[LB051521], Letter from Alfred Ord Tate to Thomas Alva Edison, November 2nd, 1891

https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/LB051521

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Title

[LB051521], Letter from Alfred Ord Tate to Thomas Alva Edison, November 2nd, 1891

Date

1891-11-02

Type

Folder/Volume ID

LB051-F

Microfilm ID

142:644

Document ID

LB051521

Publisher

Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University
 

Transcription

514
M. F.
November 2nd, 1891
Thomas A. Edison, Esq.,
Care N.J. and Pennsylvania Concentrating Works,
Ogdensburg, N.J.
My Dear Mr. Edison:-
On the first of October 1891 the Edison General Electric Company had a debit on their books against you of $99,729.78, of which $94,500.00 was for cash paid to you, the balance being represented by bills for material etc. Against this amount we have charged the Edison General Electric Company as follows:-
Experiments prior to Oct. 1st, 1890. $32,721.63
Bills rendered for experiments during the year Oct. 1st, 1890 to Oct. 1st, 1891. $31,994.64
Total. $64,716.27
Leaving a net debit against you of $35,013.51
We have not yet billed the Edison General Company for that portion of the Laboratory generally referred to as “One-Quarter” which belongs to you personally and the expense of which they are under their contract required to pay. In this connection I enclose herewith two statements which I have marked “A” and “B”, and which together cover all the accounts which have not been billed against outside persons, or in other words which represent your personal expenditures. We can bill all the items on statement “A” as coming within the one-quarter portion of the Laboratory belonging to you, but I am in doubt as to some of the items on statement “B” namely, Mica Mines at Monroe and Morristown, Magnetic Pole line at Ogden and Triple Expansion Engine models. I wish to know your personal views are as to your right to recover these expenses from the Edison General Company under their contract; of course I can obtain Major Eaton’s opinion, but I do not think it desirable to treat this we have a right to bill and leave it to the Edison General Company to object. Statement “A.” together with such items on statement “S: as we are able to charge against the Edison General Company, will of course be applied to reduce the net debit standing against you on the Edison General Company’s books on the 1st. of October. If we can bill both of these statements just as they are you would owe the General Company about Five thousand dollars. Every other account on the Laboratory books is billed against the North American Company, and we collect the money from this Company every month twenty days after the bills have been presented; they pay with absolute regularity. Bills against the N.J. and Pa. Concentrating Works go against your calls and the same is done with respect to the New York Concentrating works. The bills which were rendered against the Ore Milling Company are of course deferred for future settlement; we are taking them demand note: the amount is about $38,000.00. You cab therefore properly consider these statements “A” and “B’ as showing absolutely all the expense of any character whatsoever that you have not yet recovered, and the amount which you have to bear personally is the aggregate of such items on these statements as cannot be collected from the Edison General Company. The account for manufacturing cylinders is of course outside; I will go into this matter a little later on in another letter.
Yours very truly,
A.O. Tate
Private Secretary.
P.S. You of course understand that the above refers solely to experiments conducted in the Laboratory; any debit against you which is left standing in this account will be set against the sums due you for your interest in the saving made by improvements which you have introduced and other apparatus used by the General Company: the latter account has not yet been made up, but I understand it is the intention to have the figures ascertained within a very short time.
Enc. [B.?]
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