ENG-1959 — Page 87

INDUSTRY AND TRADE

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silk and woollen yarns, weaving, knitting, dyeing, printing, and finishing, and the manufacture of all types of garments and textile goods are carried on. The spinning mills, operating over 387,000 spindles, are amongst the most up-to-date in the world and first class amenities are generally provided for workers. Cotton yarn counts range from 10s to 60s carded and combed in single or multiple threads. Production of all counts in 1959 was over 136,000,000 lbs., the greater part of which was consumed by local weaving establishments.

In the weaving section which has increased its loom capacity during the past year to over 12,500 looms, cotton grey drill, canvas, shirting, striped poplins, ginghams, and other bleached and dyed cloth and prints are the main items. Production in 1959 was in excess of 340,000,000 square yards, most of which was exported, although there is an increasing tendency, as the quality of locally woven and finished cloth improves, for the Colony's garment manufacturers to utilize local materials. Other products of the Colony's weaving industry are silk and rayon brocade of traditional Chinese design, tapes, military webbing, lace, mosquito netting, cotton open mesh, carpets and rugs.

Dyeing, printing and finishing of textiles in the Colony has shown a marked advance during the past few years, although this section has rather lagged behind other sections in speed of develop- ment. Multi-colour printing, pre-shrinking by several processes under licence and polymerizing for the production of ‘drip-dry' fabrics are undertaken for use by the local garment industry and for export. A large new finishing mill employing the most up- to-date equipment and techniques commenced production during December 1959.

An almost unlimited range and variety of garments is manu- factured in Hong Kong, the most important being shirts. Silk and brocade house and evening coats, tea gowns and embroidered blouses, underwear, and nightwear, have a world-wide popularity in quality markets.

Custom and mail-order tailoring, principally of men's suits, has developed in recent years into a considerable industry. Suits of excellent cut and quality, in whatever material is required, are exported all over the world.