Letter

              REGISTERED OFFICE: 1, BALLOON STREET, MANCHESTER, 4.
Telegraphic Address: "WHOLESALE MANCHESTER"
Telephone: BLACKFRIARS 1212.
Extension No.
Please Address Your Reply: 
Co-operative Wholesale Society Limited,
Exporters, Buying and Shipping Agents,
1, Balloon Street,
Manchester, 4.
Cable Codes:
A.B.C 6th and 7th editions;
Western Union 5 Letter;
Bentley complete phrase;
Bentley second phrase;
A.1. Marconi, and private.
Our Reference Export/ST/MM/6809.
Your Reference 
6th April, 1937.
Mr. Tewson,
The National Council of Labour, 
Transport House, 
Smith Square, 
LONDON. SW.1.
Dear Mr. Tewson,
With regard to shipments to Bilbao, as I have already mentioned both in my letters and telephonic communications, we have been exploring the possibilities of shipping the goods by British steamer to Bordeaux or Bayonne for transhipment to Bilbao, and to this end, have been seeking information in regard to sailings from one of these French Ports to Bilbao.
As you are doubtless aware, we enjoy excellent relations with our friends, the French Co-operative Wholesale Society, and have now received their report on the proposals I submitted to them, and they inform me that there are no regular services to Bilbao, but if we have no other means of getting goods to Bilbao they recommend our shipping the consignment by first opportunity to either Bordeaux or Bayonne, and at either of these ports they would undertake to effect transhipment and put the goods on board the first steamer leaving for Bilbao.
We are awaiting from our friends further information in regard to the frequency of sailings between the French ports and Bilbao.
In considering this question we would bring to your notice the fact that we understand the boats plying between the ports of Bordeaux / Bayonne and Bilbao are Spanish steamers, and doubtless the shipment of goods by these steamers constitutes a grave risks owing to the fact that, we understand, insurgent ships are operating in the vicinity of Bilbao.