CO129-495 - Governor Sir Clementi - 1926 [11-12] — Page 567

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the Straits Settlements, and the Federated Malay States have considered the possibility of cutting off this

stream of immigrants, either as a retaliatory measure for the boycott, or as a measure of precaution to prevent the Spread of the Cantonese bolshevism among the Chinese population of British Malaya.

In this connection, Sir Austen Chamberlain con cure in the views of the Board of Trade regarding the Treaty position, as expressed in their letter referred to above. Any discrimination against the shipping of foreign Powers, except possibly China herself, would be contrary to Treaties and could hardly be justified by the existence of the boycott. There would seem to be no Treaty objection, however, to general legislation against Chinese immigration under which immigrants could be excluded, coming from those parts of China (viz. Canton and Swatow) where the anti-

British boycott is enforced and power is in the hands of

Communistic and subversive influences. It is believed

that, owing to the linguistic peculiarities of the peoples

of Canton and Swatow, it would be an easy matter to

distinguish immigrants from those districts of China.

5. On the other hand, there may be serious objections

to such a step arising from local conditions in Malaya.

Sir Austen Chamberlain would be glad to learn the views of

the Governments of Hongkong and of the Straits Settlements

on this suggestion; and he is himself telegraphing to

His Majesty's Minister, Peking for his observations and

for those of His Majesty's consular authorities at Canton

and/