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London, 8th November, 1915
MM. Worms & Co - Paris

Dear Sirs,
Port Said H/U. On the telephone this morning you mentioned that you did not think any more time should be lost in arranging & renewal of the Agreement with the English Coaling C° as if it were left until too late the Port Said firms might find themselves at war with that concern. You added that your idea was that the arrangment might be renewed on the same terms as before, i.e. that the English Sealing C° have a beneficial interest of 5% in the yield of the Port Said & Suez pool on condition that they abstain from extending their bunkering business at the Canal during 1916. We immediately saw M. Newton Dunn and put your message before him and he said he would take the matter in hand. This afternoon you told us that you thought possibly the reason the English Coaling C° had given recently three months notice to terminate the arrangement was that they probably had in mind the fact that the Pool Agreement is subject to three months notice at any time, and you said you thought it would be very much better if M. Newton Dunn could get all the parties to agree to renew the pooling arrangement definitely for the whole of 1916, and thus preclude the English Coaling C° from giving notice again in another three or six months time. You further suggested that when renewing the Agreement it might be altered to read "the total bunkering business of the various subscribing members at Port Said & Suez", instead of Port Said only.
We have again seen M. Dunn and put your suggestions before him, but he said he did not know that it would suit him altogether to agree to renew for the whole of next year, and moreover he was very doubtful whether it would be politic to approach some of the others with such a suggestion at the present time.
We are, Dear Sirs,
Yours truly,

James Burness & Sons