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April 17, 1895
the recent strike, uotwithstanding all our efforts to that effect.Yours obediently,
ARNHOLD, KARBERG & Co.] Hongkong, 4th April, 1895, F. Henderson, Esq., Secretary, Hongkong Gen-
eral Chamber of Commerce, Eresent. Dear Sir, We beg to acknowledge the re- ceipt of your circular letter of yesterday's date, together with copy enclosed of a letter addressed to the Chamber by the Colonial Secretary with reference to the present coolie strike, and we note that your Committee before replying to same would be glad to have an expression of opinion in so far as the contents of the letter are applicable to our business.
We would state in reply that we have not had any offer from Chinese or others to supply coolies as indicated by the Colonial Secretary in paragraph numbered 1 of his letter, nor have we any agreement with a clause of the nature Indicated with our compradore or the stevedores usually employed by us, as to the supplying of coolies for cargo working, and consequently we have been unable to take any steps as suggested by the Colonial Secretary to compel them by law to find conlies during the strike. We have, therefore, had to content ourselves with bringing all the pressure we could privately on them to make them supply coolies, which have been very mach wauted, and this we have not hesitated to do. So far we have thereby met with some measure of success. but our requirements have only been pressing as very late fo the day, say ince the day before yesterday. Yours faith fully,
GIBE LIVINGSTON & Co.
Hongkong. 5th April, 1895. F. Henderson, Esq, Secretary, Hongkong Gene-
ral Chamber of Commerce. Sir-In reply to your favour of the 3rd instant enclosing copy of a letter from the Colo- nial Secretary to the Chamber of Commerce, we beg to inform you that we have no knowledge of the facts therein alleged.—We are, sir, your obedient servants,
JARDINE, MATHESON & CO. Hongkong, 5th April, 1895, F. Henderson, Esq. Secretary, Hongkong Gene-
ral Chamber of Commerce, Present. Dear Sir,We beg to acknowledge receipt of your circular letter of the 3rd inst. enclosing a copy of a letter addressed to the Chamber by the Colonial Secretary and wishing an expres- sion of opinion thereon by us.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
offers from any Chinese to supply ns with coolies, but if we had, anxious as we were to assist the Government in every possible way, we should have been bound to enquire very closely into the responsibllity of those making the offer and into the skill and capacity of such coolies for steve- dore work before we engaged them.
We have no such clause in the agreement with our compradore as that referred to in paragraph 3 of the Colonial Secretary's letter. We re- main, dear sir, your obedient servants.
SHEWAN & Co.
The Secretary, Hongkong General Chamber of
Hongkong, 4th April, 1895. Commerce.
Gentleman. We are in receipt of your letter dated yesterday, and in reply we beg to state that we have already made an arrangement with our compradore, as well as with our stevedore, to supply us with coolies sufficient for our present requirements, and our ships have resumed the unloading of cargo, either from yesterday boon or from this morning,
As far as we are concerned, therefore, the present trouble of getting labour is now in end.
-We are, gentleman, yours faithfully.
F.
(For the MITSUI BUSSAN KAISHA)
K. FUKHUI, Manager. Canadian Pacific Railway Co. Henderson, Esq. Secretary, Chamber of
Hongkong, 4th April, 1895. Commerce, Hongkong.
enclosing opy of a letter addressed to your Dear Sir,- Replying to yours of the 3rd inst., Chamber by the Colonial Secretary and asking in connection therewith an expression of opinion from myself, among others, in so far as the cou- tents of the letter areapplicable to this Company's business during the recent coolie strike,
Would state that items 1 and 2 in the Colonial Secretary's letter had no reference to this Com- pany, as we received no such offer. will be found that a number of the princi- pal shipping firms, this Company the rest, did take combined action prior to among the first public meeting at the Chamber of Commerce, notifying their compradores or stevedores that they would be held responsible for the failure to carry out their agreements, whether verbal or written. This. I consider, was as far as the shipping firms could reasonably be expected to go at that stage of the strike, as it would be a matter for subsequent consideration whether recourse to law Was necessary advisable.
With regard to items 3 and 4 I think it
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strike against the shipping community because of certain laws which they considered burden. by fair means or foul. The strikers had no some to them, and. which they wished to avoid grievance against the shipping community, and it is not fair that we should be continually ex- posed without redress to these pernicious attacks vernment. through us instead of directly against the Go-
Had the recent strike resalted from a disagree- ment between the European employers of labour and the coolies, no doubt steps would have been
the differences, but it did not, and no strike is taken much earlier by the various shipping firms interested to arrive at an amicable settlement of likely to occur between the European community and the coolies, for the reason that the labour re- quired by the shipping community is supplied through middlemen, with whom we arrange to furnish it. I remain, dear sir, yours truly.
D. E. BROWN, General Agent.
Hongkong, 4th April, 1895. inst. we have no arrangement with our compra- Dear Sir,-In reply to your letter of the 3rd dore or any other persons, such as is suggested by the Colonial Secretary.
As regards the importation of labour from other places, we have tried Swatow-the best procur able in the immediate neighbourhood-in the local ccolies; besides, the risk of Swatow men past, and found it unsatisfactory, compared with departing at a moment's notice makes the chance
if not objection, of latter to resume the employ. incurred with local workmen. plas the indifference, of their leaving us in the lurch as great as is
ment of those antagonistic to them
Further, our inclination to import Swatow men has been checked by the terms demanded, vix, that we should guarantee thein two years' continuous sequential emplyment. We consider it our bounden duty to take that course which appears best for our present and future interests, without reference to the incidences of the ephe meral disturbance between the Government and
the native population that has recently been provoked, knowing full well that it was only a question of time when a collapse of the strike would occur. Under such circumstances it would have been the height of folly to have entered have seriously hampered our operations. In into permanent future engagements that would|| such matters each individual is a better judge of his own actions than irresponsible outsiders, whose suggestions are usually crude and im- practicable. or
This being so, the application of the final para- Colonial Secretary's letter, I would state as my for, and suggests to our minds unreasonable With regard to the closing paragraphs of the graph in the Colonial Secretary's letter to which you direct attention is inappropriate and uncalled opinion that the return to work this morning of the striking coolies, and the defeat of the strikers captiousness and ignorance of the true position. without compromise on the part of the Govern-loss that followed from their legislation, we would If the Government had proposed to bear the ment or the shipping community, is due mainly have been disposed to view the matter differently; to the following three causes :--*
First-The combined action of the shipping they would then have had an interest with the firms prior to the first meeting at the Chamber employers of labour; as it is they have none, and to seek to increase the involuntary losses imposed apon the community of this colony in the name of "loyalty" is little short of madness.--We have the honour to be, dear sir, your obedient servants,
BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE. F. Henderson, Esq, Secretary, Chamber of
Commerce.
of Commerce. !
In reply we beg to say that no such offers as mentioned under sections 1 and 2 have been made to us, and that we have no such clause in the agreement with our compradore as is stated in sections 3 and 4-We are, dear sir, yours faith. fully,
MEYER & Co.
Hongkong, 3rd April, 1895. F. Henderson. Esq., Secretary of the Hongkong
General Chamber of Commerce, Present. Dear Sir,-Replying to your favour of this Second-The firm stand taken by His Excel- date, by which you hand us a copy of a letter lency the Governor in refusing to accede to any addressed to your Chamber by the Colonial Se-modification of the law. cretary, we beg to state that in spite of all Third-The combined firm attitude of both efforts we did not succeed to get coolies, under Government and community since the second say circumstances, from any Chinamen in the meeting at the Chamber of Commerce not recent strike, nor have we any agreement with forgetting the very valuable services rendered our compradore to supply our firm with coolies by the police, the sailors, and the soldiers in at a certain rate. We are, dear sir, yours re-furnishing men, ever since the strike broke spectfully,
out, to work ships.
SIEMSSEN & Co.
Hongkong, 6th April, 1895. F. Henderson, Esq. Secretary, Hongkong Ge- neral Chamber of Commerce, Hongkong Dear Sir,-We are in receipt of your letter of 3rd inst. enclosing copy of letter from the Colonial Secretary having reference to the coolie strike and asking our opinion thereon.
We must first apologize for not having sooner replied to your letter, but the strike having ter- minated immediately after its receipt we did not think any further action would be taken in the matter,
And last, but not least, the firm determination of some of the Companies to import foreign labour from the north for their own account, rather than submit much longer to the incon- venience and loss they were experiencing,
The loss to the shipping community has been enormous, and the inconvenience most distress ing and annoying, the annoyance being greatly and punish the ringleaders or instigators of the aggravated by our apparent inability to get at strike.
from what should constitute my reply to your Consequently, if I am not digressing directly
As to the Colonial Secretary's remarks we take the liberty of suggesting to the Chamber communication, may 1 before closing my letter have simply to say that our opinion has all along of Commerce (comprising as it does members of been that the quickest way to end the strike was almost every shipping firm in the colony) the to take no notice of it and do the best we could advisability of representing to the Government with the temporary labour supplied by the Police the necessity for some such legislation as will and others until the coolies returned to their prevent a recurrence of the recent means em. senses, which we felt sure they would soon do if ployed by interested portions of the Chinese left alone to their own resources, We had no community in attacking and instigating a labour"
Fullarton
Hongkong, April 8th. 1895, Henderson, Esq., Secretary, The Hongkong Chamber of Commerce, Present, Dear sir, We have to acknowledge your let! the 2nd idem addressed to the Chamber by the ter of the 3 inst. enclosing copy of a letter dated Colonial Secretary with reference to the present coolie strike, and in reply we beg to state that as regards paragraph
directly by any Chinese to supply us with coolies (1) No offers were made to us directly or in- for stevedore purposes at any rate of pay.
(2) The two firms of stevedores who do almost the entire work of the vessels consigned to us
unsuccessful, owing to the coolies being afraid to their endeavours to get labour for us, but were were in each case most anxious and energetic in
provide us with the foremen required for superin- return to work. One of those stevedores did tending the loading of the s.s. Carmarthenshire and the discharging of the Port Adelaide, in spite of the threats reported to have been made by the striking coolies.
stevedores; we have a written understanding (3). We have no signed contract with these (unsigned by us) that the work for vessels con