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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 882

8 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

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ment, and the necessary communication to him on this point will be made through. Messrs. Sutton, Ommanney and Rendall who are acting under Mr. Lyttelton's in- structions as Solicitors for the Colonial Government in the matter.

I am to request that you will take the formal steps to seeure Mr. Matthews' ser- vices for the two purposes first mentioned. The amount of his fee, and the other expenses of his visit should be divided into three portions, as may be reasonable, and charged respectively to the cost of the harbour, the Tanjong Pagar improvement, and the arbitration.

I am, &c.,

19718

No. 136.

C. P. LUCAS.

COLONIAL OFFICE to MESSRS. SUTTON, OMMANNEY AND RENDALL. [Copy to Governor, June 15, 1905. Confidential. L.F.]

[Answered by No. 137a.]

GENTLEMEN,

Downing Street, June 14, 1905. In reply to your letter of the 7th instant,* I am directed by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton to state that on behalf of the Government of the Straits Settlements he authorises you to employ Messrs. Coode, Son and Matthews as you may consider necessary in connection with the Tanjong Pagar Arbitration.

2. With respect to the second paragraph of your letter, I am to inform you that a telegramt has been despatched to the Governor, the terms of which were settled in personal consultation with yourself and Mr. Matthews.

3. I am to add that Mr. Matthews contemplates visiting Singapore at an early date to advise on the scheme for a Government Harbour and on that for the improve- ment of the Tanjong Pagar Dock. It is understood that if the arbitration proceedings take place during his stay there he will be asked to give evidence on behalf of the Government. It would, therefore, seem desirable that the fees and other expenses connected with his visit should be divided among these three services, so that the costs of the arbitration may be charged with such a proportion of the whole amount as may seem reasonable.

I am, &c.,

20564

No. 137.

C. P. LUCAS.

MESSRS. SUTTON, OMMANNEY, AND RENDALL to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received June 16, 1905.)

SIR,

[Copy to Governor, June 16, 1905. Confidential. L.F.]

3 & 4, Great Winchester Street, London, E.C., June 15, 1905.

Straits Settlements.

Tanjong Pagar Dock Company, Limited.

We enclose you copy of Messrs. Deloitte, Dever & Company's report, received from them yesterday, having written to the Company's solicitors respecting the refusal of the Secretary to supply the information asked for as to the appointments of the staff.

DEAR SIRS,

We have, &c.,

SUTTON, OMMANNEY, AND RENDALL.

Enclosure in No. 137.

4, Lothbury, London, E.C., June 14, 1905. Tanjong Pagar Dock Company; Limited.

1. In accordance with your instructions we have made enquiries as to the

† No. 128.

• No. 126A.

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work carried on by the London Agency of the Company and the staff it employs, and now have pleasure to submit the following particulars.

2. The work is directed by the London Consulting Committee which consists London of five members, whose remuneration, fixed by Article 115 of the Articles of Asso- Consult- ciation, is at the rate of 300 guineas per annum to the Chairman and 150 guineas mittee.

ing Com. per annum to each other member of the Committee, making the total remuneration £945 per annum, paid free of income tax. The present members of the Committee, as shown by the last Annual Report of the Company, are:-

William Guiseppi Gulland (Chairman),

Thomas Cuthbertson,

Andrew Currie,

George J. Mansfield,

John Finlayson.

3. The staff consists of the Secretary and five Clerks, whose names, salaries, Staff, and principal duties are enumerated below:

ewis Fraser, Secretary to the Committee; salary, £600 per annum, payable

monthly, free of income tax.

Samuel Wesley Gray, Chief Clerk; salary, £200 per annum, payable monthly, Superintends the work of the staff, and acts as Mr. Fraser's assistant in the management of the Agency. Edward Green, Bookkeeper; salary, £117 per annum, payable weekly. Robert Trueman Woods, Clerk; salary, £91 per annum, payable weekly. Attends to indents received from Singapore, and makes out memo- randa of goods required for purposes of inviting tender. Percy Herbert Green, Clerk; salary, £78 per annum, payable weekly. Checks manufacturers' invoices, makes out bills of lading, and the invoices for lading and the invoices for goods despatched to Singapore. Reginald Edwin Barratt, Junior Clerk; salary, £45 10s. Od. per annum,

payable weekly. Copies and delivers letters, and the like. We were informed that none of the staff are under written agreement with the Company, and that no fidelity insurances have been effected with regard to either of them,

We should like to have given you the dates of the respective appointments of cach member of the staff, their ages, commencing salaries and subsequent increases, in case such information may be required hereafter in the event of claims being made for compensation for loss of office under Section of the Ordinance, but Mr. Fraser has refrained from furnishing the particulars. We believe the infor- mation is withheld under the advice of the Company's solicitors.

4. The principal function of the London Agency is to purchase and ship to Purchases Singapore the stores and materials required there. The methods followed in doing for Singa- this are briefly as follows:-The head office at Singapore mails weekly to London pore. a list or "indent" of its requirements with complete specifications. Each indent and every class of stores enumerated in it, are distinguished by a code word and number, so that the cabling of repeat orders or other directions may be facilitated. Upon receipt of the indents in London, each class of article required is separately listed upon a memorandum form, inviting tenders from the several manufacturers or merchants accustomed to supply such articles. Upon receipt of the tenders, the Secretary adjudicates upon them and completes the contracts, and, at the same time, advises the head office at Singapore of what has been done. This advice takes the form of a copy of the original indent supplemented by additional columns with the names of the contractors, the prices to be paid and the probable length of time each order will take to execute.

5. The Secretary arranges for the freight and insurance, and by the time the Shipment goods are ready for delivery advises the contractors of the places to send them for and in- shipment.

aurance.

6. Three copies are furnished by the contractors of each invoice; one being Invoices retained by the London Agency and the others sent to Singapore by consecutive mails. Attached to these are memoranda or invoices giving the additional charges incurred by the London Agency for freight, insurance and the like. The volume of business done in this way is substantial, the total cost of the goods sent to Singapore during the year 1904 being £52,463.

Instruc- iona.

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