Brothers’ partnership began in 1907

Press, 17 January 1979, Page 11

Brothers’ partnership began in 1907

Somehow it seems appropriate that a leading Christchurch-based firm of builders’ merchants should owe something of its preeminence to the builder of such Christchurch landmarks as the Chief Post Office, the United Service Hotel, the Normal School, the School of Art, Sunnyside Hospital and Lincoln College. Daniel Reese, who constructed these buildines. was the leading

building contractor in Christchurch in the 1870’s and ’Bo’s, and was the first president of the Canterbury Builders Association.

During the course of his career, many Scottish immigrant builders arrived in New Zealand looking for work, and Daniel Reese, being a Scotsman, was always ready to employ them. In 1905, one of the sons, T. W. Reese, went

into business on his own account as a builders’ merchant, doubtless making good use of the knowledge that he had picked up from his father; and in 1907 a younger brother, Daniel Reese, who was a marine engineer, came ashore and went into partnership with him. The company was registered as Reese Brothers.

The high regard in which their father had

been held in the building industry stood the brothers in good stead. So did the fact that many of the immigrant builders whom he had helped were now substantial building contractors in their own right.

Their popularity was further enhanced by the circumstance that both brothers were well-known throughout New Zealand for their eminence in cricket — Daniel being captain of the New Zealand side for many years.

They became agents for many of the basic building materials; cement, timber, lime and laths (now replaced by other internal linings such as gibraltar board); and they worked hard to obtain business throughout the province, servicing both town and country territories by bicycle, taking their bicycles by train to Springfield and bicycling to townships such as Darfield and Kirwee. At day’s end, they would cycle home to Christchurch and spend their evenings catching up on their office work.

Such hard work and enthusiastic service paid off. The business was highly successful, and it was. not long before they began ter branch out into other areas ot activity.

Daniel, having been a marine engineer and a marine architect, saw great possibilities in the shipping business in the days before Otira Tunnel had opened up the west coast to east coast commerce, and before the North Island main trunk railway had been completed between Wellington and Auckland. The first ship purchased was the S.S. Opouri, an engines-aft ship, a rare type in New Zealand waters at that time, with a good turn of speed and remarkable cargo capacity. She was joined some time later by an enginesamidships steamer, the Orepuki, a model of which still exists in the company’s new head otfice.

The Opouri was ultimately wrecked on the Greymouth Bar and she was replaced by the Opihi, which began life as a sailing ship and which Daniel Reese had converted to steam.

For some years, the shipping business was brisk, and freight charges on, for example, cement from Golden Bay to Lyttelton of 7 shillings and 6 pence per ton seem incredible today. Soon after the opening of the Otira Tunnel, the company sold its shipping interests. The company also be-

came substantially involved in sawmilling, and broadened its base by handling many other building materials. It obtained an agency for the North British Rubber Company of Edinburgh, handling rubber flooring, and — an important diversification — motor tyres and golf balls. In 1931, Reese Brothers set up a flooring and roofing contracting business, which grew until Reese Brothers became (and have remained), the. largest flooring contractors in New Zealand. In the late 1940 s the company entered into a partnership to make readymix concrete and also bought an interest in the Addington Timber Company.

After -severe import restrictions were imposed, Reese Brothers bought a small plastics extrusion company which made gar-

den hose, one of the main products Which were imported from the North British Rubber Company. It then bought out an injection moulding company and formed Reese Brothers Plastics, Ltd, which now has factories in both Auckland and Christchurch.

After purchasing Redpaths flooring business in the early 19605, the company bought a small company, Morris Paints, Ltd, making flooring adhesives. With’ the purchase of Lockfast Chemicals in Auckland-and merging of Morris Paints with Lockfast, Reese Brothers were in the business of emulsion chemistry and Lockfast Chemicals with factories in Christchurch and Auckland make a wide range of products for New Zealand and for export. Most of the products are allied to the building industry.