CO129-474 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1922 [1-4] — Page 227

the Kwok Man Tong.

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3.

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The only thing that we can do is to be prepared for trouble and I have taken the necessary prelimi- nary steps by appointing a strong Committee to provide an

organization for dealing with a general strike which can be

put into operation at a moment's notice since we must

assume that next time a general strike will be declared

without warning.

4.

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Among the papers attached to Mr. Fletcher's

report will be found the emergency regulations issued on

February 28th. These are self-explanatory and to most of

them I think no possible exception can be taken. One

which has, I see, attracted attention in the House of

Commons is that which authorises the commandeering of labour

for public purposes. The object of this regulation was to

secure the carrying on of essential services, e.g. sanita-

tion, lighting, &c. and the unloading if necessary of food

supplies from ships. This regulation was never put into

operation as the essential services were provided for by voluntary workers with the valuable assistance of the

military and naval forces, and the strike ended before it

was absolutely necessary to unload the cargoes of rice

which were beginning to deteriorate on board ship. As a matter of fact, however, it would never have been necessary to apply compulsion except nominally. There were plenty of

Chinese willing to work but afraid to do so owing to the intimidation to which they were subjected.

If they could have been placed in the position

of being able to say that they did not want to work but

were compelled to do so they would have worked not only

without complaint but with eagerness. These facts were

fully appreciated by the Executive Council when the regula-

tion was framed.

5.

Another emergency measure (to which reference