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James Burness & Sons
London and 3, Bute Crescent - Cardiff
138, Leadenhall Street

London, 3rd February 1917
Messrs Worms & Co - Paris

Dear Sirs,
Marseilles & Time Chartering. We beg to acknowledge receipt of your favors of the 30th & 31st ultimo the contents of which have our best attention.
We sincerely hope that the gentlemen you name to us who now attend the Meetings of the Central Executive Committee may be able to alter the existing state of affairs because, as you rightly point out, Allied steamers (the war risk insurance on which is practically the same as for neutrals) cannot go to the limitation ports at the old rates and the position of course is further accentuated by the recent announcement of unrestricted "U" boat warfare. We understand premiums at Lloyds have further advanced but the market yesterday was irregular; we hope however that in the early days of next week it may steady somewhat.
Greek Owners appear to be freely availing themselves of the recent scheme by which their steamers are time chartered by the British Government who cover them for war risk insurance. It is one of these steamers which we hope may be allocated to you for Marseilles inasmuch as with other Greek steamers at a high time chartered rate plus the war risk it would be impossible for you to lay down coal at Marseilles at anything like a reasonable figure. This point we think is fully understood by Mr. Holmden who has alludee to it more than once.
Since writing the foregoing we have seen Mr. Holmden to ask him whether Portuguese & Italian steamers are to be considered neutrals; this in view of your charter of the "Figueira". Mr. Holmden says Italian steamers are considered national boats and are on the same basis as French & British steamers but he does not know the position of Portuguese steamers; he is however to ask the question at his Committee Meeting this afternoon.
Mr. Holmden asked whether you would be willing to take over a Greek steamer on time charter when we said we feared not if it meant that the time charter rate was in the neighbourhood of 60/-and the war risk had to be done at Lloyds; he said it would probably be one of the "new" boats, the time charter rate being say 35s/-, but the war risk would have to be covered at Lloyds meantime at all events. It appears that they are working at a scheme of insurance for these Greek boats but he is unable to say whether eventually it will be carried through. We promised to put this to you by the first opportunity as Mr. Holmden said he did not wish to get you the offer of a steamer on these terms at the Meeting this afternoon if you could not entertain it. Unfortunately however up to the time of writing you have not been through to us on the telephone.
We are, dear Sirs,
Yours truly,

James Burness & Sons

Since writing we were pleased to be able to speak to you twice on the telephone and we have now written Mr. Holmden that you are seriously considering the matter & will be able to reply on Monday morning but that inasmuch as we had not been able to give you the value of the steamer for insurance purposes you were somewhat at a loss in making a rough calculation as to how it would work out; we were also unable to say whether the boat was for 12 months time charter or for the duration of the war. However we have told Mr. Holmden we should like to be able to put a boat before you for very prompt reply with the full range UK/Dunkirk/Sicily.
Since speaking to you it has occurred to us that all our appeals to Mr. Holmden have been in relation to Marseilles so we think we should have to explain to that gentleman that you wish in case of need to put her in for other business in connection with the French Government.