March 25th, 1928.]
"
No. 2 cook, and a makee learn," several house and market coolies, not to mention fa-wongs, chair-coolies 4 at least,- stores in cup-board, all the material- and no magic ring of knowledge to apply it. The poor taipan husband, formerly so proud of his beautiful and socially suo cessful wife, climbed down one more step of his unassailable ladder of "no sur render"
every time he arose from his table, on which cut-glass and silver and choice flowers mingled with Lazenby's tinned-foods, charred mutton and soup tablets, what time the men who had domesticated (and not necessarily "home ly") wives or who, perhaps, being grass widowers or bachelors, took their meals at the Hongkong Club or Hongkong Hotel, said: Starvation before Sur- render."
N.B. The husband of the social star was more influential than the men who were well-fed.
Talking of hotels and clubs, they do say that cold meat will get the cold shoulder for many a long day to come, and that the cold tide took a longer time to subside at the club than anywhere else in Hongkong. Many of the members wonder if the innovation of pretty girl-helpers could not be kept up; they say there would not be any cold shoulders in such a contin-
gency.
Stories from hotels and boarding-houses come in shoals. Some of the boarders in a big establishment were very indignant when the proferred aid of soldier-cooks was refused on the ground that the board-
ers
Of were managing quite nicely. course, it is quite possible that the man- agement may have realised that the soldi- ers-cooks, being defenders of the realm, might be needed elsewhere, while the women had an excellent opportunity of showing that they were not only able but eager to step into a breach and for once get the opportunity of showing their men-folk that they could be something better than a parasitical growth, batten- ing on other people's labour and return ing nothing but a pretty appearance and an insatiable appetite for amusement.
A juster cause for complaint was that of the boarders in those establishments where the management simply declined to be bothered, saying, in effect: "Each man for himself and the women for us all." It is rumoured that in some cases the boarding-house keeper did not scruple to take full advantage of the organised efforts of the boarders to cater for all and sundry.
On the whole, however, things went merrily, and if the strike had lasted an- other week I think numbers of women in Hongkong, barring those with young families, would have refused to take their servants back. I heard of one emergency mess where the returned cook's first meal was greeted with very wry faces, and if you want to know what mess I mean you will not have to search far.
It was
in a very well-organised centre and three very capable women were doing the cook! ing for thirteen people; not one of the thirteen ever wants to eat Chinese cook. ing again, but noblesse oblige and if you are gentlefolk, why you are and there is an end of it; you have jolly well got to keep servants, your position demands it, and you have got to leave to the working classes their little atom of compensation in life, that of knowing that they are get- ting value for their money and not eating bad food at top prices.
Great fun it seems to have been to go shopping at the Peak Hotel, where, unless you signed a requisition order for milk or meat or bread, you could not be served, not even if your husband's banking account ran into lakhs.
Rather amusing, too, was Lane, Craw- ford's barricade. They had my sympathy,
32
819
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT those much-abused assistants tearing their] was disfigured by boredom and a smile hair and rushing frantically from sugar of superiority. Women have learned that to flour, consulting papers, and piling up even the best of servants think. of them. the parcels, till at last they created a selves first and their employers second- barricade of screens and one man sat at even when the servants are amahs and a table and took all the orders and most have the care of their most precious of the bricks, and tried to look as if he possessions and a good many golfing loved the frantic women. I had to laugh | bridging-mothers have made resolutions to when, on a bed of sickness some days sacrifice a certain portion of each day to afterwards, I read that stores laid in dur- the duties of controlling their homes and ing the strike might not be returned, for their children. Here's to a new Era! I know that many recklessly extravagant orders were given with the mental pro- viso that, after all, we are jolly good customers and they will take back what we do not use !
I nearly forgot to say that another factor in the strike settlement was said to be flues. I can quite imagine why! While I was ill I used to lie in my bed and wonder if an army of plague rats was scuttling down my chimney, but it was just soot, and it came down in tor- rents and settled on the floors and every where, so that if my kind volunteer nurses and house-maids had wanted to skimp work they simply could not. Some of the Peak taipans had terrible times when they cleaned the kitchen grates and made the daily fire-all the wood was damp, coal sodden, grates rusted over night, im- penetrable fog on all sides. Ough! One who looks as if nothing in the way of good solid work could frighten him found a very obstinate kitchen-range one day, so he searched for cause and effect (great minds always do). He remembered on some occasions seeing his cook blow up the flue to clear the soot away, so he proceed ed to do likewise. He blew, so did the wind, down came a cloud of soot. ed and staggering, he fell back bang on to the back of his head, rushed from the kitchen, clothed himself in garbs of clean- liness and decency, and caught the first tram and motor-car to Government House and found His Ex, in an early morning state of bliss (my informants do not state whether His Ex. had also been cleaning grates), and demanded:
Blind-
"For the love
of a blazing fire stop the strike."
In conclusion, let me say that we have all had a very hard time, but most of our women have lost the Hongkong expres sion; there is a look of lively interest and healthy fatigue on many a face that
MUNICIPAL ELECTION AT
SHANGHAI.
RESULT OF THE POLL.
Polling took place in Shanghai last week for the election of the new council- lors. Out of ten candidates, the under- mentioned were elected:-
Votes.
Successful Candidate.
Mr. S. Sakuragi Mr. H. G. Simms Mr. H. H. Girardet Mr. A. B. Lowson Mr. W. P. Lambe Mr. V. G. Lyman Mr. H. W. Lester Mr. G. N. Wilson Mr. S. Fessenden
628
594
589
532
530
499
479
325
273
Mr. A. J. Hughes, for whom 284 votes were cast, has already stood for election, but on this octasion was again unsuccess- number of votes are recorded against the ful.
It will be noticed that the highest
name of Mr. Sakurugi, the Japanese candidate.
an
It is estimated that about two-thirds of those entitled to vote about 1,600 under the Land Regulations took active part in the election. The total number of voting papers placed in the was 752 and, in addition, ballot box eight were irregular. With the exception of Messrs. Lester and Wilson, the newly elected councillors served during the last Municipal year.
The next Chairman of the S.M.C. will be elected by the new council'ors at their first meeting, to be held shortly after the annual meeting of ratepayers.
STRIKES IN CANTON 1921.
The Canton Times says:-
The year 1921 was a noted year of strikes in Canton. According to investi gation, there were more than eight hundred "Hongs" organizing different inde- pendent associations in the city last year. The organizing of such associations simply leads the way to improve the workmen's live ihood. and strikes for increasing of wages were occasionally initiated. The various strikes last year ended success- fully. The strikers made a solid stand in the fight for their rights. Their achieve- ments were on'y per onal movements. No outsiders interfered or gave assistance to them. The following is a summary of the result of the various strikes that took place in the city of Canton 1921:
ccupations.
Mat-shed builders Fire-crackers makers
Painters...
Mechanics Tea pickers Oil producers Tea-house Waiters Masons
Ox Butchers Potters Tailors
Date of Strike.
May 22, 1921, May 24. 1921, May 22, 1921, May 26, 1921, July 12, 1921, Aug.
7, 1921, Aug. 12, 1921, Aug. 16, 1921, Aug. 19, 1921, Oct. 1, 1921, Cet. 6, 1921, Sept. 20, 1921, Oct. 28, 1921, Nov. 11, 1921, Dec. 14, 1921, Dec. 14, 1921, Aug. 10, 121, Dec. 16, 1921, Jan. 2, 1922, Jan. 7, 1921,
Date of Settlement.
Number
Wages. of Workers
Barbers
Laundrymen
June 13, 1921 Feb. 10, 1922 Sept. €, 1921 June 8, 1921 Dec. 17, 1921 Nov. 28, 1921 Aug, 25, 1921 Aug. 25, 1921 Sept. 5, 1921 Dec, 8, 1921 Oct. 8. 1921 Not sett'ed Not settled· Nov. 8, 1921 Nov.
11, Not settled Not settled Not settled Dec. .25, 1921 Jan.
20. 15
2,500
850
"
25 30
520
""
3,400
25
97
2,500
35
""
3,450
50
"3
8,640
40
9,400
12
35 failed
1,200
340
40%
2,300
3.400
40.
3,200
1921
30
820
Not settled
1,400
Not settled Not settled
150
340
40.
3,430
Feb.
Wooden Box makers
Jan. 29, 1921,
Jan.
30 2, 1922 11, 1921 22, 1921
20
"
25
"
1,200
40
"
1,320
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