INDUSTRY AND TRADE
59
newspapers commented on the Colony's floating showcase, and reports indicate that it has been of interest to business- men at ports of call. Further displays are being installed in other vessels.
The Department persevered in its efforts to enhance the status of Hong Kong Government Certificates of Origin, which are required by the customs authorities of many countries as proof of local manufacture. A strict surveillance was maintained throughout the year over factories eligible to receive such certificates, and in the few instances where irregularities occurred the offenders were prosecuted. A close liaison was maintained in this connexion between the Department and overseas customs authorities. The latter were encouraged, when necessary, to send samples of ship- ments for checking in the Department and were readily furnished with information regarding standards of produc- tion in particular industries in Hong Kong.
Two developments merit attention. The first was the formation of the Hong Kong Exporters' Association, composed of merchants and manufacturers anxious to protect the Colony's reputation for fair trading and preserve the goodwill of overseas buyers by ensuring that all shipments made by member firms of the Association conform strictly to sample. The second was the combining of local spinning mills into the Hong Kong Cotton Spinners' Association, which includes among its objectives the origination and promotion of improvements in the industry, already a model industry in Hong Kong with up-to-date plant and excellent welfare facilities.
The Secretary of State for the Colonies, during his visit in August, visited three factories and saw examples of the manufacture of cotton piece-goods, buttons, and woollen gloves. He expressed keen interest in the Colony's industrial development, a sympathetic understanding of its problems, and confidence in its future.
Another important visitor during the year was Mr. C. Henniker-Heaton, Director of the Federation of Master Cotton Spinners' Associations Ltd. in the United Kingdom, who spent some days in the Colony in May in order to study economic conditions and the development of the textile industry. Every effort was made to give Mr. Henniker- Heaton a comprehensive picture of local textile production and the Colony's many problems. He was conducted round