To the Editer of the "NontH-Diva Day News'
Sir;—The position in regard to the negotiations between Hongkong and Canton have reached a very interesting stage, but while they are fire, ponding the appointment of representatives by the Canton Government, it might be as well took stock of where we stand, It is an excellent thing to rything possible to create an atmosphere of goodwill, but no settlement between the tivo places can be permanent unless it is based on 4 clear understanding of how each party to the settlement stands. Mutual trust and faith in each others integrity and goodwill is an absolute Jy essential xina qua non.
If we accept the above statement! to be a fact, and it is doubtful whether anybody will dispute it, then it must, also, he admitted that we must have all the facts to form a judgment. Tt is regard that we must turn to newspapers, as the purveyors: of news, for the facts, In'these times when so much is at take, much more than the material interests of Hongkong or Canton merchants, great as these may be, fas witness the latest cables regard:
the attitude of the Moscow Government towards the imbroglio, it seems to the w a member of the general pul it is the duty of the newspapers to] s keep the public informed of all that is going on behind the scenes in Canton, s0 that public opinion both here and at Home may be well me formed.
While not for one moment advocating the recounting of all the ten shop gossip that floats around Hongkong at all times, and part! ularly now when the wish to. see the strike ended is largely father to the thought, the writer holds the opinion very strongly that the newspapers, and especially European Papers should do more than they are doing, to keep the public posted in the opinions and views held in Canton and Hongkong both by those who are friendly to us as well as unfriendly.
The Port at Whampoa I will give one instance only, but fas that is a matter of such vital importance to Hongkong, it should examined thoroughly, and the facts stated in full for general i Yormation, In the last six months there have! been but few comments on the work! that is going on at Whampoa with the idea of making it into a sea port. Tt is the writer's belief that this subject has been brought forward for very many years, at varying intervals. Some more or less grandiose schemes have been put} forward by foreign engineering firms, involving an expenditure of many million dollars, and they have been discussed, more or less patrol izingly in Hongkong, and then quite ly dropped, until the next ambitious firm came along, and made a fresh proposal, The trouble with all these schemes was that they were far elaborate, and were only encou by the officials in Canton as holding out prospects of immediate and future opportunities of getting rich nick. The present scheme is total! different, and: from the Hongkonie point of view, farzmore dangerous. The port began owing to someone taking some cases of goods to Canton, and through lack of water pro-Uably, or possibly to the dangers due to the forts, these had to be landed at Whampoa. 'Then another shipload came along and did the same, until the shippers came to realise this new place was quite feasible, The next stage was to put up some covering for these goods' whilst! awaiting shipment to Canton, From these small beginnings the port! grew naturally.until to-lay we hear of American liners loading and discharging at Whampoa without using Hongkong. at all. It is this fact of slow. and natural growth which marks the difference betiveen the present idea of making Whampoa into a sea port, and all - previous ones, and it is doing no good for us fo shut our eyes to the fact and pretend that the present scheme is foredoomed to failure as certainly as all previous schemes have been. Now we come to another view point on this scheme, The Overseas Money It is said, on an authority. which' has for some months proved to be extremely well informed on all that is going on in Canton, and other parts of China, behind the seenes, that one of the chief reasons for thi anxiety of the Canton Governm to get the Hongkong Chinese rier-chants to visit Canton is to impress upon them in exactly the same way the Soviet Government impressed on our Labour M.P's—that they are not so red as they are paiated—are not Red at all in fact. It will be recalled that in the summer a message was cabled from Hongkong. Chinese merchants to the Overseas, Chinese, asking them not to remit more money to Canton, as the Government there was Bolshevik. This dried up almost completely a source ome which has never since commenesd to flow again. If Canton can prove to Hongkong merchants that they are not Bolshevik, they' hope to induce the H.K. merchants send a cable overseas which will have the effect of starting the stream of money flowing Canton-wards once again. With this money, Canton hopes to finance the Wham-ea port scheme, as they expect to et a sum of at least two million dollars. In addition Cant en promised a subsidy fret cow, but what the amount wil tr, So Siu-ching, has al-eddy called for representatives from the Unions, Laboar Guilds, Commerce ard dei kates from the Canton Goveramest!
discuss the whole question of the Port at Whampoa, Last wack shis meeting appointed a special com wu from these same re presenta vex to take over the discussions rud a temporary <iice has eon established in the Uity Chai ber -f Commerce, one of the for Chambers of Commerce in Canton.
This committee has been promised the full support of the Canton Gov ernment.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.