CO129-217 - Governor Sir Bowen Administrator Marsh - 1884 [7-10] — Page 444

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at liberty

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disturbance, his is what

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special advertisement

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מח848

Enclosure H

The Daily Press.

HONGKONA, OCTOBER 1ST, 1884.

Tar strike of the cargo boat people rester- day afforda one more proof of the disposi tion of the Canton Authorities to come be- tween the Chinese living here and British law. The boatpeople themselves are not to be blamed. They were placed on the boras of a dilemma. On the one hand they were me- naced by the Kwangtung Authorities, if they worked for the French; on the other they were fined by the Police magistrates if they re- fused anch work. The magistrates only carry out the law, and as the boatpeople have no appeal from the law, they have suspended work and gone over to Chinese territory. The cargo boatpeople say they have boon threatened with death, if caught, and they are afraid to work. It is stated that there are three or four wei-guens in the Colony, who have come down from Canton armed with power to intimidate the labouring classes and prevent them working for the French. It is also alleged by some of the cargo boatpeople that several of the Chinese employed at the docks have been deospitated on the matuland for working on French ships. This is doubtless a mere rumour devised to strike terror into the breasts of the boating population, and would to have had the desired effect. The Registrar-General has, We under- stand, reported the matter to the Govern ment, but we are not aware what action bas been decided upon. The matter is one of urgent importance, for if the strike is prolonged the whole business of port will come to a temporary standstill. Active stepa will, we trust, be taken at once to endeavour to discover the authors of this iniquitous plot to subvert British Taw and authority. There are great and un- doubted difficulties in the way of obtaining reliable information, but these are not in- surmountable. The Police should be able to get on the track of the reported wei yuens, who should be sternly dealt with if captured. The co-operation of the boat- people should be invited in order to trace the origin of the threats and punish the intimidators with the trans! severity the law will allow. The Government of course will not forget that the French Government will take note of the action pur- sued in this matter, and will be likely to construe any sign of weakness into bostility to France and concession to China. A firm hand and unflinching determination must be shown, or further troubles of a similar nature will be sure to arise. The matter should not rest here, however. If the Kwangtung Authorities attempt to threaten the Chinese in this Colony, and thus set up a claim to supremacy over it, they should be brought to book by the British Minister at Peking. The Viceroy of the Two Kwang must be taught that he has no jurisdiction in Hong. kong, and that attempts to incite Chinese here to breaches of the law will not he tolerated.

the

C. 0.

19555

WED IR NOV 84

THE DAILY PRESS, OCTOBER 1æt, 1884.

The trouble with the Cinese boatpeople with regard to their refusal to work for French inen- of-war or merchant vessels, has culminated in an all round striks of cargo boats and sampans. In consequence of a number of cargo boat owners being fined at the Police Court recently for refusing to convey cattle on board a Franch mau-of-war, and refusing to unload cargo from the French Mail steamer Djemank, the guilds have decided that work must be knocked off al- together, and they gave the boatmen notice of their decision. Accordingly pretty nearly every cargo boat at once struck work, and following the instructions given, proceeded off to the ot side of the water, where a great meeting is to be bold on Chiness terri- tory. A few cargo boats did not seem inclined to obey the mandates of the guild, and they were set apon by the conformists, who threw stones at their boats, and made such a riot that a strong force of police was sent down from the Central Station to suppross it. The non-conformists then appeared to have enough of it, for when the police arrived the trouble was pretty nearly all over, and since that time there has been scarcely a car- go bout to be had for love or money. Those hongs which had cargo boats of their own were in a better position, but these had trouble with their employés, and after midday there was little or no business going on in the harbour, the steamers being helpless to discharge or load cargo for want of boats. The strike did not end with the cargo boats. but extended to the sam- pans. which all cleared off, and people wanting to go ou board ships, or make other trips about the harbour, were unable to find sampans to take them off. At Pedder's Wharf and Lapraik's Wharf, not a sampau was to be seen except a cluster of boats specially chartered by different ships, and flying their legs, and the general ap- pearance of the harbour was as though a typhoon" was expected, and the small craft had been taking shelter. The only small craft to be seen about the neighbourhood of the Praya, with a few solitary exceptions were launches aud cargo boats, and cargo polies and others usually em ployed in the long or discharging of "ships wepa idling about 1 so Praya, there being a larve angiber pay the Harbour Ofes.

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