JOPY.
C.0.
Enclosure 1.
Tram Boycott.
40743
RECE REC23 DEC 12
7
On the 18th. ultimo the Electric Tranway Company, in common
with the Star Ferry Company and the Peak Tramway Company, commenced
after due notice given, refusing to accept other than Hongkong
currency in payment of fares.
Matters appeared to be going smoothly until the evening of
the 24th. when a hostile crowd assembled at Sai Wan Ho, in the
Shaukiwan district, and proceeded to mob the passengers. Stones
were thrown and some tram windows broken, but no serious injury
was done. A strong force of police was despatched from the Central
district but by the time they arrived the Shaukiwan police, who were quickly on the scene, had quelled the disturbance. Two arrests
were made.
On the evening of the 26th. a crowd collected in the
Central District between the Central and Western Markets and mobbed
and intimidated the tram passengers. A large force of police under the Deputy Superintendent at once proceeded to the scene from the
Central Station, and after a considerable time restored order.
Stones and other missiles were thrown. One European Constable was
hit on the head by a brick and rendered unconscious for a few
minutes, but was not seriously injured. No other injury or damage
was committed. Four arrests were made. Since that date there has
been no disturbance of the peace, but large numbers of written notices, some of them very scurrilous, have been found posted up in various places, inciting people to boycott the trams. These have been promptly torn down by Police and district watchmen. Police pickets have been patrolling the tram route night and day, and on the 28th. fifty soldiers (25 Yorkshire Light Infantry and 20 Artillery) were sworn in as special constables and have been utilized partly as night pickets and partly to ride in the trams.
Very few Chinese are at present using the trams, but of
the few that have been doing so I have noticed that quite a large proportion are women, which seems to indicate that it is not the apprehension of violence or intimidation that is the cause of the Chinese refraining from riding in the cars. I attach a table giving