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Your Excellency also expressed the desire to send Sin Shou-son Chow and Dr. Kotewall to Canton to have a preliminary discus- sion before official negotiation takes place.
I went to Canton on the 20th, and upon arrival at Canton I was met on board the steamer by Captain Ng Ngai-kok, the Aide-de- Camp to Mr. Wong Ching-wai, and he accompanied me to the Government House.
Unfortunately Mr. Wong Ching-wai is indisposed and confined to his bed in his private residence. The first Canton official I met was Mr. Chan Shu-yan, the Chief Secretary to the National Government, with whom I had fully discussed about this strike and boycott question.
About two hours later Mr. Fu Ping-sheung, the Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, called on me at the Government House, and showed me the letter written to him by Sir Shou-son Chow and Dr. Kotewall. He informed me about the interview at Macao between Sir Shou-son Chow and Dr. Kotewall and himself, and also mentioned about the compensation to the strikers and also a loan proposed for industrial development in Canton to accom- After he returned to Canton modate the unemployed strikers.
Sir Shou-son Chow and Dr. Kotewall sent a letter to invite him to come to Hongkong, but he sent back a reply to say that he could not come on account of the difficult points mentioned in his reply, and also invited Sir Shou-son Chow and Dr. Kotewall to come up to Canton instead.
Then Mr. Wong Ching-wai sent one of his private secretaries, Mr. Tsang Ching-ming, to take me to his private residence, where I saw Mr. Wong Ching-wai confined in bed under medical advice, and General Cheung Kai-shek happened to be there at that time.
I conveyed to Mr. Wong Ching-wai Your Excellency's views as above mentioned and discussed fully about the whole situation with him and he understood perfectly well the insight of the whole
case.
Then I returned to the Government House in the evening, when Mr. C. C. Wu came to see me. I informed Mr. C. C. Wu about the message which Your Excellency instructed me to con- vey to Mr. Wong Ching-wai and also discussed fully with him about the whole matter.
On Sunday 21st, I also called on some of the influential members of the Council of the Political Affairs, such as General Tan Yin-kai, General Chu Pui-tak, General Li Chai-shum. Mr. Ko Ying-fan the (Minister for Home Affairs), Mr. T. V. Sung (the Minister of Finance), and Mr. Chan Ko-pok, (the Head of Bureau of Labour and Agriculture).
On Monday 22nd, a meeting of the Council of Political Affairs was held in presence of Mr. Wong Ching-wai, who is still in bed at his private residence, and Your Excellency's views were put
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on the table for discussion, and a letter was drawn up and signed by Mr. Wong Ching-wai and handed to me to deliver to Your Excellency.
There were some verbal messages which Mr. Wong Ching-wai "asked me to convey to Your Excellency:—
(1) As Mr. Wong Ching-wai is still confined in bed from indisposition he may not have the honour to meet the Hong- kong officials when they go up to Canton for official negotia. tion, and asked Your Excellency not to misunderstand that point.
(2) The official negotiation should take place in Canton. (3) When the strike and boycott is ended the labourers must be compensated.
(4) Mr. Fu Ping-sheung will be present during the official negotiation, but only the capacity as that of the British Consul.
Mr. C. C. Wu also asked me to propose to Your Excellency that he wishes to meet your Excellency in Macao first before the official negotiation, because such was the suggestion conveyed to him by Mr. Ip Wing-chuk [Chinese characters] that it was Your Excellency's wish. understood that this sugges- tion has not been approved by Mr. Wong Ching-wai and the Council of Political Affairs. It is the desire of Mr. Wong Ching- wai that the official delegates should meet directly at an earliest convenience so as to avoid any further misunderstanding and mis- interpretation of the whole matter after being cleared up by me again this time.
I have, &c.,
No. 56.
SIR,
ENCLOSURE 3 IN No. 14.
Y. K. To.
Government House, Hongkong, 24th March, 1926.
I have the honour to enclose for your information a copy of a letter, dated 22nd March, addressed to me by Mr. Wong Tseng- wai and handed to me on the 23rd March by Dr. To Ying-kwan [Chinese characters]. I also enclose a translation of this letter.
2. After discussion with the Executive Council, I have appointed Mr. E. R. Hallifax, Mr. J. H. Kemp and Mr. D. W. Tratman to be plenipotentiary delegates of the Hongkong Government on the understanding that Mr. Sung Tsz-man, Mr. C. C. Wu and Mr. Ch'an Kung-pok are appointed plenipotentiary delegates by
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. PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :--
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