CO129-572-6 Hong Kong Seamen's Union- proposed proscription 22-1-1938 - 30-8-1938 — Page 19

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Labour Union would not be allowed. In spite of the

warning the meetings continued, and, at the end of 1937,

the Seamen's Union was declared by the Governor-in-Council

to be an illegal society. No action was taken against

the promoters but a number of documents and printed

pamphlets were seized at the union headquarters. An

examination of these showed that the new union was in

fact subordinate to the Chinese Seamen's Union, and that

during the few months of its existence a sum of $14,000

had been collected in the name of the Union, but had not

passed through the Union accounts.

About the same time an attempt was made to

revive the proscribed Barbers' Union with the same

alleged object, the collection of a percentage of barbers'

earnings for war funds. The attempt was abandoned

by the promoters after they had been warned that the

revival of this society would not be permitted.

Its

The Printers' Union, which had died a natural death some years ago was revived at the end of 1937. revival was connected with the only serious industrial dispute which had taken place in Hong Kong for some time. The dispute is of interest because it involved the first

The "sit down strike" which has occurred in Hong Kong. men involved were natives of Shanghai engaged in printing

The reasons for the bank notes for the Chinese Goverment. dispute were obscure since the conditions under which the men were employed were good, and it seems most probable that the cause of the strike, as well as the technique employed by the men came with them from Shanghai.

There