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position. I told General Chan that it would be bad
back policy if Kwangtung were to allow Chang Fat-fui to come/to
the Province, to which he had done so much harm. Not
only would Chang's return be undesirable from the point of view of the people, but also from that of General Chan himself, for there could be little doubt that his (Chan's)
position would become precarious with Chang in the
Province.
I said that according to reports I had heard, the
labour unions in Canton had again become active, and had of
late been trying to regain their former power. No one
could deny that the labourers should receive fair and just
treatment from the authorities, but it was most important
that they should not be allowed to get out of control.
Canton had tasted the bitterness of labour tyranny and
communism, and it was up to the authorities to do everything
possible to prevent anything which might bring about a recurrence of the deplorable state of affairs prevailing
four or five years ago. General Chan assured me that we
The
not need/fear any labour trouble in Canton, as the Government was quite strong enough to keep Labour under control. only labour union in Canton that could be said to be strong
is the Mechanics Union, but they were not likely to give
trouble.
Our conversation then drifted to the question of
relations between Hong Kong and Canton. I made it clear to General Chan that while Hong Kong was always willing
and anxious to co-operate with Canton, Hong Kong was not
entirely dependent upon Canton. It is in the interests
of the Chinese people of both places that this co-operation
is desirable, and it is for these very interests that
Hong Kong