ENG-1963 — Page 88

60

EMPLOYMENT

Young men from the New Territories have for many generations sought their fortunes overseas, sending back money to their families and often returning later to their villages as men of substance-at least by local standards. In recent years, there has been a very marked movement of young men going to Britain to work in Chinese restaurants and 1,747 New Territories people are known to have left for work in Britain in 1962. At the present time there are believed to be about 1,300 Chinese restaurants in Britain employing more than 20,000 Hong Kong workers, the majority from the New Territories. Since the Commonwealth Immigrants Act came into force on 1st July 1962 this emigration has slowed down to a certain extent as reflected in the number of 780 travellers (712 from the New Territories) in 1963. Overseas remittances, almost entirely from Britain, are now an important factor in the economy of the New Territories. During 1963, for example, postal and money orders to the value of $20,973,152.60 were cashed at New Territories post offices. This does not include the amount remitted through banks, which is not known but is likely to be of the same order.

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