DISLOYALTY TO BRITAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 January 1922, Page 5

DISLOYALTY TO BRITAIN.

SIR EDGAR SPEYER’S CASE. REMARKABLE DISCLOSURES. By Telegraph.—Pre** Aaan.—copyright. Received Jan. 8, 5.5 p.m. London, Jan. 6. The Certificates of Naturalisation Committee, Mr. Justice Salter, Lord Hambledon and Judge Francis Radcliff, have reported on the Speyer case. The document makes remarkable revelations and shows that till October, 1914, Edgar Speyer remained in partnership with an enemy and shared with him the profits of trading with Germany. He relinquished the position with obvious reluctance on compulsion. Also from February to June, 1915, he traded with Teixeira, of Amsterdam, in exchange arbitrage.

The committee was satisfied that he knew Teixeira was trading with a German in joint account with himself and he was sharing in the profits. Further, as an expert financier, he knew that such transactions were not merely profitable to the Germans but of* great benefit to Germany as a State, enabling her to accumulate in neutral countries a large amount of the currencies of those countries with a view to purchases there. The documents in evidence make it plain that Speyer repeatedly and systematicaly attempted to evade British censorship and repeatedly attempted to seduce his British partners to do the same. He only desisted. because his English partners made strong opposition and through fear of further injury to his business interests.

The committee was satisfied that early in 1916 Speyer wrote to Beit von Speyer, head of a business in Berlin, 'professing German sympathies and expressing a desire to settle in Berlin and carry on business there after the war, requesting Beit to ask von Gwinner, director of the Deutschbank, whether he would be well received in business circles in Berlin.

A cable from London, dated December 13, stated: The London Gazette states that Sir Edgar Speyer had shown himself by "act and speech as disaffected and disloyal to His Majesty during the war. He unlawfully communicated with subjects of an enemy State and therefore his certificate of naturalisation has been revoked. Speyer, his wife and two daughters shall cease to be British subjects. Speyer will also be struck out of the Privy Council. This finding involved, no reflection on an z partner of Speyer Brothers, London x • cept Edgar. Edgar Speyer, a naturalised German, has been a prominent business man in London for many years. He was a partner in his father’s three firms at London, New York and Frankfort-oji-Main. He was the resident partner in the Frankfort firm till 1887, when he took direction of the London house. He ■retired from the New York and Frankfort firms in 1914.