BUSINESS ROMANCE

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 12 February 1921, Page 10

BUSINESS ROMANCE

MR JOHN HUNTER'S SUCCESS

SOME OF HIS MAXIMS.

Amid all the haste of the gold fever 60 years ago, a . visitor arrived at "Lambing Flat''^—a cheerful young Englishman from Kent. He had a look at "Lambing Flat^ reckoned up his savings 80 times, and opened a boot shop.

"Never make a do hei;e," people Said "Broke ijti a fortnight."

But they didn't know the young Englishman then. It was John Hunter. Full of confidence and grit, he stocked up till there was no cash left, and stuck to "Lambing Flat" till he "made a do." Before the town had been changed to Young, he had struck the trail leading to one of the romantic business successes in Australia's history. He is dead now. But, standing to a tribute to Bis tenacity is the business he built —a vast concern that grew from the little shop in "Lambing Flat" to the 74 big stores that now represent it in Australia.

How was success achieved? It is doubtful whether Mr Hunter was ever asked the question, hut, according to his departmental managers and others who came in frequent contact with him, he would probably have replied: no text book. You just think and work."

Confidence was, perhaps, his chief characteristic. While his career was just starting—at "Lambing Flat" and then at Grenfel—he set out to gain popularity by distributing £20 parcels of boots to families in the country.

After two weeks of the scheme, a friend said to. him, "I suppose you are doing- better than you expected out of this?"

The boot prince answered: 'No. 1 never do better than I expect." ,

Mr Hunter's natural business instinct, of course, would not allow .him. to take risks, but ,he never hesitated in a, big move. He was a quick thinker, andl a right thinker. 'Frequently in late years he would order, say, 20,000 pairs of shoes of the same line when only half of that quantity seemed needed. His managers would gasp. But a turn in the market would always follow, with advantage to Mr Hunter, and a different gasp would escape from the managers. There was one business maxim, that

Mn Hunter was intensely particular about —"Write it. Memory is only memory." It is recounted that he always slept with a pencil and note-paper under his pillow, in case he was awoke durinec the night and a suggestion occurred to him. Many of his greatest business deals were the product of his braih at 2 a.m. They were at once transferred to paper, and carried into eff^t when the time was opportune. But one of the reasons "for his remarkable success was his benevolent nature. His employees worked little more for their wages than they did for him. They loved him. Not so imany. years ago one of his workers wrote to' bim complaining; of the high cost of living, and inquiring the. possib'Mties of *in increase, in wages. The return mail brought him a cheque for £100 nr^ n" notice of a higher salary.—Sydney Sun.