7
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I
to seamen, it might have lent to the strike a semblance of an economic grievance, but pressure was gradually brought to bear on all other trades, until orders for a general "walk-out" on the morning of Farol.) 6 were given. Attempts have been made to describe this as a voluntary display of sympathy on the part of those concerned. Nothing can be further from the truth. As evidence of the falsity of this pretension
I will cite the case of my own servant for Shameen was also involved
a native of Chekiang, who has been with me for twenty two years, and who cartainly had no sympathy either with seamen or Cantonese agitators,
Under a threat that he and his family of five would be assassinated, un- less he quitted my service, he would, unless a settlement had been ar- rived at, have had to leave the island.. So it was with the great majority
of the servants of Hongkong. Forced to leave their employment, in many
cases without money and without the means of finding shelter, they had
no alternative but to try and find their way out of the Colony. During
the exidus they resisted the police and some unfortunately found their death -house servants and cooks, who had nothing whatsoever to do with the seaman's strike, but who had been intimidated and hounded out of thei
employment by the unscrupolous agents of the Kuo kin lang, to whom, as I have stated above, the ultimate responsibilities for their death belor 5 11. As agitators must live and, so far as I can gether, must live well, agitation must from their point of view continue and their dupes supply them with funds. (The seamen having obtained an increase of wages, were at once called upon to pay the major portion of such increase into the party funds, a demand which led to disruption). But to allow irresponsibi and in some cases criminal, agitation to be carried on unchecked is what no self-respecting Government can put up with, nor any civilized con- munity tolerate. That even in Canton this is realised would from a recen nespaper report, according to which Your Excellency and the Garrison Com mander were said to be devising means for preventing mobs from storming police stations and rescuing prisoners.
Bat
0
appres
12. I have gone into this question perhaps at undue length, but what I have written is merely a reiteration of what I stated verbally to Genoa Ch'en, when discussing the Shatien affair with him, and he was inclined to agree with much of what I said.
A continuation of resistance to lawfully constituted authority on part of an ill-informed and illiterate mob is inimical to the best in- terests of both Chinese and foreigners, and once a Government allows it-
so-called self to mount the back of a communistic
toger, a descent from the animal's back is by no means easy.
I have etc.
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(sd) J.W.Jamieson,
*1922
CIRCULATION :-
Mr. Beachot
30.
Mr. Grindle
Sir H. Lambert
Sir H. Read
Sir J. Masterton Smith
Mr. Wood
Mr. Churchill
Previous Paper
oag
44743
Subsequent Paper
009 53714
► VVL 30617–90. 00,000. 11, TA
HONG KONG
DATE.
16 October 1922,
SUBJECT
REC
51564
(REL OCT 22
429
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