1
8
In the same telegram Sir J. Jamieson reported that the test British steamship had made one trip to Canton and had not so får been molested.
These last two telegrams practically settled the question of a blockade and any more forcible action.
On the 12th September the Governor of Hong Kong made the following proposals (Colonial Office letter of the 15th September):-
-
(a.) That the Peking Government should be called on to compel Canton to put an end to its anti-British activities, and that we should offer for this purpose assistance in money and material.
(b) That the Peking Government be induced to prohibit the importation of arms, &c., other than to their nominees, after which steps should be taken to stop Russian ships at the mouth of the Canton River, (c.) That His Majesty's ships should be instructed to sink Canton ships
interfering with trade going to Hong Kong.
Commenting on these proposals, His Majesty's consul-general, Canton (Canton telegram No. 20), observed that it was the undoubted intention of Canton to ruin Hong Kong* and British trade in South China, and he agreed that the Central Government might receive material assistance as proposed but he was opposed to financial assistance being given; he suggested that interference with Russian ships might be tantamount to declaring war on Russia, and he was doubtful whether His Majesty's ships could interfere with Canton vessels plying along the coast of China + His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires, Peking (Peking telegram No. 420), considered that the Central Government would not wish to crush the Canton extremists with British help such a course would make them too unpopular. He did not think they wished for an open attack on Canton, though he believed that they were secretly subsidising General Chen Ch'iung-ming for this purpose.
On the 28th September His Majesty's consul-general, Canton, telegraphed (telegram No. 21) that a political committee of Government and strikers at a meeting held on the 24th September had formed certain conditions outlining the terms of which they were prepared to call off the strike. "They are of course impossible, but afford indication that the end is approaching." The strikers' demands were as follows (Canton despatch No. 46 of the 27th September):
Shameen Strikers Conditions.
-
1. Chinese labourers on Shameen shall have full rights to convene meetings, &
2. All former employees shall be reinstated.
3. Eight hours a day.
4. Only Chinese police be employed.
5. East and West Gates to be closed at 12 A.M.
6. Chinese be allowed to walk and sit on the Bund.
7. Intercourse be allowed between representatives of the labourers and the
foreign officials.
8. The British and French Municipal Council shall abrogate all ill-treatment
against Chinese.
Hong Kong Strikers' Conditions.
1. Chinese in Hong Kong shall have full rights to convene meetings, &c.
2. Chinese in Hong Kong shall enjoy the same treatment as the foreig Deportation and criminal laws on Chinese shall be abrogated.
3. Chinese shall have the right of voting and of being voted in the Legislative
Council.
4. Eight hours' day, favourable wages, abrogation of foreman system, reforma
tion of woman and child labour system, &c.
5. Reinstatement of former employees.
6. Issue of back pay.
7. Release of those arrested during the strike. Freedom to those deported sheel
be restored.
* See Annex XIV for speech by Chou Eu-lai, a political agent of the Canton Government, to representatives of the Swatow Labour Unions on the 12th November: "The Nationalist Government anxious to help and support the movement in Swatow until the very life of Hong Kong is wrung ou colony."
f There are considerable legal objections to interfering either with Russian or Chinese shipping legal adviser's minute on F 4711).
8. Compensation of tenants who lost their belongings by auction by the Govern- ment or landlord on account of non-payment of rental during the strike.
9. New rental regulations of the 1st July, 1925, shall be abrogated. Effective
decrease of 25 per cent, of rental.
10. Intercourse be allowed between the representatives of the labourers and the
foreign officials.
11.
Restoration of right of licence, certification, &c., granted to Chinese prior
to the strike.
12. Equal terms to Chinese employees of steamers, factories, companies. &c. 13. Licences and certificates shall be issued to all, irrespective of their nationalities (e.g., Chinese should have the right to take out licence or certification for commanders, mates, &c.. on board passenger boats).
In October there were two new developments: (1) The anti-Communist army, led by General Ch'en Ch'iung Ming, had taken Swatow. As seen above, he was secretly supported by the Peking Government, and he also had obtained support from Chinese merchants in Hong Kong, The Canton cadet army under Chiang Kai-shek defeated him without great difficulty and recovered Swatow.† General Ch'en's intervention did more harm than good. It was incompetently directed. It strengthened the hands of the Bolsheviks at Canton, who represented it as a desperate effort on the part of the Imperialists" at Hong Kong. (2) A delegation of Chinese merchants from Hong Kong came up to Canton to start unofficial conversations with a view to ending the strike and boycott.
But by the 26th October (Canton despatch No. 110) the strikers' attitude seemed to have been stiffened (perhaps at Russian prompting, perhaps in consequence of victory over Ch'en), and it was stated by one of their leaders that "
while not yet prepared to put forward the demand that the Governor of Hong Kong be a Chinese, the strikers intend to have representatives of their own on the Legislative Council. Extra-territoriality is to be abolished and this island (ie., Shameen) is to be handed back because Chinese are not allowed to sit on benches on the Shameen Bund." On the 22nd October a new set of "Navigation Rules" had been issued, by which the boycott was directed at Great Britain, Hong Kong and Macao (Portuguese) alone; Japanese, American and French firms and shipping were permitted to do business, so long as they avoided Hong Kong, Macao and British goods (see Annex XII).
The position on the 23rd November is thus summarised by Sir J. Jamieson despatch No. 58):-
"The Strike Committees are apprehensive of an approaching end of the strike, and are consolidating and reforming their organisation The authorities on the other hand are plucking up courage. A prominent member of the committee has been arrested on a charge of malversation of funds, certain picket leaders have been disarmed, and the motor-boats and sampans which picket the Hong Kong river steamers on arrival and departure are being more strictly supervised. Such action notwithstanding, the committee continue their wanton interference in other directions.
In spite of the intolerable conditions thus created, trade is flourishing and the river is full of steamers, Silk for the North American continent goes to Shanghai for transhipment, and other articles for export to European markets are taken to Keelung (Formosa). It is understood that the Japanese steamship companies, as also the American Dollar Steamship Line, have fixed up agreements with the strikers which are mutually satisfactory. The Mitsui Bussan Kaisha, according to a report issued by the Strike Committee, have conformed with the rules laid down by the latter, and have undertaken not to trade with Hong Kong nor to handle British goods." The negotiations with Hong Kong hung fire for some time, but on the 19th December Sir J. Jamieson telegraphed that the Canton Provincial Treasurer (Sung Tsz-man) was going to Hong Kong for preliminary negotiations with the Colonial Government for a settlement which the Canton Government were sincerely desirous of reaching (Canton telegram No. 26). On the 20th December Mr. Fletcher, Colonial Secretary at Hong Kong, went to Canton, since it was impossible for His Majesty's consul-general to communicate with the Canton Government or to risk his
*For the deplorable state of affairs at Swatow-in some respects worse thau at Canton-see Annex XIII. † Since the victory at Swatow the Cantonese armies have carried out a successful campaign in South Kwangtung, capturing Pakhoi and Hainan Island.
↑ For a very full and mulightening account of the Hong Kong negotiations and of Mr. Fletcher's visit, see Annex XVI.
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