of 29 April 1905
4943
Transcript:
(1franc of the time is worth about 20 francs in 1995)
" Paris, 29 April 1905
Dear Mr. Hausermann, in Dakar,
We discussed with my brother the possibility of sending you to Rosario shortly to personally entrust you with the construction of all the dock walls that our company involves in the form of a task completely separate from the rest of the work, and perhaps even according to the circumstances, and once on site, ask you for a more important assistance.
There would be a future situation for you and we thought your background had prepared you enough.
The construction of the masonry docks is about 20 million, and has about 2,450 metres of development. The work is to be done in 3 or 4 years. Two sites are already in operation and we are preparing the organization of the third one.
We are difficult to give you the exact terms of the arrangement we intend to make with you, if any; but in principle, we will assure you a percentage of the profits made on the price of the docks carried to the estimate, and so as not to link you with the cost prices of the materials, if they exceeded our forecasts, we would count them to you at the price of the estimate.
In the next section, if we take over the general direction of quarries, lighters and concrete gravel dredging, the same percentage will return to you on the profits made.
As soon as these works are organized at our discretion, it is very likely that your duties will be expanded, but in any case from the beginning, your relations with Mr. Pagnard will be limited to general questions relating to the overall management of the company, but you will communicate directly with us, and you will have your staff and equipment on your site as if it were a separate company, except to use certain common organizations, and to help each other in all cases where this would not hinder their work.
We would continue your current support and you would receive a housing allowance.
Here is the present. - As for the future, which will inevitably depend on you, we believe that by going to Argentina and continuing to devote yourself to it as in the past, you can only create a very interesting situation in our case.
I intend to leave for Argentina by the ship of the Messageries on 28 June (departure from Lisbon) to spend there 3 months or more if necessary.
If you agree to accept the situation we are proposing, I would like to take you with me and take you to Dakar. As it will be in August, winter in Argentina, perhaps the best thing is to take your family there immediately to acclimatize it, or to have it come 1 month later when you have organized.
In this way we could already cause (boat) What you'd have to do, and I can explain the local questions.
Depending on your decision, would you like to telegraph us one of the following words:
Accorro our proposal is in principle suitable for you
Ininol I will leave with you and alone
Initot I'll be leaving with you at the end of June - with my own -
Dakar prefers to stay in Dakar.
I forgot to tell you that we would keep you in mind when you went to Dakar for what you did.
Your lovingly devoted good
G.Hersent