Registrar, H. Eduljee, proprietor of the China Products Company, was sued by Frederick Richmond for the recovery of Hongkong $230, commission on' the sale of cement. Defendant counterclaimed for $70 money lent and Tls. 18, a share of losses on the cement transaction. During the hearing, reference was made to a scheme for the erection of a big hotel on the site of the Masonic Hall on the Bund.
Mr. P. W. Goldring appeared for plaintiff and Mr. 8. H. McKean for defendant.
At the outset, the Registrar asked if there was any doubt that the plaintiff was a British subject.
Mr. Goldring: Well, there is that difficulty.
The Registrar: Yes, a very big difficulty, if he is not a British subject.
Mr. Goldring: He applied before the war for naturalization papers and they have been held up ever since. He travels under British protection. There is correspondence going on regarding the order that no enemy subject can be naturalized for a number of -years. He came up from Hongkong, on a police pass describing him as British, but that is not sufficient for the authorities here to register him. Ho started naturalization proceedings in 1914.
Mr. Richmond: In fact, for two years before the war.
The Registrar: What did they do to you in Hongkong during the wart Mr. Richmond: Nothing at all.
Mr. Goldring: In fact, he did an enormous service for the British Government.
The case then proceeded, plaintiff stating that he was an hotel manager, but was at present out of employment. He had lately been doing brokerage. In September he sold some cement for defendant on an arrangement that he was to get the half of 2} per cent. commission. The cement was sold and paid for and he had repeatedly pressed for his commission. Eventually, he received a compradore order for Tls. 100. but only drew $70, as that was all the compradore had in his safe and witness gave a receipt for $70 on account. Nothing more was paid.
Cross-examined: He denied that. he represented to the defendant that he had bought or was about to buy the Masonic building for a big hotel and that he would require 40,000 barrels of cement for the building. He admitted that he had nothing in writing to show that was entitled to commission. It was not usual, he claimed, in Shanghai' for. brokers to have such con- C. tracts. On the contract of witness was referred to as sale the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.