The Under Secretary of State
6
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June 19th, 1916,
785
indi
pany had cabled to Hongkong (which Hongkong probably passed on to London), my Company was unable to elicit from Messrs. Režes in Lon- don a simple definition of these three words "after deducting ex-
It was only on the
pensea"
13th June, 1916 that Messrs. Reiss in London defined these words, and then came forward with the extraordinary figure of $24,000. a year stating moreover that this was only an "estimated" and "awemge figure.
N.B. There are of course other matters involved in the set- tlement with Messrs, Reiss, or whoever will hereafter conduct the China part of the business, such as a settlement of the cargoes partly sold or unsold yet.
No arrangement as to this is of course possible without a settlement of the major point, viz: the return commission payable to my Company, having been arrived at.
It is in face of this unbearable deadlock, and in view of the extreme consideration and patience shown all through by my friends here, that I offered them to go to London, instead of wasting further time in an evidently hopeless attempt to settle matters by cable and correspon- dence; bearing furthermore in mine that it is this attitude of Mesore. Reise in London, coupled with an apparent reluctance of the Hongkong Government to see the Hongkong firm lose this business (in spite of
London's attitude evidently not known to E.E. the Governor), which has so far prevented my Company from raking other arrangements as to
the selling part of the agency in China as my Company is bound to do
under its contract with the Tems Company.
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As I added to my cable to you, I am bearing the Texas Company's full instructions (drawn by Mr. Guy Stevens of the Company's legal de- partment); and, as the letter mentions, I shall, if required, have the