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REPORT OF THE ECONOMIC COMMISSION.
Chapter I.
PRELIMINARY.
1. The first meeting of the Commission was held on Wednesday, 1st August, 1934. It was then decided that we should meet twice weekly, as far as possible, and Wednesdays and Fridays were selected as meeting days.
2. Between August 1st and October 20th we held 20 meetings of the full Com- mission, examined 26 witnesses and considered well over a hundred memoranda, records of evidence, letters and reports submitted not only by the general public but also by various members of the Commission itself. In addition, members of the Commission accompanied by the Honourable Colonial Secretary, paid visits of inspection to factories, chosen as being fairly representative of the various branches of industrial activity within the Colony. In this connection it may perhaps be men- tioned that the personnel of the Commission contained members who had already made a study of local industries and were fully acquainted with their scope and with the conditions of manufacture prevalent in factories in Hong Kong.
A
3. At the 20th Meeting it was decided that sufficient progress had been made in our enquiries to justify us in commencing the preparation of our final report. Drafting Committee was appointed accordingly and the Commission was adjourned
sine die.
4. It was fully realised at the time that the work of the Drafting Committee would inevitably bring to light various questions necessitating further deliberation and decision by the full Commission, but it was deemed advisable to deal with these questions by means of special meetings as and when opportunity occurred.
5. In the event it was found necessary to convene four further meetings of the Commission, making a total of 24 meetings extending over a period of nearly seven months. The Drafting Committee also met on 15 occasions.
6. The personnel of the Commission was larger than that of any other Com- mission appointed in this Colony in recent years. It consisted of twelve members, two official and ten unofficial, but, unlike the Straits Settlements Trade Commission, it did not include any members appointed as paid full-time officers. In other words the whole of the work of the Commission was undertaken by officials and unofficials alike in addition to their other duties.
7. It is with the deepest regret that we record the death of Mr. J. D. Lloyd, Superintendent of Imports and Exports and Head of the Statistical Office, which occurred on 24th January, 1935. By virtue of his official position Mr. Lloyd was the source of a great part of the statistical information required by the Commission and he spared no pains to make this information as comprehensive and as lucid as possible. In addition, his wide knowledge and experience of trade and trading con- ditions in the Colony were of great assistance in our deliberations, while his keen- ness and energy made him a colleague whose loss it is difficult to over-estimate.
8. Two further changes in the original personnel were caused by the resigna- tions of Mr. W. H. E. Thomas, who was recalled to England in January, 1935, and of Mr. W. J. Keswick, who left the Colony on 13th February, 1935. By a Com- mission dated 19th January, 1935, Mr. Alfred Brearley was appointed to succeed Mr. W. H. E. Thomas. In view of the fact that at the date of Mr. W. J. Kes- wick's departure the work of the Commission was practically completed no appoint- ment was made to fill this vacancy.