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General Li took action, and it was as a protest against
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his action that yesterday's lightning strike, which
affected s.s. "Fatshan", was declared. This was a
palpable defiance of General Li and of the new regime
at Canton, which at once met the order for a strike
by a counter order calling it off under threat of
drastic measures against all who disobeyed and against
the hundreds of extremists still under arrest since
the coup d'état. Officials, police and soldiers, all
heavily armed came down to the riverside wharves and
told the masters of the vessels on the Hong Kong run
that their ships were to leave as soon as possible. The masters pointed out that their crews were on strike, and it transpired that the Canton Seamen's Union had
failed to notify its members of the order of the
Canton Government countermanding the strike. Thereupon detectives and police were at once despatched to scour
the town for the crews with such success that, although
in each case a certain number of men were left behind,
the s.s. Tune On" the s.s. "Tung On" was able to start at 3.30
p.m. with over five hundred passengers, while the s.s. "Lungshan"
left at 3 p.m., her usual time, and the s.s. "Yuet On"
also left during the afternoon. In no case was there
any trouble with the crews, for the men are sick of strikes and had left their ships most unwillingly.
7. In these circumstances I held yesterday
afternoon at Government House another meeting of the
Directors of the Steamboat Company. There were present,
in addition to myself, Admiral Boyle, Mr. Southorn,
Sir J. Kemp, Mr. Hallifax, Mr. Weall (Chairman), Mr.
Paterson, Sir Robert Ho Tung, Mr. Alves, Mr. Johnson,
and Mr. N.S. Brown,