8
to a fee of $8 or $9 paid by the members of the
association for their seamen's certificates,
whereas the actual fee for such certificates,
for as long as their issue continued, was only
$1. Such a rake-off is clearly exorbitant.
The despatch gives a general picture
of the situation with regard to the employment
of seamen at the present time. Unemployment
amongst New Territories seamen has been wide-
spread in the past, though paragraph 4 of the
despatch states that the situation with regard
to the employment of Hong Kong-born seamen has
improved considerably since last year.
It
appears still to be the case, however, that some
of the shipping companies prefer seamen from
Chinese Territory, on the grounds that the latter
are more amenable to discipline than the more
enlightened Hong Kong-born seamen (paragraph 3).
The reasons for this unemployment are
set out briefly in paragraph 4. One of the main
reasons seems to be the dominating position of
the Canton Chinese Seamen's Union, whose member-
ship is drawn more from China than from Hong Kong.
This is, of course, beyond the control of the
Hong Kong authorities.
As to the actual reply to be given to
the petition, I think there is no justification
whatsoever for intervention.
What the small
association, which is merely one of several, in
fact
Page
Page
9
fact seeks to obtain, is protection from the
competition of the larger long-established
Wang Kee Association that caters for seamen of all
classes and localities. There seem to me no
grounds on which such protection could be afforded,
nor does it seem to me desirable that there should
be such protection. I dan't think that to afford
such protection would necessarily help to
relieve unemployment of seamen in the Colony, and
this seems to me the only valid reason there could
be for intervention.
? Reply that in the light of the Governor's
obsons., the Secretary of State is not prepared to
grant the request contained in the petition.
A. N. Galsworthy
15/12
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