Chapter 17 Stacey (1876~1947)

Staces (1876~1947), also translated as Stuart.British, graduated from Oxford University.He served as Counselor of Ceylon for many years and has experience in colonial administration. After becoming the Governor of Hong Kong in September 1919, in 1920, Staces organized a special committee to investigate Hong Kong's economic resources, study Hong Kong's economic and commercial internationalization issues, and formulate the Factory Act and related legislation.In the same year, social figures and representatives of the Department of Education were invited to form an Education Committee to formulate education policies in Hong Kong.The English Academy was established to strengthen English secondary education on Hong Kong Island.It also opened up a large area of ​​land in the eastern district of Hong Kong Island and the seaside of North Point, and built roads from Shau Kei Wan to Shek O, Wong Nai Chung Gap to Repulse Bay, Deep Water Bay, and Aberdeen; established Kowloon Bus Company and Zhonghua Bus Company. In October 1925, he left Hong Kong and went to Jamaica to serve as the governor.Was knighted. Died in 1947.

During Staces' tenure, labor movements continued. The major ones were the "Provincial and Hong Kong General Strike" and the "Hong Kong Seamen's General Strike", which paralyzed Hong Kong's sea and land transportation.The British government had to transfer Staces back to London in the name of discussing the situation, but he never returned. Both historic general strikes took place during Staces' tenure, but he was not entirely responsible.In the ten years from 1910 to 1919 before he took office, inflation was serious, rice prices rose, rents doubled, workers' dissatisfaction became increasingly intense, conflicts between labor and capital became sharp, and labor disputes were poised to break out.However, Staces' hostile attitude towards the labor movement was not handled properly, and even London was dissatisfied.

Starting from Stacey, the translated names of the governor of Hong Kong have gradually become Chinese, such as Caldecott, Luo Fuguo, Yang Muqi, Dai Linzhi, MacLehose, etc. When Staces took office, he caught up with Hong Kong's worst food shortage in a century. The food sources of the 16th Stads Hong Kong residents were mainly Southeast Asian countries at that time, such as Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and other places.Hong Kong’s commercial grain business houses have huge capital and have close ties with merchants in rice-producing areas. During the harvest season, they purchase locally and transport them back to Hong Kong. Rice firms with strong capital set up rice mills in the local area for local processing. It is transported back to Hong Kong and stored in a warehouse, and then wholesaled to retail rice merchants. The grain eaten by residents is the retailer's resold goods.The level of rice prices is completely controlled by the rice merchants, and the Hong Kong government will not intervene.

The population of Hong Kong is increasing year by year. By around 1918, the population had reached more than 500,000, and the demand for food was increasing day by day.The food problem has become increasingly prominent. In 1918, the southern part of Asia was hit by heavy rains, and the rice harvest was generally poor. In 1919, the region suffered from a severe drought, and the harvest of rice and miscellaneous grains was only 20%.Due to successive years of severe natural disasters, the food produced by Southeast Asian countries is only enough for local residents, and there is no surplus for export. Hong Kong's food source has problems.At the time of the end of the First World War, the sea transport ships were damaged by the war and were in the stage of repair and replenishment.Maritime transportation between Hong Kong and other places is very tense.The shipping company also took the opportunity to raise the freight rate of rice and grain transportation, which made it more difficult for Hong Kong to import grain.At that time, the warehouses of the large commercial firms dealing in grain were empty, and the source of grain was cut off, so there was nothing to do.The Hong Kong government turned a deaf ear to this, which made the situation worse and worse. The market price of rice rose day by day. It used to be 6 yuan per 100 catties, and later it rose to 60 yuan, a 10-fold increase in a few days.

At that time, the income of Hong Kong people was generally very meager, and they had no savings at home. They earned a day’s money and bought a day’s grain. However, the retail rice merchants made a hindrance, only selling to large households, and not to citizens who bought sporadic quantities of rice. Rice is often not available.Citizens gathered outside the grain store to wait for rice, and more and more people gathered, never leaving.However, the police did not understand the plight of the citizens. Instead, they wielded batons and forcibly drove away the people in the name of obstructing traffic and disturbing public order.The masses couldn't bear it anymore, and they often fought with the police, resulting in bloodshed.According to Mr. Chen Qian’s recollection, at the beginning, the police-civilian disputes occurred only in the millet store in the Huantouhuanwei area of ​​Victoria City. Later, it became more and more serious. There were fights in rice shops, causing panic among the residents of Hong Kong.

Seeing that the situation was out of control, the Hong Kong authorities had no choice but to hire ships from Swire Pacific to buy rice in Shanghai and Wuhu, China.When the grain was transported to Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government set the price, 20 yuan for 100 catties of high-grade rice, 15 yuan for 100 catties of medium rice, and 10 yuan for 100 catties of brown rice. Conflict with Sun Yat-sen In November 1920, Sun Yat-sen rebuilt the military government in Guangzhou to protect the law and launched a larger-scale struggle to protect the law.Regarding Sun Yat-sen's military government, the British government adopted a policy of neither recognizing this local regime that was opposed to Beijing nor getting involved in local disputes.However, the Hong Kong British government adopted a different attitude from London, and was extremely hostile to Sun Yat-sen. Governor Stace even wanted someone to assassinate Sun Yat-sen.The Hong Kong authorities in the 20th Century edited by Yu Shengwu and Liu Shuyong made a specific and in-depth analysis of why the Hong Kong authorities are so hostile to Sun Yat-sen and his government:

Hong Kong and Guangdong have a special geographical and personal relationship. Therefore, Guangdong plays a pivotal role in the development of trade with China by the British Hong Kong authorities.On the one hand, most of the goods exported from Hong Kong to South China must be distributed through Guangdong;For this reason, the British Hong Kong authorities controlled Guangdong's major economic lifelines such as water and land transportation, railways and energy.It can be said that in addition to its own conditions, Guangdong has played a very important role in the establishment of Hong Kong's status as the center of the Far East's entrepot trade.Therefore, the Hong Kong government pays special attention to the changes in Guangdong's political situation.The arrival of Mr. Sun Yat-sen, the advocate of China's national democratic revolution, was a threat to the Hong Kong and British authorities, which had huge rights and interests in Guangdong, and of course they did not tolerate it.

The first conflict first revolved around the Guangzhou government recovering the customs balance owed by the customs.In order to solve the financial tension, at the end of 1920, the military government of Guangzhou sent a note to the Beijing envoys, asking them to order the Bank Committee, which was entrusted with Guan Yu, to apportion 13.7% of the Guan Yu due to Guangdong.was rejected by the embassy. In January 1921, the military government resolutely announced that it would take back the jurisdiction of the customs in the law-protecting provinces and regions from February 1.Concerned about the military government's move, the Hong Kong authorities worried that it would directly affect the trade between Guangdong and Hong Kong, so they took the first action.Shortly after the military government announced that it would take over the customs, the British Hong Kong authorities dispatched two warships to Guangzhou to demonstrate and intimidate at Guangdong Customs.The British Foreign Office also asked Hong Kong to impose an economic blockade on Guangzhou.However, the British Colonial Office was cautious about this and suggested that the opinion of the Governor of Hong Kong should be first heard.

After discussing with representatives of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Staces suggested to the Colonial Department that the blockade of Guangzhou requires the powers to take joint action. If Hong Kong takes action alone, it will endanger Hong Kong's interests, and other powers will definitely benefit from it. In view of the tough attitude of the big powers and the political turmoil in Guangdong, Sun Yat-sen believed that it was too early to take action and announced the suspension of the acceptance of customs. The second conflict between the military government of Guangzhou and the British Hong Kong government revolved around the abolition of the "Kassel Coal Mine Contract".

The so-called "Kassel Coal Mine Contract" was a contract signed between Hong Kong British and the Guangxi warlords for the purpose of plundering the mines in Guangdong.In World War I, in order to solve the problem of fuel shortage, Britain planned to develop energy sources in Guangdong.Arranged by the British Hong Kong government, the Anglo-Chinese Engineers Association sent personnel to carry out geological exploration in Guangdong Province. Hong Kong British-funded enterprises such as HSBC, Jardine, and Taikoo all participated in the formulation of the development plan.After being recommended by Staces, the British government finally selected the plan proposed by the retired major Cassel. In April 1920, the Kassel Company and the Guangxi warlord Mo Rongxin initially signed a joint-stock coal mining contract.According to the signed contract, the British side has the right to develop the coal mines in Guangdong, control the land and water transportation in the whole province, and build a railway connecting Guangzhou-Kowloon and the Guangdong-Han Railway.

After Sun Yat-sen and the Dharma-protecting military government drove out the Guangxi clique, they declared that the contract to plunder Guangdong's mineral resources and enjoy various privileges was illegal and would not be recognized.The British Consul General in Guangzhou, Jameson, and the Governor of Hong Kong, Staces, personally tried to make the Guangzhou government change its position and regain the interests that were about to be acquired by the British. Jamison sent letters to the Guangzhou government many times, claiming that he wanted to protect the "rights" of British citizens, and asked the Guangzhou government to recognize the Kassel contract.Kassel also expressed its willingness to amend the contract to reduce the benefits of the British side.Wu Chaoshu, vice-minister of foreign affairs of the Guangzhou government, clearly pointed out that the Kassel contract is a dead letter to the Guangzhou government and has no effect.The general idea of ​​the Guangzhou government is that the mines are state-owned, and if foreign capital wants to develop them, it must conform to the principle of equality and mutual benefit.Negotiations failed, and Staces made a special trip to Beijing to ask the Beijing government to recognize and perform the Kassel contract in exchange for helping the Beijing government "stress the new government" and "sell and deliver arms to Guangxi Lu Rongting".Sun Yat-sen's determination to abolish the contract was unshakable. He said to many British people, "Please go to other places to make a fortune. The mines in Guangdong are reserved for the Cantonese." Faced with Sun Yat-sen's tough attitude, Staces took measures to divide the Guangzhou government from within.Soon after the reestablishment of the Guangzhou military government, the British government became aware of the contradictions between Sun Yat-sen and Chen Jiongming.Regarding Sun and Chen Bumu, the British Foreign Office insisted on its policy of not getting involved in local disputes in China, while the Hong Kong authorities used it to sow dissension. Instigated by Stacey, Chinese member of Hong Kong Legislative Council and Hong Kong businessman Liu Zhubo proposed a plan to aid Chen Jiongming, raised funds for Chen Jiongming in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, supported Chen Jiongming financially, and asked Chen Jiongming to compromise with the Beijing government. Cut off all contact with Sun Yat-sen. On March 26, 1921, Liu Zhubo made a special trip to Guangzhou and held talks with Chen Jiongming. Staces reported to the British Colonial Office that he particularly hoped that the Colonial Office would agree to the plan, as it would bring enormous benefits to Hong Kong.The Colonial Office rejected Staces' proposal, pointing out: "It is extremely unwise for Hong Kong to get involved in the internal affairs of the Guangdong government." Because of the differences within Britain and Chen Jiongming's refusal, this plan to disintegrate the Guangzhou government from within failed prematurely . In the spring of 1921, Sun Yat-sen established a formal government. On April 7, the Guangzhou Extraordinary Congress elected Sun Yat-sen as the extraordinary president. On May 5, Sun Yat-sen was officially sworn in. On May 4, the Department of Chinese Civil Affairs of the Hong Kong Government sent someone to post a notice stating that, following the Governor’s order, Chinese in Hong Kong were prohibited from gathering to celebrate the establishment of the new Guangzhou government; The Guangzhou government raised funds in Hong Kong. On May 13, the Guangzhou government sent a note to Jameson, the British Consul General in Guangzhou, protesting against the announcement issued by the Hong Kong government prohibiting Hong Kong people from celebrating the inauguration of Sun Yat-sen as the extraordinary president and collecting donations for the Guangzhou government.The note pointed out that this move by the Hong Kong government was very inappropriate. It not only insulted and slandered President Sun Yat-sen and the Guangzhou government, but was also rare in the history of diplomacy.The note asked the Governor of Hong Kong to explain this. On May 23, Staces responded to the protest of the Canton government.He tweeted that he was not in Hong Kong when the notice was issued and that the matter had not been approved by him, and he apologized for the impolite language used in the notice.At the same time, he also said that what he objected to was the impolite wording used in the notice, and he fully agreed with the purpose expressed in the notice.The Hong Kong government only recognizes the central government in Beijing, so it is impossible for the Hong Kong government to allow celebrations and fundraising for the inauguration of a rival president in Hong Kong. On May 24, Wu Chaoshu sent a letter to Jamison, refuting Staces' remarks.Wu Chaoshu pointed out that the Hong Kong authorities interfered with Hong Kong residents' celebrations and provided moral and material support to the government. Their behavior clearly exceeded the line of friendship and neutrality pursued by the British government, and it was an act of open hostility.99% of Hong Kong residents are Chinese, and most of them strongly support this government. Any hostile words or actions made by senior Hong Kong officials against this government will make Hong Kong residents feel indignant.The Hong Kong government should completely cancel and cancel the notice issued, so as to restore friendly relations between Guangdong and Hong Kong. Jameson, the British Consul General in Guangzhou, believed that the actions of the Hong Kong government were unpopular, and some Chinese who had always been hostile to the Kuomintang expressed sympathy for the Guangzhou government.It is wise to cancel the notice issued.English-language newspapers in Hong Kong have also sharply criticized the Hong Kong government's approach. Faced with pressure from all sides, Staces had to restrain himself because he was afraid that the situation would deteriorate to affect business relations, especially if he would be questioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Soon, the Hong Kong government will take back the notice. In 1920, the second year of Stacey's tenure, the Hong Kong authorities passed a new Societies Act, which relaxed restrictions on the registration of social groups.The labor movement in Hong Kong has resumed its public activities.In April of this year, a large-scale strike struggle broke out to protest the rising cost of living and demand an increase in wages.The main force of the strike was 5,000 Hong Kong machine workers.They demanded a 40% wage increase from the management and opposed foreign capitalists dismissing workers under the pretext of economic recession. 9,000 workers from 26 different enterprises participated in the strike.As the demands of the striking workers could not be reasonably resolved, many workers left Hong Kong and returned to the mainland.In Guangzhou they were welcomed and supported by Guangzhou machine workers.After repeated negotiations, on April 19, the British Hong Kong authorities finally agreed to the workers' request and raised wages by 32%.In the following months, new trade unions emerged in large numbers, and small-scale strikes continued, leading to the 1922 Hong Kong seamen's general strike. After the end of the First World War, the passenger and cargo volume of merchant ships in various countries increased rapidly. The operating conditions of the shipping companies improved and they made a lot of profits, so they continued to increase the salaries of the crew. The type of work is even heavier than that of foreign crews, but their wages are much lower than that of foreign crews. Some handymen on ships don't even pay wages, and their income only depends on passengers' tips.For this unreasonable situation, the Chinese seafarers in Hong Kong have always harbored resentment. The Hong Kong Chinese Seamen's Union was the first to launch an attack and sent letters to Swire and Jardine's in the UK, Japanese shipping companies, Osaka Merchant Shipping Co., Ltd., and shipping companies in the United States and the Netherlands, demanding that from January 1922, Chinese seafarers The monthly salary will be increased by 30%, and the management will reply within a time limit. After receiving the letter from the Seamen's Union, the shipping companies immediately held a meeting to study countermeasures.According to Mr. Gulu’s column, some people said at the meeting that we hire Chinese sailors to provide them with food, and their situation is much better than that of Chinese people in China, but they are still not satisfied, which is unreasonable. .Letters from the seamen's union can be ignored.If the workers take any action, fire them and let them experience a chance of being unemployed for a while, so that they don't know their blessings.