OBITUARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 1, 3 January 1933, Page 9

OBITUARY.

MR. MOSS DAVIS. GENEROUS AUCKLANDER. DONOR, OF MANY GIFTS. The death in London of Mr. Moss Davis in his 85th year removes one who spent most of his long life in New Zealand, and took the keenest interest in his adopted country, especially in Auckland, where he lived for 25 years, and though he had been away for 22 years he never forgot the city he loved so well.

Only the other clay the Mayor of Auckland, Mr. G. W. Hutchison, inspected the latest evidence of Mr. Davis' regard for Auckland—l 3 cases full of pictures and art objects he had sent out as gifts to his former fellowcitizens. The- consignment was only one of many which Mr. Davis had from time to time sent out to the Art Gallery and Museum. To celebrate his 80th birthday Mr. Davis sent a cheque for £1250 to be divided among orphanages and philanthropic institutions in Auckland, and even after he left to live in London he still continued to subscribe to Auckland charities. Many Aucklanders have in the past given expression to the love Auckland inspires in her sons and adopted sons, but few have been so consistently generous as Mr. Davis. His gifts have been so numerous that it would be impossible to enumerate them all, but they are familiar to all visitors to the Art Gallery, the Museum, and even the Domain, where stauds one of the many pieces of statuary he sent out from London. Primitive Wellington. Mr. Moss Davis was born in London on April 3, 1847, and was taken out to Australia with his parents as an infant in the barque Agricola. He resided in Sydney until 1855, when he returned with his parents to London. He was educated in the celebrated school of Dr. Pinches, in Lombard Street, which turned out many brilliant men, including Sir Henry Irving and Sir Edward Clark, K.C. He returned to Sydney in 1861, and the following year came to New Zealand in the brig Wild Wave, there being very few steamers in those days. He used to relate how he landed at Wellington from a small boat on to a bullock dray on the beach and was taken ashore to where Lambton Quay now stands.

After a brief stay in Wellington Mr. Davis went to Lyttelton and joined his uncle, who was a merchant in business there. In those days there was no tunnel through the Port Hills to Christchurch, and he had many times to walk over the hills to get to town. He also saw the beginning of the Lyttelton tunnel, the first railway locomotive landed, and one of the first telegraph

offices established in New Zealand. He was a contemporary in those days of Sir James Mills, who was also living in Lyttelton, his father being the Collector of Customs there. He remained in Lyttelton two years and then went to Nelson to join his father, who was in business as a merchant.

Successful Merchant. In 1870 Mr. Davis went to Australia, where he married Miss Jacobs, of Melbourne, on March 29, 1871. She was born in Manchester, and came to Melbourne with her brother about the year 1808. Mrs. Moss Davis has been noted all her life for her philanthropy and outstanding personality. She was gifted in many ways, and, in her early days in particular, had a remarkably sympathetic soprano voice, and took a leading part in musical circles in Nelson, and subsequently in Auckland. Mr. Moss Davis took over his father's business of general merchant in 1875 and afterward saw a lot of the gold mining on the West Coast in the early days, and went through the vicissitudes of the early pioneers. He eventually made a success of his business and decided to retire at the age of 36, but found it impossible to be idle, so came to Auckland in 1885 to join the firm of Hancock and Co., and, on the death of his partner, Mr. Samuel Jagger, he became the sole proprietor of the present firm.

Mr. Davis often spoke of the time when as a merchant in Nelson in the early 'seventies he used to import Irish butter from Cork. It came out in firskins, salted, and in those days they had to treat it in order to extract the salt and make it palatable.

War-time Work.

Under Mr. Davis' far-sighted guidance, the firm of Hancock and Co. was built up into the commanding position it occupies in Dominion business to-day. In 1910 he and Mrs. Davis went with several of their daughters to live in London, and the control of his business was taken over by his two sons, Mr. Ernest Davis and Mr. Eliot Davis, both of whom followed in their father's footsteps and gave many evidences of their affection for Auckland.

Mr. and Mrs. Davis kept up a close connection with New Zealand and New Zealanders, although they were living so far away, and during the Great War Mr Davis was specially prominent in promoting the welfare of New Zealand soldiers both at the front and when on leave in Great Britain. Many an exsoldier remembers with gratitude the generosity and interest of Mr. Davis, and his work even included getting into touch with parents in New Zealand to let them know how their sons were getting on. When Mr. and Mrs. Davis celebrated in 1931 the diamond jubilee of their marriage, they received very warm congratulations from many friends in New Zealand, and they were honoured with message from His Majesty the Kin°-. The London home of Mr. and Mrs Davis was the rendezvous of many noted people, and one of Mr. Davis' firmest friends was the late Sir Thomas Tinton It was through association with Mr. Davis and Mr. Ernest Davis that Sir Thomas showed his interest in New Zealand and presented a valuable cup for competition by Auckland yachtsm<Mr. Davis is survived by Mrs Davis, three sons and'five daughters The sons are Mr. Ernest Davis, Auckland, and Mr Eliot Davis and Mr. Boyd Davis, at Sesent in England. The daughters are £X Wood, wife of Sir Murdoch McKenzie Wood, member of the House of ComnTons, London; Mrs Ruby Lang, wife m Colonel Walter Lang, Cannes; Mrs. SvbUMoi, widow of Mr Laurie Moss, Sydney- Mrs. Zeenie Moaf? wife of Mr. Robert Sydney; and Hfca Blanche Davis, London. :