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discuss other points which they had originally intended to put forward, and, on the 24th May (two or three days after their visit to the Department), the workers went on strike. For more than two months neither side again approached the Labour Department, but picketing at the Mill was carried out in a very thorough manner. On 22nd July about 150 of the 400 strikers staged a march from the Mill, seven miles out on the mainland, and arrived at the head office on the island, where they caused considerable obstruction. After this incident, representatives of the workers called at the Department and were persuaded to withdraw the demand for the reinstatement of the dis- missed worker, but they still insisted on other demands which the manager was not in a position to concede. He stated that further increase in production costs would involve operating at a loss and he was therefore prepared to close the Mill until the workers made demands he was more capable of meeting. On 4th August a clash occurred at the Mill in which one worker was injured. As a result seven workers were charged with assault and sentenced to six weeks' hard labour. Meanwhile negotiations continued and by the 15th August the workers had returned uncon- ditionally to work. The men dropped or modified their demands and were granted an allowance for waiting time while the machine was being loaded and a half hour reduc- tion in working time which had been previously offered. The strike lasted 83 days and approximately 33,200 man- days were lost.

In November workers of the Hong Kong Match Factory made various complaints of which the main one was that their pay had not increased in proportion to the rising cost of living. At a meeting with the management the workers demanded a 50% increase. The manager stated that he had been enquiring closely into the trend of recent increases and had come to the conclusion that the overall cost of living appeared to have risen by some 10%. He was therefore prepared to grant an immediate increase of 10% on wages and piece rates. The workers would accept nothing less than a 50% increase and on the 22nd November they went on strike. The factory was picketed and nothing untoward happened there. But on the 29th December a large number of workers invaded the head office, establishing themselves firmly on the floor whence they were removed only by police action. They were charged with obstruction and subsequently released on signing bonds in the amount of $50 each to be of good behaviour. No new development had arisen by the end of the year, but a request was made by the workers on 9th January 1950 for a resumption of negotiations with the management.

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