Perllous Situation of British Concession on January 5
[Court charged with interfering with' the law and order of the British. Concession and with committing an assault on the person of Chow Tsung - Yen, the road-contractor employed by' the British Municipal Council.
Hankow, Jan. 5.
By six o'clock yesterday evening} it was extremely dangerous foreigners to appear in the British Concession.
The British volunteers, who were] starding by at headquarters all the afternoon and evening, by arrangement with the Chinese authori commenced evacuation at 9.90 p.m. all ¥ifles, ammunition, Lewis guns, ote, being taken to the hulk where the Navy was moored. All gear was removed in lorries and private cars carrying volunteers,—with Chinese troops on the foot-boards as precaution against the mobs.
The evacuation was carried out without a hitch by two o'clock in the morning.
Headquarters is now in charge of} the Chinese soldiery and this morning soldiers and pickets were] keeping order.
The population is surprised by the fact that the Concession—was allowed to be taken over without defence.
All workers ta British firms have been called out to attend an anti-
British mass meeting at 11 o'clock this morning. Delinquents are to be forced to attend—Reuter's, Pacific Service.
Before the evidence was taken, Ar. G. V. T. Marshall, Secretary of the Council, made a statement to the Court in which he said that the Municipal Council had been working.
friendly manner with the Labour Union Headquarters and that this, regrettable incident was, doubtless, Jan act of indiscretion attributable to excess of zeal on the part of the pickets. The Council would not} press the charge nor ask for condign punishment; but would request the magistrate to let these men know how their breach of the peace wi liable to upset the friendly relations which were in existence.
Mr, Chow then gave evidence of the attack. It appears that whilst hho has been most generous in all directions towards charitable organi zations, he demands his right as a citizen of a Republic to act as a free man, and is not willing to be coerced into joining the Union or paying its Each of the arrested men was asked what they had to say in the matter, Each denied having bound the complainant with q rope or having beaten him; they had been sent under orders to remonstrate }with him for not paying Union rates to the men who were under contract, to him to carry out the work of scavenging, ete.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.