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concurrence of my wife I decided on booking through Messrs.
Thomas Cook & Son, as at each port their Agents would call on
board the steamer on arrival and attend to the requirements of
passengers, who had been booked by them at the port of embarkation.
This would be of great assistance to my wife and children, who
would be travelling without me for the first time. This was the
only reason why I decided to book through Messrs. Thomas Cook &
Son. I accordingly approached them for a quotation in order to
apply to the Government for a refund of the amount due to me for
three passages.
I received the quotation in question on or about 22nd
January and put in my application of the 26th January, 1932, in
the usual way in hope of getting payment of the passage allowance
before the date of sailing, about 9th February, on which date the
first possible steamer was scheduled to leave for Calcutta.
I was not in a position to pay more than the $560 in
cash, and therefore issued to Messrs. Thomas Cook & Son a cheque
of $1,200 for the part balance, post dated 15th February, as I
hoped to get the Government allowance before that date.
Later, however, when I informed the clerk at Messrs. Thomas Cook & Son that the passage would be required for the 9th
February, he stated that they could not be issued unless full
payment was made by the sailing date. As the Government allowance
was not yet forthcoming I consulted with my wife, who expressed
the wish to go herself, the children to follow on the next or
possible steamer with our relative named Bhagwan Singh, who was
expected from America at an early date by one of the Empress boats.
My wife left for India on the 10th February, and as the
Government allowance for passages was not yet received, ten days
later and as Bhagwan Singh had already arrived and was definitely
leaving by S.S. "Sirdhana" on the 24th February, I handed the
attached letter to the Superintendent of Accounts and Stores on
the 20th February enquiring when the passage money would be
received.
Mr. Anderson informed me that he would enquire from