26th January, 1928
PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL
My dear P.M.,
Before the others arrived at lunch yesterday, Sir Alan Anderson [1] opened the subject again of the sale of the Australian Commonwealth Line and the participation of the Commonwealth Government in the capital of the Orient Company. When he had said his say, I asked him if he had any notes on the subject that I could forward to you. He produced the enclosed aide-memoire.
He made no mention of possible purchasers of the Line. Is it possible that he has in mind the purchase of the Line in exchange for the Commonwealth Government’s purchase of a large block of their stock? [2]
I am, Yours sincerely, R. G. CASEY
_1 Of Anderson Green & Co., managers of the Orient Line.
2 Bruce replied on 20 March that he had heard nothing from Anderson. The Government had invited tenders for purchase of the Australian Commonwealth Line but to date it had received only three tenders, two of them ‘impossible’. The letter is on file AA:A1420.
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