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. PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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Reference :-
C.O.882/11
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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6. Others of the demands refer to regulations made under the These will Emergency Regulations Ordinance (No. 5 of 1922).
be revoked with the final cessation of the emergency and not before. Under this head fall the powers taken to inflict floggings on persons convicted of carrying arms, and of criminal intimida- tion. At the time when these regulations were passed, murder, bomb-throwing and arson were all being used to terrorise the Chinese population into leaving the Colony and drastic remedies were imperative. As a fact, however, no floggings were actually inflicted, the mere existence of the power to flog proving to be a sufficient deterrent.
7. The demand for the revocation of the Rent Law Amendment is hardly less reasonable than the further demand for compulsory reduction of rents. From 1921 to 1925 the tenant population of this Colony was protected at the expense of the landlords from the These measures had their ordinary working of economic law.
good results. They stimulated the building of new (and so un- controlled) houses and they helped, from 1923 to 1925, at any rate, to preserve some sort of industrial peace in the face of a sharp rise in the general cost, of living. But they were the cause of great injustice and bitter complaints, and by the spring of 1925 At the it was clear that the Colony was, if anything, overbuilt. same time it was obviously unwise to expose the poorer classes to the full rigour of economic law at one blow. It was, therefore, decided to allow landlords to increase standard rents by 16 per cent. as from 1st July, 1925; but I may take this opportunity of saying that I do not propose to allow rent restriction in any form to continue beyond 30th June next, when the existing law auto- matically expires.
8. The demands for reinstatement, strike-pay and compensation would be difficult to concede even if great economic injustices had existed. In the present instance Canton now admits what was clear from the very outset that the basis of the strike is not In other words the economical but "racial and political."
strikers wish to be paid by a British Colony for an unjustifiable outburst of anti-British feeling and to secure the reinstatement of disloyal labourers in place of those who have loyally stood by the British community of Hongkong in its difficulties. Any such con- cessions would constitute an intolerable humiliation of this Colony and of the British Empire.
9. The demand for elective representation is also one which cannot be discussed with, much less conceded at the dictation of, any alien body. The Government of this Colony will, as always, be ready to consider any requests that may be put forward by its resident population. But the history of Chinese elections to date gives small ground for expecting any real benefit to the public from such a measure. The vast majority of the Chinese take no interest in such matters,' as Sir R. E. Stubbs has said in his confidential despatch of 29th July, 1920,* on the subject of Con- stitutional Reform.
* 50384/20; not printed.
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10. The demands relating to masters' and engineers' certifi- cates again show a complete misconception of the facts. Any British subject, of whatever race, provided he has the necessary qualifications, can obtain these certificates of competency.
11. The proposed restoration of Chinese currency to circulation in this Colony obviously constitutes an invasion of sovereign rights which cannot be discussed. It may not be inappropriate to point out that in the Kuang-tung province alone there are many Currencies of varying degrees of baseness and depreciation. fact, it was because the note issues of foreign banks, notably that of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, formed the one stable currency of South China that it became necessary to restrict the exportation of these notes to $5 a head.
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12. There is one respect in which the demands have a certain prima facie reasonableness. The Regulation of Chinese Ordin- ance (No. 3 of 1888) applies, as its title shows, to Chinese only. But it is also as the date shows-obsolete and even mediæval in its provisions. Many of the more out-of-date provisions (e.g. carrying of lamps at night) have long since been ignored, and of those that remain in torce most are per se only applicable to Chinese (e.g. firing of crackers). It has, however, for some years past been the intention of this Government to repeal this Ordin- ance and substitute therefor new legislation perfectly general in application preserving such regulations as are of permanent value. The work requires great care and concentration and Canton, with its continuous waves of strife and unrest, has been by no means the least of the distractions which have delayed this reform. At the same time it is clear from the whole tenor of the demands that the freedom" which the Strike Committee desires means in reality licence to carry on anti-foreign propaganda by press campaign, street preaching and processions of protest in much the same manner as is actually done in Canton..
13. With the translation of the 15 demands I also forward a translation of another document tendered with them, viz., the six" Students' Requests." These were the work of the schoolboy strikers who fled from the Hongkong schools to Canton and of their abettors there. Nothing has been heard of them for a con- siderable time, and it seems probable that even Canton has realised that the support of nursery politicians would give occasion for ridicule rather than respect. It will suffice to say regarding these requests that all but known ringleaders of this puerile outburst will be permitted to resume their studies on giving proof of a duly chastened temper.
I have, &c.,
C. CLEMENTI, .
Governor, &c.