A "£1,000,000,000 DINNER"

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 58, 1 December 1917, Page 3

A "£1,000,000,000 DINNER"

EXTRAORDINARY MEETING

LIGHT ON A SYNDICATE

Considerable interest (says _ the "Daily Mail") is being tßken in a "£1,000,000,000 dinner," which was given at tho Savoy Hotel, London, on September 12, at which Lord Willoughh.y do Broke and Mr. Ben Tillett introduced a proposal to finance the whole of British manufactures tbrough a, mysterious "syndicate" whoso members refused to allow their names to bo announced. One of tho chief movers in the scheme is Mr. Patrick Joseph Keiran, whoso name was spelled on the dinner-list "Kerian." This sanguine promoter was found on September 11 at tho offices of tho "K.R.F.H. Organising Syndicate, Ltd.," 14 Panton Street jHaymarket. Ho refused to give the names of his syndicate or state lyhat their position might bo in tho financial world

"Can you state," Mr. Keiran was asked, "how ii. happened that tlio name of tho Prime Minister appeared on tho list of guests at the dinner when ho had not accepted an invitation to bo presenti" 1

"I had nothing to do with that end of it," he replied.

Mr. Keiran was then asked whether he was "Mr. Patrick Joseph Keiran, of the Piccadilly Hotel," who at Marlborough Street Police Court was sentenced to two months' imprisonment in April 1916— afterwards reduced on appeal to a lino of £100 and costs—for proposing to deal in war materials without a permit.

He replied .that bewas, but did not seo what that had to do with the affairs of the K.D.F.H^jSyndicate. Captain George Hallott, who has been trying to interest Whitehall iu this scheme, is described by the "Directory of Directors" as a director of Ontario Gold Mines, Ltd. He was present at tlio dinner in uniform, and spoko.

The information which Mr. Keiran refused to'divulge as to the status of tho promoters of the syndicate was obtained at Somerset House. The records showed that their names and addresses are:

Patrick Joseph Keiran, British subject, Qrosvenor Hotel, director of public companies.

Matthew Andrew Eenison, 27 Chancery Lano, merchant, agent, inventor, aad director of public companies. Percy Fleming, Rayrigg Eouse, Cheltenham, stockbroker and director of publio companies.

Frederick William Broughall, Groavenor Hotel, retired bank manager. George Hallett. IB Bandcn Road, Clapham,

officer in the British Army. Joseph Jackson, 203 Devonshire Koad, Forest Hill, silk morchfint. This syndicate, which is proposing to ask tho British public to invest £1,000,000,000, has a capital of exactly £250 divided into 6000 shares of one shilling each. It was registered on July 21, 1917, by Messrs. Barton and Pearman, solicitors, 10 Norfolk Street, Strand. Its first subscribers were Percy Fleming and Matthew Andrew Renison, who took exactly ono shilling share each in the syndicate. Fees and deed stamps cost £3 10s., and the stamp duty on tho capital was fifteen shillings. Tho syndicate was formed "to acquire the business now being carried on by JP.'J. Keiran, P. Fleming and M. A. Renison." Its powers are to bo illimitable. Tho liability of its -members is limited to £250, and the minimum subscription upon which--it can go to allotment is one sliarc—i.e., one shilling. ■

K.R.F.H. apparently indicates tho initials of Keiran, Renison, Fleming, and Hallett. The Directory of Directors states that Mr. Hallet ,is a director of the Ontario Gold Mino6, Ltd., which was reconstructed from the ashes of the G'oolgardie Gold Syndicate, and after the war is to examine- into properties in Australia and Cornwall. His present address is stated to bo Budworth Barracks, Warwick, whero he is engaged on special duty as a captain in tho British Army. Mr. Percy Fleming is stated by the same directory to bo a director of tho Vilaquo Bolivian Tin Mines, Ltd. Tho names of the other members of the syndicate do not appoar in the Directory of Directors for 1917.