-53-
88
327. Action on the lines suggested could do no harm and possi- bly much good. It would tend to put the Department of Labour on the map and keep it there. The press and the public would like it. It may, of course, result in some criticism from certain sections of the pross but that would be all to the good, particularly if the greater part of the information supplied was provided in stencilled form so that facts and statements could not easily be misrepresented,
•
XIX.
STATISTICS.
328. I think it will be generally conceded that accurate and comprehensive statistical data is the life blood of any Department of Labour. All decisions in regard to further. planning, the inauguration of Trade Boards, the institution of controls or the development of social security are rendered extremely difficult in the absence of such data.
529. There has been no Census in Hong Kong since 1931, and estimates of the total population appear to vary appreciably. Until the next Census is held, any estimate of the population of Hong Kong must be tentative.
330. No one knows, even approximately, what proportion of the population is gainfully employed and the general view seems to be that conditions have changed so much that the percentages revealed by the 1931 Census are no longer applicable.
331. There is no information available as to the extent of unemployment and the Trade Union Federations quote figures to the press which appear to be based on sheer guess work and convey a completely false impression to the public.
33.2.
There is insufficient detailed information regarding wage rates and hours of work over a sufficiently wide field to permit of sound conclusions on these important matters.
333. There is as yet no legal requirement on employers to render any returns relative to numbers employed, wage rates payable and hours worked and as a result the information available under these heads is, to say the least meager,
334. I have proposed in the draft Employment Code (sce appendix 6. Cap. 35) that employers should be required by law to render quarterly statistical returns in a prescribed form and there should be no difficulty in devising a form which will fully meet all the requirements of I.1.0. Convention No.63 (Statistics of Wages, Hours of Work 1938).
335. It is also suggested that a "Wage rate Register" be, built up by industries. Without such information being readily available it will always be difficult to determine whether action to set up a wages board is justified or not.
336. In addition if the Department of Labour is to arbitrate on wage rate cases under any "Fair wages Clauses in Public Contracts Resolution" which the Secretary of State requires as a sine qua non of further grants under the Colonial Welfare and Development Fund, such information would be invaluable.