Protest Against Seizure of Arms and Circulation of Central Bank Notes Canton, Aug. 23.
Following the suspension of bus-mess on the part of the native bankers and the rice merchants in Canton, as a protest against the Kuomintang Government of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, which is enforcing the circulation of unsecured paper money on the market, the other shops were compelled to close their doors, The rice shops had to close on account of the insistence of the mereensries of Dr. Sun to pay for ree with worthless notes of the Central Bank, a Kuomintang agency without any capital whatever.
The present general strike in Canton hae been caused by two immediate acts of the Kuomintang, Government in Canton: the forcing: of worthless paper money on the people, and the attempt to crush the people by first disarming the Volunteer Corps in Canton and then preventing the units throughout the province of Kuangtung from amal-gameting under one command.
As far as the mercenaries are concerned—the Yunnanese, the Hue nanese, and the Kuangsi-ites—they have begun to realize that if Dr. Sun. should fail they will have a hard time to escape from Kuangtung, as their dialects will betray them.
Since August 22 the regular service of junks and tow-boats plying between Canton and inland towns has been interrupted, as the people of the interior are watching the Canton situation and may have to come to the rescue of the citizens of Canton in case there is a cone flict between the people and the oppressive militarists.
Canton, Aug. 24.
Following the strike carried out by the merchants in Foushan, mer~ chants in' Nanhaihs Shuntokhsien, and Tunghuanhsien have also Joined the strike as a protest Canton munition imported by the chants' Volunteer Corps. Thera are now signa of the people in the South starting a serious agitation against the Southern Government. 'A portion of the citizens here have put up wooden palings on- the streets in order that looting by the troops belonging to the Canton Government may be avoided.
The situation here has thus become more strained than ever. The citizens of Canton are at the pra yo, problems namely, the arms questi question of compulsory icoaation by the Central Bank of Canton of bank-notes. They are on the ing to the Govern ment by resorting to a general strike—Eastern News Agency.
Hongkong telegrams to the Chinese press report that in a circular' issued by the Merchants' Volunteer} Corps of Canton on August 22, it is declared that the merchants have! formed the Corps entirely for self-protection, which is a right every} people should enjoy; that the Government, in detaining their rifles and other arms, are depriving the merchants of the weapons with which to defend themselves; and that all} people should therefore be on their' guard,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.