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except as mediators, who would use their influence
to prevent the Strike Committee from putting forward
any unreasonable demands: and indeed the result of
Mr. Fletcher's visit has been to eliminate from
future discussion any matter except the payment of a
lump sum of money by employers to strikers as a
quid pro quo
for ending the boycott, from which
admittedly the Strike Committee derives by means of
its strike pickets a considerable income.
3.
It is obvious that the Hongkong
Government cannot participate in negotiations for a
settlement on these lines, but the question for
decision is whether or not the Hongkong Government
would be justified in obstructing such a settlement.
I discussed the whole subject very fully with the
Executive Council this morning, hir. Chow Shou-son,
Mr. R.H.Kotewall and lur. D.G.M.Bernard being also
present by my invitation. In stating the case to the Executive Council I laid emphasis on the following
objections to the proposed bargain:-
(a) It will not eliminate Russian Bolshevik
influence from Kuang-tung. You will see from Mr.
Fletcher's report that the introduction of Russians
as advisers to the Canton Government was apparently
due to the refusal of H.B.M. Consul-General at
Canton to allow Dr. Sun Yat-sen to employ Canadians
for this purpose. The effect of this action was
to give Borodin, the Bolshevik emissary from
Moscow, who happened just then to be at Canton, an
unique opportunity for offering Br Sun the help of
Russian Officers as well as Russian money and
munitions. I trust that the very serious damage
to British interests which resulted from this
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unfortunate
1