Letter from I. B. Stevenson to E. Venizelos, concerning the postponement of the competition for the construction of the settlement of Nea Smyrna.
173.133.021 · 1930 Ιούνιος 5 · Αγγλική · machine-generated, not reviewed
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Original text (diplomatic transcription)
OCR: passed checks · evren/qwen3-vl-30b
173/21
HOLLAND & HANNEN AND CUBITS LTD.
255, Greville Inn Road,
London, W. O. I.
5th June, 1930.
His Excellency
Mr. E. G. Venizelos,
Prime Minister,
Athens.
3892
Your Excellency,
HMS BETHIA.
Sometime ago Mr. F. Hillier brought to our notice the
question of providing housing accommodation at New Smyrna, and
recently he advised us that the matter was receiving close
attention from your Government, and sent to England some
particulars of the proposed form of contract.
I thereupon discussed the matter at some length
with Mr. Clif Sumner who is also Mr. McGee's the Chairman of the
Midland Bank, and finally I determined to visit Athens myself
to inquire into the local conditions both in regard to finance
and building possibilities.
On the former I have had a considerable discussion
with Mr. Broosopoulous, the Honorary of the National Bank of
Greece, and reluctantly I have come to the conclusion that I have,
therefore, determined to return to London forthwith to make up
financial discussions there and to investigate a possible avenue
suggested by Mr. Broosopoulous. The difficulty of the matter
is much complicated by the importance of the individual of the
Greek general credit position, which I fully appreciate.
As regards the technical side, I have had one of
our Managers here who is making a very full and comprehensive
study of the whole position.
We feel, therefore, that subject to the suggested
finance avenue proving practicable, we shall be in a position
to make an efficient and businesslike proposal to your Government
for the carrying out of your requirements in a really competent
manner, but to do so must naturally entail delay, as we
must ask, but we hope, that the process of adjudication should again
be postponed for a period of say 2 months.
We take this request with full appreciation of
its seriousness, but we feel that the experience, position and
age of our firm (over 100 years) entitles us to do so.
We carry out a large number of the more important
buildings and it is interesting to note that we are just
finishing for the London County Council their great Bowdon
Housing Scheme on the outskirts of London, a scheme which
resembles New Smyrna in many ways, although it is not so very
much larger scale.
The work is being carried out in a most efficient
and economically carried out unless an organisation is properly
up to a considerable point.
The building of any one hundred houses is not only
a great task for the building of a large factory, but we feel
that with this and in view of our technical expert is strong due to
not only to the available supplies, but to the experience of Grace Contractors under our main organisation and supervision.
Stamps and notes
- stamp ΜΠΗ/Benaki bottom right
- archival 3892 top right
- handwritten_note 173/21 top left
- handwritten_note 5th June, 1930. top right
- handwritten_note Mr. E. G. Venizelos, Prime Minister, Athens. left
- handwritten_note HMS BETHIA. center
- handwritten_note 3892 top right
- handwritten_note HOLLAND & HANNEN AND CUBITS LTD. 255, Greville Inn Road, London, W. O. I. top center
- handwritten_note Your Excellency, left
- handwritten_note Mr. Clif Sumner who is also Mr. McGee's the Chairman of the Midland Bank, and finally I determined to visit Athens myself to inquire into the local conditions both in regard to finance and building possibilities. middle
- handwritten_note On the former I have had a considerable discussion with Mr. Broosopoulous, the Honorary of the National Bank of Greece, and reluctantly I have come to the conclusion that I have, therefore, determined to return to London forthwith to make up financial discussions there and to investigate a possible avenue suggested by Mr. Broosopoulous. The difficulty of the matter is much complicated by the importance of the individual of the Greek general credit position, which I fully appreciate. middle
- handwritten_note As regards the technical side, I have had one of our Managers here who is making a very full and comprehensive study of the whole position. middle
- handwritten_note We feel, therefore, that subject to the suggested finance avenue proving practicable, we shall be in a position to make an efficient and businesslike proposal to your Government for the carrying out of your requirements in a really competent manner, but to do so must naturally entail delay, as we must ask, but we hope, that the process of adjudication should again be postponed for a period of say 2 months. middle
- handwritten_note We take this request with full appreciation of its seriousness, but we feel that the experience, position and age of our firm (over 100 years) entitles us to do so. middle
- handwritten_note We carry out a large number of the more important buildings and it is interesting to note that we are just finishing for the London County Council their great Bowdon Housing Scheme on the outskirts of London, a scheme which resembles New Smyrna in many ways, although it is not so very much larger scale. middle
- handwritten_note The work is being carried out in a most efficient and economically carried out unless an organisation is properly up to a considerable point. middle
- handwritten_note The building of any one hundred houses is not only a great task for the building of a large factory, but we feel that with this and in view of our technical expert is strong due to not only to the available supplies, but to the experience of Grace Contractors under our main organisation and supervision. middle
Demotic Greek
Not yet available.
Turkish
173/21
HOLLAND & HANNEN AND CUBITS LTD.
255, Greville Inn Road,
London, W. O. I.
5 Haziran 1930.
Ekselansları
Bay E. G. Venizelos,
Başbakan,
Atina.
3892
Ekselansları,
HMS BETHIA.
Bir süre önce Bay F. Hillier, Yeni İzmir'de (New Smyrna) konut sağlanması meselesini dikkatimize sunmuştu. Yakın zamanda da konunun Hükümetinizce yakından ele alınmakta olduğunu bize bildirdi ve önerilen sözleşme şekline ilişkin bazı ayrıntıları İngiltere'ye gönderdi.
Bunun üzerine konuyu, aynı zamanda Midland Bank Başkanı Bay McGee'nin [kaynakta eksik/bozuk] olan Bay Clif Sumner ile etraflıca görüştüm. Sonunda hem finansman hem de inşaat olanakları bakımından yerel koşulları incelemek üzere Atina'yı bizzat ziyaret etmeye karar verdim.
Bunlardan ilki konusunda Yunanistan Ulusal Bankası'nın Onursal [yetkilisi] Bay Broosopoulous ile kapsamlı bir görüşme yaptım ve istemeyerek şu sonuca vardım ki [kaynakta metin eksik]; bu nedenle oradaki mali görüşmeleri [yeniden ele almak] ve Bay Broosopoulous'un önerdiği olası bir yolu araştırmak üzere derhal Londra'ya dönmeye karar verdim. Tamamen takdir ettiğim üzere, meselenin güçlüğü Yunanistan'ın genel kredi durumunun bireysel [?] önemi nedeniyle büyük ölçüde artmaktadır.
Teknik yöne gelince, Müdürlerimizden birini buraya getirttim. Kendisi durumun bütünü hakkında son derece ayrıntılı ve kapsamlı bir inceleme yapmaktadır.
Bu nedenle, önerilen finansman yolunun uygulanabilir olduğunun anlaşılması kaydıyla, ihtiyaçlarınızın gerçekten ehil bir biçimde karşılanması için Hükümetinize etkin ve işe uygun bir teklif sunabilecek durumda olacağımız kanısındayız. Ancak bunu yapmak doğal olarak gecikmeyi gerektirecektir; zira ihale sürecinin yeniden, diyelim ki 2 aylık bir süre için ertelenmesini rica etmek zorundayız, ama [kabul edileceğini] umuyoruz.
Bu talebi, ciddiyetinin tamamen bilincinde olarak yapıyoruz. Ancak firmamızın tecrübesinin, konumunun ve yaşının (100 yılı aşkın) bize bunu yapma hakkı verdiği kanısındayız.
Önemli binalardan pek çoğunu biz inşa ediyoruz. Şunu belirtmek ilginçtir ki London County Council için Londra'nın eteklerindeki büyük Bowdon Konut Projesi'ni tamamlamak üzereyiz. Bu proje, pek o kadar daha büyük ölçekli olmamakla birlikte, birçok bakımdan Yeni İzmir'e (New Smyrna) benzemektedir.
İş son derece verimli ve ekonomik biçimde yürütülmektedir; bir organizasyon belli bir noktaya kadar gereği gibi [kurulmadıkça] [kaynakta cümle bozuk].
Herhangi yüz evin inşası, yalnızca büyük bir fabrikanın inşası için büyük bir iş değildir. Ancak bununla birlikte ve teknik uzmanımızın [görüşü] göz önünde bulundurulduğunda, [durumun] güçlü olduğu kanısındayız. Bu, yalnızca mevcut malzemelerden değil, ana organizasyonumuz ve denetimimiz altındaki Grace Contractors'ın tecrübesinden de kaynaklanmaktadır.
English
Not yet available.