Extraordinary scenes were witnessed to-day at the premises of] the Elbrook carpet factory, an American concern situated in the'
[British Concession, As the result of some dismissals fast week, the workers threatened to strike and the management cided to close down the factory, tending to pay off the workers this morning. One foreign and four Chinese police of the British Muni Jcipal Council attended in view of possible trouble, but they were locked in the factory by the workers who, armed with iron bars and bricks, barricaded themselves in, permitting no communication anyone outside, The position looked very ugly in view of the unarmed police inside the factory and the threatening titude of the workers.
The British and American Consuls visited the scene and eventually decided, as an alternative to the tuse of force, to call in the Chinese City authorities, a representative whom entered the factory dressed Jas a workman, The latter assured the workers that their terms would be considered by the management! with the result that they were induced to open the factory and continue working, and, incidentally, to release the police, who had been kept prisoners for almost five hours,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.