Page:Scott Nearing - British Labor Bids for Power (1926).pdf/14

 Labour Movement was shocked to learn that under British rule little children are farmed out from their parents to employers at one to two Mexican dollars per month, i. e., from 2s. to 4s. per month, and are worked as long as 16 hours per day. These children often fall asleep at their work and many of them die young. Workers' wages range from 16s. to 80s. per month. The factories are mainly owned by British and Japanese.

"Attempts to form Trade Unions have met with similar treatment as was experienced in this country before the repeal of the Combination Acts in 1824, Meetings were broken up, the books destroyed, the officials interfered with under a policy of repression. These methods, together with the facts that the Chinese are denied any franchise in their most important towns and ports, being governed by the foreigner within their gates, local laws, taxes, etc., being imposed upon the Chinese people, who are denied a voice in their own local affairs, led inevitably to the revolt, which was fired by the killing of a Chinese workman by a Japanese foreman. Then followed the application of British Imperialist methods, viz., gunboats and armed forces, with the consequent shedding of blood.

"It is a significant reply to the British Government and their talk of protection of life and property that the Commission of Inquiry of the Diplomatic Corps at Pekin, which investigated the disturbances at Shanghai on May 30th, 1925, in their report recommended that the chairman of the Municipal Council at Shanghai, an American, should be censured and the British Chief of Police should be dismissed.

"I think Congress will agree with the General Council making it quite plain to the Government and the whole world that, being conscious of the fact that our British movement has won its way from such conditions of slavery as are being imposed in China to our present comparative or limited freedom, we are prepared, on behalf of the British Trade Union Movement, to raise our voice in condemnation of the atrocities committed by the British and other employers in China, and in wishing the Chinese people every success in their struggles against the employing and imperialist class in their country.

"The General Council, acting on instructions from the Hull Congress, have started upon an inquiry into conditions in Eastern countries, and hope to report to the movement the result of their investigations for consideration within the next few months.