From 0.G. Foster, M.V.O.,
Registry No.
DRAFT
HWB.13/18
To:-
Private Office.
Type 1 +
From
119
Top Ton Secret,
Secret
Confidential.
Restricted: Unclassified.
Mr. B.A.S. Brunskill,
Wood End,
Watermill Lane,
Pett,
Hastings
SUSSEX.
Telephone No. & Ext. C.G. 308
Department
H.K. & W.I. DEPT.
paned to this office for reply as Hay Kang this vesponsibility) the Commonly
Secretary
J
Am.
год
Thank you for your letter of 6 September
addressed to the Foreign Secretary's P
so wake Secretary about labour costs in Hong Kong. This has been
The cheapness of your camera and indeed of
many other Hong Kong products, particularly in
the plastic, electronic and textile fields, is
not due entirely to the cheapness of labour.
Most of Hong Kong's industry is comparatively
new, developing from foundations laid in 1949
when the Communist accession to power in China
drove labour, capital and expertise from the
mainland to the Colony; as a result its
machinery is very modern and its techniques ae
of the newest. Large scale production and the
innate Chinese skill in these lines contribute
further to the cheapness of the product.
It cannot be denied however, that low
labour costs contribute also to the cheap
selling price. Wages are low by Western
standards, but not by Eastern ones and in
general, working conditions in Hong Kong are
second only to those in Japan amongst countries
in the area. (The index of wage rates has
almost doubled since 1949). Nonetheless, more
remains to be done, particularly over maximum
hours of work and the Government are actively
pursuing these matters.
97499 St.S.
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