many of whom are ignorant of Hong Kong laws and standards, a certain amount of general improvement of industrial conditions has been
has been accomplished. Inter alia, better lighting in the printing and weaving trades has been attained and the guards to power-presses and woodworking machinery are being re-designed.
Women and Young Persons in Industry
Numbers of women in more or less regular employment in registered factories and workshops had in September 1949 reached a total of approximately 29,000. These women are employed in a wide variety of industries-textiles (cotton and silk weaving, knitted piece goods and cotton spinning); the manufacture of electric torch cases, batteries and bulbs; miscellaneous metalware, from watch bracelets to tin cans and sauce-pans; matches; joss sticks; cigarettes; ginger, fruit and vegetable preserving, to name only a few.
With very few exceptions the women are on a daily or piece rate basis and can be taken on or laid off according to the dictates of the business. As was anticipated, fairly large numbers have been recruited for the cotton spinning industry, so that now the women engaged in textiles form well over a third of the total number employed.
In addition to the foregoing, many are employed by contractors on a purely casual basis as earth-carriers in the building trade and in road making, and as stone-breakers in quarries. Here, as numbers and personnel fluctuate continually, returns are extremely difficult to obtain.
At the end of the year 2,046 young persons between the ages of 14 years and 18 years working in registered and recorded factories and workshops were registered with the Labour Department. Inspections of all registered juveniles, and also of many employed casually in unregistered industrial undertakings, have continued, in order to see that regulations. concerning their working hours are observed.
There has been an increase in the number of factories which provide medical attention and sick benefit for women employees. This has been chiefly in the cotton spinning industry, which also supplies very satisfactory dormitory accommodation for most of its women employees, together with meals free of cost or at a very reasonable charge.
Interest on the part of the women themselves in the promotion of welfare facilities is being maintained and the provision of such things as living accommodation, canteens and a nursery for the small children of their married women members is under active consideration by several unions. where women represent a fair proportion of the total membership.
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