REVIEW
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women and young persons, to the enforcement of workmen's compensation legislation, the investigation and prevention of occu- pational diseases, the improvement of medical services in industry, accident prevention, and the maintenance of healthy working con- ditions generally. Employers are encouraged to provide housing for their employees by the grant of land on concessionary terms and growing numbers are takings advantage of these facilities. The activities of the Labour Department have increased in the past few years (the Labour Inspectorate alone is four times the size it was four years ago), and an increasing number of industrial managements now appreciate the importance of good working conditions; nevertheless much-still remains to be done.
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EVENTS OF THE YEAR
The year 1958 saw a number of important developments in the Colony's economic policies.
In the search for greater export outlets a three-man commercial mission, representing local commerce and industry and the Govern- ment, visited eleven countries in Central America and the Carib- bean in November/December, covering a distance of over 26,000 miles. Its purpose was to explore the possibility of expanding trade in the area, and to explain Hong Kong's position and functions as a trading, industrial and tourist centre. The mission received a cordial welcome and found much interest in Hong Kong goods. It reported that it should be possible to enlarge exports of inexpensive consumer goods to the area.
The Government announced its acceptance of the conclusions of an expert from the International Labour Office that there was an urgent need to improve standards of supervision in Hong Kong industry in order to keep pace with its rapid expansion and tech- nological development, and that a Supervisory Training Section should be established in the Labour Department. Steps were in hand at the end of the year for the immediate implementation of the new policy.
Concurrently with this, the report of an I.L.O. industrial efficiency expert, who had already overseen the introduction of training classes in industrial management at the Hong Kong Technical College, was under consideration.