CO129-440 - Others & Individuals - 1916 — Page 634

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By SS. "Oeltio"

South Ferry Building,

1 State Street,

633

Reference No.6402/1916

(Ref.108/16/16)"

The Under Secretary of State,

Sir,

New York, May 4th, 1916.

Colonial Office, London, S.W.

REC

C

23246

REG 17 MAY 16

in re the 011 business in Hongkong & Chins of

the Texas Company Houston & New York.

My last report which I had the nonor foto address to you, in regard to this troublesome matter, is dated the 1st ulto, and I much

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regret to have to report today that Kessrs, L. Reiss Bros. & Co. Ltd. have after all not seen their way to endorse their Hongkong associate's willingness to accept the proposed Texas Agency contract, jointly with my Company, which willingness I have no doubt Mr. Holyoak has repeated to his London partners after I cabled him once more how watters stood on this side, anxious as he is to obtain this valuable agency.

These cables, one addressed to his firm, Lessrs. Reiss & Com- pany, Hongkong, and one to himself are embodied in my two letters of the 28th ultc. and I now beg leave to refer you, for further particulars, to the enclosed copies of these letters.

Unfortunately and to my great regret for more reasons than one I saw no alternative but to trouble you with a very long cable expensive to my Company as it was, [owing to cable-letter facilities having been withdrawn because of the interruptions in the service via lreland), and bearing in mind, moreover, the great expense incurred al-