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INDUSTRY AND TRADE
at the Workshop Meeting of directors in Tokyo in March 1965 and again at the 6th Governing Body Meeting of the Asian Productivity Organization in New Delhi in December 1965. As in previous years a number of Hong Kong nominees have attended courses of different kinds in various Asian countries (mainly in Japan) and three seminars sponsored by the Asian Productivity Organization have been held in Hong Kong under the aegis of the Hong Kong Government and the Hong Kong Management Association.
TEXTILES
The textile industry not only dominates Hong Kong's economy, accounting for 52 per cent of its domestic exports and employing 43 per cent of its industrial labour force, but is also a significant factor in international trade in textiles (see International Economic Rela- tions, below). In all sectors, the manufacture and processing of cotton goods predominate. The cotton spinning mills, operating some 728,000 spindles, are among the most up-to-date in the world. Cotton yarn counts range from 10's to 60's carded and combed, in single or multiple threads. Production of all counts in 1965 was estimated at approximately 280 million pounds, the greater part of which was consumed by local weavers. In the piece- goods weaving section, which has 22,000 looms, grey cotton drill, canvas, shirting, poplins, ginghams and other bleached and dyed cloth and prints are the main items. Production of cotton piecegoods in 1965 was estimated to be approximately 600 million square yards. Much of this was exported as cloth, but there is an increasing tend- ency for garment manufacturers to use domestic materials.
The use of fibres other than cotton and new processes in the finishing and garment industries are assuming growing significance. Three leading textile concerns are producing polyester-cotton and polyester-viscose yarn for weaving into shirting and other fabrics for which there is now a more rapid growth in demand than for comparable cotton products. There was further development of the woollen and worsted spinning industry. Its production goes mostly to the domestic knitting industry, although some is woven into cloth. Other woven products include silk and rayon brocade of traditional Chinese design, tapes, military webbing, lace, mosquito netting, carpets and rugs. The dyeing, printing and finishing industry has concentrated on such developments as multi-colour screen and