GENERAL STRIKE BEGUN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19567, 21 February 1927, Page 11

GENERAL STRIKE BEGUN.

4-0.000 WOBKEBS OUT. BRITISH DEFENCE FORCES. ROUTE MARCHES IN SHANGHAI. SALUTARY EFFECT ON NATIVES. ! ; By Telegraph—P'ess Association —Copyright (Received Feb. '2O, 6.12 p.m.) ! A. and N.Z. PEEING, Feb. 19. | Three route marches are being carried ! out by British soldiers and marines in j Shanghai ever;? day. The men march with j ' fixed bayonets through the settlement and' j j the streets of the city. j j These demonstrations have had a j salutary effect on the natives, i It is estimated that 70 per cent, of the I British subjects in China are in Shanghai. ' The protection of the British Army and j \"avv synchronises with the reverse sufI ered by Marshal Sun Chuan-fang in the | "N'k'ang province. The General Labour Union has called a j i genera! ,-trika to enforce its demands for j | the evacuation r -f Shanghai, both by Sun s | j troops and the British troops. I All the employees at the Post Ofifce j ! have struck, also the tramwaymen and j I busmen in the French concession and the j s cotton workers in all the British mills and | j wrpo of the Japanese mills. > The movement is developing. At • pres- ! j <• the strikers number 40.000 i A picket of costal workers, armed with j I staves, lined up at- the entrance to the j j General Post Office and attempted to pre- j j vent the indoor staff from entering or j j working. Subsequently the Postal Com- j | missioner, who is an Englishman, decided j to close the Post Office until Monday in order to prevent immediate trouble and j confusion. \ Later in the day the police took the I staves from the strikers. ! Four hundred mill strikers entered the | British Cigarette Company's factory in the ; international settlement where 1000 work- { ers are employed and attempted to m- | umidate the latter into striking, j As a precautionary measure the manage | ment thought it wise to close down the j factory for the time being, j Three of the largest Chinese stores in ! the centre of the international settlement, j where thousands of assistants are emj ployed, and among whom there had been some trouble of late, have also been closed. | A seamen's strike has also 'commenced 1 in the French concession, j Waterside workers' strikes have caused ! a shortage of supplies in some districts. All the British troops are confined to their quarters in case of eventualities. Volunteers have been mobilised but not concentrated. Special police have also been called out. WASHINGTON ANXIOUS. SAFETY OF AMERICANS. FORCES MAY HAVE TO LAND. (Received Feb. 20, 5.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z. WASHINGTON. Feb. 19. The general strike at Shanghai is viewed with real anxiety in Washington, owing to possible violence by mobs menacing the safety of foreigners. Should such a development occur to an extent which would affect the well-being of American subjects, it will lead to the landing of American bluejackets and marines. No one in Washington will attempt to predict the consequences of such a step. Despatches to the State Department describe the strike, but contain no forecast of the possible results Experts are of the opinion that as far as the military objectives of the Cantonese are concerned Shanghai will do them little good if they do not control the Yangtse River. For this reason Nanking and other river cities are considered to be the real military objectives of the Chinese Nationalists.