Sunday's Secret Meeting on.
Board a China Mer-
Pessimism the Keynote:
Rumoured Plan to chants Vessel Retire Temporarily The General Labour Union is!
Rumour has been rife respecting known to possess one of the most elusive directorates in China, and one which the local Police would Searly love to get into close touch' with, That meetings of the heads of the Union are held frequently here is no doubt, but the time and! place of the meetings usually remains a mystery.
'We have it un good authority, however; that a largely attended meeting' of the union, at which all of the directing heads were present, took place on one of the Jaid-up China Merchants' vessels on Sunday ight, These vessels are, of course, Chinese property and, resting in the harbour, they are' to all intents: and purposes Chinese territory and, therefore, comparatively immune from interference by the Settlement or French police authorities:
At the meeting: in question, comamunistie speeches of the most extreme character are stated to have been made, and one suggestion, when the question of raising money to pay unemployed seamen of the China Merchants came up for eursion, was the bright idea that: the three vessels of the Company, which are in possession of the Seamen's Union at Canton, should be} sold and the proceeds given to the seamen! The suggestion was received with acclamation, even after, tone of the more sober-minded of Chinese present ha? timorously feujrested that it would be rather near-sighted policy to sell the gain instruments through the me-jum of which the seamen normally' obtained a living.
Attempt {o Defeat the Economic Circle The following resolutions were] passed at a meeting of the Shanghai General Labour Union, which was held on Monday under the chair-hip of a notorious Communist [the retirement of missionaries from the China field for a period that is put at anywhere from one to five years. While nothing definite is yet known of official action to! this end on the part of any of the several bodies represented here, it] is all too evident that recent] developments in the situation have served utterly to discourage church workers and officials alike.
Bishop L, J. Birney, head of the Methodist" Episcopal Church Mission, said on Thuursday afternoon, in reply to the question of the "North. China's" representative as to whether any official action was expected yw to re-patrioting missionaries under his control, was under advisement at the moment, if the Red element succeed-fed in getting the upper hand China, the retirement of all foreign missionaries would follow automatic cally.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.