CO129-498-2 Canton boycott- opening of negotiations with the Canton Government 2-11-1925 - 23-12-1925 — Page 9

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Enclosure

1.04.

I attach a copy of this speech. My next step was to write on 24th November to Dr. C.C.Wu inviting him to pay me a visit. He replied on November 26th that it was impossible for him to leave Canton, but that he hoped I might be able to visit him there. I attach a copy of his reply.

Meanwhile there had been a certain fraternisation between Cantonese merchants and the Chinese merchants

of Hongkong. A delegation of Cantonese merchants visited Hongkong on the 20th November and remained here until 25th November. During that time they were entertained by the Chinese merchants of this Colony, by the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce and also by Mr. A.G.M.Fletcher, the acting Colonial Secretary, whom I authorised to receive them at tea.

The result of this visit was to show very clearly that the Cantonese merchants were as anxious as the Hongkong merchants to see the end of the boycott; and, although they were not empowered to negotiate any settlement, I took advantage of the accasion of their visit to announce that the Hongkong Government would be willing to appoint a strong deputation of merchants to visit Canton and to negotiate a settlement provided that the Canton Government would appoint suitable delegates to meet them. The names I mentioned were those of Sir Paul Chater, Messrs Chow Shou-son and Kotewall (Chinese members of the Legislative Council) and Mr. D.G.M.Bernard, the head of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson and

and Co. These

names were given to Dr. S.V.Tso, a rominent member of the Chinese community of Hongkong, for communication to Dr. C.C.Wu, to whom he is related. Dr. Tso

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returned with the unsatisfactory reply that the strikers would elect three members of their

Committee to be delegates with full powers to negotiate, one of them almost certainly being the Chairman of the Strike Committee: (b) the merchants

would also elect one prominent merchant to bé a member of the delegation: this would most

probably be the Chairman of the Canton General Chamber of Commerce (c) other members of the Strike Committee, probably six, and perhaps one or two additional merchants would be present at the negotiations to watch the proceedings: and (d) that Mr. Luk King fo, a minor Cantonese official

could be attached to the Canton delegation as secretary. It would obviously have served no useful purpose to send the influential Hongkong delegates, whom I hadnamed, up to Canton to negotiate a settlement with men such as these, and I therefore cast about for means of starting negotiations

upon other lines.

8.

On the 2nd December I was informed

that Mr. Yeung Sai-ngam, a semi-official emissary of the Canton Government, was anxious to see me. I agreed to see him and he came informally to visit me at Government House that afternoon. I explained to him verbally that the Hongkong Government was absolutely sincere in its wish for a settlement of the present trouble with Canton, but that it would be useless for me to send a deputation to Canton for the purpose of negotiating a settlement unless the Canton Government appointed delegates of equal standing. I also gave him a personal letter for delivery to Mr. Wong Tsing-wai,

presenting

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