Primary Source

Marble Bar
15 Sept 51

Dear Mr Middleton,

I was pleased to hear from you and have your news of Blackwell. I am concerned lest I may unwittingly not establish our business on the proper footing.

It is not possible for one person to have all the wisdom & experience required to cover all our needs fully.

I have been in touch with Blackwell [secretary of the Cooperative Federation of Western Australia] and have asked Harry Leighton who later will be coming up here to look after our books to coordinate the setting up of our affairs by keeping in touch with Blackwell, [illegible] & others.

I will write to him to see you also. I would greatly appreciate it if between you all you will help me and secure the protection of our friends in the best possible way. I want to leave no legal doubt whose interests must be protected and to whom the assets belong.

I have written to the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation some time ago advising him of our approaching prosperity and how we hoped to proceed and asked him to advise me from his angle also suggesting that as the situation was unique & it may be necessary to have one of his officers study the position closely we could defray some of the cost of this.

I also pointed out that so far we have made no attempt to claim social service benefits and since it is difficult to establish the ages of our people it would be difficult to decide if or when our elderly folk become eligible for old age benefits but that once we were properly established and commenced paying income tax we would expect the aged, children, invalids etc to become eligible for these benefits.

I thank you for your advice and will look forward to your further news.

D McLeod.