James R. Harris letter to F.B. Whitney - June 1, 1918

Transcript

Personal. June 7, 1918. Mr. F. B. Whitney, c/o The Deselektro Company, Evans Bldg., Washington, D. C. My dear Whitney: Enclosed you will find official communication to your Company with reference to our discontinuing sales arrangement with the Deselektro Company. I think you will agree that our officers are right in not feeling that we should pay a commission on the sale of stationary or commercial marine engines as the demand for same has been so great for the past three years that no sales work is or has been necessary in this connection. The reason we have not received orders for these types of engines has not been the amount of work we have had on hand precluded our considering such business. In the case of submarine engines, there might be a moral question as to whether we should discontinue our arrangement covering the sale of these engines owing to you and Mr. Robinson, through your influence with The Lake Torpedo Boat Company and the Navy Department, having secured orders for us for engines for submarine boats, and further on account of the work you have been doing in connection with appropriations being made by Congress for the letting of contracts for additional submarine boats, and upon my next visit to Washington, which I expect will be before the end of the month, I will be glad to talk this matter over with you, and it may be we might make a new arrangement covering submarine engines which might be ordered from us by The Lake Torpedo Boat Company or possibly by the Government, although I believe the latter would not allow us to consider in our price a commission to be paid to the Deselektro Company covering sales to them of Submarine Engines. Mr. Rotter was here yesterday and we are preparing estimates covering 500 H. P. and 900 H. P. Submarine engines of the same design as those we are now building for The Lake Torpedo Boat Company, Mr. Brill having requested Mr. Hawks, on his recent visit to Bridgeport, to furnish The Lake people with same either through the Deselektro Company or direct. The estimates being made are merely tentative and not binding and are to be used by Lake, we understand, for estimating purposes only. With kindest regards and hoping to see you soon, I remain Yours very truly, [James R. Harris]-C