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Copy.
SUNDAY LABOR IN HONGKONG HARBOUR.
THE CHAMBERS' DECISION.
SUNDAY LABOR IN HONGKONG HARBOUR,
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that the Government draftod a Sunday Observance Bill several months ago with the intention of forcing it upon the colony, but it was shelved owing to the opposition of a few capitalists. Political affairs, too, doubtless weighed with the Government, the Colonial Federation Scheme being, at the time referred to, a more or less burning question in the Australian colonies."
Thanking you in anticipation for affording me the opportunity of thus removing possible false impressions, which might prove very misleading.
Yours, &c.,
CHESNEY DUNCAN, Hon. Secretary,
British M. M. O. Association.
CAPTAIN S. ASHTON,
President,
BRITISH MERCANTILE MARINE OFFICERS' ASSOCIATION, HONGKONG.
HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. Hongkong, 31st October, 1890.
DEAR SIR,--The Committee of the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce have given most careful consideration to the subject of Sunday Labour in this harbour, which your deputation brought so forcibly to their notice at the interview held on 17th inst. To assist them in coming to a conclusion, based on the widest views, the principal Members of the Chamber interested in the Shipping of the Colony, were invited to meet the Committee to discuss the subject.
The unanimous opinion of those present was, that it would be impolitic to ask the Government, as you desired, to legislate specially to stop Sunday work in this harbour-the restriction being applied to vessels of all nationalities.
The Committee are of opinion that the Government could not legislate for the complete suppression of Sunday labour in this Harbour, as the questions involved are very serious, and would affect injuriously all the shipping interests of the Colony, and particularly the large Chinese population connected therewith. Indeed, if such a recommendation was formulated by the Chamber of Commerce, the Committee are of opinion the Government would not legislate in the direction sought by your body.
The Committee look upon the question as one that rests solely between employers and employed. But they are pleased to state that during the discussion which ensued at the meeting a strong opinion was evinced that all European supervision for the loading and discharging of cargo during Sandays, by vessels engaged in the local coast trades, could be dispensed with if the officers elected. It therefore rests with individual officers in the Coust trades to seek that privilege from their respective employers.
With regard to Ocean steamers, as distinguished from Coast, the matter appears to the Committee to be somewhat different. The incidence of Sunday work on officers in those services is less frequent than with the Const. They may, and no doubt frequently do, escape Sunday in this port. While on the average duration of an Ocean voyage, say 1 months, an occasional Sunday's work in Hougkong does not appear to the Committee to present an intolerable burden to officers. With Ocean vessels touching at Hongkong, the working of cargo in port on all days must be considered one of the incidents of the voyage, Hongkong presents some peculiarities: It is not a terminus, the bulk of its Ocean trafic ends at Shanghai, where "bar" obstacles are met, and the loss of a day in Hongkong might lead to most serious pecuniary sacrifice to shipowners.
The question therefore appears to the Committee to be reduced to the smallest proportions.
The Coast trade officers can obtain, without doubt, on individual application to their respective employers, froedom from supervising cargo work on Sundays, while officers of Ocean steamers' remedy resta also with their employers. The latter, while considering the officers' application for relief, will doubtless bear in mind the infrequency of the incidence of Sunday work occurring in this port, and the probable grout loss they incur from delays in prosecuting their voyages if they concede the Sunday in this Harbour to their employees.
The Committee desire me to thank you for having brought the inatter to their notice, and hope their efforts will result in the settlement of a question that has for some time troubled a section of the Community.
I remain, Dear Sir,
THE SUNDAY LABOUR QUESTION.
At a meeting of the British Mercantile Marine Officers' Association, held last night, the 9th November, at the Marine Hotel, Captain Ashton presiding, the following letter as a reply to the Chamber of Commerce's despatch of the 31st ultimo was drafted after a good deal of discussion :-
E. MACKINTOSH, Esq.,
Chairman,
GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, HONGKONG.
BRITISH MERCANTILD MARINE OFFICERS' ASSOCIATION.
Hongkong, 10th November, 1890.
Sia,In acknowledging receipt of, and thanking you for, your letter of the 31st ultimo, I have to say that this body considors your proposal impracticable, for the following reasous:-
In the first place no individual officer is sufficiently independent to make individual application to his owners for exemption from duty on Sunday. We consider that in so doing he would be running a personal risk to himself which is undesirable.
Secondly, some shipowners might graciously grant such request where others would object. For instance, owners of foreign steamers, or, say British Chinese-owned steamers in the Straits or other trade might, we think, be very likely to object. In the event of such objection we can only view with alarm difficulties between individual officers and owners which we, as an association, stadiously wish to avoid.
In conclusion we may add, that the British Mercantile Marine officer is not a man who would stand by disinterestedly whilst foreign interests were, in any way, gaining advantages over those of his employer. We take pride in our ships and our work and would rather work on Sunday, or any other day, than see our employers suffer. Bat it is not necessarily admitted that either public or private interests would be prejudiced were labour totally suspended on board ships in this port on Sunday.
Yours faithfully,
(Signed)
E. MACKINTOSH,
Chairman.
I am, Sir,
Yours faithfully,
SAMUEL ASHTON,
President,
THE CONFERENCE,
To Tas EDITOR OF THE "HONGKONG TELEGRAPH."
Hongkong, 18th October 1890.
SIR-I shall esteem it a favour if you will kindly grant me space for the correction of a slight error which appears in your report of yesterday's Conference, for which I am, I feel, chiefly responsible,
What I desire to rectify is a possible supposition by the general public that the Hon. J. J. Keswick said: "he thought the Government would not pass a law to prevent the working of cargo on board ships on Sunday." Mr. Keswick did not, as far as I know, say that. It was to the remarks that fell from the lips of Mr. Mackintosh, the Chairman, that I replied: "I am informed, reliably informed,
"THE DAILY PRESS," Hongkong, October 21st, 1890.
THE Conference on the question of Sunday labour held on Friday last between representatives of the Mercantile Marine Officers' Association and the Chamber of Commerce resulted in a very useful and interesting discussion. Captain ASHTON on behalf of the Association urged the cause of Sunday rest with considerable force, and in the subsequent discussion fairly faced the difficulties suggested on the other side. He admits that if the observance of a weekly day of rest is made compulsory all classes of shipping must be subjected to the same law--Chinese as well as
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