festivals and on holidays peculiar to the trade.
Overtime is common,
and in periods of good business almost regular. It is generally worked from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.-occasionally later for men-at the same piece- rates, but at increased rates for the daily-paid workers and in a few cases for monthly-paid workers.
Factories and Workshops
At the beginning of the year there were 328 applications for registration under the Factories and Workshops Ordinance outstanding and during the year 406 further applications for registration were received. Of these 120 were from manufacturers on Hong Kong Island and 286 were from Kowloon and the New Territories. 293 registration certificates were issued and 39 applications were refused. 193 registered factories ceased operating and their certificates were surrendered for cancellation, and 54 illegal factories, found operating in unsuitable premises, were closed down. The number of applications for registra- tion was the lowest since 1946.
On 31st December 1950 there were 1,244 registered factories. At the end of 1951, there were 1,344 registered factories and workshops and 402 applications under consideration. This steady expansion includes the New Territories where there are now 105 factories, many of which are large, modern and well equipped. In addition, there were over 100 small or borderline establishments which the department has kept under constant observation to ensure that health and safety Such establish- provisions were maintained at a reasonable standard. ments are recorded but not formally registered.
Although the year has been an anxious one for most manufacturers, there has been a fairly steady increase in the numbers of establishments, employees and types of industries. Employment figures for the last quarter of 1951 are not yet available. On 30th September 1950 there were 55,176 men and 31,945 women employed in 1,692 registered or recorded factories and workshops comprising 150 types of industry. On 30th September 1951 these figures were:-- 61,802 men, 34,025 women in 1,873 establishments covering 175 types of industry. The above figures include returns from factories operating pending registration, but do not take into account hundreds of small cottage-type industries not registrable under the Factories and Workshops Ordinance.
The year has been marked by the apparent anomaly of an increase in the number of factories and marked fluctuations in employment. Most industries were affected at one time or another, but for the reasons stated below, this was not always reflected in the quarterly employment returns submitted by employers on request. It is estimated that at the end of the year approximately 30,000 workers, or about 30% of the labour force from registered factories and workshops, were
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