TNAG-0522-FCO40-617-Discussions-with-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 27

Convention Number

27

TITLE

Natradafund by i Marking of Weight (Packages Transported by Vessels)

-> by

77 Natralfully all

89 Nott

1929

!

Medical Examination of Young Persons (Industry)

1946

ratified by all Night Work Women (Revised) 1948

There are 11 further Conventions additional to Table I, which have been applied only with modifications.

SOCIAL CONDITIONS IN HONG-KONG

!

The 1971 census revealed an appalling situation regarding economic and social conditions in Hong-Kong. There were 36,000 children (aged 10-14) working legally. Working hours were long with 174,000 workers working over 75 hours a week and 14,000 workers over 105 hours a week (in the late 1960's Hong-Kong had the longest working week for city-dwellers in S.E.Asia with 58% of workers work- ing 7 days a week and 52% 10 hours or more a day). There was intensive use of machinery, e.g. in 1965 textile looms were operating 24 hours a day, 360 days a year; no other country approached 75% of this intensity.

The Census also revealed the desperate housing situation in the colony. Of the working population, 625,531 lived in a room or cubicle, 53,896 lived in a temporary structure, 27,260 lived in a verandah, cockloft, basement, storeroom corridor (even for those living in a room only 92,168 dwellings had less than 1 person per room or cubicle). Overcrowding is a chronic problem in Hong-Kong e.g. in 1971 the Mongkok area had a density of 400,612 people per square mile, 1.e. tentimes that of Tokyo. At least half a million squatters live in appalling conditions and another 14 million live in poor tenements. The colonial govern- ment likes to boast of its resettlement, low-cost housing scheme, but this is often merely the building of instant slums, with poor facities, and an average of 24 square feet per adult (children obtaining 12 sq. ft.). government proposed to spend a mere £50 million on housing.

In 1974-5 the

In the boom years

Social Services have long been neglected in Hong-Kong. of the 1960's Social Welfare received less than 1% of government expenditure.

Government Expenditure 1969-70. Selected Items.

TABLE II

Police Force

All forms of defence

Prisons

Social Welfare Dept.

In 1969-70 the government had a surplus of

to London to boost the sterling reserves.

1

$ Hong Kong

160,247,697

87,925,483

20,869, 303

19,204,686 HK$618,670,000.

Most of this was sent

Since 1971 the colonial government has increased expenditure on social welfare, education and housing, but it is totally inadequate to meet the need. With its social services far worse than its poorer neighbours the social problems of Hong-Kong have increased. The estimated suicide rate of 17 per 100,000 would make it the third highest in the world, and its T.D. rate by the late 1960's may well have been the worst in the world. In the new territories there is one doctor for every 20,000 persons; in 1973 there were only 238 hospital beds (in- cluding private beds) for ordinary patients in the New Territories, which contain 665,700 people.

/Crime...

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