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Further meetings were held on January 5th and 8th
in connection with the General Labour Union; at the last meeting
the warning given to them was referred to and it was decided to
apply once more for permission to establish the General Labour
Union.
The Seamen's Voice of Hong Kong.
to the members.
for censorship.
The Union publishes a monthly magazine for distribution
This magazine is neither registered nor sent in
It contains anti-Japanese articles and incitement
to boycott. One article states that the Union has been registered
with the Overseas Affairs Commission and that it is in close
cooperation with the Canton Seamen's Union. It claims that the
Union has been responsible for strikes on board ships proceeding to Japan (Tozan Maru, Shoko Maru, Fau Sang and Si At) and that
it has collected large sums of money "in aid of the war". It
refers to agitations set on foot in various ships for increased
pay.
Communist influence.
The original organiser Fong sai Lam is well known to
be a Comunist. He was arrested in Hong Kong in 1931 in
connection with the suppression of the "Red Seamen's Union".
His associates were banished but he escaped owing to the probability that he was born in the Colony.
Lau Noi the Vice-Chairman is believed by the Police to
be identical with Lau Tat Chiu member of the Chinese Communist
party.
Reasons why the Seamen's Union is considered undesirable.
(1) Although it is not the same organization as that
proscribed in 1927 inasmuch as (a) the title is slightly different, (b) there are different officials, and (c) it does not claim to
be a branch of a general Chinese Seamen's Union, it does not differ
in any essential from the old Seamen's Union. The promoters had
legal advice and were well aware of what they had to avoid.
(2) Its objects are primarily, if not entirely,
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