HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1954
The Registrar of Co-operatives and Director of Marketing is responsible for fostering the development of co-operative societies, chiefly among fishermen and farmers, and also controls the Government Wholesale Fish and Vegetable Markets.
Social Services. The Secretary for Chinese Affairs is a senior administrative officer and has a wide and general responsibility in all matters affecting the Chinese community. Social welfare activities are under the direct control of the Social Welfare Officer. The Commissioner of Labour is responsible for ensuring that the conditions in factories and workshops, particu- larly with regard to health and safety, are in accordance with the requirements of existing legislation, for providing conciliation machinery for the settlement of disputes about wages and other terms of service, for encouraging modern trade unionism, and for imple- menting such International Labour Conventions as can be applied to the Colony. Government had been considering separating the work of the administration of the Trade Unions Ordinance from that of the advisory work in connexion with trade unionism for some time and towards the end of December, 1954 a separate Registry of Trade Unions was established and the administration of the Trade Unions Ordinance transferred from the Commissioner of Labour to the newly appointed Registrar of Trade Unions.
The Director of Medical and Health Services, whose department is divided into hospital, health and investigation divisions, together with the Director of the Urban Services Department, is responsible for the general health of the Colony.
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