20 OCTOBER 1928, Page 19

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

have read with interest the articles and correspondence on the Dead Sea Scheme published in recent issues of your paper. I write as the scientific member of the British Group that was the first to develop the enormous possibilities of this project.

We desired to extricate the country from the acute war-time shortage of potash fertilizers of which Germany held the monopoly. After a prolonged series of investigations we came forward in 1918 with our completed concrete proposals for the immediate commercial development of the Dead Sea chemicals to break the German potash monopoly for all time. Our first application for a concession was registered in 1918, and was subsequently repeatedly renewed. I. was surprised, therefore, to notice in the letter from General Sir Sydney Lawford in your issue of October 6th, that no mention was made of the long association of my group, with the scheme, and that our plans should have been compared with Major Tulloch.

Moreover, the statement that, in our tender, we proposed an annual output merely of 50,000 tons of potassium chloride calls for correction. Our full scheme outlined in our tender aimed at an annual output of 1,000,000 tons of potassium chloride and the establishment .of important subsidiary chemical industries. In return for the rights to work the Dead Sea chemicals we offered a handsome royalty and a share of the profits to the Governments of Palestine and Transjordania, who, after all, are the owners of the property.— I am, Sir, &e.,