CO129-500-1 Canton situation- governor's despatches 18-5-1927 - 9-6-1927 — Page 76

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days of June, 1925, in Canton has, as its most important aspect, the part played by Russian agents in the creation of this incident; and it is a legitimate inference that the strike of Chinese seamen, which preceded that inci- dent by some days, was due to the same agency. Anyway the Seamen's Union had by that time taken a definite

political line and had forced all its members to follow suit. No "demands" of any kind were put forward on behalf of its members, and no economic justification

for the strike of 1925 was ever suggested. The Union

took its stand solely on political "slogans" such as "Down with Imperialism" and "Recover Hong Kong!

5.

>

Nevertheless, the Union was permitted to retain its premises in the Colony and from this centre it surreptitiously carried on "Red" propaganda, while its principal officials controlled the "Canton-Hong Kong Strike Committee" in Canton, and organized the armed picket system in order to make effective the boycott against goods of British origin. These officials, notably So Shiu-cheng Chairman of the

( 兆徵) Seamen's Union in 1922, and of the Canton-Hong Kong Strike Committee in 1925, subsequently reached high positions in the Canton Government, without severing

their connection with the Seamen's Union or the Strike

Committee. Moreover, it is established that the

deliberations of both these organizations were directed

by Russian advice, and that Russians, controlled by

Borodin, often attended their meetings.

6.

The insults and indignities which Hong Kong

shipping firms then suffered at the hands of the Seamen's

Union are set out in my secret despatch of the 23rd April, 1927; and to that record must be added the

case

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