Correspondence dated 31 October 1947

Summary

An item from the surviving correspondence of William John Sands.

Historical context

This item forms part of the surviving William John Sands correspondence and is dated 31 October 1947. It is preserved in the William John Sands Family Archive as evidence of Sands’s professional work and relationships. The accompanying transcript was produced by machine OCR and should be checked against the original scan before being treated as a definitive reading.

Catalogue description

Original correspondence scan imported from the Sands and Ferguson family archive. Source file: 19471031.pdf.

Machine transcript — unreviewed

[Page 1] 5 7 Pe son At October 31, 1917 Myrtlefielsd Hillsboro’ Old Road, lisburn Year Sir, I thank you for your letter of the 16th instant. T have sone throurh your previous letters, and I extract from your ‘etter of the lith vitimo - "I my- self think it would be a much better arrangement if I was to be independand of your firm" and from the first narseraph of your letter of the 25th ultimo, to Mr. Fereuson, = "I feel it immossible for me to carry on", Further, from my recoris I cannot find that any definite arrenrement, rervarding your remuneration, was mace and, in fact, on the 29th of July, 1946, Mr. Ferguson wrote to von asking that the question of your garary be allowed to remain in abeyance for the time The purpose of Mr. Ferguson's invitation was to eiscuss very important matters which Mr. Ferguson wanted to see you ehout, in your own interests, when he urgent- ly asked you to come here abovt two months ago. It is considered that von refused to carry out your instructions on this occasion. The law is that when a man will not carry ont his instructions, his company's responsibilities to him automatically come to an end. T have looked over 11 available records of pay- ments mace to vou, and I find from these records that from 1910 to 1944, inclusive, a sum of approximately 220,000 was naid to you, which is considered to repres- ent nayment for only two years of actual work, because T cannot find that you were at headquarters either in America,or here, for even that length of time, The tone of your last letter is deplorable. Mr. Ferguson is the best friend you and your family have in the World, and you well know that he has been working , ~) Ry ‘ ho Sime Aa 20} A menor tt ty Coe : [Page 2] 4°70 fo Wed. Senes sq. = with our Auditors ‘and with myself, oni also with our Auditors and Staff in Arericsa, to convey A Jarce cum ef money to vou, nrovised you woul? work. If evct A sum were coming to me, I wouls consider it @ smoil fortune. In addition to that, I know thet Mr, Fereuson has been planning that vou wonld have shares in Harry Ferguson Lt, Shares are now heiny distributed to all the *eading members of the Staff who are willins to work as they ought to work. Over 2 number of vears, and reckoning on the flotation of 2 Large company in a few years, the increasing value of these shares shou)? certainly have brought you a secon? considerrhie fortune but, of course, nothing can be done if you refuse to work and insist unon treating iir. Fercuson @s your worst enemy, rather than as your test friend. . The matter must now remrin as it is, until ‘r. Ferguson returns from the U.S. Yours faithfullv For HAFRY FERGUSON HO DING. TTD. RB/MHW. Secretary.