A band of some 2,000 female mill hands were turned back into Chapei by the police attached to the West Hongkew Station on Saturday morning when they attempted to enter the Settlement to urge their fellow workers to down tools.
Nearly 10,000 of the workers went on strike when it was announced that their employers had declined to grant their demands for a ten-hour day and a daily increase of five cents in wages, the present hours being from 5 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. and the wages 40 cents a day.
After leaving their posts the deavouring to persuade the coolies strikers, mostly women, paraded to stop work. In cases where per-the Chapei roads, carrying banners, suasion failed, mild intimidation to "make world know of their was resorted to, and instances ocharsh conditions." Other than this curred of attempts to remove the there were no disorderly demon-valves from ricsha wheels. One strations. man caught in the act was arrested They then marched to the North Temporary Resumption or Work.
Thibet Road with the intention of The Kuo Wen News Agency re-enlisting the sympathy of the ports that the Chapei, dnterworkers of the Chu Tsing Filature, national Settlement and French but were met by the Municipal Concession ricsha coolies have held Police in Alabaster Road aad several meetings with the foremen forced to return to Chapei.
How-of the Star Ricsha Company on the ever, as a result, the Chu Tsing subject of compensation for workers left work and it is expect-damage done to ricshas, bit no ed that several other mills in the definite arrangement has yet been West Hongkew district will follow reached. The coolies who suspend-suit. ed work on Monday morning are On Sunday the workers had a preparing to submit an appeal to holiday and there were no fresh the local foreign and Chinese developments. authorities. On Monday after-There are more than 2% mills in noon, through the mediation of a Chapei which are affected by the foreman named Koo, the coolies strike. resumed work on condition that The Chapei silk filature workers Koo would confer with the foreign on strike were on Monday join management again. The report ed by the employees of two filatures states that compensation fortin the Settlement, at Winchester damage done to _ricshas during Road and North Thibet Road. This last month has already been paid/brings the number of women on by the foremen. Should the dis-: strike to considerably over 20,000, pute not be settled on an equitable'tkere being 25 filatures in Chapei with an average pay rol] of 800.
The facts of the dispute show that. the strikers unquestionably have a strong case for favourable consideration. In the Chinese filatures, they are required to work 13} hours daily, from 5 a.m. to 6.30, for seven days in the week, and the pay for an ordinary worker is 40 cents per day. They are asking for an extra five cents per day, an addition of a fraction of a cent to their present wage of about 3 cents per hour, and also for the reduction of their hours of labour to 10 per day.
It is the custom of the Chinese employers to grant a "bonus" of five cents per week, providing the employee puts in full time for seven days, and $1.50 at the end of each month if full time has been made, but the loss of an hour's work in a week or a month has deprived the workers of this addition. The women regard the "bonus" as a right, and protest against its being withheld, whilst the employers look upon it as a gratuity which they are not bound to pay.
The whole question of the conditions of labour in the filatures in Chiness territory was referred to the Provincial Assembly some months ago, by the Chapei women, one of their own number taking the initiative. The matter was referred back to one of the local Chinese authorities, but nothing appears to have been done. Hence the formation of the Women's Union, which would seem to have made considerable headway during the past few weeks. The present strike is the result of the efforts of a few forewoman in the way of organization.
There were no demonstrations on Monday. The Chinese police have closed the office of the® women's union, leaving them without headquarters to work from.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.