ENG-1967 — Page 82

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INDUSTRY AND TRADE

The manufacture of garments remains the largest sector within the industry, employing 61,500 workers. A wide range and variety of clothing, from high fashion dresses to cotton singlets, is produced for export all over the world. Embroidered blouses, beaded or sequinned woollen cardigans, silk and brocade, and evening coats have worldwide popularity while, in conformity with world trends, demand has increased significantly for permanent press garments. Custom and mail order tailoring, principally of men's suits, has developed rapidly in recent years as an important branch of industry. Knitting mills produce towels, tee-shirts, underwear and night- wear, swimsuits, gloves, socks and stockings in cotton, silk, wool and other fabrics. From a total of $862 million in 1961, the value of exports of clothing has risen to $2,317 million in 1967, produced by some 1,170 factories.

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OTHER LIGHT INDUSTRIES

In the ever-widening range of light industry the most prominent, after textiles, is the manufacture of plastic articles. Skill in the cutting of moulds and dies, together with the ability to meet short orders, have resulted in increased exports of a very wide variety of products. These include artificial flowers, toys and dolls, house- hold ware, household furniture of polypropylene, and PVC sheeting and coated fabrics. The industry manufactured exports worth some $833 million during the year.

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There has been spectacular growth in the electronics industry. The manufacture or assembly of transistor radios began only in 1959, but since then exports of transistor radios have increased to reach a total of 11.7 million sets worth $210 million in 1967. The industry exports its products all over the world with its principal markets in the United Kingdom and the United States. The manu- facture of electronic components is also making rapid progress. A number of leading American electronic manufacturers have established subsidiaries in Hong Kong. Silicon transistors and diodes, condensers, transformers, capacitors, resistors, loud- speakers and printed circuit boards are now produced and exported in substantial quantities. Other electronic products include television sets and tuners, transceivers and computer memory cores.