-C 8
Cost of living of poorer classes :
44. The average percentage increase between 1931 and 1932 in the retail costs of food, clothing and firewood appears to have been a fraction over 1%.
FACTORIES.
(Table XXXII).
45. Trade remained dull throughout the year and the factories of the Colony were working at much below their full capacity. Some were on half time only (a most unusual thing for this Colony) and all were on short time with much depleted staffs. Complaints were general from factory owners as to the harmful effect of high tariffs and the dumping of cheap goods. The import duties imposed in recent years by the Government of China have had the effect of practically closing the China market to Hong Kong manufacturers and they have been compelled to seek other markets, notably in the Dutch East Indies and the Straits Settlements. For a time these southern markets filled the gap caused by the loss of the China trade, but the depression in these countries, with the consequent return to China of large numbers of unemployed labourers, has now lessened the demand for such articles of local manufacture as cotton socks and singlets, rubber shoes and Chinese foodstuffs. In spite of the trade slump, however, the number of factories in the Colony continues to increase. In the electric torch trade, for instance, there are now seventeen factories, whereas in the previous year there were but six. Knitting and weaving factories have also increased in number, in spite of many failures, and together with the confectionery and perfumery factories afford occupation for large numbers of women and girls.
46. The number of children (that is, persons under the age of sixteen years) employed in factories shows no tendency to increase, and unless there should be a sudden boom in trade with a demand for large numbers of learners, there is no reason to fear any movement towards the old conditions when the factories were staffed mainly by children. Chinese factory owners now realise that child labour is not economically cheap. No European firms employ children under the age of fifteen years.
47. Prosecutions.-The slackness of trade is reflected in the reduction in the number of cases where women and children were found working during prohibited hours at night. Only two cases occurred where prosecution was necessary, as against ten the previous year.
Convictions were secured in each case with
fines of $85 and $50 respectively.
48. Legislation.-A further important step forward in the industrial legislation of the Colony was taken with the passing of the Factories and Workshops Ordinance No. 27 of 1932. This