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and it is again fortunate that it was so, as (the order having been made in general terms) there is now an added difficulty in the way of the Union again finding any footing in this Colony.
16. The Police action involved in executing
the order to close the Seamen's Union was carried through without opposition or protest. Among other things a quantity of pamphlets prepared for issue were seized and removed: they contained matter of
an undesirable character, but further time is neces-
sary to permit of a careful examination of all the
documents now in the custody of the Police. No
arrests were made.
17. No public sympathy has been expressed with the Union, either here or elsewhere. Indeed, the action of the Government appears to be generally and
widely approved. It is even reported that members
of the Union itself have expressed the opinion that
the Government has saved them trouble, as the many
scandals connected with the Union's finance would
shortly have occasioned a revolt; and there is
reason to believe that the great majority of the
seamen themselves intensely disliked the communist
domination under which their Union had fallen.
18. It remains to supply the legitimate re-
quirements of Chinese seamen through some form of Friendly Society and to limit the new Society, when
formed, to non-political activities. The early
enactment of an ordinance which it is proposed to
introduce to the Legislative Council without delay
on the lines of the Trades Union Bill now before the
ons,
House of Commons will have an important bearing on
this question; and steps are being taken to
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encourage