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Trade Union movement is less than 10% of the Colony's labour
force of about 1.5 million. There is a multiplicity of small
Unions.
Unions also tend to be divided between the supporters
of Peking and those of Taiwan.
THE STOCK EXCHANGE
8. The four Hong Kong Stock Exchanges went through a period of frenetic buying in the first part of the year. The Hang Sang
index opened the year at 843. By 9 March it had risen to 1774,
but by 11 April had dropped to 818. It now stands at about 500.
Much of the funds invested during the boom belonged to small
local investors, many of whom lost most of their money. There
were accusations that outside investors, including institutions
in the United Kingdom, had made a quick killing at the expense
of the local people.
There have however been no obvious serious
repercussions on the buoyancy of the economy.
CRIME
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9. Over the last 4 years violent crime has increased by 140%
and homicide by 130%. The proportion of young people committing
violent crimes has been increasing. Over the past 18 months the
Governor has gradually introduced a wide series of measures to
combat these trends. They include the right of the Crown to
appeal to the Supreme Court against sentences it considers
inadequate; the introduction of mandatory minimum sentences for
the possession of offensive weapons in public places; new
preventive detentive provisions; a substantial rise in police
pay; a successful recruitment campaign for the auxilliary
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