Up to the time of writing yesterday no developments had taken place in connexion with the strike at the Commercial Press beyond few meetings of minor consequence.
The Commercial Press management yesterday afternoon announced that the gates of the works in Paoshan Road will be thrown open this morning to willing workers despite the threats of the leaders of the strike to the contrary. The management, it their announcement, sey that ar-tangoments have been made with the military and police authorities to guard the gates against strike pickets and see that there is no interference with workers who are prepared to return to their posts. [Should the agitators make any at-{tempt to interfere with the freedom of these.workers, the autHorities }will take them into custody. The management say that this action be adopted contrary to their wishes but they must adopt precautions and see to it that the works resume, When interviewed by a. representative of the "North-China Daily News," Mr Y. H. Bay, one Jof the managing directors, ' said that the management were prepared and willing to consider sympathetically any demands that ware put forward by the strikers but there were Communists behind the movement and "it would be dangerous to accede to their demands at once. Reforms would necessarily take a little time and the company could not be expected to make immediate wholesale reforms. Should they surrender ts the Bolsheviks, the Commercial Press would suffer greatly and not only a few leading Chinese firms ould suiter but Chinese trade as 'The management was prepared, said Mr. Bau, to permit the men to resume work—unconditionally and would discuss terms with the workers when work was resumed. The gates would be opened to-day' and all who wished could return, If they did not desire to do so, it would be their business and the management would suspend operations for several months until the next annual meeting of shareholders who would decide what was to be done. The firm was not willing to reinstate all.of the dismissed workers in compliance with the The workers have issued a Tengthy manifesto in which they deal with their sufferings and voice their grievances. This reads, in part, as follows:—
"It was not our original idea to declare another strike and we would not have done so had we not been forced. In spite of the agreement signed: last August, the company have refused to abide by its terms. Large numbers of our fellow-workers have been dismissed without reason. So far we learn that there are more than 75 whose services are being dispensed with. For what reason are they dismiss-Jed? Does the company know that this is the cold season of the year Jand that these workers, if dismiss. ed, will be thrown out into the cold fund left without food? We have heard that some of them have been working for more than 20, years with the firm but no reason is given for their dismissal. Thus it will be seen that we have been forced into this situation and we cannot do otherwise than declare a strike. We, therefore, announce that we will not return to work until the following demands have been accoded the term of the las "That the company should abide The company's version of the matter has already appeared in the Dress.
When the workers attempted to hold a meeting yesterday, they were dispersed by Chinese. police who are now guarding the place.
'A. strong feeling is evidenced among some of the workers yest day against the pickets for pro-venting them from resuming their duties. It is said that even among the strike leaders themselves there are several who are opposed to the resent movement and suggest that instead of such drastic action there should be some discussion between the workers and the managers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.