OBITUARY

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23349, 7 June 1941, Page 10

OBITUARY

MR WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM One of the best known figures in the farming industry of Canterbury was removed by the death of Mr William Cunningham, which occurred at his home at Papanui on Thursday, at the age of 82 years. He was born m Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1859, and came to the colony with his parents in the ship Captain Cook in 1862. Mr Cunningham was a farmer all his working life, and carried on many activities associated with the industry for a period of more than 60 years. In this respect his career must stand without parallel in the province. At various times he was engaged on this account in the frozen meat export industry, being one of the leading operat-

ors before the last war, was a prominent store sheep dealer, station owner, agricultural farmer, land valuer and assessor for both the Government and privately, member of the Assessment Court, show ring judge, and Land Board member. It was probably as an expert on land values that he was best known, as work in this connexion for the Government took him to all parts of the province. Among some of the notable estates he valued for the Government was Cheviot, the first in New Zealand to be acquired for close settlement under the Lands for Settlement scheme in 1893, and' also the Culverden estate, when it was acquired. He acted as a judge at practically all the leading agricultural and pastoral shows in New Zealand, being regarded as an extremely sound judge of both sheep and cattle. He acquired various • stations and, farms at one time or another, and was instrumental in the subdivision of a number of the former. Included in this part of his activities was the wellknown Five Rivers estate at Lumsden, Southland, and Weld’s estate, Blenheim. . He was a prominent figure in the store sheep market of the province for a number of years, putting through many big stock trareactions. In his crowded life Mr Cunningham found time to interest himself in other activities. He was a life member of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association and was judge for many years of the North Canterbury Racing Club, and the now defunct Ohoka Racing Club. He had also been associated with various syndicates engaged in enterprises outside farming. His rural interests were continued practically up to the time of his death. Mr Cunningham is survived by a widow and a family of four sons and three daughters. % MR P. MCSKIMMING (P.A.) DUNEDIN, June 6. The death occurred to-night of Mr Peter McSkimming, chairman of directors of McSkimming and Son, brick and pipe manufacturers, .the Bruce Woollen Company, the South Otago Freezing Company, and the Kaitangata Coal Company. He was also a director of A. and T. Burt, Ltd., the Otago Farmers’ Co-operative Association, and the Dominion Fertiliser Company. He was member of Parliament for Clutha from 1931 to 1935.