ENG-1951 — Page 38

workers chiefly in European employment, and is based on the cost of certain essential items of food and fuel, rose from $84 in January to $93 for the month of November and then fell to $90 in December. The cost of living allowance for higher-paid government servants, which is adjusted in accordance with the Retail Index, had also to be increased on several occasions. The cost of living of nearly all classes of the community continues to be affected by the acute shortage of housing.

Wages

There has been little change in the wage-rates paid to the employees of the larger and more westernized undertakings. Average daily earnings, including rehabilitation allowance, in the majority of European firms and in the few Chinese firms which pay that allowance, were as follows:-

Skilled tradesmen and skilled workmen $6 8.50 Semi-skilled workmen

Unskilled workmen

5- 6.50 3.50-5

An additional nine firms paid an extra allowance of $1 per day for workers in each of the three categories. Although there have been only slight changes in the gross earnings of government servants, a portion of the cost of living allowances for daily and monthly paid workers has been consolidated into basic wages, thus acknowledging the permanent increase in cost of living since the war, and materially increasing both overtime pay and retiring gratuities.

Chinese firms generally pay a basic wage without any cost of living allowances. In addition most of the skilled or semi-skilled employees are paid on either a daily or a piece-rate basis, apart from a nucleus of permanent monthly-paid staff. Average daily earnings for men range from $2 to $12, and for women from $1.50 to $7.

Working Hours

In the European concerns and in an increasing number of Chinese concerns the 48-hour week is standard. The usual rest day is Sunday, although other days may be allotted as convenient. An increasing number of spinning factories are adopting the three-shift system of working, while all observe a six-day week. Holidays vary between 12 and 18 days a year.

The majority of Chinese concerns still work at 7-day week with a working day of 9 hours as a rule, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There are breaks for tea in the morning and afternoon as well as at lunch-hour. The longer hours are offset to some extent by the less hurried tempo of work. Workers are generally granted holidays on important Chinese

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