The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-08

our friends"
Schmidt then suggested six of the
leading wooden firms of Germany as
the concerns to act in the wool-pur-
chase matter after the wool reached
Germany. These firms all of them
with offices in or near Berlin, were
F. F, Koswig, F. W. Wegener, Tan
nenbaum, Pariser & Co., F. Rechberg,
the Schedewitz Wooden Mills, and Jo-
ham Wilhelm Scheidt
A few weeks after negotiations were
opened for the purchase of Cape wool
Schmidt again communicated with
his Berlin superiors, in the course of
which communication he said that
| the Everitt firm demands on sales
to German a cast-iron guarantee
This guarantee, he added, would not
be practicable sin the event the goods
had to lay long time in New York"
! In all instances the materials were
| shipped to the "shove in betweens''
in New York and th~n transhipped to
neutral countries in Europe.
| In this same month the Schmidt
| letters show that the Germans estab-
lished a credit of $125,000 in the
Standard Bank of South Africa, Ltd,
at East London, the credit to be
drawn on by Everitt at ninety days
1 sight, through the London branch of
the Guaranty Trust Company. This
was in payment for wool which was
shipped to New York to the Forst-
mann-Hoffmann Company and sub
sequently transhipped to a Scandina-
Wan port. In a reference to this
transaction Schmidt in a letter to the
Deutsche Bank wrote: ct will remark
that Forstmann for his cooperation
does not request that any provision
be made for himself
American Wool for Germany
In January, 1915, it was decided to
buy some wool in the United States
and the papers show that a consign-
ment of domestic wool worth $50, 900
went forward on one of the steamers
of the Luckenbach Line, consigned of
course to a firm in a neutral Euro
pean country. Another shipment
made early in 1915, which was of
Cape wool, was insured in New York
for $55O,000. This transaction was
handled by DR.. Heinrich Albert, then
the financial adviser of Bernstorffs
plot organization, in Washington.
In March, 1915, another shipment
of 1000 bales of South African wool
is referred to in the Schmidt papers.
This particular purchase was for the
Berlin ubener Hat Manufacturing
Company, and was plainly intended
) for war uniform" purposes. This
shipment necessitated a new credit
) of $250,000 in the Standard Bank of
: South Africa, Ltd, concerning which
credit the Deutsche Bank sent the
following communication to the
Guaranty Trust Company, in New
| York:
Berlin, April 26. 1915, Credit No.
1882.
J ''The Guaranty Trust Company, New
York:
Dear Sirs:-We have to acknow-
ledge receipt of your letter of April
} 3, informing US that at the suggestion
of our representative, Hugo Schmidt,
/ you have requested by cable the Stan
dard Bank of South Africa, Ltd, Eass
: London, to negotiate the drafts of AL
: fred Everitt, East London, to the ex-
= tent of $4,000, on sight, on your
: London office, against bills of lading
? for wool shipped to New York for ac-
= count of Messrs. Forstmann-Hoff-
mann Company, Passaic.
r Marine and war risk insurance are
= to be covered in New York. The cred
:, it is to remain in force until Aug. 1.
< I'm any case we herewith engage
f ourselves to mold you covered on due
I date for the equivalent of the drafts
on your London office under this
e credit, you cabling us the date for
t the cable-transfer, London, to be ap-
I plied.'
0 The same day, April rs, 1915, the
n Deutsche Bank notified the Guaranty
Trust Company that we have further
D directed that drafts may also be ne
L gotiated against warehouse receipts
t pending shipment
Y The records of Schmidt also show
= shipment of wool ''for military
e cloth" on Feb. 4. 1915; another on
e the goth of the same month, and
= many other shipments before and
!. subsequent to those dates.
e AS regards the jute shortage in
} Germany, the following is an extract
: from letter found in Schmidt's files.
e dated Jan. 20, 1915, which is address
= ed to him, and is signed by a man
= whose name appears to be Kolen-
It kaempff: