CO129-505-4 Labour situation in Canton and effect on Hong Kong- Labour Advisory Board 27-1-1927 - 31-8-1927 — Page 78

PO

Colony forms a part, and the attitude of the Canton

Soviet towards disputes between capital and labour

will almost certainly sooner or later be reflected

in the relation between employers and employed in

Hong Kong. Accordingly at a recent meeting of the

Hong Kong General Defence Committee I discussed

with the local Military and Naval Authorities the

desirability of constituting in Hong Kong a Labour

dvisory Board upon which would be representatives

of the Colonial Government, the army, the Navy and

the mercantile community (both British and Chinese),

in order that we might have ready to hand in time

of trouble an organization which can mediate between

employer and employed and that there may be as far

as possible unanimity of policy among the Hargest

local employers of labour in their treatment of

workmen. Suoh a Board was established a few years

ago at Colombo and proved of value to the Ceylon

Government. It would, I think, be equally valuable

I will inform you in due course of the

arrangements which are made and which at the outset,

in order to avoid misunder standing, I propose to

treat as confidential. But in the meanwhile it

is important that the ber Office and the admiralty

should realize how delicate, and even hazardous,

is the labour situation in this Colony, and how

undesirable it would be for questions of pay and

conditions of Chinese labourers in the employ of

the local 1litary and Naval uthorities to be

settled except in close consultation with the

Colonial Government.

her

4 1