$18
Steamship Companies concerned, it was unanimously decided that the Com- panies should deal direct with their own crews.
"
Thanking you for your kind offer of assistance. The next morning, 13th January (Fri- day), I replied to Mr. Sutherland as follows::-
"The Chinese Seamen's Wages. "Your letter of yesterday's date was not delivered to our Mr. M. K. Lo until 7 o'clock last evening and we note that it was unanimously decided by the principal steamship companies concern- ed that the companies should deal with their own crew.
"As a matter of record, we desire to state that yesterday morning we stated not only that we were representing the interest's of the Chinese Seamen's Union, but also that our clients under our advice had agreed to postpone the strike if you and the other principal steamship companies would let us know, in the course of yesterday, that they were willing to negotiate, in order to allow time for the matter to be decided by negotiation."
The strike was now on, and, beyond writing a few letters on behalf of the Union to Captains of steamers relating to the Chinese crew, there was nothing for me to do that day.
were
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS &
Previous to this, it may be necessary to state, the Committee formed at the meeting of the Tung Wah Hospital had offered to mediate, which fact precluded me from acting on the suggestion originat ing from Canton.
[March 25th, 1922
REMINISCENCES OF THE
STRIKE:
[BY ALICE GRANT-SMITH.]
On the 11th February I wrote officially One hardly knows where to start with to the Secretary of Chinese Affairs and your strike recollections. There has been set out the proposals in detail. I was such a jumble, comedy and discomfort sent for by the Hon. Mr. Hallifax and over'apping one another, and already the informed verbally that the Government comedy takes premier place in memory's could not in any case accept the proposal gallery. embodied in paragraph "b", and, re garding the proposals generally, he sug. gested that, as the mediation was in the hands of the Tung Wah Hospital, I should do nothing further in the matter. I do not wish to appear
"wise after the event," but I may mention that at this interview I expressed strongly the view that the Government should permit the re-opening of the Union on the men re. turning to work.
Feeling that some
good could be achieved, and no harm done, by pursuing the friendly tentative efforts at negotia tions. I telegraphed to Canton and offered my personal services if they were required.
Of course, such an experience as we have recently passed through in Hongkong was funnier and infinitely more uncom- fortable than it cou'd have been in any other country, where the ordinary com forts of civilisation obtain in bath-rooms and kitchens and where people are not absolutely dependent, as they are here, on their servants for the most primitive
services.
We used to talk of the Peak Tram as a leveller, where Taipan and junior met could only be indicated by the frigidity or on terms of equality and class-distinction cordiality of bows; but now we have had Taipans living in the wilds of the moun- a supreme and more effective leveller, and
Unfortunately, as the Canton gentle- form than many of their humble employés tains have had more menial tasks to per- man held no official status in relation who have had the good fortune to live in to the Seamen both he and I had re-flats on the lower levels. where they were, but the altruistic it had its compensations even when the luctantly to leave matters very much Life was hard enough down below, but motive of the originator of the proposals kitchen floor gurgled and sobbed as the cannot be too highly commended, and I damp oozed up underfoot for two cruel only regret that respect for confidential days, and husbands came home laden with communications does not permit of my mops and wooden trellis mats to keep dry disclosing the name of one who had really the feet of the al-of-a-sudden-capable exerted his best endeavours to bring the cook-general who had taken the place of parties at variance to an agreement at a large staff of Chinese servants. On the a time of emergency.
whole, the cook-general took kind'y to the good health, or job-especially if she happened to be in did not possess young babies, and even in these cases the spirit of good-fel'owship or adventure which prevailed brought a sistance from all sides. duties of cook-genera's and coolies, and Cook-generals who only had the not baby-amahs, to perform, hurried through their new work and took wailing babies off the hands of unaccustomed mothers who, many of them, were getting to know their babies for the first time and were wondering whether they had not rather over-rated the charms of the little dar'ings.
a
The next, the 14th January (Saturday), one of the Officials of the Union called on me and we discussed the position. I pointed out to him that the matter should be decided by arbitration and that the refusal to arbitrate would be taken as an implication that the seamen
What subsequently happened is afraid to subject their demands to an matter of recent history and no more need impartial investigation and that such be said beyond what has been placed on demands would consequently be consider official record by the various parties con- ed unjustifiable. After a long discussion, cerned. That is not to say, however, that he authorised me to tell the Secretary in thus briefly dismissing the subject I for Chinese Affairs that the Union would must be taken to imply that I am in agree to leave the matter to be decided agreement with all that has been publish by two arbitrators, one to be appointed ed in connection with the recent crisis. by each side, and, in case of disagree- And, in conclusion, I cannot help obser- ment by an umpire to be appointed bying that had a more conciliatory attitude the arbitrators. But the Union Official been displayed by the shipowners from wanted me to stipulate the condition that the very beginning there might not have the arbitration should proceed on the been a strike at all, because it has been principle that the award should go only since definitely established that the as to quantum. There were, besides, one or two subsidiary points which had no importance.
I at once proceeded to see the Secretary for Chinese Affairs and laid the proposal before him, but, as the members of the Union afterwards declined to proceed to arbitration, the details of this conver- sation are now immaterial,
After this I did nothing further pro- fessionally.
On the 10th February I received a con. fidential communication from an English gentleman occupying a position of im- portance and responsibility in the service of the Chinese Government in Canton, wherein it was suggested to me the pos- şibility of the settlement of the strike on the following basis:-
Union's first letter of demand for an in- crease dated the 25th November, 1921, their second letter dated 23rd December 1921, and their third letter dated 12th January, 1922, have none of them been answered. And as we now know on the very day I myself came on the scene, i.e., the 12th January 1922, the shipowners still took up the attitude of a determined refusal to negotiate with the Union, and elected to deal direct with their own crew."-Yours faithfully,
M. K. LO.
Hongkong, March 21st, 1922.
One young mother could not think why baby suddenly turned from a peaceful, beautiful, sleeping young god into & peevish crying brat, until she discovered that her amah had been giving him powders to keep him quiet at night. I am told the young mother is now going in for a course of instruction in Mother-craft.
Not only in the baby line have there Perfect treasures of been revelations. boys have been discovered to have feet of surh muddy clay that their imprints have been left wherever they went, and it will take months of supervised cleaning to remove their traces.
In the good old days, old-fashioned fathers and husbands who loved to en-
EIGHT-HOUR DAY ON SCOTTISH courage the home and fireside ideals in
RAILWAYS.
(a) The promise of a definite minimum increase in wages based upon the offer
The National Wages Board has tact made by the shipping companies pub fully handled the thorny problem of the lished in the Daily Press of the 18th Scottish Railways dispute, in which the January to commence from day of re employers sought to abandon the prin- sumption of work, and the appointment ciple of an eight-hour day, thereby arous of an arbitration board to decide upon ing the suspicion of Labourites through the maximum advance and the date out the country that an attempt was from which all advances shall take, being made to introduce the thin end of the wedge with a view to the subsequent general abandonment of that principle: The Board framed a compromise, uphold- ing the eight-hour day, except a small category at wayside stations, and stipu lated the agreement was not to be regard ad as a precedent for the abandonment of the principle elsewhere.
effect.
(6) Consent to the re-establishment of the Seamen's Union in Hongkong con- qurrently with resumption of work, it being further understood that regula tions to govern all Unions in Hongkong will be drawn up by the Government without delay.
their women-kind said that "the hand that' rocks the cradle rules the world."
The Hongkong public has discovered a new truth-a woman who can cook a good dinner may defer a strike settlement.
As early as the second day after the
"(
was
His wife, a
departure of our servants a rumour was circulated that the strike was likely to be settled within a few hours and all the demands of the seamen be granted,
'big noises" because one of our social star of extreme brilliance, a dresser suffering from indigestion. beyond criticism, an artist in making the home beautiful, could deck her table and grace her board, but she could not pro- tragedy! Money to burn, means to pay a No. 1 and No. 2 boy, a No. 1 and a
vide the table with food. Think of the
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