JBM18990908

1899 September 8th
Minutes of Directors’ Meeting held at No.7 Water Street at 3 p.m.
on Friday 8th September 1899
Present: Messrs J. Dodds (Chairman), J.D. Hutchison, H. Baehr, T.B. Glover,F.S. James, W.R. Bennett¾

Emergency Meeting about Refreshment Rooms at Shinbashi andYokohamaThis was an emergency meeting called for the purpose of considering aproposal made by Meidiya to establish Refreshment Rooms at Shinbashi and
Yokohama Railway Stations at which Kirin Beer should be sold.

Thequestion had already been made the subject of a circular by the Secretary on
which the Directors had expressed themselves as unwilling to bear the costwhich was then mentioned as yen 2,300.

Since then a letter dated 4th

September had been received from Meidiya strongly urging the scheme andenclosing estimates of the cost which was now put at yen 3,020.

The

Chairman read the Circular and the letter and invited discussion, remarking
at the same time that although under the original agreement it was for
Meidiya to bear advertising expenses, the Company was neverthelesscontinually being called upon to disburse increasing amounts – theexpenditure this year already reaching some 16,000 yen.
Mr. Glover spoke strongly in favour of the scheme as being anadvertisement which would tell all over Japan.

He thought there was no

permanent objection in the fact that the contemplated rooms were to be
upstairs because new station buildings will shortly be erected when no doubt
provision would be made for refreshment rooms in more suitable quarters and1

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the advertisement would then be far better than anything else in the country.
He was sure that if “Kirin” did not take advantage of the present opportunity“Yebisu” or some other rival would step in and Kirin would never afterwards
have a chance of doing anything in the direction referred to.

Mr. Glover

thought however that the sum asked for was too large and that the Company
should negotiate with Meidiya regarding it.

Mr. Bennett considered it

unnecessary to push the beer at such cost in Tokyo and Yokohama where Kirin
was already well known.
Mr. Dodds said he believed the present increase in the sale of beer was not
the result of advertising but was due to the natural growth of the consumptionof the beverage, and he repeated an opinion which he had expressed before
that Kamban were of no use – in which Mr. Glover agreed – and said hebelieved more in energetic travelers than anything else.
After further discussion it was resolved, but by no means willingly, to votethe sum of yen 2,300 originally proposed; the Company to pay two-thirds andMeidiya the remaining one-third on the conditions.
That none but Kirin Beer should be sold in the refreshment rooms.
That this should hold good for the full term of the lease which had been
secured viz. 3 years.
That at any other rooms which the lessee might establish at railway
stations only Kirin should be soldand Meidiya was to be informed that the Company having already spentmuch more in advertising than had been intended the present disbursement
must be the last.

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Brewery Engineer
Before the meeting closed at 4 p.m. the Chairman said that although notpart of the actual business in hand he wished to mention that a general
opinion was held by persons able to judge that the present Brewery Engineer
although a good enough artificer had not had sufficient experience as anengineer to justify his being placed in charge of the valuable machinery now
being erected in the new Brewery and he suggested that perhaps one or otherof the Directors might be able to find a more suitable man.
James Dodds
Chairman3