XN000022-1973-10-16 — Page 8

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Tuesday, October 16, 1973

ALIMIGATIONS RELATED TO LABOUR LEGISLATION REFUTED

The Commissioner of Labour, Mr. I.R. Price, today accused what he

called "Hong Kong's wailing Jeremiahs" of damaging Hong Kong's overseas image

and undermining local confidence.

"Tiese inaccurate prophets of doom, by repeated wild statements based on

supposition, or uninformed interpretation or misrepresentation of easily-available

facts, undermine local confidence, give joy to our trading competitors, and

unnecessarily danage Hong Kong's overseas image," he said.

Hr. Price was speaking at today's luncheon meeting of the Hong Kong

Cotton Spinners Association.

He pointed out that in March this year, it was prophesied that Hong

Kong faced a long, hot, strike-ridden summer.

"Long-range forecasts have proven unreliable before," he said, and

added that so far this year now into the autumn the nine-month total for

industrial disputes stood at 3,524, just below that for the same period last

year.

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In the middle of the year, it had been alleged that 140,000 workers

had been stoked as a result of the closure of factories.

"But the truth was contained in the June survey of industrial

employment" said Mr. Price. "This showed all-time records of more than 22,100

factories - an increase of 310 on the previous quarter- and 625,000 workers,

an increase of 8,400.

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