TURMOIL IN CHINA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19532, 15 July 1925, Page 7

TURMOIL IN CHINA

SITUATION AT SHANGHAI. DEMAND FOR STRIKE PAY. Preaa Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. PEKING, July 13. One thousand strikers at Shanghai assembled .outside the general labour union in the Chinese territory and angrily demanded strike pay, which, they alleged, was three days overdue. The money was not forthcoming, so the crowd grew hostile to the union officials, who, seeing themselves endangered, called in the assistance of the Chapei volunteers. The latter dispersed the crowd with difficulty, and the strikers thereupon rushed the Settlement, followed by the volunteers. A municipal policeman ordered the volunteers to leave the Settlement borders) and they obeyed. The policeman was cheered by the strikers, who shouted: “We want work.’’ Five hundred Fengtienites are keeping order on the Settlement borders. The Mayotan Waterworks has issued a notification to the effect that the continued intimidation of the employees will probably necessitate the cutting off of the water supply. A meeting of labour union delegates asked the chairman to order the striking water-workers to resume. The chairman said that this could not be done till the British had complied with the Chinese demands.—Reuter. CONFERENCE OF POWERS. REPORTED MOVE IN LONDON. TOKIO, July 13. Japanese press messages from London report that a conference has been proposed among the representatives of the Powers in London to discuss the situation in China, but the Japanese (Foreign Office states that the reports are exaggerated. As the documents concerning the Shanghai municipal rights, etc., are in London, the .British propose sending extracts to Shanghai, and, with a view to ensuring fairness, the representatives of the Powers in London will assist in their selection. — Router. INFLUENCE OF MOSCOW. CHIEF CAUSE OF TROUBLE. BRISBANE, July 14. Captain Patrick of the Patrick Steamshin Company, has returned from a visit to * China. Ho says that the general opinion of Britishers and Americans in China is that the conditions will not be settled till Russia has been dealt with. Thd real cause of the present disturbances is the discontent and bitterness engendered by Soviet propaganda, although, a contributory cause was the opium traffic. The Chinese army and navy seemed disorganised and completely out of the control of the Government. “Our real danger in the Far East,” he said, “is not Japan, but Russia. Everywhere throughout China can be seen Soviet posters depicting foreigners holding pointing rifles at unarmed Chinese.”