(mostly for a short statod poriod) ponding inquisition Followed Froquontly by permanent dismissal or degrading and the training of others to replace them. This is what tho Strr Forry Company, the Kowloon Motor Bus Company, tho (Hongtong Island) China Foter Bus Company, and thù Tramway Company are doing, whilst tho public moanwhile enduro tho great inconvonionoo of skoleton sorvicos, worst on bus routes whero for wooks now only 4 of the bus routes have boon operating and with half the provious frequency. They aro only copying the Marine Department of the Dovoriment which has dismissed many and dograded others because they staged a politioal strike at the samo timo. Nything liko this was dono in 1925 (I was horo as No. 2 in the Sanitary Dopt.), whon the antiforeign strike was universal, or in 1922 whon the scamon struck on ground or racial discrimination plus low wagos: the stevedores joined thom. As a result thoy ell roturmed to work after a time whon tompers had ooolod. Moa wo doflod thom we should not be horo now. The Governmont aro idiotically counting on the plethora of idlo labour and tho largo number of rightists (more pro-Taiwan than pro- Britian
What about the families of the workors now throw on tho stroects? What about the opinion of the mainlanders who won't bo quarrolling amongst themselves for ever? What about our water supply already rationed to 4 hours uvory 4 days (available and adoquato supplios form China aro boing withheld ́on purpose; Plover Cove supplies are a long way off still)?
The first great blundor was the refusal of tho Govomaznón two, successivo days to coo the leadora of the peaceful procession of striking plastic workers with dofinito labour grievances. They thoroby lost face (though they plastored his his gato and bushos with Maoist posters). The outbreak of violence followed on the strikers 'horio Ground in ST. Po Kong, Kowloon.
The second great blundor was tho, Governmont refusel against the striking Govörument marine workore from which tho privately run publio utilities took their ouo, story shows that the only right oourse for us is conciliation. Tho Govern, sont mast take back the Marine Department workers withone penalty, compol the utilities (as they have tho legal power to do) at once to prostoro adoquato pervices (this in turn will compel the latter to rehire. Lastly tho Govornicat through the 0. A. GAMr. Gass must invite the loaders of tho plastiu strákors to a conference to stato their oaso. Only Parliament oan" onforce this policy; the local governmont would never consider it because of their false bolicf that they oa ohallonge 'China to fight it out.
It was far otherwise in 1922. Tho Chinose poemen's striko with the stevedore'p striko had half paralysed Hongkong's shipping trade and the lood government were at
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