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recently come into power, and they owed their position to
the support of the labourers. They could not at the moment
coerce the strikers Mr. Sung here interposed that if
they shot down any strikers they would not last a day but
they would soon have to face the necessity of doing so. It
rav was impossible for any Government to tolerate an imperium in
imperio with its separate police and separate Court, an
imperium moreover which flouted all the observances of civilise
usage. The British Government had shown great patience, and
it would no doubt wait a little longer, but there must be a limit. General Cheung Kai-shek was shortly due back from the Front, and his Troops would then enable the Government to get the complete mastery of the situation. Mr. Wu hereupon replied that General Cheung was bringing with him nothing more than a personal bodyguard and no part of the army was returning. I suggested that the Canton Government in this Province of forty million inhabitants, with vast resources hotherto untapped, and they would no doubt look to recognition by the Powers Mr. Wu here said that they did not want recognition or at any rate they would wish to give and take on terms of equality in accordance with the practice of the civilised world. They must see that they could hardly expect a cordial reception from other nations, as along as they deliberately allowed a body of men the free us e of their territory for the avowed purpose of destroying th trade of a friendly power. Such a proceeding wastanta- mountto an act of war, and it would be so construed if such a situation arose between two European Powers. They could not expect the privileges of a civilised nation and re- fuse the responsibilities. Mr. Ju said the circumstances were unique. Hongkong happened to be British but the inhabitants were practically all Chinese and the strikers were now back in their own homes. I agreed, tha and said that the Hongkong Government had no objection to their stopping in their
homes, and it had no intention of trying to force them to come back. What it did object to was the action of the