OBITUARY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 238, 22 July 1935, Page 6

OBITUARY

SIR CHARLES HOLDSWORTH. (Special to the “ Guardian.”) CHRISTCHURCH, July 20. Advice has been received of the death, in England, of Sir Charles Holdsworth, who retired five years ago from the managing-directonsliip of the Union Steamship Company, after a notable career in the New Zealand shipping trade. .Sir Charles was horn in. 1863, tho son of Mr J. G. Holdsworth, of Wellington, ’ Commissioner of Crown Lands. He was educated at Wellington College, and joined the Black Diamond lino of steamers in 1880, becoming Westport manager for tho lino three years later. When the Union Company took over the Black Diamond line in 1885, Sir Charles was retained as Westport manager, and when the company purchased tho business of the Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company iii 1891, lie was appointed manager for Tasmania. He returned to New Zealand in 1898 as eliief manager and inspector, an office which was changed into that of general manager in 1901. In 1909 he became a member of the Board of Directors, and when, in 1914, active control was resigned by Sir James Mills, he was appointed managing director. It fell to his lot to guide the company’s operations through the difficult war period, and in the period of reconstruction afterwards, and several of the company’s most progressive developments were duo to his instigation. Sir Charles was knighted in 1926, for his services to New Zealand and tho Empire in shipping. He is suivived hy Lady Holdsworth and a daughter in England, while another daughter is Mrs Jafmes Deans, of Canterbury. Sir Charles's son, the late Mr Godfrey Holdsworth, started his career in the Union Company, and was London manager for the New Zealand Shipping Company.