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BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON HONG KONG
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Hong Kong is one of the top twenty trading nations in the world. But Hong Kong has no minimum wage, no paid maternity leave, no maximum hours of work for males over 18, no sickness benefits, no unemployment in- súrance, no insurance provisions for widows with young children, no medical treatment free for all, and no compulsory education. Twelve times as much money is spent on the police force and defence as is spent on social services. Trade Unions are subject to many severe res- trictions: e.g. no trade union is allowed to affiliate to an inter- national organisation or a union in another country without the per- mission of the Governor in Council. In 1968 58% of the working popu- lation worked 7 days a week and 52% worked 10 hours or more a day. The 1971 Census showed 6.3% of children between 10 and 14 were legally en- gaged in full time work, in addition to the many who work illegally. Between 1960 and 1967 manufacturing output increased by 275% and labour productivity by 207% while the manufacturing wage index rose by only. 71.5% and total wages by 110%. In other words, labour's share of the proceeds from manufacturing industry fell while the rate of profit rose from about 20% to 35%, This is a situation which continues today, with workers' living standards being hit by rampant inflation. The standard rate of tax ch profits is a miserable 15%.
It is not the case that the Hong Kong Government does not have the money to improve the social services in Hong Kong. Huge budget surpluses are regularly shipped off to London to prop up Britain's ailing pound. At present it is estimated that the Hong Kong Government has £350-400 million deposited in London in addition to smaller sums deposited else-
where.
Corruption is widespread in all branches of the Government, particularly the police force. The case of Chief Superintendent Peter Godber who slipped out of the colony after being asked to account for £330,000 deposited in various banks around the world is only the tip of an ice- berg. It is hardly surprising that Hong Kong has 80,000 Triad Gang mem- bers, 25.000 prostitutes and 300,000 heroin addicts, and that there was a 135% rise in violent crime between 1968 and 1972 when the police force is more concerned with making money than combatting crime.
SOAS Students Union feels a particular responsibility for Hong Kong. Although Hong Kong falls within the geographical area studied at SOAS no work on Hong Kong has ever been carried out by SOAS academics or research students. Work on Hong Kong has had to be conducted outside the confines of academia.
(The information on Hong Kong has been extracted from Hong Kong: A Case To Answer written by the Hong Kong Research Project and published by Spokesman Books at 36p.)
Addresses: Hong Kong Research Project, Basement, 101-103 Gower Street, London W.C.1.
Spokesman Books, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Bertrand Russell House, Gamble Street, Nottingham NG7 4ET.
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