(b) Tsingtao Mills:—With the outbreak of hostilities- around Shanghai, tenseness of atmosphere in Tsingtao was rapidly intensified and on August 26 an evacuation order to leave that port was issued by the authorities, It was then arranged that the whole of your properties be placed in the hands of the Chinese authorities under a solemn pledge of their safe custody, Ever since this evacuation only very meagre information concerning your properties was obtainable, as there were absolutely no means of access to the port of Tsingtao.
You may visualize how worried all concerned were during this period of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.