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 49

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hoard that there were about 270,000 strikers, of whom

there wore at least 40,000 in Ca ton. Assuming the number of strikers to bc 150,000 and the average wages o month to bo $50 wo could more or loss imagine that amount. I in my turn laughed and said that I thought ovon America could not pay such 2 sum,

Mr. Wu statcd that it was true that Mr. Flotchor had boon up; Mr. Flotchor soomed to think that the domande which related to politics or to the Hongkong Government could bost bc discussed botoon the two Governments. Ho made it clear that the Canton Government could not negotiato by displacing the strikers, but he had intimated that if all the torms which rolated to mor. cconomics had boon sottlod to the satisfaction of the strikers, he would endeavour to find some formula, afterconsultation with the strikers, under which tho Canton Government would discuss the rest of the terms

with the Hongkong Government.

In the course of this vory lengthy discussion Mr. Wu scomed to have groat difficulty in understanding why the four delegatos appointed by the Hongkong Government would not come up to negotiato. I profossod completo ignorance of the history of negotiation botwock Hongkong and Canton but I told Mr. Ju fully what had happened when the Canton delegates arrived in Hongkong and how it como about that the Chinoso morchants pron6 DA the Chinese Mombors of Council to got the Hongkong Government to make the appointment of official dologates (i.c. to comply with tho cxpressed wishos of the Canton

delegation).

Mr Wu lso doalt with the position of tho

Canton Government. The Centon Government was an interested

party