Dealers Swayed by Extremists: Council Conciliatory but Firm Friday, June 1.
Despite every effort on the part of the Municipal Council to meet objections to the rice shop licensing regulation which comes into force to-day, it appears at the time of writing extremely probable that the rice-shop keepers will close their doors, Suggestions as to compromise and mediation have been deliberately turned down, and extremists are maintaining their demand for unconditional withdrawal of the regulation.
The Association of Street Unions seems to have taken command of the opposition. Originally, proprietors of the rice hongs, a generally reputable class, sot the agitation afoot and introduced the proposal to strike. This body has now changed its view very considerably, and during the past few days has urged the shopkeepers to accept the proposed licensing as being perfectly reasonable and devised in the best interest of the Chinese themselves. Now, however, they find their advice ignored. The shopkeepers insist upon a strike, and cannot be persuaded that they themselves may be the chief sufferers at the hands of rowdies and loafers in the event of the rice supply being temporarily stopped.
Councin's Reasonaste ATTITUDE.
The Council remains firm in its attitude that the licensing regulations will be enforced, seeing no reason for changing its view that the proposal is a reasonable one and involves no hardship. At a special meeting held yesterday it was decided to take all requisite steps for the maintenance of good order in the Settlement.
The Council, it should be emphasized, has throughout the discussion been ready to consider representations with a view to altering the conditions of the licence, if a change is found to be necessary and desirable within three months, and has been open to consider the suggestion that, in the interval, shopkeepers who object to visits from the police should give to their Guild accurate information as to stocks of rice in hand.
But this readiness to meet the Chinese a little more than half way appears to have been construed by
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.