13 and 14 at Robison Road, only some 60 turned up, and they had to be sent away again, the number being too small for-working. Work {is still completely held up at four or five mills.
All the establishments remain under the protection of a strong police guard. Order" has been maintained, the ringleaders of the strike having retired to the Chapel side of the creek, a strategical Position which enables them to rather at leisure for the purpose of meetige the mill hands, most. of whom live in that neighbourhood, and endeavour to persuade them to Join in the strike.
'The strikers' organization seems to be of a very loose character, in appearance little more than a crowd of hoo whose picketing con-sin the use of" obscene and threatening language towards Chinese proceeding 9 and from Chapei Police Afraid to Act But for those demonstrations, the teat majority. of the employees undoubtedly would have returned to work, and it is unfortunate that the Chapei Police have not more effectively handled the matter, There has been " complete absence of police officers when the scenes referred to are being enacted. The threats used have been effective this extent, that workers going to the mills have refrained from taking with them their usual supply of food tather than risk being modested the malcontents, and this has made carly stoppage necessary in those mills where some work has been Tt now appears that the strike iginated "in consequence of the issal of 40 men, who were sent Jaway in the interests of discipline, Jand the discharged men, together with their friends, are endeavouring to create a general' strike. Up to the present their arguments have been almost entirely in effect only keeping the majority from the mills, The Men's "Demands" circulars which are liberally distributed, the following "demands" are*set forth: that "assaults" by Japanese foremen in the mills be discontinued; that wages be increased by 10 per cent.; that the 40 discharged men (dismissed for insubordination) be that wages be paid every fortnight: that strikers be paid in full for the period of the strike; and finally, that in future no worker be dismissed without adequate reason. "Negotiations on the part of the! company are at the moment well nigh impossible, owing to the fact that no responsible persons or body can be discovered with whom to discuss the alleged grievances. A suggestion has been made that the matter should be dealt with by the Commissioner for Foreign Aff end the Japanese Consul-General,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.