77
18
TREASURE MOVEMENTS.
Imports.
Exports.
1932.
1933.
1932.
$
$
$
1933.
$
Bank Notes
673,264
6,578,574
1,797,085
5,525,607
Copper cents
Gold Bars
6,370 19,508,290
39,513
5,986,917
Gold Coins
Gold Leaf
80,000
83,333
Silver Bars
34,365,025
H.K. Silver Dollars.
2.564,512
24.864
14,519,263
2,314,968
45,903
63,715,586
5,787,931
277,028
14,883,018
88,917,365
2,777,545
244,689
6,309,042
40,000
Chinese Silver
Dollars
3,256,166
Other Silver Dollars ...
Silver Sub, Coin..... 24,735,443
2,846,228
4,113
5,798,812
11,709,712
138,657
41,618,911
5,250,287
67,691
24,996,979
Total
85,272,403
38,113,252 140,013,831 134,132,584
IMPORTS AND EXPORTS 1932 AND 1933
43,079
300
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 1932, 24.2% as compared with 1931, 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
Textiles
Metals
Miscellaneous
Average of all
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
.04.0 100.0 106.3 125.4 109.7 95.7
Articles......64.0 100.0 106.8 136.6 122.4 103.5
(excluding treasure).
IMPORTS.
EXPORTS.
1932
1933
1932
1933
$
$
$
$
United Kingdom
76,905,373 52,172,111
3,462,248
4,533,607
British Dominions B.nd
Possessions
China
All other countries
Total British Empire
Total Foreign
Grand Total
56,752,665 46,189,119 42,607,973 36,613.724 169,993,076 155,180,671 || 279,818.8471 227,005,202 320,356,186 247,440,893|| 145,970,638 134,939,637
133,658.038 98,311,230 46,070,221 41,147,331
490,389,562 | 402,627,564 | 125,789,485 361,944,839
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 1982. 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,
78
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