Hongkong, Feb. 12, Ever since the introduction of the Hocal rent restriction Ordinance, which is kept in operation for a year ata time, the approach of June, the month when the period of Rrace to tenants Is due to expire, has witnessed an outery on the part of the wage-earning public against the threatened repeal, and hitherto the Government has yielded to popular clamour and re-enacted the measure. The Press of Hongkong has, without exception, been on the side of the tenants, and has always fused the occasion to urge upon the authorities the desirability of tack-the housing problem before it becomes more acute. The campaign has had very good results, but the housing question, in its main aspect lof providing accommodation at rea-Jsonable rates, remains largely unsolved. permis 'When the deputation from the strikers saw the management on Wednesday and demanded the removal of the management, on which condition they would return to work, nothing was said of the shop work: fers' demands, the latter allege.
Tnasmuch as they were still determined to gain these objectives they' took independent action on Friday. Fearing the consequences and also that the strike might gain the sympathy of other employees and spread, General Li, the Man-faging-Direcior, immediately sent. the Chief of the Engineering Department to Ssufang to attempt to Induee tne men to return to work, The latter's efforts were successful to the extent that he arranged a conference between the strike leaders and the management which took place yesterday morning.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.