ENG-1948 — Page 40

industry are employed in the metal ware, electric torch, torch battery, torch bulb and rubber shoe industries, though numbers have fluctuated throughout the year with the state of the business. The majority of the women in all trades are either on a daily or piece rate basis and can thus be laid off when business is poor.

Other industries in which a large proportion of the labour is female, are ginger, fruit and vegetable preserving, joss sticks and fire-crackers, matches, tobacco and certain skilled and semi-skilled processes in the printing trade.

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Inspection and registration of juveniles between the ages of 14 and 18 years has continued throughout the year and there were at the end of the year 1,772 young persons registered with the Labour Office, an increase of about 1,400 over the numbers registered at the end of 1947. Periodic checks are made of all registered juveniles and frequent inspections of those under 16 years to see that regulations concerning their specially restricted hours and day of rest are observed. It is gratifying to note the satisfactory growth of these youngsters. Another cause for satisfaction is the allocation of ground and funds (Princess Elizabeth's wedding present) for a playing field and club house which is to be used for the recreation and training primarily of those juveniles who are employed in industry.

Social amenities and welfare benefits for women are still few. Some factories, both European and Chinese owned, have regular sick and maternity benefit schemes; others give a certain amount of financial assistance to maternity cases, but in the majority of cases, the women, who are nearly all regarded as casual workers, are merely granted a limited period of matenity leave. Usually there is a promise of re-employment though this may be conditional upon the woman finding a substitute for her period of absence. There is, however, a healthy and growing con- sciousness amongst the more enlightened women of the necessity for some sort of security in the way of social benefits. Evidence of this can be seen in the two purely women's unions, the Female Knitters' Association and the Metal Sisters' Union, which are actively concerned with the promotion of better working con- ditions in their respective trades.

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