Strikes in the Settlement, totalled 128 as against 75 in 1996. The num~ ber of employees affected and the number of working days lost were 35,630 and 151,556 respectively as compared with 35,748 and 107,267 in 1936.
The enterprises affected included 299 silk weaving factories (72 strikes), 20 stoxtile fnetories, 7 machinery works, 4 public. utility plants, 4 transportation companies, 4 food and drink concerns, 3 printing factories, 2 tobacco. factories, 1 rubber fe tory, 1 paper mill, 1 soap factory, 1 build ing construction company and 6 other establishments.
'47 sinkes in the Settlement were declared to enforce increase in wages, 15 to obtain improved working conditions and demonstrate opposition to alleged bad treatment of workers, 2 protest against reduction in work Ing. time, 2 to enforce collective: agreement 21 to demand engagement Jor dismissal of workers, 2 to oppose change in the system of work, while the remaining 12 resulted from mi feellaneous causes. In addition, 27 strikes were declared for sympathetic Tu 60 cases the strikers returned to work unconditionally, in 33 they secured minor concessions, in 14 the grievances were adjusted' in a man-Jner entirely satisfactory to the employees, while in 21 the settlement Was unknown or indeterminate, The outstanding strikes of the year occurred in Chinese "owned silk Weaving factories, of which some 260, employing approximately 15,000 hands were involved; the Shanghai Electric Construction Company where 1,700 conductors, drivers and others wallefed out twice, in February and in April; the China Soap Factory, 2310) Yangiszepoo Road where 650. hands went on strike; the Kung Yih Cot~ ton Mill, 180 Robison Road, whose employees numbering 3,000' struck work in February and again in April jand May; the Toyoda Cotton Mill. 200 Jessiield Road where 2,000 hands were affected; and the Union Bre-/wery, 130 Tehang Road. In most eases the strikers caused disturbances [necessitating police action and arrest fof the ringleaders concerned.
During the year 67 persons were! arrested for offences arising out of strikes and other labour agitation.
'The Sino-Japanese hostilities 'August brought the Jocal Indus {tril situation toa complete! standstill, All factories suspended operations, and although accurate! statistics wore not available it) was estimated that approximately three' hundred thousand labourers were thrown out of employment. Many; fof them left for their native places when they realized there was no respect of immediate resumption of work. Towards the end of August, however, a few Chinese mills in the: Western' district resumed operations! thereby giving employment to some 9,000 hands. The situation gradually improved until the end of the year when 81 factories with a total 127,360 hands were operating in the Settlement.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.