JBM18900916

1890 September 16thDirectors Meeting held at No. 7 Water Street
Tuesday Septr. 16th 1890 at 2.30 P.M.
Present: Messrs. Kirkwood (Chair), Carl Rohde, E.Blanc and T.B.Glover

After the minutes of the last meeting had been read and signed by theChairman.
¾

Price and quality of malt of Scotland, of Germany or of America
Mr. Kirkwood spoke about the price of Malt, he said that we had proof

before us that Malt could be imported from Scotland showing a large saving incost ( nearly $20 per brew ) over that imported from Hamburg, but that until
the Beer was tasted it was not possible to form a definite opinion, of thequality of the Scotch Malt, and for this purpose it was resolved to hold thenext Directors Meeting at the Brewery on Monday next the 22nd inst at 2.30
p.m. and the Secretary was instructed to inform the Brewer of this resolution.
Mr. Glover asked if we had ever tried American Malt. The Secretary
replied in the negative, Mr. Glover thought that it was very desirable that
American Malt should be tried as they Brewed very excellent Beer in the U.S.,
the Secretary explained that he had asked a gentleman recently gone to San
Francisco to furnish him with particulars of Californian Malt, and when thesaid particulars were received, they would be placed before the Board.
¾Bottles, making contract with Shinagawa Glass Work for a year
Bottles

The Secretary read a letter from Mr. Kashiwamura (ShinagawaGlass Work) offering us 166000 “Stock” shaped bottles (Quarts) at $3.90 per
100 delivered at Yatobashi. The Secretary was authorized to accept this offer1

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and it was further decided that the Brewery adopt the “Stock” shape in future.
It was further resolved that the prices asked for bottles for future delivery- viz$4.10 per 100 Quarts and $3.10 per 100 Pints was excessive, and the Secretary
was instructed to write and explain to Mr. Kashiwamura that as Pints only
cost about 2/3 the price of Quarts in Europe the Directors could notunderstand why the Shinagawa prices were so nearly even- and to submit thefollowing form of a contract to Mr. Kashiwamura- Shinagawa.
1. That we will, except in the event of an emergency, buy our bottles in futurefrom the Shinagawa Glass Works provided they continue up to sample.
2. That a condition to the above is that the Shinagawa Glass Works always
keep in Stock over and above deliveries 50,000 Quarts and 50,000 Pints.
3. That the price is to be 4 yen per 100 Quarts and 2 yen 90 sen for Pints
delivered at Yatobashi, Yokohama.
4. That this contract remains in force for 1 year- but that if the contract gives
satisfaction, we are sure to continue with them- it being the unanimously
expressed desire of the Directors that the Brewery should in every way
possible encourage local industries instead of importing from abroad.
¾Isono’s plan to appoint 60 agents throughout Japan
General Agent of the Brewery, joined the meeting after the above wassettled, and Mr. Kirkwood requested him to explain to the Board what heproposed doing about appointing Agents throughout the country. Mr. Isono
explained that in his opinion the time had arrived when we might withadvantage send a traveller around the Country to establish agencies at alllarge centres and for this purpose he had divided the country into Sixty
Sections or districts with the idea of appointing one or more agent at each2

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district and he proposes to send out his traveller next month- but he was notin a position to say at what date the whole Sixty Agents would be appointed,
as it would be very necessary to exercise great care not to offend or come into
competition, with his existing Agents at Tokyo & Osaka.
The Board was of opinion that Isono was the best judge of how toapproach the various centres- but urged upon him the necessity of starting histraveller without delay, and to begin at once by publishing a list of Agents on asheet of paper to be enclosed in every case or package beer leaving Yokohama
and as new Agencies were formed to add their names to the list without delay.
It was explained to Mr. Isono that in the opinion of the Board, this list of
Agents was absolutely necessary. Isono promised to attend it.
Mr. Kirkwood was very strongly of the opinion that Isono should have atleast one Agent in Tokyo, were the Beer could be bought at Yokohama pricesbut as Isono asked that the discretion of the Agents could not be interferedwith, without causing injury to the Brewery, the matter was dropped.
Isono had several other matters to bring forward such as Show Cards forretailers – price of beer cases &c and he was requested to furnish theSecretary with a detailed memorandum before the next meeting to be placed
before the Board. The Secretary was also requested to draw up aMemorandum about Cost of beer cases and Straw envelopes
The meeting closed at 5.5 p.m.
Wilson Walker

Montague Kirkwood

SecretaryChairman3