AN OUTSTANDING FIGURE

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 19 March 1935, Page 4

AN OUTSTANDING FIGURE

LATE MR. J. R. CORRIGAN MANY BUSINESS CONNECTIONS PROMINENCE IN DAIRYING.

Following an illness which necessitated his retirement from numerous public offices some twelve months ago, the death occurred this morning at lias residence, “The Oaks,” of Mr James R. Corrigan, aged 69 years. Mr Corrigan had been in fairly good health till recently, when he suffered a recurrence of pneumonia.

Born at Woodend, Canterbury, in July, 1865, Mr Corrigan was a son of the late Mr Samuel Corrigan. He was educated in that district and in his early youth he served his farming apprenticeship on the famous Longbeach station, owned by the Grigg family through several generation's. At Tinwald he married Miss Annie Troup, daughter of a well-known Aberdeen family. Front Tinwald, the late Mr Corrigan and Mrs Corrigan moved to Hawera 42 years ago and for some time engaged in cattle and sheep' buying throughout South Taranaki with the late Mr A. A. Fantham. With his early experience gained at Longbeach, he took tip the breeding of stud sheep and was a consistent prize-winner in the show ring at all the North Island shows. He confined his activities mainly to English Leicester, hut later took up Southdowns, Lincolns and Border Leicester, all of which he bred with equal success. Subsequently Mr Corrigan turned his attention to dairying, acquiring farms in different parts of the district on which he milked several herds. In addition to grade herds, he was a breeder of pedigree stock, and imported several Jersey cattle from the United Kingdom. In 1913 he visited England and on bis return to New Zealand he brought with him one of the finest strains in working dogs | which since has left its mark in the

progeny of succeeding generations. Dog trials became popular, largely as the result of his efforts to form clubs, and of his own performers, Marvel, Tam, and Swift were regarded as unbeatable in any contest. Breeding became more advanced until the present high class working dog found in New Zealand to-day was developed. Mr Corrigan was a well-known judge at trials and was a member of the executive of the New Zealand Dog Trial Association. He was also a foundation member of the Egniont Dog Trial Club which to-day is handsomely endowed with awards made possible largely by his own generosity.

Properties were acquired by Mr Corrigan on Lake Road, Hawera, where he and his family resided for a time, and on Main South Road, where “The Oaks” became the family homestead. A-great lover of horse-flesh, the late Mr Corrigan turned his attention in more recent years to the breeding of high-class trotters and he became a leading owner in New Zealand, a*proud position which he held for many years. His best known performers on the track were Man o’ War, winner of two Auckland Cups, Great Hope, a New Zealand Cup winner, First Carbine, Worthy Queen, Kohara, Sister Beatrice and Rose Bingen. He was the first to transport a race horse by motor vehicle, one of his pacers winning the Christchurch Derby one Easter Saturday and the main event at Hawera the following Easter Monday, the land connections to and from the boat being made by motor lorry. Mr Corrigan was a life member of the Waimate Plains Trotting Club, now the Hawera Trotting Club and a proud possession was his life-membership gold medal. Of forceful personality and possessing an extraordinary (business ability, the late Mr Corrigan gave long years of service to the dairying industry in which ho appeared as an outstanding figure. For 28 • years he was a member of the board of directors of the Hawera Dairy Company, of which he was chairman for a period of 10 years until his retirement in April of last year. Whatever he attempted for the good of his fellow farmers he accomplished with the best effort that he could put into it. During Mr Corrigan’s chairmanship new factories in concrete were built and, largely due to Mr Corrigan’s initiative a levy of id per lb butterfat was introduced, whereby the company since has managed to reduce its indebtedness incurred in the undertaking from £26,000 to the present sum of just over £7OO.

Whilst his efforts during the last 30 years until April of last year had been directed mainly towards serving the interests of the Hawera, Dairy Company, Mr Corrigan held other offices closely allied to dairying, namely: Chairman of directors of the Eltharn Box Company; director since 1911 and chairman since 1922 of the South

Taranaki Winter Show Company; director and former chairman of the New Zealand Rennet Company, Eltham ; chairman of the West Coast- Refrigerating Company, Patea; director of the South Taranaki Shipping Company, .Patea; member of the executive of the Taranaki Dairy Factories Employers’ Association; foundation member of the executive of the Taranaki Federation of Co-operative Dairy Factories and a foundation director of the Farmers’ Co-op. Mr Corrigan was also Member of Parliament for the Patea electorate 1922-25 and from 1926 to 1932 he was a ward representative on the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board. Deceased is survived by his widow and a family of one son, Mr A. .T. Corrigan (Hawera), and two daughters, Mrs H. Nowell (Ngaere) and Miss Dorothy Corrigan (Hawera), and Mrs S. A. Chisholm (foster daughter). The funeral leaves “The Oaks” tomorrow afternoon at 2.30 o’clock for the Hawera cemetery.