II
OCCUPATION, WAGES AND LABOUR ORGANIZATION
In spite of remarkable industrial development since the war the Colony still remains primarily an entrepôt with the majority of wage earners dependent either directly or indirectly upon commerce. In industry, of
which there are now over 170 types, nearly 100,000 workers are employed in registered factories while an estimated 150,000 workers are employed in small con- cerns which do not require registration.
A comparatively small number are engaged in agriculture, in the New Territories, and only about 50,000 in fishing.
The depression in trade, mentioned in Chapter I, resulted in many workers becoming unemployed as small concerns had to close. Restaurants and shops have also had a bad year. There was however some improvement in the textile industry in the autumn.
Labour Department
In the sphere of industrial relations Labour Officers deal with disputes between employers and workers or assist, if the parties so wish, in the preparation of agree- ments, while the inspectorate is fully occupied in the registration and inspection of factories and workshops, enforcing health and safety precautions and controlling the working conditions of women and young persons. The scope of the department's work (which had already been enlarged by the establishment of the mines sub- department near the end of 1951) has been further extended by a new movement of workers to Brunei,
PLASTIČN
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