The agitators have therefore turned to another field in the hope of creating trouble, Two settlement days have been passed without settlement of accounts by the workers. The agit tors are now making the point that the workers will have to settle all their accounts by Chinese New Year and that they have not the money to do so. The best way out of the situation then is to call strikes and to be out of work about Chinese New Year time. If public sympathy is favourable to the worker, the small shopkeeper will be unable to press him for funds. If, on the other hand, public opinion is' unsympathetic, what can the small shopkeeper do about it? A man cannot pay when he is not working. This argument seems to be making an impression on the worried labourers, who have lost [so much during the strike period that they have no idea how they are going to pass the settlement day.
On the other hand, the small shopkeeper is in a bad fix. He has. been forced to contribute to strike funds and to various organizations during a period of more than seven mont. He has been required to keep his shop closed as part of the boycott movement. His goods in many cases have hands and now he is being to pass another. settlement day jour his money. situation is pitiful because he usually has to settle with native banks during this period and if he does not settle, bankruptey stares ct him.
The agitators call the small shop. keepers the petty bourgeoisie and have no merey en them because they are not of the labouring-class. This, of course, is net true of the workers themselves because they are, after all, of thw same-people as
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.