BUSINESS AS USUAL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 289, 31 March 1941, Page 3

BUSINESS AS USUAL

ONLY OXE DAY'S WORK LOST

An insight into the difficulties under which.many English business houses are labouring in their determination to carry on despite damage suffered by German bombs is given in a letter received by a Wellington firm of export agents. The writer stated that his premises had been bombed three times, causing damage to the roof by fire, and that old records had to be dispensed with so that the basement could be converted into an air-raid shelter. Buf the business had been suspended fo> 24 hours only.

"We regret to inform 3'ou that on the night of the 24th instant Birmingham was seriously bombed, and our offices were among the buildings that suffered," stated the letter, dated October 26, and just received in Wellington. "Fortunately the damage done to our premises is not sufficiently serious to prevent our carrying on, and business was actually suspended for 24 hours only. To-day Ave are back once more at our desks, and though a good part of the roof above our heads has disappeared we have been able to make such arrangements as permit us to resume work in all departments."

This letter was in the form of a circular to all customers and was enclosed with another communication which made further reference to the damage suffered.

"Owing to the war it has been necessary to dispense with old records because we have had. to have our basement, where all these old papers were filed, turned into an air-raid shelter, partly to accommodate our staff and several hundreds of the general public.

"You will be sorry to hear that our premises have been hit on three occasions with incendiary bombs and that parts of the premises have, therefore, suffered through fire. Fortunately, however, our general offices are intact, and Ave are, therefore, still ablet to (tarry on."

Coming on top of the disorganisation ct the postal, telegraph an'd telephone services, the firm was naturally handicapped, the letter concluded, but the writer felt sure that the firm's customers abroad would sympathise in its misfortune and would pardon any temporary setback in its activities,