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lion in 1968-9 to HK$144.1 million in 1973-4. Yet this latter figure was still less than the HK$162.0 million spent on archi- tectural and electrical and mechanical en- gineering offices. Social welfare spending now represents 2.75 per cent of total gov- ernment expenditure. Some of the in- crease is due to inflation; but most is due to an expansion in the range and quality of services provided. In 1973 a five year plan for the development of social wel- fare was adopted and such an impetus must of course be welcomed. But it should be remembered that there is enor- mous scope for improvement. For example, since 1971 public assistance, in a limited form, has been put on a cash basis, and since 1973 special allowances have been provided to those regarded as "severely disabled," and to the "elderly infirm" who must be over 75 years old. Nearly 54,000 people received these dis- ability and infirmity allowances in 1974 and another 40,267 received public assist- ance. How did these people, nearly 100,000 of them, manage before these al- lowances existed?
These allowances are also an example of the social welfare philosophy the Hong Kong Government is developing. It helps what it calls "vulnerable groups": in other words, the deserving poor. As the official report Hong Kong 1975 observes:
Hong Kong is not, in the full sense, a welfare state. People are expected to stand on their own feet, a principle which accords with their proud and independent spirit." In practice, this means that apart from workmen's compensation for occu- pational injuries there is no specific legis- lation in Hong Kong applying ILO Con- vention No 102 of 1952 (Social Security (Minimum Standards)). This Convention lays down standards for medical care, sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, old age benefit, employment injury bene- fit, family benefit, maternity benefit, in- validity benefit, and survivors' benefit.
Consequently, the Hong Kong worker to- day has no minimum wage, no unemploy- ment benefit, no old age pension, and no sickness insurance. In addition, if the worker is female she receives no paid maternity leave, no help for large fami-
lies, and no widow's pension. Moreover, if the worker is unemployed, but fit and aged between fifteen and fifty five, he does not qualify for public assistance. He is one of the undeserving poor; one of the able bodied whose condition-in line with the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 -must be made "less eligible." Only so can his moral fibre and "proud and in- dependent spirit" be maintained. In an economy where rapid market fluctuations create a great deal of insecurity and irregular earnings, many families live on a knife edge so that sickness or injury, bereavement or old age, push them to extreme poverty. Meanwhile, the Govern- ment hides behind the cant of phrases about the people being expected "to stand on their own feet." In reality the individual worker stands alone and un- protected, a commodity upon which the capitalist may draw as the state of the market demands.
It is sometimes argued that charitable contributions from the wealthy in Hong Kong form a significant supplement to the welfare services. The conscience of the rich, however, is untroubled. The sums raised for the Community Chest―a cen- tralised body for the collection of all charitable donations-are equivalent to no more than an increase of around 0.25 per cent in the tax rate on profits and salaries (The Economist, 19 July 1975).
wages
a
It is frequently stated that wages in Hong Kong are the second highest in Asia, only Japanese workers receiving more. Various surveys
bear this out. For example, in May 1975 Business Asia published the results of a survey of re- muneration in twelve regional countries. Hong Kong ranked after Australia and Japan. The survey showed that mechanical engineer in Hong Kong takes home the equivalent of about 250 (de- valued) pounds a month, including regu- lar bonuses. A technical salesman earns £171, a lorry driver £118 and a skilled worker £95. The Hong Kong Govern- ment's Census and Statistics Department estimates that the average wage of an
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