CO129-498-5 Canton boycott- report on visit to Canton of representatives of the Hong Kong Chinese merchants... 6-1-1926 - 6-1-1926 — Page 39

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them in the past and of their gratitude and all hoped

that we would assist one another in the future. But it

become manifest that they would not negotiate with us unless we were Hongkong delegates with full power and ppointed by the Hongkong Government. One of them Mr.

Tong Fing said that as regards the amount of strike

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Day the strikers were lobking into the figures which would not be available for few days, but he thought he could easily work out that sum because we were familivu with Hongkong conditions, and knew roughly what were thu

wernge unges of the labourers. The strike pay would sh

be on mount representing the unges of all strikers tho struck for theperiod of the strike. He said that as regards reinstatement there was no question about that. Could Hongkong reise that sum ?

Towards the close of the meal the whole feeling of the party was very cordial and Mr. So Siu Ching and 11 the others exhorted us to impress,with all emphasis at ou commond, upon the "Hongkong delegates" that they (the strikers) were sincerely desirous of an early settlement and would welcome meeting them as soon as possible and that they (the Hongkong delegates) should never have any fear of whatever nature as regards meeting coming up to meet them. They thoroughly agreed with our suggestion that under the circumstances, we had better return to Hongkong as soon as possible to report on the views the strikers had expressed.

In the course of the various speeches it was made abundantly clear that when the Hongkong Plenipotentiaries come up, the strikers were prepared to discuss the terms together as a hole, or separating the political from t oconomic; they were also prepared to discuss tho