ENCLOSURE NO.3.
COPY
CONFIDENTIAL
GOVERNMENT HOUSE
HONG KONG
22nd January, 1938.
37
My dear Blunt,
The proscription of the re-formed "Hong Kong
Seamen's Union" by the Governor in Council has just been
decided upon.
The enclosed memorandum of North's is sent
for your private information: as you will see, there
exists also the possibility of an attempt to form a General
Labour Union, a still less desirable institution, through
the Seamen's Union once the latter has 'got going'. For
the moment we are not publishing the proscription Order
which will be communicated quietly to the Hong Kong Seamen's
Union's organisers by the Police, but we shall publish if
that measure is not effective.
2.
My reason in writing to you on this subject is
two-fold. In the first place it will be observed that
the proposed Seamen's Union professes that among its principal objects is assistance to China vis-a-vis Japan.
The proscription of a body having that ostensible purpose
may be interpreted in certain quarters in China as being
unfriendly to that country. I want, through you, to
anticipate the creation of any such impression. On the
contrary it is a friendly act, for as I shall proceed to
shew, the harm that such a Union may unintentionally do
to China is immensely greater than any injury that it can
possibly inflict upon Japan.
A. P. Blunt, Esq., C. M. G.,
CANTON.