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short visit to Hong Kong by a specialist officer of the
Ministry of Social Security. The proposal for a full- time Commission on Social Security as recommended in the report could be re-examined later in the light of specialist opinion, and the proposed research unit given priority.
31. This is not the place to discuss the report in
detail, but there is one recommendation which calls for special comment, i.e. the suggested review of minimum wage legislation. The subject has been talked about intermittently for almost fifteen years, but there still exists locally a strong degree of opposition based, as are most of the prejudices in Hong Kong against ameliorative labour legislation, on laisser faire economic theory. It is clear from social service workers and Labour Department investigations that extremely low wages are paid by some employers. The extent and scale of these exceptionally low wages are not known with any exactness, and as a first step, the facts at least should be unearthed to decide in what industries or occupations minimum wages should be fixed by law. Hong Kong is unique among British (and ex-British) territories in the absence of legislation of the 'Trade Boards' or 'Wage Council' type empowering the fixing of wages in underpaid industries. There may well be less opposition from employers than might be imagined, since the low wage employer is often competing unfairly with more en- lightened or more efficient local employers.
traditionally
Again there is a
32. The report also refers to outworkers underpaid and under-privileged. paucity of hard facts about their pay and conditions,
and it would be valuable if the Hong Kong Government could commission the University, for example, to under- take a piece of research into this area of Hong Kong's
economy.
Employment and Manpower
33. A manpower survey has been carried out by an I.L.0.
Expert on Manpower Assessment, Mr. Morgenstein, but no report has yet been received. In seems doubtful in view
of the short time spent in Hong Kong whether much of value
will emerge except perhaps guide lines for a comprehensive
CONFIDENTIAL
/ survey
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