CO129-440 - Others & Individuals - 1916 — Page 645

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Tum kajaťu di Jogva bu as lite pra teh maluk

Mr. Wade Gardner

May 3rd, 1916.

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one in terms of their usual form of contract, Jointly with us (as more- over accepted by Mr. Holyoak), and that my Company will not consent to the cancellation of the barring clause just referred to, To enforce this cancellation the London house of Messrs. Keies & Co. did not heal- tate to write my Company, on the 24th January last:

"that our Hongkong friends will only undertake the handling of the balance of the "Panama" sargo on condition that the contract made between us on 25th Jane last, but which is now suspended by the de- parture of Mr. Cheetham, be withdraw, and the terms therein be con- sidered null and void,

Failing this arrangement, our Hongkong fim have decided to give up the agency at once." 1

It is a sad story, as you will observe, and that is why I so far kept it from you, often as I saw you,

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Only a few days ago, on the 28th ulto., I wrote my partner:

"Well, we shall soon see whether Reiss should London persist and prevail surrender the business quietly, giving the umal assis- tance to those other parties in Hongkong and Canton who will be their successors, so that no loss and inconvenience is caused to the Texas Company and us.

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That will be the test and, above all, I hope that the Governor of Hongkong will not put any obstacle into the way of the Texas Com- pany and in ours to let this business be handled by others, should Reiss' refusal force us thereto and should the Texas Company not de- cide, in face of all this trouble and damage to their business, to open its own offices in Hongkong and Canton."

I also wrote to my partner by same mail:

"Blood and breeding or the absence of it as the case may be will out, even after generations. One cannot much blame a Prussian for acting like a Prussian, he does not know better, but one does ex- peat of Englishmen to act like Englishmen.

That is why Helyoak, immediately he had my better and became aware of the actual position, swung round; accepting the Joint-gency Agreement in spite of that letter, strongly worded as it was, though only expressive of justified indignation.