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16th June up to the present date); a party was landed, but no action was necessary. On the 2nd July the strike and boycott began. "The unions, which in Swatow appear to be merely another name for the Kuomintang, have terrorised the whole population of the city, and the authority of the unions is the only authority now functioning." His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires protested to the Peking Government on the 22nd July, reserving the right to demand compensation (Peking despatch No. 531 of the 28th July).
His Majesty's consul wrote on the 20th July: "All the British and Japanese are practically in a state of siege. We can buy no food, we have no service either in offices or houses, we cannot hire rickshawe or sampans. We are isolated, outlawed and ostracised It is bad enough that any Englishman should be subjected to treatment of this sort in a country like China, but that the representative of the British Government, even if he is only a consul, should be compelled to do not only the work of office boy and messenger, but even that of the lowest class of coolie, is, I think, intolerable." The ruling authority in Swatow during July and August seems to have been "the Society for the Support of Diplomatic Relations," ie., the Strike and Boycott Committees, to whom the Chinese Commissioner for Foreign Affairs referred all questions regarding the loading and unloading of foreign ships (Peking despatch No. 583 of the 17th August).
In a general report on the boycott throughout China (Peking despatch No. 713 of the 13th September), His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires reported concerning Swatow: "Boycott is unpopular with Chinese merchants. Boycott started by local students, but has latterly been controlled from Canton by Kuomintang for political purposes. Boycott and strike openly supported by Cantonese officials, who are entirely in the hands of the strikers' unions."
In consequence of these conditions robberies occurred on British properties, and even at the house of the British vice-consul himself. His Majesty's consul protested to the chief of police against the "reign of terror "; but this official ignored protests, and made speeches encouraging the strikers to "persevere until all unequal treaties are abrogated." His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires renewed his protests to the Peking Government against these " disgraceful events' at Swatow, and again reserved the right to claim full reparation (Peking despatches No. 671 of the 18th September and No. 726 of the 3rd October).
Early in September General Ch'en Chiung-ming's anti-Communist army captured Swatow. But conditions did not greatly improve. Swatow was squeezed even more mercilessly than under the Communists. The "anti-Reds" started to advance on Canton, but only reached Waichow. On the 11th October they began to fall back before Chiang Kai-shek's forces. On the 6th November Chiang entered Swatow accompanied by several Russian officers; the anti-Communist army, an "undisciplined, ill-armed, predatory gang, with no morale or enthusiasm," retreated into Fukien. "The defeat of the Cantonese has resulted in renewed activities on the part of the unions and strikers. Pickets are again at work on the bund, examining incoming cargo and confiscating goods of British origin, which, under the last Administration, were beginning to appear in small quantities. Of the handful of domestic servants who ventured to defy the union and return to work, some have been kidnapped by the union and others have disappeared. Boats and rickshaws again refuse to accept British fares (I myself was turned out of a rickshaw two days ago).
Processions, meetings and lectures are the order of the day, and everything possible is being done to arouse restlessness and discontent among the people."*" (Mr. Consul Kirke, in Peking despatch No. 880 of the 2nd December.)
Early in January the Foreign Office received a letter from Messrs. John Swire and Sons (Messrs. Butterfield and Swire) reporting the deplorable conditions in Swatow. They observe: "Arrangements have been made, at the request of the Hong Kong Government, by the China Navigation Company to provide a regular weekly call at Swatow from Hong Kong, so that the British community may be supplied with the necessary food-stuffs. We submit that under existing conditions the responsibility for the maintenance of the British community at Swatow should fall on His Majesty's Government and not on private enterprise." Messrs. Jardine, Matheson had already reported (in November 1925): Any Chinese doing any kind of work or service for the British here is promptly arrested by the Seamen's Union pickets, paraded with ignominy,
• See in this connection Annex XIV, giving the speech delivered at Swatow on November 12 by a representative of the Canton Government, in which he deliberately urges the people of Swatow to continue the struggle "until the very life of Dong Kong is wrung out of the colony."
↑ It consists of about fifty persons, mostly merchants and missionaries.
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bound and with a paper hat on his head, round the town, and forced to pay a fine aud work for a period on the street-cleaning gang. Any Chinese taking so much as an empty sampan alongside a British ship would suffer the above penalties and have bis eampan burnt in addition. You will realise, therefore, that it is utterly impossible for us to get any Chinese to work for us openly.' In consequence of these representations the Foreign Office telegraphed to Sir R. Macleay on the 27th January, asking for his observations on the Swatow position and enquiring whether the withdrawal of the British community would be, in his opinion, disastrous (telegram No. 34 to Peking).
The question of Swatow has been taken up in the English press. The following ("Morning Post" of the 18th January) is a specimen :-
LE
—
A British merchant, writing to the Morning Post' from Swatow, refers to the extremely bitter anti-British feeling running through all the reports in the Chinese newspapers. This correspondent states:-
"Swatow has only a small foreign population, but has extensive British shipping and trade interests, is closely connected with Hong Kong commercially, and was until recently the fifth port in China in point of commerce.
**Since July last every forin of British activity in the port has been attacked by the Chinese with amazing ferocity. Trade ceased entirely on that date. Chinese in the employ of British subjects, in whatsoever capacity, were forced to strike, British property was destroyed and residences, offices and clubs were burgled and looted.
"We were insulted openly in the streets, local food supplies were completely cut off and communication about the port by rickshaw and boat was prohibited. There is no end to the tale of indignity and insult.
"No reason has been given for this atrocious treatment except the vague cry of "British Imperialism." The game still goes on, six months later. Both strike and boycott are pursued with unabated vigour and intensity. Loyal and friendly Chinese have been imprisoned, tortured and even murdered.
"The continued strain has broken up nearly every British home in the place. All this is the work of agitators, Bolshevik-trained and taught in Moscow and Canton. These people have a "Red" military Government behind them. They are the people with the guns and therefore have the power.
This scum on the surface of a great and kindly people is the only articulate element. The mass of decent, friendly Chinese have no voice, for woe unto any who, by word or action, show sympathy for the British. We who live out here are faced to-day with one of the most ghastly and tragic muddles in human history.'
[F 110/1/10]
ANNEX XIV.
Speech delivered by Chou En Lai, Chief of the Eastern Expedition, Political Department, on November 12, 1925, to Representatives of the Swatow Labour Unions on the subject of "The Present Attitude of the Nationalist Government towards Labour and proper policy to follow in the Strike," as reported in the Swatow Native Press of November 13, 1925.-(Communicated by Mr. Leefe, January 8, 1926.)
the
THE speaker began by saying that in South China there are only three important ports, namely, Hong Kong, Swatow and Amoy, and that in the Kwangtung Province Swatow is the most important point outside of Hong Kong.
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Continuing, he said; China has suffered from the invasion of international capitalistic imperialism, that dwarfs and suppresses the growth of her industries. The worst effect of this aggression is felt and experienced in South China-namely, in Hong Kong, Swatow and Amoy. The value of the trade between Swatow and the British merchants of Hong Kong is at least 200,000 dollars per day. If Swatow can follow Canton in mattera of strike and boycott, her importance will be on a parity with that of the provincial capital. The proof of this statement can be seen in the unusual apprehension felt by the Hong Kong Government when the strike and boycott were first declared here, and the said Government has attempted to break them up by hook or by crook.
"Seeing that the Nationalist Government was determined to side with labour in their dealings with foreigners, Hong Kong resorted to all conceivable means that might tend to the destruction of the Canton Government.
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