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who is now in Shanghai, Mr. R. Shevon, the Head of Messrs. Shewan, Tomes and Company, Liquidators of Messrs. Reuter Brockelmann and Company in Hongkong, and to his own Power of Attorney from Messrs. Sanders Rehders and Company in which that Firm are described as "the sole agents of the Texas Company of New York and Port Arthur (Texas) for Hongkong, Macao and all China Porte south of Hongkong (except Indo-China) and North up to and including Foochow and the territories inland of such Ports and places". He said that on his arrival here he found that Mr. Schluter had been prohibited from
visiting the Colony and that as difficulties had been put in his
way by the Liquidators in gaining an insight in the business with which he admitted that he was unfamiliar, he had with the permission
of the Authorities visited Mr. Schluter in Canton. He added that it
was his own idea to employ Mr. Schluter as his Sub-Agent in Canton
and that he had telegraphed to ask the permission of Messrs. Sanders Rehders for such appointment, but had had no reply.
3.
The principal evidence in support of the charge
in the Colonial Secretary's letter of the 14th. instant is contain-
.-ed in the enclosed extract from a letter addressed under date
of the 16th. of March from Mr. Schlüter in Hongkong to Mr. Steger
in Shanghai. On this extract being read to Mr. Cheetham he said
at once that he was familiar with the letter which he had seen in
Shanghai. He said that when Mr. Schlüter wrote the letter he did
not know that the agency had been taken away from Messrs. Reuter
Brockelmann and Company. He added that Kr. Steger's reply had
been to the effect that Mr. Cheetham was coming to Hongkong to
represent Lessrs. Sanders Rehders only and that when he had
received assistance from Mr. Schluter he would be able to carry on
the work of the agency himself.
Mr. Cheetham was next questioned on the enclosed extract from an unsigned letter found in Er. Schlüter's safe, and also on the enclosures to Mir. Harcourt's Confidential
40. 1653/ Despatch of the 24th. of April, 1915. His explanations were to the effect that Messrs. Reuter Bröckelmann not unnaturally wished to
retain