a defective mould. No demand was made for the hours of work to be altered.
14. Attempts were made to hold a further meeting but these were unsuccessful. The quality of the work at the factory began to deteriorate and, according to the management, cases occurred of wilful damage to the moulds and machines; these led to the dismissal of 23 workers from the Hong Kong factory and 69 from the San Po Kong factory on 28th April. On the following day, as it considered that the situation had deteriorated further, the management closed down the moulding departments of both factories, which resulted in the termination of the services of a further 241 workers in Hong Kong and 325 in Kowloon. At this stage, the Labour Department was informed of the dispute but attempts by officers of the department to assist in its settlement were curtly rejected by the union. An officer calling in person at the union premises was refused admittance and enquiries by telephone were answered by quotations from the works of Chairman Mao Tse Tung.
15. On Saturday 6th May a group of dismissed workers picketing the San Po Kong factory attempted to prevent the removal of goods from the factory. They were warned by the Police that, although peaceful picketing was permissible, it was illegal to offer any physical obstruction. The warning was disregarded and 21 men who continued to obstruct the factory entrance were arrested, among them the chair- man of the union.
16. It was not a serious affair and no one was seriously injured in the clash. The dispute itself could have been settled peaceably; indeed successful discussions were held later, with the assistance of the Labour Department, between the management and employees who were not members of the communist union resulting in the injection moulding sections at both factories being re-opened before the end of the month.
17. The evidence suggests that the incident was not planned as a pretext for confrontation, but it was immediately exploited, possibly against the wishes of the more moderate communist leaders. Headlines appeared in the communist press attacking the Government and accus- ing the Police, in the most violent terms, of brutally attacking unarmed workers. Meetings were held by all communist organizations in support of the San Po Kong workers and posters began to appear protesting
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