CO129-412 - Governor Sir May - 1914 [7-8] — Page 235

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Hongkong, 24th July, 1914.

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For many years we have been soulin g

ments of our sugar to Tancouver, B.0. These sugars have gone

into consumption there in friendly rivalry with the products of

the British Columbia Sugar Refining Co., Vancouver. Recently,

however, this Company has pursued vigorously a scandalous adver-

tising campaign in their local press tending to bring the Colony

of Hongkong into contempt and to create a beycott of sugars

refined here by appealing to the race prejudices of the pur-

chasers and falsely representing our sugars to be refined under

conditions which contaminate them. It was thought at first by

our Agents that our best policy would be to ignore the slanders,

but systematic repetition and the bad effect on our trade show

this to be a mistaken view,

We enclose some of the advertisements for your

inspection and attach type-written samples of the publication-s

for greater convenience,

We employ in our two refineries several dosen

Inglish and Scotch workmen as well as Chinese, and, needless to

•

our sugars before, during and after the process of refining

are never touched by hand. As to the cleanliness of the pre-

mises, we challenge comparison with refineries in any part of

the world.

We cannot but think that this mfair attack on

this Colony and on one of its principal industries is one which

the Goverment would wish to combat all it possibly caş,and we

therefore address you in the hope that you will, through the

Colonial Office, bring the facts to the notice of the Government

of British delubia with such suitable representations as will

cause the cessation of these untruthful and injurious publicat-

Kr. Claud Severn,

Colonial Secretary,

Hongkong.

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