No_4_November_and_December__1952 — Page 40

TAL

TH

4

CHEONG CLASS PATTAY

GLASS

FACTORY

AT

SHAUKIWAN

Photograph of front elevation, ground floor plan and typical upper floors.

GLASSWARE

FACTORY

PORCH

KITCHEN

PORCH

STAFFS QUARTERS

A

Y

L

(10 PERSONS)

ONIYRE

COAL

STORL

TARO

HALL AT B‘OʻADOWỀM,

oylyde

AREA

Our

HE establishment of a new manufacturing industry in Hong Kong, be it large or small, should be an event to be noted, for every factory which commences operation here means additional sources of employment for our workers, more revenue for Govern- ment and, above all, greater in dependence for the Colony. dependence on import and export market conditions makes us vulnera- ble to outside influences affecting the prosperity of the Colony. While we shall not under any circumstances be able to remain entirely unaffected by outside conditions, the wider the variety of our factory products the greater resistance we can put up against adverse economic pressure.

There has been a considerable increase in the number of manu- facturing establishments in the Colony since the war years, mainly of cotton and spinning mills, torch- light and enamel ware factories, and light and enamel ware factories, and other industries for which it was felt the Colony could offer favourable conditions. conditions. However, as far as the building industry is concerned re- markably few enterprises have been connected with the production of building materials or materials re- quired for the home. We have a number of steel window manu- facturers locally, one or two firms converting scrap steel into reinfor- cing bars and, of course, our brick- works and concrete block yards. To these can now be added a new factory,

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albeit a small one, for the manu- facture of glass and glassware products.

The building itself is of attractive appearance, although little can be expected in buildings of this type in the way of originality in design or concept. Their utilitarian functions and economic factors offer little scope for the play of imagination.

The main factory consists of two glass melting furnaces, which are placed at the rear part of the build- ing, and five ovens for the baking and finishing off of the glass products. The front of the building on the ground floor is set aside as the pack- ing area from which the finished products are prepared for shipment, and from this is reserved small

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