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employed. But the shipping companies had
to bear the expense, and no Englishmen were
available on the spot to undertake such
work. ven if the shipping companies could
have obtained suitable Englishmen in this
country for the wages offered (rather over
21 a week), they would also, of course, have
had to pay the expenses of bringing the men,
about fifty in number, out from England.
These guards are being employed solely
to protect ships, crews, passengers and car-
goes against pirates, and for no other purpose
There is no justification for describing them
as "tools of British Imperialism against the
rising Chinese aspirations" or as "new armies
for oppressing the Chinese".
I might add that the "China Weekly e-
1)
View's description of the "North China Daily
News" as the "official British newspaper" is
incorrect, except in so far as it is used
for the occasional publication of official
potices.