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A series of conferences, which began yesterday and which will continue throughout the week, een instituted by the local,' Kuomintang with the purpose of devise Ing some scheme with the tacit consent, at least of the labourers, to de-centralize labour strength and bring workers more under government control. 7 Yesterday delegates from certain of the textile unions were received. To-day, and in future, similar re-are to appear and resent their case." The position of About 170,000 industrial employees the International - Settlement, working in more than 300 different establishments, will be affected, "Another 10,000 workers.
the. French " Concessivn, chapei, Pootung, and Nantao, all inthe immediate environs' of, Shanghai are to be included, as are others in further distant, Labour as a unit has not been -Guvernment since the estab: Tishment of the Nanking regime in 1927, although it has not been tirely "in accord with certain Policies, As a matter of fact, before March, 1927, labour "was rather radical, and decidedly ar foreign.
'When General (Chiang Kai-shek ousted Borodin, the Bolshevist_ad-Viser, and' his" henchman Kow'early in 1927, labour's ai tude changed, and if is an accepted fact, that the action of the. more radical elements in seizing Chapel, prior to. the actual arrival. Nationalist troops, at least paved the way for a peaceful entry, if not "actually "eliminating armed. engagements between remnants of Sun troops andthe advancing forces, Certain Sovietized leaders of the former Shanghai General Labour Union, both in the headquarters and individual unions, would not. countenance Nanking's desire "to "have full ce-operation of their" powerful organization, and fought tooth and fall the proposed" Feorganization into the Shanghai Federation of Labour" under format supervision the local -Kuomintan "To eliminate these, or at lea subdue "their, activities required Some months, but by the auturan of 1927 Tabour ceased to be an active factor in politics. At present there have been a matter of routine in the past three yea unrest, may be <ons existed. It must be. stated, however, that as an organization, taboue has not' "counted" and industry, has been quiescent.
In December, 1930, Nanking promulgated regulation' for the complete dissolution of Labour unions. Immediately a storm broke out from. the bodies, such og the Postal Workers Union, "to minor" textile unions, Delegates petitioned—Government officials in Nanking personally.
The Ministry of Industry sug-sted delay and eventually pro. Dosed what would appear. to Compromise, although should the recently promiulxated regulations Strictly' enforced the influence exert-by labour would be nil.
Under the reorganization scheme, this area is to be divided into 16 disteiets, such as Nantao, Pootung, 'Chapel, "Kiangwan, Woosung, and the foreign sections, etc. A supervisory. committee "under the " Kuomintang would be in' charge of each district, A' partial return to, the suild system is to be instituted, all cotton mill workers, for inz stahee, were to be permitted to join one large cotton. mill workers district union; similarly, all silk filature employees, "carpenters, metal workers, bookbinders—could Join the huge district union of their particular tra Tu each industrial pi more than 15 employees were on the pay roll, a workers office" would be established, and a delegate would be entitled to attend the Keneral union meetings of, their his "workers office" pray posal appears to be the compromise, whereby the consent of labour woul de'gained to the new proposila for the Settlement, it Is. pro-pote to have one sneral union, oF to subdivide the atom tee' to supervise, the "guild" union Tu intent, it is proposed by this, scheme to decentralize labour ganizations In. individual factor wut to centralize each industry un= der immediate Government control But as several competent observer have. pointed out, the crux of th solution lenin delimiting the power of the "workers offices." Scrutinize ced further. In this particular in-Stance, however, the sale was even-approach t registration of their lands. If foreign authorities for {ea ye." are fix of seven unions who are see-fetly non-governmentally inclined. ed carefully by these, same. ob-Servers, they are of the. opinion tually comploted at a" later "date 'After considerable negotiations, It'is not fair to say that notice not been given of this new decision, but the land companies contend' that the notice "has not eon long enough, taking into consideration the interests. involved, 'They argue, moreover, that. under the 'Treaties the British, and there-ore ote foreign rsidénts Tand' outside the Settlement rescriphive Tight te buy that this. action of the Con-Bulg is in fact a restriction of that Tight," Te may be admitted that conditions have been created which were not foreseen at the time when the practice was frst instituted, or when the Treaties were made, but, Taking. a line from other" Brit Dominions "were similar. conditions have arisen, the objection is that the sealer have unavoidably been Weighted in favour of the status quo, Tt is recognized that the whole position of thin extra Settlement land is under review and will much affected by the Mr. Justice Feetham. ever, seems to the land-owners an additional reason for avoiding Action which may give one party or the other less scope for effecting a compromise, apart altogether, from the fact that it may be, as it is, de-tritely anticipating the result of the case which is ina very real) sense auh judice, The "North-China Daily News" earns that the Iand-owners do. not} suggest that the Consular Body have been wanting in frankness in dealing with this matter, and they fully appreciate the policy which dictates this sudden executive decision. 'They suggest, however, that} itis premature and unnecessary to come to such a decision when in a Yew. months' time the position may be far clearer than it Is now, "The enterprises with which the land investment companies—have een concerned have been legitimate, have contributed greatly to the advancement of Shanghai, to tthe amenities of its Settlements an to the stimulation of trade. The Yew is held, therefore, that the Consular Body woul wel reconsider the position in the light} of these representations,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.