must include provision for dining or rest rooms. Clinics are a provided by many firms where employees and sometimes their families. are treated cheaply or in some cases free of charge. A number of in- dustrial undertakings have workers' canteens, or provide subsidized meals or free cooking facilities, as well as co-operative stores, reading rooms and school rooms. Free quarters, usually in dormitories, are not uncommon and several utility companies built flats for their employees during the year; some concerns which cannot afford to erect their own accommodation either rent or buy tenement buildings for their workers. Several voluntary organizations run workers' hostels, for instance the Salvation Army's Thomson Memorial Boys' Hostel houses eighty apprentices, and the Y.W.C.A. have two hostels for factory girls (See paragraph 34).
74. Some undertakings organize picnic excursions for their workers in the summer and walks in the country in the winter. Welfare facilities frequently include cinema shows, Cantonese opera, table tennis, libraries, sports grounds for football and basketball games, and in a few instances swimming pools. During the year several firms took advantage of the Workers' Playtime Programme organized by Radio Hong Kong. In some cases free or subsidized schooling is available for workers' children and free classes for adults.
75. Voluntary organizations which cater for the welfare of visiting seamen are represented on the Port Welfare Committee which also includes representatives of interested Government Departments. A full account of the year's work of the Committee and the voluntary organi- zations concerned will be found in the ninth report of the Committee. The annual appeal for funds brought in $88,435 and Government made a contribution of $90,000; the money was allocated to the Missions to Seamen, the Norwegian Seamen's Mission, the Apostleship of the Sea and the Merchant Navy Club, according to their estimated requirements.
76. The Missions to Seamen had a busy year; no less than 1,353 visits were made to ships and magazines and libraries of books were issued. The Mission accommodated for varying periods 31,466 officers and seamen, a daily average of eighty six. The Mission building is on Hong Kong Island and although well placed to serve the Royal Navy and the United States Navy is no longer convenient for the Merchant Navy. It is hoped accordingly to transfer the Mission to a site in Kowloon where it will be better able to meet the needs of merchant seamen, who are the Mission's primary concern. The staff of the Apostle-
24
Page 30Page 31