Combined Meeting of China Coast Officers: "A Momentous and Serious Decision"
It may be recalled" that in our issues of Wednesday and Thursday there appeared an advertisement giving notice of a combined meeting of the China Coast Officers? Guild and the Marine Engineers? Guild of China, to be held at No. 21 Jinkee Road on Thursday evening. It was an open the meeting had to do with the the officers' final and definite attitude in regard to the proposal of the Indo-China Steam Navigation Company to reduce the salaries of the foreign floating staff on all Indo-China 8. N, ships as from Monday next.
Last Friday afternoon a representative of this Journal was fortunate in finding Mr, W. E. Kirb secretary of the China Coast cers' Guild, and Mr. J, Watso secretary of the Marine Enginee Guild, together at, 21 Jinkee Ron questioned as to the purport of the meeting, both Mr, Watson and Mr. Kirby at first declined to give any information,—but later admitted that the meeting, was called finally to decide on what action the officers should take in the event of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson -& Ca, (agents for the Indo-China 8. N. Ca,) failing to withdraw a circular which had Deen issued notifying the floating stall that salaries would be reduced from March 1.
Asked as to what action exactly had. been decided on, neither Mr. Kirby nor Mr. Watson would say anything definite, but stated that all the officers, deck and engineer, fat both Shanghai and Hongkong, Were in agreement as to the course to be adopted, and that "a momentous and serious decision had been arrived at."
While neither of the gentlemen referred to would admit or that a strike of Indo was imminent in the event of "the reduction being brought into effect, they did go so far as to say that practically all the officers of both Guilds were solidly united in their present attitude; and it isa not unreasonable assumption, in. view: of that admission and the statement that ''a momentous and serious decision had been arrived at," that there jx a strong probability of serious trouble between the Indo-China Steam Navigation Company and its officers in the event of the proposed reduced rates of salaries being brought into effect, One ship's officer, not connected with the Indo-China Company, but who is a member of one of the Guilds, definitely stated, in conversation with our representative Thursday evening, that he had no doubt thre would be " strike of Indo-China officers at the first opportunity after March 1 unless the Company's proposal were withdrawn, and that the officers affected would, if necessary, receive the solid support—which was understood to mean pecuniary support—of officers in other companies, In the course of conversation with Mr. Watson and Mr. Kirby, our representative brought up the question of a public statement by the Guilds, giving the public their side of the ease, and pointed out to them (what was stated in our sue of February 20) that in pre vious questions affecting the welfare of their members, the Guilds had seldom been reluctant to lay their ease openly before the public, Asked directly why the Guilds were apparently undesirous of making a statement in the present instance, Mr. Watson contended that in this instance the first move had come from the Company, and that it was the opinion of the officers that if any public statement were to issued, the Indo-China Company should be the first party to do so. If that were done, continued Mr, Watson, the Guilds would be more than pleased to state a full ease on behalf of the officers, in such a to leave no doubt as to justice and equity of their declining to agree to any reduction whatsoever under conditions now: obtaining." Beyond that statement he would not go.
Meanwhile, the public is still almost completely in the dark as to the real condition of affairs: and the public, or at least the commercial public, is vitally interested, The Indo-China Company has twice! clined to issue any statement, and what has been given out by the Guilds, while undoubtedly better than nothing, is so vague as to be more perplexing, than informative. The head offices of the Indo-China Company are in Hongkong, and it is probably from Hongkong that the first definite information will come.
Whatever may be the present situation, however, sufficient fs clear to indicate that there is a grave danger ofa serious breach between the Company and its officers. received private information yesterday, which we have every reason to consider reliable, that Sir Cecil Clementi, Governor of Hongkong, is taking' a personal interest in the matter, and it is to be hoped that the profound common sense of his Excellency will be brought to bear finan endeavour to clear up & situa tion which, if permitted to develop to its worst. possibilities, would constitute little ess. than' anot shipping calamity.
Proposed Reduction Now Abandoned Hongkong, Feb. 27.
It is learned that no strike is imminent in connexion with the question of salaries of the Indo-China Steam Navigation Company's floating staff.—Reuter's Pacific
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.