·
3
170 35
6
Regulation No. 5 of the additional regulations forming
* Enclosure No. 8 to my secret despatch of 4th February was carefully considered by my legal advisers; but the
danger of revealing our system of surveillance and the
inherent difficulty of convincing a court of law that the bounds of reasonable free speech had been transgressed rendered this course undesirable. Clearly, however,
gatherings of this nature could not be allowed to continue.
They are open challenges of British Authority in this
Colony and, apart from the intrinsic danger of such
propaganda, they must, if allowed to go unchecked, have
a most serious effect on the morale of the Colony's Chinese
population. I have therefore,as foreshadowed in my despatch
referred to above, taken power to prohibit future meetings
$
Enclo No. 10. of the same nature. A copy of the regulations made for
30003
120.43
this purpose is enclosed. The penalty for any offense
against these regulations is that reported in my telegram
of 2nd March, namely a fine of $1,000 and/or imprisonment
for one year.
I have also caused the owners of all steamers
on which such meetings are likely to be held to be informed that this Goverment will not hesitate to use the powers
contained in these regulations and I have requested them to cooperate with me by refusing all facilities to promoters of meetings likely to be seditious.
3.
تم
No further meetings of exactly the same
nature have yet been organised but the Seamen's Union has
announced its intention of holding on the 12th March at
a Chinese Theatre in Hong Kong, a meeting in honour of the
late Dr. Sun Yat Sen. It is practically certain that at this meeting anti-British speeches, placards and slogans
will
*: No. C. 30001/27 [NO. 35].
+ C. 30003/27 [No 43.]: rut jam Ra.
29