1
6.
Enrolled body of his fellow-countrymen who were worn in as 223
special constables and did valuable work in that capacity as also did a number of members of the Scandinavian com- munity.
The organisers of the strike no doubt thought that the calling out of the domestic servants would make life unendurable to Europeans. They must have been disagreeably surprised: ladies undertook cooking and housework in their own or each others homes: in the hotels the work was divided among the guests: the distribution of coal, food-stuffs was carried out by voluntary workers, organised by the Strike Comittee referred to in paragraph 18 of Mr. Fletcher's report: men from the Army and Navy, assisted by voluntary workers, took the place of the striking bakers and butchers and worked the Peak Tramway, the cold storage plant and other public services.
+
In short the non-Chinese population rose
to the occasion in a manner which is deserving of the
highest praise.
7.
A lamentable contrast was afforded by the
Chinese population. The educated classes, who cannot be considered to have been influenced by sympathy with the
strikers, were of no assistance whatever. I had confi-
dently expected that the leading members of the community, the Members of Council, the Justices of the Peace, the
Members of the District Watchmen's Committee, &c. would
have done good service by calming the fears of the
ignorant populace and obtaining for the Government informa-
tion which would enable it to deal with intimidation. In
neither respect were they of the slightest use.
The only
possible explanation is sheer cowardice. For the ignorant
coolie class who were frightened into leaving their work
it is possible to feel some sympathy and pity: as regards
the upper classes the only possible feeling is one of the