CO129-572-6 Hong Kong Seamen's Union- proposed proscription 22-1-1938 - 30-8-1938 — Page 37

ENCLOSURE NO.3.

COPY

CONFIDENTIAL

GOVERNMENT HOUSE

HONG KONG

22nd January, 1938.

37

My dear Blunt,

The proscription of the re-formed "Hong Kong

Seamen's Union" by the Governor in Council has just been

decided upon.

The enclosed memorandum of North's is sent

for your private information: as you will see, there

exists also the possibility of an attempt to form a General

Labour Union, a still less desirable institution, through

the Seamen's Union once the latter has 'got going'. For

the moment we are not publishing the proscription Order

which will be communicated quietly to the Hong Kong Seamen's

Union's organisers by the Police, but we shall publish if

that measure is not effective.

2.

My reason in writing to you on this subject is

two-fold. In the first place it will be observed that

the proposed Seamen's Union professes that among its principal objects is assistance to China vis-a-vis Japan.

The proscription of a body having that ostensible purpose

may be interpreted in certain quarters in China as being

unfriendly to that country. I want, through you, to

anticipate the creation of any such impression. On the

contrary it is a friendly act, for as I shall proceed to

shew, the harm that such a Union may unintentionally do

to China is immensely greater than any injury that it can

possibly inflict upon Japan.

A. P. Blunt, Esq., C. M. G.,

CANTON.