of regular consultation so that incipient grievances and mis- understandings may be removed before they have had time to attain serious proportions and to embitter relations to an extent which makes settlement very difficult. Another point which may affect industrial relations in the future is the entry into Hong Kong of Shanghai manufacturers who have brought with them a certain amount of Northern Chinese labour, particularly executive staff, in the cotton and spinning industry. It is already apparent that adjustment will be necessary between the ideas of these managements and their supervisory staff and those of the local Cantonese worker.

December, 1948.

B. C. K. HAWKINS, Commissioner of Labour.

TABLE 1.

NUMBERS EMPLOYED IN REGISTERED AND RECORDED

FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS.

Primary Products:-

Farming, Forestry, Agriculture,

Fisheries, Gardening, etc.

Mining:-

Wolfram Refining

Non-Metallic ferrous Mining Products:-

Coal Eggs

Cement Works

Gypsum Powder

Brick, Tile, Pipe, etc. making:—

Brick Works

Cement Tiles

Pottery, Earthenware, etc.

Glass:-

Glass Wares

Mirrors

Vacuum Flasks

31st March, 1947

No. of

under- takings

Men

Women

No. of under- takings

31st March, 1948

Men

Women

220

290

183

370

110 4

as to ♡

399

591

112

136

152

2-2

TABLE 1,-Continued.

31st March, 1947

No. of

under-

Chemicals, Paints, Oils, etc.:-

Kerosene Refinery

Zinc Powder

Chemicals

Manganese

Dye-stuffs

Medicines

takings

Metal Polishing Compound

Face Powder

Perfumery

Crackers

Matches

Joss Sticks

Mosquito Sticks

Paint and Lacquer

Camphor (oil & powder)

Peppermint Oil

Soap

Glue & Gelatine

Bone Grinding

Metal Manufacture

Engineering:—

Men

Women

No. of under- takings

31st March, 1948

Men

Women

277

[°⌘།སྶཔིཾཏྟས།། །

192

274

139

708

228

71422811411

206

28-238-3288***

218

154

109

569

186

139

༄བྲ] |

General Engineering

916

Radio Repairs

---

1.083 9

TABLE 1,—Continued.

31st March, 1947

No. of

under-

takings

Men

Women

No. of under- takings

31st March, 1948

Men

Women

Construction and Repair of Vehicles:-

Bicycle Manufacture

Garage

Ship Building & Ship Repairing:--

Ship-Builders

13,369

1,115

10,935

431

Other Metal Industries:—

Foundries

360

Electric Bulbs

173

Metal Wares

Electro-plating

Tin Cans

137

150

1,669

1,298

166

129

83762

497

217

393

219

1.959

1.625

281

195

Needles

143

142

Silver Refinery

Aluminium Wares

Enamel Wares

عر

141

368

Textiles:-

Cotton Spinning Mill

157

116

Cotton Fluffing

Cotton Thread

Cotton Tapes

Shoe Laces

Cotton Weaving

105

1,338

2,612

150

1,702

5.245

Cotton Knitting

269

1,487

3.224

185

1,614

3,154

Cotton Handkerchiefs

35 -

TABLE 1,-Continued.

31st March, 1947

No. of under-

takings

Men

Women

No. of under- takings

31st March, 1948

Men

Women

Textiles,-Contd.:--

Silk Weaving Hosiery

Grass Mats

Gunny Bags

Twine

Rope Works

Fishing Nets

Cloth Calendering

Dyeing

281

176

162

105

140

138

248

Leather, Leather Goods & Furs:--

Fur Processing

Tannery

107

Leather Goods

141

121

히

Clothing Industries:-

Garments & Shirts

217

378

287

403

Hats (felt)

130

432

151

316

Buttons

275

249

101

143

Embroidery

Shoes

Food, Drink & Tobacco:-

Flour and Rice Milling Biscuits & Confectionery Noodle Making

Bean Curd

Canned Goods

Peanut Oil

Cassia Sorting

Gourmet Powder

Soy and Sauce

Sugar

Ginger & Fruits (Preserved)

Meat (Dried)

Ice

Cold Storage

Aerated Waters

Beverages

Distillery

Tobacco

Jam Making

Wood Working, etc.:-

TABLE 1,-Continued.

31st March, 1947

No. of under- takings

Men

Women

No. of under- takings

31st March, 1948

Men

Women

12 14

24232 +0000 MOHN HM-NM

131 382

216

196

413

ཌཏྟཱས

310

223

112

102

100

257

102

100

137

528

48231 M IN LOMO LO HAM H

166

130

178

292

120

156

292

243

106

398

263

185

130

352

872

Furniture

Saw Mills

142

Camphor Wood Trunks

Rattan

сл сл

170

193

2076

122m

305

215

202

TABLE 1,-Continued.

31st March, 1947

No. of

under-

takings

Men

Women

No. of under- takings

31st March, 1948

Men

Women

Paper & Printing, etc.:--

Paper (Dyeing)

Paper Cards

Paper Boxes

Pencils

Printing Ink

Printing

Type Foundry

Newspapers

2323 —

1.624

328

2+2318-

227

122

2,203

755

449

12 583

2 14

Building & Civil Engineering Construction:-

Building Materials

Terrazo Works

Construction Works

~ | |

211

222

999

Other Manufacturing Industries:-

Rubber Tyres

100

Rubber Tyre Soles

Rubber Wares

868

2.857

1,169

3,814

Tooth Brushes

Toys

Batteries

"170

411

128

271

Carbon Sticks for dry batteries

Bakelite Wares

109

Torches

536

895

659

1,938

Ivory Carving

Feather Sorting & Cleaning

335

205

Bottle Corks

Gas Works

Electricity Works

Transport and Communication:-

Railway (Government)

TABLE 1,-Continued,

31st March, 1947

No. of

under-

takings

No. of

Men

Women

under-

31st March, 1948

Men

Women

takings

ลง

326

1,381

1,060

790

1,531

Tramways

Telephones

Distributive Trades:-

Oil Installations

552

519

Commerce, Banking, Insurance and Finance

Miscellaneous Services:-

Laundry

192

TOTAL

972

32.904

18,434

1,137

36,644

25,070

At the end of March, 1948 the approximate number of workers employed in registered and recorded factories and workshops in operation was:-

Males

Females

Total

36,644 25,070

61,714

WAGE RATES AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE IN SELECTED INDUSTRIES.

Basic Wages ($)

Industry

Trade or Occupation

Management

Average Allowances in Cash ($)

Total Wages in 30 Day Month

Normal Working Hours

Overtime Rate

Min

Max

Min

Max

Shipbuilding,

Engineering

Blacksmiths

European

3.00

4.80

3.00

155

200

basic x 11

Coppersmiths

Electricians

Boilermakers

Patternmakers

Turners

Fitters

Chinese

6.00

11.00

180

330

9-10

basic × 1

250

350

250

350

9-10

basic X 11

Government

3.04

4.80

3.00

169

215

basic × 1, normally; basic x 2 on Sundays

128

69 - 84

165

212

1/100 of monthly

basic wage

Hammermen

European

2.00

3.00

150

180

Strikers

Greasers

basic × 1

150

180

ditto

Chinese

7.00

9.00

210

270

8-9

ditto

108

135

108

135

8-9

Government

1.60.

2.64

3.00

126

158

basic × 1, normally; basic × 2 on public

holidays

133

149

1/100 of monthly

basic wage

Construction, Building

Bricklayers Plumbers Sign-writers Upholsterers

European

3.00

4.20

3.00

155

190

basic × 1, normally; basic X 2 on public

holidays

Chinese

8.00

10.00

240

300

8-9

wages x 11⁄2

120

150

120

150

8-9

ditto

Government

3.04

4.80

3.00

169

215

basic × 1, normally; basic x 2 on public

holidays

128

69 - 84

165

212

1/100 of monthly

basic wage

TABLE 2.

Other Conditions of Service

Free medical treatment & Sick leave; Retiring gratuity.

Free food & accommodation

normal.

Free medical treatment; Retiring gratuity after 10 years.

Pension on retirement at 55; medical benefits; Sick leave.

Free medical treatment & Sick leave; Retiring gratuity.

Ditto

Free food & accommodation

normal,

Free medical treatment; Retiring gratuity after 10

years.

Pension on retirement at 55; Casual & Sick leave; Medical benefits.

Free medical attention & paid sick leave; Retiring gratuity.

Free food & accommodation

normal.

Free medical treatment; Retiring gratuity after 10 years,

Pension on retirement at 55; medical benefits; sick leave.

TABLE 2,-Continued.

Basic Wages ($)

Industry

Trade or Occupation

Management

Average Allowances

Total Wages in 30 Day Month

in Cash ($)

Normal Working Hours

Overtime Rate

Other Conditions of Service

Min

Max

Min

Max

Construction,

Building,- Contd.

European

3.00

4.80

3.00

155

200

basic X 1

Free

Carpenters Painters Plasterers Polishers

medical treatment; Partially paid sick leave.

Chinese

240

300

8 - 9

wages X 1

120

150

120

150

8-9

Government

2.40

4.00

3.00

152

194

108

69-84

150

192

basic × 1, normally; basic x 2 on holidays

1/100 of basic

Food & accommodation

normally provided.

Free medical treatment; Retiring gratuity after 10 years.

Pension on retirement at 55; Casual and Sick leave; Medical benefits.

Transport

Motor Drivers European

250

350

250

350

Chinese

6.00

180

8-9

wage × 1

250

600

250

600

variable

Government

3.04

4.00

3.00

169

194

basic × 1

Free

128

69 - 84

165

212

1/100 of basic

Bus Drivers

Chinese

4.28

4.78

3.00

218

233

Conditions very variable, but some benefits and holidays usual.

These wages are for taxi drivers, who in addition have tips; 18 paid holidays p.a.; Medical benefits.

Free food and accommoda-

tion provided.

medical treatment; Retiring gratuity after 10 years.

Pension on retirement at 55; Partially paid sick leave; Medical benefits.

medical

treatment;

Partially paid sick leave; Retiring gratuity.

Free medical treatment; Partially paid sick leave; Retiring gratuity.

basic × 1

Free

Tram Drivers

European

3.37

4.57

3.00

190

225

basic X 1

Bus conductors Chinese

2.80

3.20

3.00

180

195

basic × 1

As for Bus drivers.

TABLE 2,-Continued.

Industry

Trade or Occupation

Basic Wages ($)

Average

Management

Allowances

Total Wages in 30 Day Month

in Cash ($)

Normal Working Hours

Overtime Rate

Other Conditions of Service

Min

Max

Min

Max

Transport,-

Contd.

Tram conductors European

2.80

4.00

3.00

174

210

basic × 1

As for tram drivers.

Rickshaw pullers Chinese

6.00

8.00

180

240

8-9

Two Pullers share hire of rickshaw for one day at $1.50.

Shipbuilding,

Unskilled

European

1.20

1.90

2.40

108

112

basic × 1

Construction, Engineering

Labour (male) |

Chinese

4.00

6.00

120

180

8-9

Rubber

Manufacture

Unskilled Labour (female)

Government

1.04

1.52

2.40

112

basic X 11

113

129

1/100 of basic

Chinese

3.00

5.00

150

8 - 9

Free medical treatment; Partially paid sick leave.

Rates paid by contractors are unknown, but are cer- tainly much lower.

Free medical treatment; Retiring gratuity after 10

years.

Pension on retirement at 55; Casual and sick leave; Medical benefits.

Rates paid by contractors are unknown, but certain- ly much less.

Government

.80

1.20

1.80

74.80

85.20

basic × 11

Free

113

129

1/100 of basic

Skilled workers Chinese

5.00

7.00

& mechanics

(male)

150

300

150

300

8-10

Semi-skilled

Ditto

1.60

5.00

210

8-10

basic × 1

workers (male)

150

8-10

medical treatment; Retiring gratuity after 10

years.

Pension on retirement at 55; Casual and sick leave; Medical benefits.

Free meals occasionally.

Free meals and usually

accommodation.

Free meals occasionally.

Free meals and accommoda-

tion normal.

TABLE 2,-Continued.

Industry

Trade or Occupation

Basic Wages ($)

Management

Average Allowances in Cash ($)

Total Wages in 30 Day Month

Normal Working Hours

Overtime Rate

Other Conditions of Service

Min

Max

Min

Max

Rubber

Manufacture. -Contd.

Skilled workers

(female)

Chinese

2.00

7.00

Piece Rates.

Semi-skilled

Ditto

1.50

2.50

workers (female)

Textiles

Mechanics

Chinese

150

300

150

300

Garment makers

(male)

Ditto

2.50

4.50

135

200

Garment makers

(female)

Ditto

1.25

10-12

Bobbin-winders

Ditto

2.70

4.00

120

Knitters

(male)

100

€0

100

Bobbin-winders

Ditto

1.00

3.00

(female)

(weaving)

Free food. Accommodation

provided if required.

Usually casual labour.

Sometimes free food.

Free food and accommoda-

tion usual.

Piece rates usual. Workers may earn $7 a day in busy periods.

Occasionally on piece rates.

Free food and accommoda-

tion normal.

All are piece rates (lower rates on hand operated machines).

Weavers

Ditto

3.00

6.00

180

All are on piece rates.

(female)

Ginger &

Women workers Chinese

1.35

1.80

Preserved Fruit

Trade is

November.

seasonal, July-

Electric Torches | Torch bulb

Chinese

2.20

3.25

108

8-9

makers (male)

All on piece rates. Longer

hours frequently worked.

---

Torch bulb

Ditto

1.00

2.80

8-11

Mostly

makers

on piece rates. Usually 9 or 10 hours day.

(female)

TABLE 2,—Continued.

Industry

Trade or Occupation

Basic Wages ($)

Management

Average Allowances

Total Wages in 30 Day Month

in Cash ($)

Normal Working Hours

Overtime Rate

Other Conditions of Service

Min

Max

Min

Max

Electric Torches, Torch battery

Chinese

1.50

3.00

-Contd.

makers

(female)

Torch makers

(female)

Ditto

.90

3.50

105

8-10

Average rates 1.50-2.00 per

day.

Glass-making

Skilled workers

(male)

Ditto

240

360

8-9

Food

150

300

150

300

9 - 10

Unskilled

Ditto

120

150

8-9

workers (male)

9-10

Hotels,

Cooks

European

Catering &

Domestic

120

265

120

265

1 X basic wage

Services

Chinese

Government

A E

ΑΙΣ

113

149

1 x basic wage

and accommodation generally provided.

manent work.

Per-

Food and accommodation

(Torch lens makers).

Food and

usual.

accommodation

Food and accommodation usual (torch lens makers).

Medical facilities not usual (wages quoted include average overtime).

Free food and accommoda- tion. days holiday with pay usual. Percentage of tips.

Pension on retirement at 55; Medical treatment; Casual leave and sick leave with pay.

Boys Waiters

European

Lift boys

120

200

120

200

basic X 1

Medical

sional; usual.

Government

121

149

basic X 1

treatment occa-

Accommodation

Pension on retirement at 55;

Paid holidays and Sick leave.

TABLE 2,-Continued.

Basic Wages ($)

Industry

Trade or Occupation

Management

Average Allowances

Total Wages in 30 Day Month

in Cash ($)

Normal Working Hours

Overtime Rate

Other Conditions of Service

Min

Max

Min

Max

Hotels,

Catering &

Domestic

Services,

Contd.

Amahs Waitresses

European

140

basic x 1

Government

(hospitals)

121

149

basic X 1

Printing &

Book-binding

Mechanics Printers

Chinese

12223

Binders Compositors

120

150

8-10

wages x 11

120

150

8 - 10

Semi-skilled workers

Ditto

100

110

100

120

8-10

wages x 1

Binders

Ditto

8-9

wages x 1

(female)

Accommodation usual;

Medical treatment some- times provided.

Pension on retirement at 55; Paid holiday, Sick leave, Medical facilities,

Free food and accommoda- tion normal, Paid holidays normal.

TABLE 3.

WEEKLY FOOD AND FUEL COSTS (APRIL 1947—MARCH 1948)

Rice &

Week Ending

Flour

Fish

Pork

Amount in Catties

(7.2)

(4)

(.3)

Vegetable (1.9)

Salt Fish

Oil

(3)

(7)

Salt Cabbage (.2)

Firewood (10.0)

5th April, 1947

$5.490

$ .712

.846

$ .589

$ .606

$1.442

$ .300

$ .900

12th

5.050

,692

.852

.589

.639

1.547

.300

.900

19th

4.840

.756

.867

.684

.681

1.561

.302

1.000

26th

4.680

.740

.825

.684

.561

1.477

.240

.800

3rd May

4.390

.788

.792

.684

.642

1.505

.260

.800

10th

4.320

.736

.876

.608

.597

1.659

.240

.800

17th

4.070

.728

.837

.665

.579

1.687

.256

.800

24th

3.620

.772

.819

.589

.588

1.715

.220

.700

31st

3.940

.780

.753

.589

.624

1.589

.258

.700

7th June

3.900

.784

.840

.589

.609

1.631

228

.700

14th

3.980

.880

.927

.665

.702

1.715

.230

.700

21st

4.670

.856

.921

.722

.666

1.694

.258

.730

28th

4.670

.872

.903

.798

.696

1.680

.280

.700

5th July

4.430

.856

.918

.703

.651

1.680

.280

.740

12th

4.310

.852

.960

.836

.636

1.701

.282

.800

19th

4.230

.856

.858

.969

.657

1.701

.280

.800

26th

4.150

.928

.867

1.159

.702

1.645

.282

.700

2nd August

4.310

.948

.912

1.197

.708

1.666

.290

.800

9th

4.660

.984

.996

1.311

.759

1.743

.320

1.000

16th

5.080

1.056

1.104

1.387

.825

1.799

.338

1.200

23rd

4.930

1.076

1.140

1.349

.843

1.827

.318

1.400

30th

4.930

1.048

1.143

1.292

.777

1.806

.320

1.400

6th September

5.080

1.128

1.137

1.368

.912

1.827

.320

1.600

13th

5.080

1.208

.990

1.349

.924

1.820

.348

1.800

20th

5.000

1.188

.999

1.387

.891

1.918

.352

1.660

27th

4.480

1.068

.927

1.406

.888

1.904

.348

1.460

TABLE 3,-Continued.

Rice &

Salt

Week Ending

Flour

Amount in Catties

(7.2)

Fish (.4)

Pork (.3)

Vegetable

Salt Fish

Oil

Cabbage

Firewood

(1.9)

(.3)

(.7)

(2)

(10.0)

4th October

$4.520

$1.208

$ .906

$1.349

$ .948

$1.785

$ .340

$1.400

11th

4.520

1.296

1.086

1.520

1.014

1.806

.340

1.200

18th

4.410

1.160

.993

1.368

.930

1.764

.326

1.200

25th

4.340

1.108

.981

1.292

.933

1.757

.322

1.100

1st November

4.560

1.052

.855

1.112

.936

1.806

.320

1.000

8th

4.660

1.132

.915

1.064

.855

1.918

.320

1.000

15th

4.650

1.124

.903

1.083

.870

1.820

.320

1.000

22nd

4.720

.996

.777

.988

.873

1.736

.320

1.000

29th

4.610

1.016

.783

1.007

.843

1.694

.320

1.000

6th December

4.570

.956

.759

.969

.789

1.757

.320

1.000

13th

4.500

.880

.756

.969

.705

1.694

.320

.900

20th

4.580

.876

.780

1.083

.696

1.750

.320

.900

وو

27th

4.570

.908

.804

1.026

.687

1.736

.320

.900

3rd January, 1948

4.540

.912

.789

1.007

.663

1.722

.320

1.100

10th

4.700

.888

.801

1.007

.687

1.666

.320

1.200

17th

4.900

.888

.822

1.026

.717

1.757

.320

1.200

24th

5.430

.972

.828

1.083

.740

1.743

.320

1.400

་་

31st

5.590

1.156

.903

1.140

.825

1.736

.320

1.300

喃喃

7th February

5.590

1.096

.999

1.083

.810

1.736

.320

1.300

14th

5.910

1.092

1.212

1.140

.912

1.792

.320

1.300

21st

5.550

1.052

1.212

1.083

.969

1.722

.320

1.300

28th

5.870

1.016

1.125

1.064

.933

1.736

.320

1.200

6th March

6.190

.968

1.005

.988

.903

1.708

.320

1.200

13th

5.880

.996

.900

1.045

.900

1.778

.320

1.000

20th

5.760

.952

.933

.988

.888

1.715

.320

1.000

ララ

27th

5.760

.988

.948

1.007

.900

1.757

.320

1.000

AVERAGE

$4.821

$1.025

$ .898

$1.005

$ .773

$1.704

$ .304

$1.068

The highest cost of each commodity during the year is indicated by thick type, the lowest by italics.

TABLE 4.

SUMMARY OF PROSECUTIONS AND FINES

(under the Factories and Workshops Ordinance, 1937).

OFFENCES

No.

Fines

Employment of women during prohibited hours

$ 9,015.00

Employment of young persons during pro-

hibited hours

900.00

Employment of young persons in dangerous

trades

1,050.00

Employment of children

150.00

Unfenced machinery

850.00

Unregistered factory

650.00

Obstructing fire exits

25.00

TOTAL

68 different firms were prosecuted.

$12,640.00

TABLE 5.

ACCIDENTS REPORTED IN REGISTERED FACTORIES

& WORKSHOPS.

MEN

WOMEN

Cause of Accident

Total

Over 18 years

Under 18 years

Over

Under

18 years

Machinery

(1 Fatal)

2 (1 Fatal)

(2 Fatal)

Falls

60 (4 Fatal)

(4 Fatal)

Falling objects

Burns

(1 Fatal)

4 (2 Fatal)

(3 Fatal)

Scalds

(1 Fatal)

Explosions

Other causes

(3 Fatal)

218 (10 Fatal)

4 (1 Fatal)

(2 Fatal)

241 (13 Fatal)

TABLE 6.

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS.

Associations with between 50 and 250 members:

Caulkers "Fuk Kwan" Union.

Admiralty Clerks' Association.

Ivory Workers Society.

Metal Workers Sisters Association (Women's Association).

Rope Factory Workers Society.

Chop Carvers Guild.

H.K. Chinese Sanitary Inspectors' Association.

Fire Brigade Workers Union.

Council of European Civil Servants.

Motorcar Cleaning Service Workers Union.

Texaco Oil Co. Chinese Employees Association.

Associations with between 250 and 1,000 members:-

The Rickshaw Coolies Association.

H.K. Rickshaw Coolies Mutual Assistance Union. H.K. & Kowloon Rickshaw Coolies Union.

H.K. Shipbuilding Industry Investigation Association. H.K. Ship Carpenters Guild.

H.K. & Kowloon Riveters "Hip Chun" Guild. "Pui San" Society for Ship Builders.

Moulders Guild.

Hong Kong "Kiu Sing" Association.

H.K. & Kowloon Blacksmiths Association.

H.K. & Kowloon Shipyard Blacksmiths Association.

Saiwanho Plumbers and Sheet Metal Workers Union.

Copper and Iron Workers Guild.

"Kwong Lok Yin Ngai She" (Painters Guild). Painters General Labour Guild.

Carpenters Guild.

Lime-washing Workers Guild.

Painters General Labour Guild.

Scaffolding Workers Guild.

Pile Driving Workers Guild. Masons Guild.

Pipe Workers Guild.

Un Long Stevedores Union.

H.K. & Kowloon Luggage Transport Coolies Guild.

H.K. & Kowloon Wharf & Godown Goods Transportation

Workmen's Guild.

"Yik Kwan" Cargo Loading and Unloading Coolies Mutual

Assistance Association.

West River Pilots Club.

Boarding House Employees Union.

Boarding House Employees "Fong Yin" Association.

Live Pig Laan Employees Guild.

Beef and Mutton Trade Employees Guild.

Pig-roasting Workmen's Guild.

Edible Birds' Nest Workers Guild.

Pork Dealers Shop Employees Guild.

Tea Shop Employees Guild.

Sharks' Fins Workmen Wah Lok Guild. Sofa Makers Guild.

Decorators and Furniture Makers Guild.

Coffin Workers Guild.

Camphor Wood Trunk Workers Guild. Machine Sawyers Guild.

Wood Box Makers Guild.

"Tung Yik" Ornament Makers Guild.

"Ping Wo" Packing Workers Guild.

Rattan Workers "Ping Lok" Guild.

Wood Sawyers Guild.

Engravers of Camphor Wood Trunks Guild.

H.K. & Kowloon "Kwong Luen" Barrel Makers Guild.

H.K. & Kowloon Coat-sewing Workers Guild.

Female Knitters Association (Women's Association).

Shirt Makers Guild (includes women members).

"Kwan Yin" Tailors Guild.

H.K. & Kowloon Foreign-styled Lady Dress Makers Union. Hat Makers Guild.

Shoe Makers Guild.

Shoe Trade Employees Guild.

H.K. Leather Workers Association.

Lamp Bulb Workers Association (includes women members). Leather Ware Shop Employees Union.

Electro-plating Workers Union.

Paper Workers Guild.

Joss Stick Workers Guild (includes women members).

Glass Workers Guild.

H.K. Waterworks Chinese Staff Association.

H.K. Govt. Hospital Chinese Employees "Tung Lok" Club.

K.C.R. Loco Department Workers Guild.

Postal Workers Union.

H.K. Civil Servants Chinese Association.

Hongkong Drainage Office Chinese Staff Association.

Marine Department Employees Association. Cheung Chau Fisheries Workers Association.

H.K. Fishing Boat Workers Guild.

New Territories Fishermen's Auxiliary Progress Association. Cheung Chau Fishermen's Guild.

Hong Kong Printers Guild.

H.K & Kowloon Printing Trade Workmen's Guild. Lithography Employees Mutual Aid Society.

Barbers Guild.

Hongkong & Kowloon "Chiu Lap" Hawkers Guild. Hongkong Hawkers Association.

H.K. Hawkers "Chiu Lap" General Social Guild. Commercial Press Employees Association.

Medicinal Herb Workers Guild.

Tinsmiths Workers Guild.

Ship Iron Scrapers Guild.

Paper Box Workers Guild,

Match Workers Guild.

Button Makers Guild (includes women members).

B.C.C. (B.A.T.) Workers Guild (includes women members).

Leather Workers Guild (includes women members).

Knitters General Labour Guild (includes women members). Chinese Hotels and Boarding House Workers Union (includes

women members).

Associations with between 1,000 and 5,000 members:-

H.K. Tramway Co. Chinese Employees Club.

Motor Car Drivers Union.

Taikoo Dock Chinese Recreation Club.

Chinese Engineers' Institute.

H.K. Naval Dockyard Chinese Workers Recreation Club. Kowloon Dock Workers Association.

H.K. & Kowloon Tea House and Eating Shop Employees

Association.

H.K. Restaurant and Eating House Employees Guild (includes

women members).

"Kwong Yee Tong" Bricklayers Guild.

Building Trade General Labour Guild.

Coal Coolies Guild.

Chinese Seamen's Union, Hongkong Branch.

Chinese Inland River Steamers Workers Guild.

Hongkong Seamen's Union.

"Chap Yin" Stevedores Guild.

Hong Kong Foreign Labour Union (includes women

members).

Spinning & Weaving Trade General Labour Union (includes

women members).

Rubber Factory Employees Guild (includes women members). Urban Council Chinese Staff Club (includes women members). United Friendship Society of Chinese Workers in Hong Kong

Government.

TABLE 7.

STRIKES.

Number of

Duration of Strike

Name of Establishment

Man-days

Cause

Men involved

From

Days

Lost

Kowloon Taxi Company

1. 6.47

7. 6.47

540

Dismissal of 8 drivers.

Results

"Go slow" strike. Work resumed on management re-engaging 2

men.

Torch Bulb Factories

480

16. 7.47

7. 8.47

10,600

Reduction of piece work

rate by management.

made small Management

in- creases to an agreed fixed rate.

Taikoo Dock

Kowloon Dock

Baileys Dock

Royal Naval Dock

Green Island Cement Co.

H.K. & Kowloon Wharf

& Godown Co.

Holt's Wharf

Dairy Farm, I. & C.

Storage Ltd.

Kowloon-Canton

way

Government

works

Rail-

Water-

H.K. & China Gas Co.

(part of)

H.K. & Shanghai Hotels,

Ltd. (fitters)

Name Tape Workers

(various factories)

11.000

15. 8.47

11. 9.47

236,460

Demand for 150% increase Men returned to work on 50%

of basic wages,

increase of basic wages.

200

21.10.47

18.11.47

5,800

Dismissal of representatives

Inconclusive.

•

and demands for better conditions.

Many of original workers replaced by new employees.

Goldsmiths (various shops)

300

18.10.47

13.11.47

7,500

Dismissal contrary to trade practice and other de- mands.

Agreement signed covering all

working conditions.

Fisheries Marketing

Organization

270

12.11.47

17.11.47

1,080

Demand for increased allow- Resumed work with approx. 70% of original staff some new employees.

ances.

Dismissal of Representative. Representative re-engaged.

Yellow Taxi Co.

3.11.47

5.11.47

Shanghai Tailors (various

shops)

440

21.11.47

10.12.47

6,160

Demand for increase

share of takings.

of Given extra allowance of 7%.

China Motor Bus Co.

190

11.12.47

10. 1.48

5.700

Demand

gratuity.

for

retiring Gratuity granted.

H.K. & Shanghai Hotels,

Ltd.

1,200

19. 3.48

23. 3.48

4,800

Reduction of overtime rate. Wage system re-adjusted.

MAN-DAYS

LOST

180,000

160,000

140,000

120,000.

100,000+

80,000

60,000

40,000

20,000

INN

FON

ANN

[88]

INNI

INN

ANNEXURE A.

INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES, HONG KONG, APRIL/MARCH 1946/47 AND 1947/48.

(NUMBER OF MAN-DAYS LOST).

DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS, REFERENCE No G 33/64

1946/47 1947/48

APR.

MAY

JUNE.

JULY

AUG.

SEPT.

OCT.

NOV.

DEC.

JAN.

FEB

MAR.