DEATH OF Mil A. J. BUMS

Evening Star, Issue 11655, 16 September 1901, Page 4

DEATH OF Mil A. J. BUMS

We regret to announce the sudden death of Mr Arthur John Bums, who passed away yesterday morning in his houseMount Oliphant, Heriot row. Mr Burns seemed well and cheerful the evening previous, but on getting up yesterday morning he suddenly became insensible, and after a short struggle breathed his last almost immediately after the arrival of the doctor, who had been summoned by telephone. One by one the early settlers are mustering, but it is in the old Southern Cemetery. Mr Bums, who was the only son of the late Dr Burns, of Dunedin, Was born at Monkton' Manse, Ayrshire, Scotland, on 30th October, 1830. and attended the parish school. While living there he was the frequent companion of his father, often accompanying him in his walks on the moors or on the seashore, often swimming with him in the waters of the Firth of Clyde. In 1843 Mr Burns, with the family, left Monkton and removed to Prestwick, when he entered the Wallacetown Academy, where he won medals and prizes, distinguishing himself by diligence in his studies as well as by his bright and genial disposition. . Again the family returned, and took up their home in Newton-upon-Ayr. While Bums decided to choose a life at sea, and attended a class for navigation. In 1846 Mr Burns joined the merchant ship Tamur, bound for Hongkong, which sailed from Bristol. They had a long voyage, and nothing eventful seems to have occurred except an encounter with pirates in the Straits of Java. Arriving Home in 1847, Mr Bums found the family busy preparing to emisrrate to Otago, and at the request of his father (then the Rev. Thomas Burns) he joined the emigrating party, who reached Otago on April 15, 1848, in the Philip Laing (commanded by Captain Elles). There were only some s:x houses in Dunedin at that time, so young Bums slept on arrival in a sandJaole —the site of the present Telegraph Officehaving: more comfortable quarters than some of his shipmates, who had to sleep in the bush. The site of the future City of Dunedin was then covered with liirht bush, so firewood was abundant. Having been at sea before starting for New Zealand, his services were made available for landing goods and passengers at Port Chalmers and Dunedin. The early settlers naturally planted their homes on the sides of the ot fS° Harbor, as water carriage was available for transport, and roads there were none. So young Bums settled on land opposite Dunedin. calling his place Grant Braes. The first bush was felled and the land cleared by Alexander Duthie Edward Martin, and Thomas Brooks, under contract. This land was sown in wheat producmg a heavy crop. The wheat was afterwards ground into flour bv the late Peter M Gill, who was then a miller at the Water of Leith Mills, erected by W. H. Valpy, and the flour was readily sold m the Dunedin market. A stone "house was erected near the waterside, the stone being quarried at Anderson Bay Point by John Matthews and James Robertson and transported to tho site by water by Bums and his boat's crew, then composed of men who afterwards became some of the best settlers in the country. The house was built by Matthews and Robertson, both of whom were stonemasons by trade The timber was cut and sawn in tho adjoining bush by Alexander Duthie and Thomas Brooks, and the carpenter work executed by Henry Clark (now of Tokomairiro) and Alexander Garvie, some of the window sashes being made by Mr John Sidev (now of Lorstorphine). . Very manv of the pioneer immigrants earned their first waVs at Grant Braes. Some of these men and their descendants reside on the Peninsula at the present day. Nor must mention be omitted of the fact that the lime for the erection of Grant Braes House was burned at Portobello. and on the beach at Grant Braes by the late Mr James Seaton, who came out as a passenger per Philip Laing, and afterwards was M.H.R. for Peninsula. The crops at Grant Braes were put m with the grub-hoe, cut bv reaping hooks, and partly threshed by "the flaif though after the first year a threshing ma-1 chine was constructed by Mr Geo. Brown i and his son, the late James Elder Brown (of Milton). This machine performed most excellent work, being driven by a bull and two bullocks. A working model of this identical machino was exhibited at the 1889-90 Exhibition in Dunedin, and is now located m the Dunedin Museum. Two crops of oats that were raised from seed brought from Scotland lav for nearly two years waiting a market, and were eventually shipped as a "spec" to Sydney, where they realised 15s per bushel," with orders for more This may be said to be the start of the export of grain from Dunedin Mr Burns s boating experiences with the Annie Laurie and Pioneer were too numerous to mention, but he used to take stores round to Blueskin and return with wool often crossing the Blueskin bar at nirrht' as he had sheep on terms with the late Mr John Anderson at Blueskin. There being no roads available for traffic, the communication was by sea via Otago Heads After Grant Braes was cleared and laid down m grass a number of old ewes were purchased from Mr Suisted at Goodwood, and a first-class ram of the pure Saxon merino breed purchased from W. H Valpv and placed on Grant Braes. The first year the progeny netted 150 per cent of lambs. These were carefully culled, the ewe lambs being sent to Blueskin and the males retained and sold as mm linnets realising high prices at auction, w' H Cutten being the auctioneer. This may be said to he the start of ram-breeding ih Otago. Grant Braes being now all cleared and laid down in wass, Mr Bums afterwards placed old Brebner in charge to look * *?f ! hc n ? to . ck " nd fences ' ™d removed to Last Taien, calling his place "Mosgiel." There he started farming bv breaking up section No. 12, block 2, and sowing it in wheat and grass. A steading was erected on section No. 10, block 2, comprising a saw-mill and a barn. A threshing machine, imported from Messrs M'Cartney and Drummond s Cumnock, Ayrshire, Scotland was driven by an iron water-wheel from the same makers. Thus farming was carried on at Mosgiel on what was in those days considered a large scale. A blacksmith and wheelwright's shop was soon added to the steading, and here good work was done for the neighbors, James Fowler being the blacksnr.th and James Dickson the carpenter. Then a flour-mill, with two pairs of stones, was built. It was worked by Robert Andrews for a time, and served as a gristing mill for the neighbors besides grinding the wheat grown at Mosgiel When the goldfields broke out in 1861 Mr Bums's labors came to a sudden collapse through all hands proceeding to the diggings. , Mr Burns was left with a solitary servitor, Donald Campbell remaining and acting as old man. Mr Bums then broke up his property into farms, which he let on lease, also leasin" the flour-mill «nd .-elling the saw-mill. The latter was removed to the big bush by George Shand, who added a steam engine to it, working the mill until the bush was exhausted. Mr Burns, who was one of the representatives of the Taieri in the Provincial Council, held the portfolio of Land and Works in the Provincial Government, of which Sir Julius (then Mr) Vogel was head, and it was largely due to his practical experience that we owed the splendid macadamised roads between Dunedin and Waikouaiti to the North and between Dunedin and Balclutha to the South in those early days. Being accidentally in Tokomairiro in the year 1865, he was proposed to represent tho Bruce district in the General Assembly, and was elecred. This was the first Parliament that sat in Wellington. At the General Election of 1866 he was returned for Caversham. In 1870 he resigned his seat in order to proceed to Britaim He left the colony with throe projects in view —to procure a steamer for the Shag Point coal trade, under an arrangement entered into which Mr Hutcheson, who then owned the property; to see for himself the merits of Thomson's road engines; and to try to start the woollen manufacturing industry in Otago. He abandoned the first project, and on carefully looking into the second gave it up as then impracticable, but decided, after consultation with his friends, to start the woollen industry. The plant and people to work it were obtained after inducing the late Mr John Smaill (of Innerleithen, Scotland) to join him in the enterprise ..as partner,. Mr Burns shipped Jris.

hands and plant on board the good ship Helenslee at Glasgow, and himself returned to the colony by the P. and 0. route, arriving here in March. 1871. The buildings were quickly erected, the machinery started, and the first tweeds produced in New Zealand woven in October, 1871. In 1873 Mr Burns sold the mill and plant in the Mosgiel Woollen Manufacturing Company, but retained a large interest therein himself. In' 1874 Mr Burns again visited Britain, that time taking his family with him, and receiving from the people of Dunedin and the Taieri an illuminated address and service of plate in recognition of his pluck in initiating the woollen industry in the colony. Inducements were held out to him to remain in Ireland, but on looking into mattew he decided to return to New Zealand, which he did at tho end of 1875. Ho was elected to the House of Representatives for Roslyn in 1876, and took an active part in opposing the passing of the Abolition of Provinces Act. In 1878 he resigned his seat for Roslyn, having undertaken to open up the Westport coalfields He became general manager of the Westport .Colliery Company, and proceeded to Westport, where he opened up the works that are now turning out what is acknowledged to be the highest-class bituminous coal in the world. The whole of this coal-bearing country was then held on lease from the Government by three or four companies, mostly located at Dunedin, but as they made no move to work the seams the Government issued notices of cancellation of their leases. Mr Burns, after making a personal inspection of. the entire field, camping out and otherwise making himself acquainted with the locality, interviewed the Government in Wellington, and induced them on his own personal security of opening the coalfield to withdraw the notice of foreclosure, which they did, giving him twelve months' time to commence operations. Mr Burns then set to work with a will, amalgamated a large number of the leases into one concern, and started the Westport Colliery Company on a permanent foundation. In six months from the date of his interview with the Government lie had the present works started. The Waimangaroa mine is worked by a self-acting incline one mile in length, M-ith an average grade of 1 in 1.2, with a break in the middle. This is due to the peculiar configuration of the country. The Government railway trucks are taken up, loaded, and lowered to the bottom by means of hydraulic breaks, the trucks travelling at the rate of forty miles an hour. Mr Bums constructed the works to put out 1,000 tons of coal per day, but in actual practice this has been largely exceeded, as much as 1,600 tons having been brought down in one day, though the daily average is about 800 tons. With the exception of new rails and sleepers, the formation has cost the company very little for repairs, so faithfully was the first construction executed. We have heard Mr Burns tell with great gusto how the inspiration for this great undertaking came to him by a kind of second sight. Owing to some misunderstanding with the management at headquarters, Mr Burns, having seen the company on the highroad to prosperity, resigned his position at Westport, and returned to Dunedin, where he built the residence in -which he breathed his last. At the General Election of 1890 Mr Burns stood for the Taieri, but was not successful, and thereafter he took no interest in public, matters. He retained an interest in the'Mosgiel Woollen Works, and was vicechairman at the time of his death. A few years agothe Minister of Lands (the Hon. John M'Kenzie) appointed Mr Burns one of the valuers under the Government Valuation of Land Act, 1897—a position that he held for about four years, and the duties of which he" discharged with conspicuous conscientiousness and fidelity. On April 16. 1861, he was married at Mosgiel to Miss Sarah Scott Dickson, who predeceased him by some three years, and bv whom he had a' family of five sons (tho best known of whom is Colonel-surgeon Thomas Burns, now attached to our Seventh Contingent in South Africa) and five daughters. Mr Burns was also patron of the Burns Club. He always had the 'welfare and prosperity of Otago verv deeplv at heart; he rejoiced in its prosperity; he gave generously his means for its advancement, and never spared himself or his services, if thereby he might be able to do good to others. Like manv of the first settlers of Otago, the record "of his life is not and cannot be written. He was upright in a.l his dealings, for his word was always his bond. In private life he was a devoted husbaiid and an affectionate parent. Those who knew him best saw that the light went out of his life when a few years ago lie was bereft of his wife and ten months later of a beloved son who perished bv the foundering of tho s.s. Ohau. * b