ENG-1954 — Page 39

Chapter 3

Occupations, Wages and Labour Organization

Employment

There was steady industrial development during the year, with textiles, metal products and transport equipment (including shipyards) maintaining the lead as the principal sources of industrial employment. In the textile group, cotton spinning increased from 13 mills employing 9,881 workers to 17 mills employing 11,513.

Three new mills are under construction and plans for installing additional spindles in five of the mills now operating will bring the total number of spindles to nearly 300,000. There was also a slight but steady increase in employment in factories manu- facturing plastics, enamelware, rubber shoes, leather footwear, umbrellas, cigarettes, and metal blanks for the enamelware industry.

New developments during the year included the establishment of a large modern flour mill and the manufacture of aluminium hand torch cases by the cold extrusion process. In spite of considerable industrial development in Tsun Wan in the New Territories, the distribution of industrial premises remains at about one on the Island to each two in Kowloon and the New Territories, and the following figures for employment in registered and recorded factories and workshops for the past five years show the steady rate of development.

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