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INDUSTRY AND TRADE
Other Trade and Industrial Organisations
The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1861, is the earliest established trade and industrial association in Hong Kong. Its membership, comprising over 2,400 companies covering all branches of commerce and industry, is represented on a number of government boards and committees. It also is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce. The chamber is actively involved in promoting Hong Kong trade and attracting new industry.
The Federation of Hong Kong Industries, established by statute in 1960, has a member- ship broadly representative of all industries, many nationalities and all sizes of enterprise. To encourage and improve industrial design, the federation established the Hong Kong Industrial Design Council which offers practical training programmes and advice to designers and design service users. The council operates a design depository for people who wish to obtain copyright protection, and organises annual design competitions and exhibitions. The federation also established the Hong Kong Packaging Council to promote the development of packaging education and technology, and the development of skills and expertise in packaging.
The federation's Hong Kong Standards and Testing Centre (HKSTC) provides testing, inspection, certification and related services. Its facilities include chemical, calibration, electrical, electronic, engineering, food, footwear, gemmological, microbiological, packag- ing, pharmaceutical, textile, toy, watch and radio interference testing laboratories. The centre's services also cover pre-shipment inspection, quality control, production inspection, industrial research, product development and technical consultancy.
The federation operates a seal-of-approval scheme for Hong Kong products found to comply with recognised standards or specifications, which have been manufactured under an approved system of quality control and supervision.
Established in 1934, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong has some 2,000 members. The association, a member of the International Chamber of Commerce, has played an important role in the industrial development of Hong Kong. It is active in promoting new product development and holds the annual Hong Kong New Products Competition. It runs a product display centre as part of its trade promotion activities. The Association's Testing and Certification Laboratories provide a variety of services which include product testing, certification, pre-shipment inspection and technical consultancy. The association is actively involved in the promotion of industrial safety. It also takes a keen interest in industrial training and education, and runs a prevocational school which offers technical training programmes for more than 1,000 students.
Consumer Council
The Consumer Council is a statutory body established in 1974, to protect and promote the interests of consumers of goods and services. Its chairman and 14 members are drawn from various walks of life and are appointed by the Governor. The council has a staff of 50, is headed by an Executive Director, and is financed by an annual subvention from general
revenue.
The staff operates within the following main areas: administration, complaints, advice, testing, research, education, information and publications. These activities are planned and implemented under the direction of nine standing committees which are served by various members of the council, and meet on a regular schedule. The full council is convened once a month.