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End cours
Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce.
6th. Lecember, 1916.
132
Military Service.
I am directed by my Committee to request that you
will be good enough to bring to the notios of His Excelleroy the Governor the fact that great dissatisfaction and resentment exists among young men of military age in the Colory, ageinst certain articles recently appearing in the local press regarding the military requiremerte of the Colony as against the claime
of the Home service.
There is in fact the case of the entire European Staff of one of the largest Hongs in the Colony threatening to resign in a body and proceed to Europe rather than be continually referred to as "slacker." eto.
My Committee therefore beg respectfully to suggest that some such declaration as issued by the President of the Board of Trade to the Mercantils Marine Service, copy of which I enclose be again published ard that a certificate of Imperial service of a kind to be determired by His Excellercy, be issued to mer of military age in the Colony who are rendering ee good service to their country by cortiruing their commercial careers combined with local military service, as by joining the Army at Home.
My Committee would much appreciate whatever stepe
His Excellercy might take to put an end to the persistent attempts being made to upset the temperament of the mer erd there- by endanger the Commerce of the colony and its positior as C financiel and shipping bene directly serving in the prosecution
of the War,
I have &0.,
(ED.) E. A. N. Williams,
The Honourable
The Colonial secretery.
Eecretery.
1