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Correspondence from Louis Wilkinson to Karl Germer
17 St. Leonard's Terrace London, S.W.3. Sloane 6811
17th March, 1948.
Dear Mr. Germer,
I am beginning to feel rather worried because of not having heard from you. Things cannot, of course, be brought forward to any further stage until you have decided how to act in regard to the Official Receiver. You should have had some time ago my letter and the letter of Lady Harris' [Frieda Harris] lawyers.
Enclosed is the list, made out by Mr. John Symonds, of the books for which an offer was requested by the Official Receiver from you. In addition there were MSS and I understand the Mr. Gerald Yorke has sent you a list of these. Also Mr. John Symonds tells me that Mr. Yorke is sending to you at his own expense all the goods of A.C. that can be sent to you pending the clearing up of the Official Receiver matter: i.e. Whiteley-stored goods, personal objects other than books and MSS, as the Official Receiver relinquished claim to such. There has been a little delay in getting the goods off owing, Mr. Symonds tells me, to miscalculations as to weight on the part of the packers' firm.
It is now between four and five weeks since you wrote telling me that you had arranged that a sum of £100 be paid to me at once (Feb. 13) I ought to say that this sum has not yet been received by me—in case of any miscarriage having taking place. In addition to reimbursements to Lady Harris and myself, there is outstanding the removers' account for conveying A.C.'s goods from Hastings to London. Lady Harris made herself personally responsible for this; and I doubt whether this debt can be claimed with the others incurred before A.C.'s death. If you decide to make an offer to the Official Receiver for the books and MSS, I feel that the payment of removal charges should be taken into account as an expense already incurred because of the books and MSS, and that this should be brought to the Official Receiver's notice. There will not, as you can estimate, be very much of £100 left after the three payments referred to; and there will arise the question (which you have already raised) of any payment to the Official Receiver from me on account, also of further charges for the remainder of A.C.'s goods to be sent out to you. Mr. Gerald Yorke's suggestion, I understand, is that he should pay the first consignment charges and you the second.
In regard to the offer for Books and MSS above mentioned I should think that something between £25 and £50 would be about right—in case you decide to make the offer. It has to be taken into account that some of the MSS listed by Mr. Yorke were (or so I understand) among the Whiteley goods and therefore are not claimed by the Official Receiver. I should think £50 would be the highest limit, and I should be inclined first to offer some such sum as £35.
If I hear from you that you have decided to follow Lady Harris' lawyer's advice and relinquish the cash in the Hastings Bank to the Official Receiver I will then at once inform the recent creditors (that is, the Hastings printer and Mr. Vernon Symonds, to whom the debts are the largest) so that they can take steps to realize their claims from the estate.
In case I omitted to mention it to you, I have received from the Hastings lawyers your Bank receipts for which you enquired. They are in my safe keeping, but of course if you would rather have them back, I will send them to you on hearing from you.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
Louis Wilkinson
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