CO129-552-7 Chinese Seamen's Union- request to set up branch in Hong Kong 2-1-1935 - 19-7-1935 — Page 19

19

card as "Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

Mr. Sung explained that the Central Government desired

to reorganise the Seamen's Union with the object of

exercising a greater measure of control over the

activities of its undesirable elements. They were

however handicapped in doing so by the fact that the

majority of seamen of the boatswain, fireman, and

steward class were displaying considerable reluctance

to joining the union. To bring pressure to bear on

them a military man, General Yang Hu, had been appointed

head of the Organising Committee of the Chinese Seamen's

Union. (General Yang Hu 18, of course the Commander of

the Peace Preservation Corps in Shanghai.) He has,

however, been able to make little headway in the matter,

and Mr. Sung, who is concurrently on General Yang's staff,

had accordingly been instructed to invite the co-operation,

through His Majesty's Consulate-General, of Messrs.

Butterfield and Swire, and Jardine, Matheson and

Company, Limited, to induce their crewa to register

themselves as members of the Union. If all the

companies' seamen, he suggested, were union members

the settlement of points of conflict would be greatly

facilitated, to the mutual benefit of all parties, by

direct negotiation with the Union's representatives.

It was not at present proposed to raise the question

officially nor to approach other national interests,

aa these would naturally follow the lead or these two

predominant companies. There was, he added, no

legislation at present in existence to compel Chinese

ships to carry only union crews, but he happened to know

that a law to that effect in respect of river vessels had

been/