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18
TREASURE MOVEMENTS.
19
WHOLESALE PRICE CHANGES.
As measured at the Statistical Office of the Imports and Exports Department, wholesale prices in Hong Kong during the year 1933, showed decreases of 15.4% as compared with 1982, 24.2% as compared with 1981, 3.1% as compared with 1924, and increases of 3.5% as compared with the base period of 1922, and 61.7% as compared with 1913.
There were decreases in each of the four groups of com- modities in 1933, as compared with 1932: Foodstuffs declining by 10.4%, Textiles by 22.5%, Metals by 15.8%, and Miscellaneous Items by 12.8%.
The following table shows the course of available wholesale price changes since 1913:-
Foodstuffs
1913. 1922. 1924. 1931. 1932. 1933. .73.6 100.0 106.1 144.3 126.5 113.4 .55.1 100.0 112.5 135.8 125.2 97.0 .63.2 100.0 102.3 140.9 128.1 107.8 .64.0 100.0 106.3 125.4 109.7 95.7
Imports.
Exports.
1932.
$
1933.
$
1932.
$
1933.
$
Bank Notes Copper cents
673,264
6,578,574
1,797,085
5,525,607
Gold Bars
Gold Coins
6,370 19,508,290
80,000
39,513
5,986,917
Gold Leaf
83,333
Silver Bars
34,365,025
24,864
14,519,263
H.K. Silver Dollars.
2,564,512
2,314,968
45,903
63,715,586
5,787,931
277,028
14,883,018
40,000
43,079 88,917,365
2,777,545
244,689
6,309,042
300
Chinese Silver
Dollars
3,256,166
2,846,228
Other Silver Dollars
Silver Sub. Coin..... 24,735,443
4,113
5,798,812
11,709,712
138,657
41,618,911
5,250,287
67,691
24,996,979
Textiles
Metals
Miscellaneous
Total
85,272,403
38,113,252 140,013,831 134,132,584
Average of all
Articles
IMPORTS AND EXPORTS 1932 AND 1933
.64.0 100.0 106.8 136.6 122.4 103.5
United Kingdom
(excluding treasure).
IMPORTS.
EXPORTS.
1982
1933
1932
1933
$
76,905,373 52,172,111
British Dominions and
Possessions
China
All other countries
Total British Empire...
Total Foreign
Grand Total
$
3,462,218 4,533,607
56.752,665 46.139.119 42,607.973 36.613.724 169,993,076 155,186,671 279,818.847 227,005.202 320,396,186 247,440,893 145,970.638 134,939,637
133,658,038 98,311,230 46,070,221 41,147,331
490,389,562 402,627,564 | 425,789,483 361,944,839
624,047,600 500,938,794 471,859,706 403,092,170
*Not fully recorded.
Chapter VIII.
WAGES AND THE COST OF LIVING.
A great proportion of the workers in Hong Kong are paid on a piece work basis and in some trades are engaged and paid. on curiously complicated systems involving payment of a bonus or a share in the yearly profits.
2. Local trade was dull during the year. This may be attributed to the world depression and to the high tariffs imposed by the Chinese Government. Towards the end of the year, however, a marked improvement was shown in some industries, e.g. rubber shoes, dry batteries for electric torches, leather goods, mosquito sticks, etc., and a new tannery was opened. The close of the year showed a definite slackening off in the building boom which had continued unabated throughout the year 1932. A certain number of people, being unable to find employment in the Colony, have returned to their native districts in China, and the supply of tenement houses may now be said to exceed the demand. There has consequently been a general decline in the rents of tenement houses, flats, offices and shops occupied by Chinese. In the case of premises occupied by Europeans, the decline in rentals is hardly apparent yet. There has been no noticeable change in the average rates of wages for labour, but the prices of all Chinese foodstuffs, except fresh fish, and of fire-wood show a slight decline.
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