CO129-494 - Governor Sir Clementi - 1926 [9-10] — Page 423

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docade have inflicted cruel injurios on Kuang-tung It is years

and brokon the bonds of lax and order. now since any Government set up at Canton has really been in offective control of the whole province. Consequently much encouragemont has been given to pirates and brigands, whoso doprodations arc a curse to the country, and who mako trade and travel a hazardous affair. Furthermoro Bolshevik intriguo has used all its ingenuity, over since in 1923 Soviet omissarios first gained a footing in Kuang- tung, to provoko discord bottoon Canton and hon Kong. Lastly, there is the anti-British boycott.

The responsibility for this boycott rests upon the Canton Soviet, which was set up, as I have described, in June 1925. The Soviet regime at Canton was inaugurated by a roin of torror, of hich

the Yin Tsons Po (1), a Cantonese nomspaper,

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wrote at the time:- "All whose speech showed that they wore not Cantonesc wore singled out for attack, with the result that many hundreds of inoffonsive individuals of all classes, including Women and childron, woro killed in the structs". Those doings made it desirable for the now Canton Goverment to divert popular thought at Canton as quickly as possible into other channels. Accordingly prominent attontion was drawn to the so-called Shanghai "massacro" of the 30th May, 1925, which had boon almost unnoticed at Canton owing to the bloody

happenings in that city, and the Chinesc labour