DEATH OF " CZAR REID."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 255, 21 July 1908, Page 8

DEATH OF " CZAR REID."

THE LARGEST LANDOWNER IN THE: 1 WORLD. The .deatiris ,announced/from Ottawa of Sir Robert,Gillespie Reid, the Scotsman who ' Vas:'tho'dictator.-,of;Newfoundland, and prob- , ably.the.largest landowner in .the ■ world.' His careor.,was;a<strange, one.- Born at' . Angus, ;in, Scotland, in 1840, bo, emito, Canada .in: 1868. - After, trying- his fortunes -at gold - -digging in Australia ■ and California,..-he went, to Newfoundland,' • and .made: rapid progress„as a contractor and railway pioneer. ..;1n..1894 the, Government of the Colony was -'iii'. 'great , financial difficulties. "Czar Reid," ~as-.,1i0' became . known . later, offered:^timely 1 ; help,, and -,in '1898 "executed his-, master .stroke, tho famous "Reid con-tract";-with vtho, Government. . . : .By.,,this;, document., lie -became owner of tho. Colony's docks, railways, telegraphs, .postal;,,,services,;,.mining and lumbering rights, J -' and,v 1 4)000,000 ; acres of land. He obtained tho-.whole .at, a price said to bo onethird of their,probable value, but-the Government -was ,l,osing;.money. annually on the various' enter'pn'ses,.,aud the "Reid contract" ' saved -it from the' gravest' difficulties. _ Mr.. Reid,'as!'he, then, was, for he was knighted onjy last' year; recoived ,2500 acres , of land for each mile, of Government railway built. His total'. 'landed' 'estate is said to have, amounted' at' ono time to 27,000 square miles. His /.total expenditure in connection with the'' contract with the Government was £900,000. ■; , ... ' : Having acquired these vast enterprises, Mr. .. Reid , set himself to reorganise them and turn, them from unprofitable to paying concerns. In tins he was very largely successful. 1 , Since then tho Colony, has spent large siims'.jn "r,epurch'asiug its', rights from Sir 'Robert' fteicL Tho posts and telegraphs have' been i bought back, and 'tho railways ' re.vert. t6 the. Government in 1951. : Personally ' "Czar'Reid" was a tall, thin, mild-mannered, man,, and until recent years only/considered remarkable for his passion :f6r,',b,ridge-building;;and railway pioneering. It 'was-, a. favourite,'boast.' of .his that lie would go anywlioro ho sent his men, and constant'exposure greatly weakened his'con.'stitution,/ 'compelling him to spend. some ' months,, jn ;each year, at /Algiers. .