40.
236.
It will, I think, be generally agreed that some reduction in working hours is desirable, particularly in the interest of assistants employed in shops which are open until a very late hour, but, in order that any move in this direction should not cause the hostility of the public and the shop-keepers and result in widespread evasion, the movement should be slow and gradual.
237.
It is accordingly recommended that the Shop (Hours of Closing) Ordinance, No. 5 of 1940 be repealed and that it be replaced by an Ordinance which gives the Governor in Council power to determine the latest hour at which shops, other than clubs, hotels, hostels, public houses, restaurants, tea rooms, eating houses, chemists, etc., should be permitted to be open to the public.
238.
Such an Ordinance would permit of the early issue of an order for the closing of retail shops as defined, by say 10.30 p.m. The next step when circumstances justified such action, would be to reduce the permitted hour to 10 p.m. and so on until the working hours of shop assistants in Chinese and Indian owned shops were brought down to a satisfactory level having regard not only to the welfare of the shop assistants but also to the econvenience of the general public who themselves work long hours.
239.
The earlier closing of the shops may, in due course, have favourable repercussions on the hours of employment in industrial undertakings, but in this connection it must be admitted that the introduction of hours of work comparable with normal western standards by European establishments has, so far, had little effect on those observed by the great majority of Chinese employers.
240,
To many Chinese, apart from perhaps the unskilled labouring classes, life and work have become so closely integrated that they are almost one and the same thing. Work has become a way of life to be lived with dignity and, not to be pursued with any undue hurry. The Chinese tend to move in an orbit of their own and are convinced of the superiority of their own standards of values and outlook on life. From all I have seen I would not be prepared to say that any rapid change to Western standards of employment and hours of work would be to the advantage of the majority of workers although social amelioration is a desirable objective if pursued slowly and with the consent of the majority of the people, affected
241.
The unskilled Chinese labourer does not as a rule work continuously for long hours and he knows well that if he were in China his lot would probably be harder
242.
On the general question of long working hours in industry, it would seem that in those establishments where hours of work are long, the work is not usually arduous and the workers are usually free to take time off for a smoke or a meal or even to read the newspaper without any reprimand from the employer or manager.
243
This more comfortable and unhurried way of business has, I understand, been a Chinese practice for very many years and the early imposition of legal restrictions on hours of work would in- 'evitably result in the employers concerned tightening up discipline
and getting the same output as at present by the increased diligence of the workers during any restricted period of work legally permitted. Any such change in practice, if inaugurated too quickly, would be strongly resented by both employers and workers.
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