Arrival in Shanghai to Form Local Branch of Southern Orgarization A delegation from the Hongkong Seamen's Union has arrived in Shanghai with the object of organizing the seamen here and forming a branch of the union. The party is composed of Messrs, Lam Wai-man, Chung Shin-pang, Luk Sheung-kat, Wang San-yat, and Ip Kit-lai, and the leader,, Lam Wai-man, who is chairman of the social committee of the Hongkong Union, has already assumed the title of President of the Chinese Seamen's Union in Shanghai.
The visitors say that they have simply come in response to several letters requesting assistance in improving the very modest organization already existing here, but apart from this, their visit was not unexpected in view of a recent report that the Canton Union proposed to form a general union and had sent out representatives to discuss the matter with the seamen in Shanghai, Singapore and other places.
The same report states that there are some 300,000 Chinese seamen, of whom 50,000 are Cantonese, and the ambition of the leaders undoubtedly is to make the union the largest labour organization in the country. It is estimated that there are about 30.000 seamen working in and out of Shanghai, and an effort will be made to get the majority of these men into the ranks of the union. An office has been opened at 163 Broadway, and as soon as the preliminary details have been arranged, a mass meeting will be held for the purpose of inaugurate ing the Union. Rules for the organization have been drawn up, with the assistance of Mr. P. W. Goldring, and have been submitted to the Municipal Council, together with an application for registration of the Broadway premises as a club.
At present, the movement appears to be purely one of organization, the position in Shanghai so far as the relations of seamen and shipowners are concerned, being quiet and satisfactory. It has to be borne in mind that immediately on the conclusion of the Hongkong strike, the leading local companies advanced wages according to the scale agreed upon at Hongkong, the increase being applicable to all lines on the up-river run, the Tientsin run, etc. There is no expectation, therefore, of the present activity having any immediate disturbing effect. The men are, of course, entitled to organize, but in view of their standpoint towards Canton during the Hongkong strike, their future attitude will be regarded with much interest.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.