CO129-490 - Public Offices - 1925 — Page 137

900 being available in an emergency.

135

7. Bumours are still current of a forthcoming conflict

in the next six weeks or two months between Sun Chuan Fang, Tupan of Chakiang, and the Fangtien party at Shanghai. It is reported

that Cheng Chian, Civil Governor of Kiangau residing at Nanking,

has asked the Peking Government to order Sun to evacuate Sunkiang

and other parts of Kiangsu which he holds. Polios information

indicates that Chakiang has made arrangements with German agents for a supply of arms and ammunition to be delivered at the Chusan

Islands and subsequently transported to Hangchow. General Hsing Shib Lien, Commanding the Fengtien troops at Shanghai recently visited Sun Chuan Fang at Hangchow with, it is reported, a view to adjusting differences, and I am informed that on his return he stated that he had convinced Sun Chuan Fang that the Fengtien troops at Shanghai were not intended as a menace to Sun but only as a protective measure during the present trouble.

8. At Hanking, on the 31st July, the International Export Company paid off a large number of coolies who only got the money for the actual number of days on which they had been working. Whereupon, the coolies refused to leave the premises and threatened to damage the machinery. A Marine Platoon was landed from "DUREANTM*

to protect life and property. Eventually the coolies were persuaded to leave the premises and certain of them came into contact with the Chinese Polics outside where three or four coolies were injured, one of them, who had at first been reported killed, was seriously injured. No fire was opened by the Marine Platoon. The incident, as was expected, has been exploited by the Students as another instance of British frightfulness. Router's Peking correspondent announced that three Chinese had been killed by the British Landing party - but this report I had cancelled and

The Chinese Press, as I corrected in the local Foreign Press. anticipated, published accounts of Chinese killed by the British, and in these untruthful Journals, Nanking has now taken its place with Shanghai, Hankow and Canton as instances of British Imperial

brutality..