Reference
X95/357/29
Title
From: Horace Sworder of Durham House, Luton
To: Thomas Joseph Sworder of Hertford
Date free text
5 Mar 1897
Production date
From: 1897 To: 1897
Scope and Content
From: Horace Sworder of Durham House, Luton
To: Thomas Joseph Sworder of Hertford
"My father came to see me this morning rather concerned because it was arranged for him, you & Peyer to meet at T's next Monday. I at once advised Father to do nothing of the kind as I knew how it would upset him but told him to see you on Saturday & get you to act thoroughly for him; this he at once seemed inclined to do. Though I was anxious to give Mr.J.W.Green a chance of the Brewery &c I always told him that it wd be no gift but that he wd have to pay well for it.
I told him the other day that I considered the value of the concern was what it wd fetch by auction & if anyone could give an idea as to what it wd be likely to fetch by auction then the price he ought to pay should be perhaps £15,000 less. You will hardly understand my probably unbusinesslike way of looking at things so I will explain. I am anxious that Father shd not have the great anxiety of having a very large sum of money to invest if he can make an equally satisfactory arrangement to Mr.Green. In Mr.Green he would leave £50 to 60,000 at 4 per cent perfectly safe (as far as ordinary things can be safe) thus wd save him & his family a deal of business trouble: now if he sold by auction & got 10 or 15,000 pounds more than Green would offer he wd not probably get more than 3 per cent for most of his money & might get less besides he wd have more trouble in disposing of it. I would like to know what you think the Brewery &c might fetch by auction: if you thought some fancy price even to £130,000 or more you wd hardly advise father to trake even £100,000, certainly I shd not. I thought I understood Father that £100,000 with £10,000 for goodwill & £15,000? for plant &c would not be out of the way & it seems to me that that might be about right & especially considering that if too much is charged the shares in Green & Co would possibly deteriorate & their selling value be much reduced.
Please excuse my troubling you but Father when I told him I shd write you saw it might be as well to explain my connection with Green. I wd like him to have the concern but not a farthing less than he ought to be asked to pay.
I am taking it that if sold by auction Father might & probably would have to invest all this money outside ".
Level of description
item