took prompt action in cases of intimidation; lists were prepared and disseminated of contractors willing to work; new licences were freely issued to tallyclerks; acting within his discretionary powers, the Director of Marine allowed some latitude in the professional qualifications required of new crews coming forward to man launches and other craft; officers of the Marine Department visited every ship in port to advise shipmasters and to obtain first-hand information of their needs; reports on the state of the working of the port were publicized in the press and through local and overseas radio stations.
75. By these energetic measures and because the stoppage happened to coincide with a relatively slack period in the port due to the blockage of the Suez Canal, delay in cargo handling was kept to a minimum and users of the port were hardly inconvenienced. By the middle of July the Kowloon Wharf & Godown Company had replaced a number of their absentees, who were dismissed, and most of the lighters were again in operation.
76. On 17th July the Hong Kong Seamen's Union declared a 'strike' which, as in the previous cases, was a political move and not the result of an industrial dispute. The declared aim of the union was to prevent the transport of goods into and out of Hong Kong; seamen working abroad were instructed to advise the captains of their ships that they would stop work if cargoes were loaded for transport to Hong Kong. The union has never commanded the full support of its members. When the Government set up the Seamen's Recruiting Office, in 1966, the union raised strong objections, ostensibly on the grounds that it was detrimental to the seamen's interests in that it restricted their oppor- tunities for employment. This view was not shared by the seamen themselves who were quick to see the advantages of the system. In spite of an official boycott by the union some 32,000 seamen had registered with the S.R.O. by the end of March 1967, a figure which clearly included many who were ostensibly union members.
77. Despite this previous failure, the union now made the most strenuous efforts to make the stoppage a success. Intimidation was widespread, both in the port and at sea. Union members visited ships. with Chinese crews and, when their passes were withdrawn by the shipping companies, they sent women agents to visit seamen's wives and families. Communist agents among seagoing crews were well supplied with newspapers and other literature and made full use of
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