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

London, 7th February 1917
Messrs Worms & Co - Paris

Dear Sirs,
Marseilles & Time Chartering. We beg to acknowledge receipt of your favor of the 3rd inst. and note what you write in connection with the Greek steamer of 3.500 tons which Mr. Holmden mentioned.
We are afraid this steamer has now been allocated elsewhere and negotiations therefore must be commenced "de novo" with Mr. Newton Dunn who has taken over from Mr. Holmden the coal part of the Inter-Allied Chartering Committee's duties.
We have seen Mr. Dunn this afternoon when he told us that he was writing us a letter on the subject which however we shall not receive until tomorrow but we believe he is of opinion that it would be almost impossible for the French Commission here to allocate a boat to you for Marseilles and that your best chance is to ask your Bureau des Charbons to allocate a boat to you in Paris. We told Mr. Dunn we felt sure you had endeavoured to have this done but we put it to him that we did not think you had a strong case in asking your Bureau for tonnage to take coal to Marseilles which was to be re-exported there as bunkers in British steamers.
Since then we have spoken to Mr. Pyman of the French Commission
who told us practically the same thing as we heard from Mr. Dunn but unofficially he went on to say he thought you might ask your Authorities to give you one of the time chartered boats, presumably a Greek steamer, which were now being divided between the French & Italian Governments and if you could get them to give instructions that one of these boats should be given to you it would enable Mr. Pyman to hand over the steamer to you.
We have made enquiries about 1.000 tons steamers and we are this evening told by a firm of brokers that they have offered to a steamer of about 900 tons cargo 61/- for 12 months' time charter, that for a smaller boat 65/- is offering for 6 months, and that for a boat of about 410 tons d.w. they have a firm bid of 67/6 for 9 months. We must say we cannot understand the position but we think it can only be a question of time before our Authorities find out that these steamers are being fixed at over the Limitation Rate of 52/6.
In today's "Times" (page 8) you will find particulars of a new insurance scheme for neutral tonnage and although we think it will be of assistance our information is that the scale is considered to be on too low a basis.
We are, dear Sirs,
Yours truly,

James Burness & Sons