OCCUPATION, WAGES AND LABOUR ORGANIZATION
workers of the Hop Yick Company, a firm responsible for the distribution of ice cream made by the Dairy Farm, Ice and Cold Storage Co., Ltd., and the agreement already referred to in the I-Feng Enamel Company was virtually completed, although the actual signing did not take place until January, 1953.
Minor Wage Disputes
The increasing business depression is reflected in the record number (1,532) of minor disputes which were brought to the department for settlement. These disputes nearly always relate to claims for arrears of wages or to failure to pay wages in lieu of notice. and the evidence produced by both sides is usually conflicting and extremely inconclusive.
This may
perhaps partially account for the fact that the Chinese worker prefers to bring his case to the Labour Depart- ment for mediation rather than to have recourse to his legal remedy in the Magistracies.
The Labour Department has no legal powers, but in spite of this, approximately 50% of these cases were settled in the department to the satisfaction of both parties, while about 400 of the remainder were advised to take action in the Magistracies.
Cost of Living
The Government and most of the big European concerns pay a cost of living allowance to wage earners, which is related to a food and fuel index based upon certain essential items of food together with firewood. The cost of these commodities remained fairly stable during the year, the maximum variation in the allow- ances being less than 10%. Allowances for salaried Government Servants with basic salaries of $200 or over are calculated on a retail price index, which also remained fairly steady throughout the year.
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