CO129-499-4 Canton situation- governor's despatches 18-3-1927 - 22-4-1927 — Page 139

No

SECRET

Copies to:

Canton No. 107.

Peking No.23.

RINTED FOR USE

COLONIAL

No-145

OFFICE

140

3000+ f

GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

HONGKONG. 18th March, 1927.

30448 in "A"

Copy

to

67.0

Sir,

The proposed meeting of the Seamen's

Union, reported in paragraph 3 of my secret des- patch of the 11th March proved to be part of a

much more widespread movement for celebrating

the second anniversary of the death of Dr. Sun

Yat-sen. A general committee was found to be

organizing a commemorative service on a large

a

scale, part of the programme being a school

holiday. The venue was shifted to the Lee Gar-

dens, a kind of Chinese "Earl's Court", situated

at the eastern end of the town and offering far

better facilities than the theatre for a large

gathering. It would obviously have been highly impolitic to forbid the Chinese of Hong Kong to

pay tribute to the memory of one who has done so

much for China. At the same time I was deter-

mined that the ceremony should not be made the

occasion of further insults to Great Britain

and defiance of the Government of this Colony.

I therefore caused the promoters to be warned

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LIEUTENANT COLONEL L.C.M.S. AMERY, M.P.,

&c.,

(1:98)

&C.,

&c.

by