Brush Between Model Factory Workers and the Chinese Police Three men were wounded by ricochet rifle bullets fred on Tuesday evening at the Shanghai Model Training Works for the Unemployed (which is connected with the Shanghai Model Training Works Factories) at Kiangwan and eight others received minor injuries a stampede which followed.
Trouble had been brewing for some weeks, said Mr. Teal Chun-fang, the director, and it came to 2 head on Monday. A worker named Chao, who had been eonnectinstitution for nearly four. years, was reprimanded for delivering an inflammatory lecture to his fellow workers. By express ing sweet words to the men, the director said, he hoped to gain of influence over them, His activities came to the notice of the directors and the latter decided upon his transfer in. the form of "promotion" to the position of superintendent of the factory, With this he expressed dissatisfaction and incited the workers to down their tools. He immediately distributed circulars and. provoked his workers until they followed his lead. They demanded his reinstates ment, which the directors said was impossible. A' strike was then declared, The Police Warned Realizing that trouble was about to break out in the factory and knowing that the 20 guards were insufigient to cope with the defiant workers, the directors on Tuesday despatched messengers to the Kiangwan police station appealing for assistance. Meanwhile, the men were told to disperse ' and either return to their work, or got cout, but they declined to move and threatened to break the machinery.
The Kiangwan police arrived on Tuesday evening and the order was repeated, but the men persisted in their refusal. They were warned of the consequences and the police said that they meant to uphold order and to see that tke workers abided by the law. After a ca ful investigation 13 of the ring-Teaders were taken into custody and lodged in the Kiangwan police gaol. The workers demanded that they should be released. The police refused to release the men and the latter tried to attack them.. The officer in charge of the police (who had by this time surrounded the building) then gave formal warning to the men that if they refused to disperse and return to work within one minute, he would open fire, The mob was now in an obstinate mood and they declined to heed the order. The officer then ordered his men, who were outside, and the factory guards, who were inside, to fire into the ground. This order was carried out, there being no intention to kill, and three of the workers were struck by ricochet bullets, which lodged in their logs. Fortunately, nobody was killed and no others were wounded.
The mob thereupon di Dut, in the stampede to eight others suffered minor injuries, Thirteen Arrests The wounded were later removed to hospital, but the wounds were pronounced to be of a minor nature. The 18 ringleaders were yesterday removed to the Shanghai and Woosung Police headquarters in Nantao and they will in due course be tried. The directors say that they will not receive these men back.
Following the firing, the. men surrendered and announced their willingness to return to their posts. Upon signing bonds to observe the regulations of the institution and the law, which was demanded by the directors, the men returned work without further trouble. JOn Wednesday afternoon, everything appeared to be normal, apart from the fact that a fire engine was standing inside. the premises and a dozen members of the Protectionary. Force (Merchant Volunteers) were standing by outside the gate, together with a detachment of Police inside the factory.. We were told that no further trouble is an cipated.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.