4
5
(c) Probable Results.
9. A clear understanding of what has gone before will show that not only Hong Kong, but Kuangtung and all South China, are face to face with a powerful organisa- tion, which has already proved its amazing strength and is prepared at any moment to put it into operation. One's only hope of offering effective resistance thereto lies in The innate common sense of the Chinese people, in that of General Ch'en Chiung-ming's Government, which is entirely out of sympathy with the movement, and in a wise and tactful attitude on the part of British and other foreigners. Encouragement is to be found in the fact that, in spite of strong pressure brought to bear, the railway staff and other mechanics, who were satisfied with their previous adjustment of wages, held out until the last. How much longer they would have continued to do so, had the strike continued, is problematical, as the most unfortunate incident of the shooting on British territory of strikers returuing to their homes on the 3rd instant gave rise to al outburst of anti-British feeling in the city such as I have rarely seen paralleled in my experience of Canton. I have in my time received many threatening letters, but none couched in such violent and insolent terms as one received on the 7th instant, although from almost every side I had already received the thanks and congratulations of all classes of right-thinking Chinese for my successful mediation in the dispute between the owners and the men. I would in this connection place on record my very higi appreciation of the steps taken by General Ch'en to allay popular feeling and to protect British life and property, in spite of the fact that he himself was as much incensed as any. Immediately on my return to Canton on the 6th he requested me to go and see him, which I did. In very courteous but very firm terme he lodged the strongest of protests against the action of the Hong Kong Government in seeking to prevent the return of inoffensive strikers to their homes. Even had Hong Kong declared war on Kuangtung, he said, it was her duty in international law to allow Chinese citizens a given number of hours to withdraw unmolested from her territory. To detain in times of peace, by force of arms, free men anxious to return to their homes in China, as they were without living accommodation and without money, whose only offence was unwillingness to accept wages offered in Hong Kong, was unwarrantable high- handedness.
I of course explained that the Hong Kong Government could not allow the colony to be suddenly deprived of all labour, and that a full enquiry, which is now proceeding, would be made into the incident and compensation paid.
10. To pressure of work since my return, to a change of vice-consuls, and other matters, also to a desire that a copy of this despatch go to the Foreign Office by the next outgoing mail leaving here on the lath, is to be attributed the hasty throwing together of the above notes. I hope later to report more fully on the labour situation in general and the future outlook in South China.
Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
I have, &c.
J. W. JAMIESON.
Extract from the "Hong Kong Government Gazette" of Friday, March 10, 1923.
NOTICES.
IN view of various rumours which have been spread in the colony and elsewhere in connection with the settlement of the seamen's strike, it has been decided to publish at once the following account of the part played by the Government in the negotiations.
Colonial Secretary's Department,
March 10, 1922.
CLAUD SEVERN,
Colonial Secretary.
The strike commenced on the 13th January. On the same day the Government published a proclamation in Chinese offering to appoint arbitrators for the purpose of settling the dispute, On the 17th January the Government published a further proclamation in Chinese in which it set forth without comment an offer made by the
shipowners, and renewed its offer to appoint arbitrators if the seamen
were still dissatisfied. On that evening the Secretary for Chinese Affairs aud the Chinese representatives on the Legislative Council went to the Seamen's Union and explained in detail the exact meaning of the proclamation.
On the 17th January Mr. A. E. Wood was sent to Canton. Mr. Wood was at the time stationed at Taipo, and owing to a misunderstanding he left Taipo by train for Canton before his instructions reached him. A telegram was sent on the same afternoon ordering Mr. Wood to take no action until he received his instructions, but the telegram was delayed en route, and on the morning of the 18th January Mr. Wood had an interview with the Civil Governor, although he was not aware of the actual state of affairs in Hong Kong. Matters were thereby put into some confusion, and on the 23rd January the Secretary for Chinese Affairs went to Canton in order to explain fully to His Majesty's consul-general the exact position.
On the 18th January the Government issued a further proclamation in Chinese to the effect that the shipowners had withdrawn their previous offers, and it reiterated its suggestion of arbitration.
On the 26th January His Majesty's consul-general transmitted certain proposals put forward by the seamer, which had been communicated to him by the Civil Governor, Apart from matters connected with wages, the proposals contained the following demands:-
The Arbitration Board shall be established at Canton. The Arbitration Board shall consist of the following:-
(a.) Representative of the Canton Government. (b.) Representative of the Hong Kong Government.
(e) Representative of His Britannic Majesty's cousul-general.
(d) Representative of the European shipowners.
(e.) Representative of the Chinese shipowners. (f) Representative of the Chinese seamen,
The number of the members of this board shall be decided by the Chinese and British Governments after due consideration, and this board shall have the full power to settle the strike.
All seamen shall be employed through the union, so that no commission is to he paid to the compradores.
No agreement in connection with the employment of seamen shall have effect unless the Chinese Seamen's Union has been a witness to it.
No seaman or officer of the Seamen's Union in Hong Kong shall be banished for any charge which has no proof.
On the 27th January the following telegraphic reply was sent :-
f
For Civil Governor, Canton. Your despatch 26th January. Proposal that seamen should only be employed through the union and agreements should have
no effect unless union has been a witness makes any discussion useless.
K
Requirements of the Merchant Shipping Law would in any case make it impossible to accept these conditions to say nothing of international questions arising in cases of foreign-owned ships.
LL
Owners are
Proposal to arbitrate at Canton cannot in any case be considered. "The ostensible grounds for strike are solely questions of wages still prepared to refer these to arbitration by board appointed by my Government, and suggest that union should employ delegates to confer with them here to settle preliminaries."-STUEES.
Between the 4th and the 7th February certain Hong Kong guilds came forward with proposals that they should assist in the negotiations with the seamen in Canton, and their offers were at once accepted.
On the 7th February the following telegraphic correspondence took place
From His Majesty's Consul-General, Canton, to Governor, Hong Kong, dated
February 7.
Urgent. Your telegram 4th February. Leaders of movement through Commissioner for Foreign Affairs inform me that they are prepared to proceed to Hong Kong to confer with owners on condition that offices of union be opened
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