In the Shanghai Provisional Court, on Thursday. before Judge Wai fand Mr. Ramondino, two shop as-distants were charged with unlawfully coercing and inciting employees of a shop to refrain from their lawful occupations on Wednesday.
Chief Det. Inspr. Prince stated that accused were arrested Wednesday evening in Seward Road. They were native piece-goods shop assistants. Quite a number of these men came from other tricts to Wayside and tried to get the assistants there to go on strike, Decause certain demands made for better treatment were not granted by their employers. The. two accased went into complainant's shop, where 20 assistants were employed, seized hold of two of them and forcibly tried to make them go on strike. They were caught in the act by Chinese constables and, when searched, pamphlets and badges showing that they were members of union were found on their persons.
CP.C. 434 gave corroborative evidence, and said that he heard the two' accused tell the assistants not to work.
Lee Tsvo-yee, for complainant, asked for a remand as the two assistants who were dragged out of the shop by accused were missing.
The first accused denied the charges and said that he was: only talking to the manager about the conditions of the workers when he was arrested.
'The second accused said that the complainant telephoned to the police stating that armed robbers were in the shop, and when the police arrived he' was taken into custody.
The case was remanded till next week.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.