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24856.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
דון
C.O.885
Reference :-
14 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
SIR,
No. 226.
(SOUTH AFRICA.)
LAW OFFICERS to COLONIAL OFFICE.
Royal Courts of Justice, September 14, 1899. We were honoured with your commands, signified in Sir Edward Wingfield's lotter of the 22nd ultimo, stating that he was directed by you to transmit to us the accompanying documents relative to the claims by Mr. W. C. Thomson, the licensce in the South African Republic of the Roburite Explosives Company, Limited, of London, and by the Company itself, for compensation from the Government of the South African Republic in respect of the losses alleged to have been suffered by them through the cancellation of their patent rights and their being debarred by the existence of the explosives monopoly from carrying on the trade of manufacturing and selling roburite in that Republic, viz :——
(i.) Copy of petition and claim submitted to the President and Executive Council of the South African Republic by Mr. W. C. Thomson.
(ii) Copy of covering letter of 19th January, 1899, from the Roburite Explosives Company, Limited, to the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
(iii) Letter from Home Office to Colonial Office of 22nd February, 1899.
(iv.) Confidential despatch from Iligh Commissioner for South Africa to the Secre-
tary of State for the Colonies of 15th April, 1899.
(v.) Confidential despatch from same to same of 18th April, 1899.
That Sir Edward Wingfield was to refer us to our report of 29th July, 1897,* which was to the effect that the Roburite Company had a claim for compensation from the Government of the South African Republic, hut that, before Her Majesty's Govern- ment gave its support to that claim the Company ought to be required to submit some figures which could be relied upon, showing the amount of their loss; and that then it appeared to us to be of a somewhat speculative character as regarded the amount.
That on receipt of the petition and claim of Mr. W. C. Thomson and covering letter from the Company mentioned above, which gave certain figures in support of the claims, you caused confidential inquiries as to the consumption of roburite as compared with other similar explosives in this country and in South Africa to be addressed to the Home Office and the High Commissioner for South Africa, and that the replies to those inquiries were enclosed for our information.
That it would be observed that, although roburite was apparently fitted for use in coal measures, of which mineral the production in the Transvaal has increased from 548,534 tons in 1893 to 1,600.212 tons in 1897, they were not on the whole favourable to the claims, which were principally based on an assumed steady increase in the con- sumption of roburite.
That in those circumstances you proposed, subject to our concurrence, to address the subjoined communication to Mr. W. C. Thomson and the Secretary of the Com- pany, and that Sir Edward Wingfield was to enquire whether we approved of the terms of the draft letter.
We have taken the matter into our consideration, and, in obedience to your com- mands, have the honour to
Report-
That we approve of the proposed despatch initialled by us.
We have, &c.,
RICHARD E. WEBSTER. ROBERT B. FINLAY.
The Right Honourable
&c..
Joseph Chamberlain, M.P.,
&c.,
&c.
• No. 147.
3604-25-9 99 Wt 489 D&S
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
SIR,
2
Downing Street, September
1899.