CO129-394 - Governor Sir May & Public Offices - 1912 [12] — Page 179

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his views,

3.

a copy of which I enclose.

176

On the 19th. December the bill in its present

form was introduced in the Legislative Council by the Attorney- -General, who briefly explained its purport. No member spoke on

the measure and it passed its three readings without a dissentient voice. I enclose a report of the proceedings.

4.

On the 21st., 22nd., and 23rd. instant the

Tramway Company at my suggestion carried passengers free of

charge and a large number of Chinese availed themselves of the

opportunity to ride in the cars. It had been alleged against the

Company that their servants had, at the commencement of the pro-

-hibition of Chinese coin, treated the Chinese passengers cavalier.

-ly, sumarily ejecting those who had no legal tender, and it was

hoped that the boycotters might in this concession find opportuni-

-ty to retire without loss of "face" from the position taken up

by them. The event however has not justified this anticipation,

and the boycott remains in full force.

5.

It becomes therefore necessary to proclaim

boycotting areas under the provisions of section 9 of the Ordi-

-nance and to levy a special rate upon such areas of an amount

sufficient to compensate the Tramway Company for the losses which

they

they nam musitiktówai āre n sustaining. These losses approximate to the sum of £1,000 daily, to meet which it is estimated that an addition of four per centum must be made upon

the assessed rates of all non-exempted houses within the proclaim-

-ed areas.

681

12-13

6.

I commented in my last Despatch upon the

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attitude taken up by the Canton Authorities relative to the boy-

-cott. On the 20th. instant Ir. Chen King-wah, Chief of Police at

Canton, in an interview with the Registrar-General at the

latter's office, affirmed that his Government in no way sympathiz-

-ed with the boycott which, he alleged, was not the work of

individuals or of a particular party, but was the outcome of

spontaneous action on the part of the lower and ore ignorant classes, classes whom according to his confession it was becoming

daily