ENG-1957 — Page 101

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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

revenue-producing duties, the Colony is a free port and Government regulation of trade is kept to a minimum.

The variety of goods produced by local industry is con- siderable, but in general, while the heavier industries such as shipbuilding continue to be important, the Colony has become best noted for the price, quality, and range of the products of its light industries. Of importance are cotton piece-goods, cotton yarns, towelling, ready-made garments of all kinds, cotton and woollen gloves, enamelware, aluminiumware, torches, torch batteries and bulbs, vacuum flasks, plasticware, paints and varnishes, rubber and leather footwear, and rattanware. Among traditional Chinese goods produced, brocade piece-goods, embroideries and drawn- work, crocheted gloves and paper novelties are the best known.

Industrial development in the Colony is hampered by scarcity of water and lack of land suitable for industrial purposes. To offset the shortage of flat land, Government is assisting by levelling hilly ground and using the spoil to reclaim land from the sea. The largest of several such schemes is at Kwun Tong, referred to in Chapter 14, where some 140 acres of industrial land will eventually be provid- ed. By the end of the year industrial sites totalling 1,483,700 square feet had been sold in this area, and sales of sites for the housing of employees, who will desire to live near the new factories, had commenced.

Water conservancy schemes, such as the large project at Tai Lam Chung, are already helping to alleviate the shortage of water.

HEAVY INDUSTRIES

Shipbuilding and Repairing. This section of industry is mainly centred on two large establishments which together have an annual new building capacity of 80,000 gross tons and can accommodate vessels up to 500 feet in length on their building berths. Major repair work, including the