CO129-441 - Governor Sir May - 1917 [1-3] — Page 181

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PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.

sir,

Enclosure 1.

BEC

17013

REG 31 MAR 17

178

British Consulate,

Honolulu, Hawaii,

December 22nd., 1916.

have been

You may be interested to learn that endeavouring for some time past to induce the China Mall S.s.co. which operates the American S.S. "CHINA", and, so I learn, is buying the British 5.s. "FILE", to appoint as their agente in Honolulu some other fire than Hackfeld & Co. This firm while nominally an American (Hawaiian) Corporation is in reality German. The head of the fire resides in Germany, and the capital is German. of the resident directors, one, the manager 18 the German Consul, and another the Austrian Consul. The other directore' are either German or German-naturalized American, and the same applies to the personnel.

These faote and objections have been put before the management of the China Mail S. 8. 00. in San Francisco through the Chinese Consul here, and some looal Chinese shareholders, who themselves are opposed to Hackfeld & Co. being the agents.

However our efforts have been met with a flat refusal

on the part of the General Manager, who takes the stand that his Company is an American corporation, and we have no right to interfere.

I understand that a large number of shares in the China Mail S. 6. 00. are held in Hongkong, and I think it possible that more effective pressure may be brought to bear on the manage- ment from Hongkong than from here.

* Colonial Secretary,

Hongkong.

I em, động

(SD.) E. S. Gordon,

H. B. M. Consul.