M. SAMUEL & Co?
TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS,
LEUMAS, LONDON.
TELEPHONE No 4362
SAMUEL SAMUEL & CO
YOKOHAMA, KOBE & TOKIO.
JAPAN
TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS.
ORGOMANES
TELEGRAPHIC CODES USED A.B.C. 4 Ed?, Scotts Code 5 Ed! 1885.
31, Houndsditch,
London
Aug 8th.
655
To the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies,
Sir,
789 20 15923
- 8 AUG 32)
We are informed that a petition addressed to the Hon. G. J. O'Brien in terms as per copy enclosed, has been referred home by this gentleman to the Colonial Office.
We must inform you that so long ago as April 5th, permission was given by the Government of Hong Kong for the purchase of a site of land for the erection of tanks to contain bulk oil. The Naval & Military Authorities were consulted & offered no objections, and our Correspondents in Hong Kong, Messrs Arnhold, Karberg & Co., accordingly purchased land (we shipped to them the Tanks & other essentials for the Installation) & we immediately commenced building tank steamers for the supply of this most important Colony with Petroleum in bulk.
As the copy of letter which we enclose, addressed to the Colonial Secretary at Hong Kong, fully covers all the points raised in the petition, we have to crave that you will be good enough to peruse the two documents, together with the copy of correspondence published by the Foreign Office, which we also take the liberty of enclosing. We venture to say that it is monstrous that heavy loss should be entailed upon us & the grave risk run of having steamers costing £60,000 lying idle from the delay occasioned by the petition which is simply idle & vexatious, and under the circumstances we hope we are not asking too much from the Colonial Office in requesting the Secretary of State to telegraph out instructions to the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong for the work upon the Tanks (now at a standstill pending the decision of the Colonial Office) may be proceeded with forthwith. We will gladly pay the cost incurred by a telegram.
Dictated
And have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient servants,
M. SAMUEL & Co.