CO129-394 - Governor Sir May & Public Offices - 1912 [12] — Page 7

the other two Companies will also dis- cover that they have made a loss,

And there may

position.

be others in a suiclar

I would telegraph that before

li

propenal your fall information as to the base

can be considered, he should

in

which he proposes to assess love. pausations, and also whether payment to the Law Level to is likely to give rice to clannis prave others, and the probable

amount.

4.1.13

The probable amount, I understand, botts to the Low Level Company

any

Br over

other possible claimants. I agree entirely with Sir J. Anderson.

E5.1.13 *6-1-13

And I

what peris

وت

CONFIDENTIA L.

Sir,

45 2048.

5

C.0. 40743

GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

HONGKONG. 2nd. December, 1912.

With reference to paragraph 8 of my Confidenti-

-al Despatch of the 21st. ultimo, I have the honour to inform you

that a boycott of the Low Level Tramways Company's cars has been

organised by the Chinese as a result of the refusal of the Company

to receive in fares any money other than that which is legal tender

in the Colony. This new regulation has worked smoothly in the

case of the High Level Tramways and the Star Ferry Company and in

the case of the Low Level Tramways it met with no opposition for

the first few days. On the evening of the 24th. ultimo, however,

a disturbance described in the attached report from the Captain

Superintendent of Police broke out near the works of the Taikoo

Shipyard where a large number of Chinese are employed and the

example set by these roughs has unfortunately spread to Victoria.

The receipts have fallen in consequence as shown in enclosure 2.

On the 27th. ultimo I interviewed the members

2.

of the District Watchmen Committee, to which both the Chinese Members of the Legislative Council belong,a

,and explained to them

that the action of the Tramway Company was merely in exercise of

their legal right to refuse what is not legal tender and that it

therefore had the full support of the Government. The District

Watchmen Committee expressed the opinion that the action of the Company, and of the Government in supporting it, was entirely reason- -able. On the 29th. and 30th. ultimo the Registrar-General inter-

-viewed the members of the Californian Merchants Guild and the principal

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LEWIS HARCOURT, H.P.,

&C..

&C..

&C...