CO882-(8-9) — Page 34

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

THEPIC.O. 882

سلئسسالسا

17

Besides the land having a sea frontage, and immediately connected with their undertaking, the Company's property also extends inland for some distance, and in- cludes residential property such as the Hooding Estate, the Raeburn Estate, Spottis- woode Park, Everton and Duxton. They also own other detached pieces of land such as the offices in Collyer Quay, Holne Chase (in Grange Road), the residence of the Managing Director, and land at Tanjong Rhu, on the east side of the Singapore Roads. They have, as already shown, acquired the property of the Prye River Dock Company, situated in Province Wellesley, in the settlement of Penang.

Since their formation in 1864, the Company have gradually acquired and absorbed the following undertakings:-

(1) The Bon Accord Dock, situated on Pulau Brani, a small island on the

south of the channel.

(2) The property of the Borneo Company.

(3) The New Harbour Dock Company (called until 1875 the Patent Slip and Dock Company) formerly, as has appeared, a very keen competitor of the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company, in the early days of the latter's existence.

(4) The greater portion of the property of the Tanjong Pagar Land Company. (5) The New Prye River Dock Company in Penang.

The Company also became, in conjunction with the New Harbour Dock Com- pany, the proprietors of the Singapore Tramways, until this undertaking was closed in 1894, and they have gradually acquired 924 out of a total of 1,000 shares in the Slipway Company at Tanjong Rhu, the property of this Company being situated on the eastern side of the Singapore Roads about three miles from the eastern limit of the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company's property. The total length of the Company's wharves at the present time (including Jardine's Wharf) is 11,808 feet (the length of Jardine's Wharf being 325 feet). Besides the business connected with the wharves and docks, including the loading and unloading and storing of cargo, the handling and storing of coal, the docking of ships for painting and cleaning, they carry on an extensive engineering industry in connection with the repairing and building of ships. Their works include a boiler shop, machine shop, blacksmith's shop, foundry and saw-mill. Their undertaking has been described as the most successful of all the various dock and wharf enterprises initiated in Singapore, and one of the largest and most important engineering establishments in the Far East. They also collect rents from their residential property to the amount of about $9,000

per annum.

From the above it is anticipated that counsel will at least be able to gather that Expro- by far the greater portion of the shipping trade of the great port is now about to priation. be re-administered, or to quote the expressive diction of the late Chairman of the Company (Mr. John Anderson) "The Chief and all-important pinion wheel of the machinery that works our large shipping and coaling trade on which this port may be said to live, move and have its being."

observa-

At this stage the writers feel that they are, somewhat handicapped in fully Nature of instructing Counsel as to the position of matters. The Court of Arbitration has not these yet been constituted, nor even partly so, to the extent of the nomination of an tions. Arbitrator by the Government, and, consequently, no claim or particulars of any sort have been sent in by the Company, and all that can be done is to do their best to anticipate the various possible views of either side as they now present themselves.

First, however, to bring the statement of occurrences up to this date.

Subsequent to the notice of expropriation on the 10th December, 1904 (which Notice of does not appear to have been formally communicated locally, but has doubtless been expropria accepted) Mr. Nicholson, the Company's Managing Director, had an interview with don. His Excellency the Governor at Government House in the course of which His Excellency stated that $240 per share might be taken as the offer of the Government. Mr. Nicholson being in doubt as to whether this offer was a formal one, subsequently saw the Colonial Secretary and thereupon ensued the correspondence set out in the Appendix H. and after the passing of the Ordinance further correspondence on the same subject took place, which is also set out in the same Appendix.

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON)

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