Any further communication should be dressed to-
THE "CHAIRMAN,"
the address given opposite.
The following letters and number
Just be quoted:—
THS/MS. REW.T.L.2938.
"LEPHONE:
VICTORIA 8630 14 Lines).
KOMANDI
CAMCOM. VIC.. LONDON.
WAR TRADE DEPARTMENT,
REC.
2436
TRADE CLEARING HOUSE 16
REGO
BROADWAY HOUSE,
12
TOTHILL STREET,
WESTMINSTER, S.W.
14th January 1916.
Transit Letter 2938.
COLONIAL OFFICE.
From: El Oriente Tobacco Factory,C.ingenchl, Manila.
To: C.Ingenohl,
Kotterdam.
This envelope contains private correspondence from A.Velhagen, manager of Ingenohl's Manila branch, to his relations in Germany. The letter to his mother at Bielefeld seems to supply more definite evidence of the German nationality or at least of the German connection of Ingenohl and his firm than has hitherto been available.
Velhagen says:-
"I see from the papers that private letters from Germany
and abroad are going to be censored, and I am afraid that I shall hear less frequently from you in consequence. Obviously, however, a censorship of outward correspondence is necessary to check spying. I should not be sorry if this censorship was extended to business letters so that Herr Ingenohl might get into the way of cutting short his interminable oorrespondence. I should like to think that the Censor was making difficulties for his letters, holding them up on the frontier.
The excitement to boycott our cigars was dying down and customers were beginning to order again, being con- vinced that the Oriente was a Belgian firm, but unfor- tunately the thing has started again from the none too cautious letter from Ingenohl which he sent to the Singapore paper. The Governments of the various English Colonies are at present contenting themselves with informing smokers that the Oriente is under German influence, and that their cigars had better not be smoked, but without absolutely forbidding the introduction of the goods, so that our Chinese agents are trading cheerfully as before. I am now very much afraid that steps will be taken to prevent the import of our cigars which will do us a lot of harm. to get on the right side of the Belgian Consul here, I presented 10,000 cigars for the Belgian soldiers."
In order