Copy Sa. 296-23 tft 24
Copy
9, Victoria Stre-t.
454
S.V.I.
4th Sept bar 1924.
Dear Colonel Carmichael.
I am ruch obliged for your semi-official letter of August 8th to my partner Hitchell, forweding copy oo F letter dated 16th June 1st from His Excellency the Governor
of Hong Kong to the Secretary of State to the Colonies, with reference to our account for our report on Hong Kong Harbour.
I have bem away or would have replied before this.
I should like to say at once, and I do so on behalf of
all my partnere, that we should rather make a report without any profit at all than that any Colony should think we took
advantage of not having given an estimate of cost beforehand.
In most cases of this kind it is difficult to give a preliminary
estimate, and in this particular case it would have been imposible as we did not know the extent of the work required.
I think we may venture to say that our accounts to
the Crow Agents over a long schlas of wanor have not erved
on the high side, and that they he not in het compared
unfavourably with charges of other firms. I think, however,
it i only fair to our firm to drar attention to the following
facts:-
(a) The main Hong Kong report (24th Noverber, 1922) deelt with the first layout that hae ever been made
of one of the most importent harbours of the world.
(b) Generally when we yake * first report for the Crown Agents on a proposed harbour, wo charge vary
little over the actu:1 cost to us because it h
been the custom that, if our report be accepted, Te
11
employed to make the contract dratings
and carry out the crk, either departmentally as et
Calor be or by contract a et Kilindizi.