OBITUARY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14671, 30 April 1908, Page 7

OBITUARY.

MR G. G. STEAD. H Mr G. G. Stead, who suddenly ill at tlio conclusion of tho race for Champagne Stakes at Riccarton onH April 13, died at 4.30 yesterday afternoon. The race won by Golden Slipper, a filly from his stables, and he was watching the ner being taken in after the race when ho was seized with an attack of and faintness. Ho was taken to his home at Strowan, Papauui, and was attended by Dr Palmer. Although it ■ was realised that tlio illness was of a serious nature, there were hopes that H tho patient would, with care, be pulled through. These hopes became stronger H as lie improved. (Jn Tuesday, however, ho had a very bad night. Dr Rainier H staying with him ail tho tune. Teeter- ■ day morning he became worse, in middle of tlio day he improved but lalo in the alternoon he away suddenly; Mr Stead was associated with public, commercial and sporting of tins city for many years. J.i.o one of the most prominent men of Christchurch and one of leading sporting .men ox Australasia. lie was a native of London, where was born sixty-seven years ago. Ho V came from an old Y'orlrshire family on ■ his father's side, his grandfather being ■ Mr Mark Stead, of Richmond, York- I sliiro. On his mother’s side lie came ■ from a Scotch family, his grandmother ■ being a Fraser, a direct descendant of I the noted Simon Fraser, Ford Lovat, ■ who was outlawed and tried for high treason, in connection with the rising of 1746, and who was the last man beheaded in the Tower of London. Mr Stead's primary education was commenced in London, but. when he was still a boy lie accompanied liis parents to South Africa, and completed his oducation at St Andrew’s College, Grahamstown. When lie was twenty- i four years of ago be returned to London. On the recommendation of the late Lord Lyttelton and Mr Henry Self'e Solfe he decided to settle in New. Zealand, lie brougnt letters of introduction from both those gentlemen. Taking ,his passage in tlie snip Talbot' *.> he arrived in Christchurch in 1606, and q at once joined the staff of the Union Bank of Australia in this city.’ H'e was in the bank’s employment for four years. Then, in 1»79, at tho age of twenty-nine, ho started upon a business' '. career in which he displayed ins strong . personality .and determination and remarkable business ability, and which led him to success and prosperity. He entered into partnership with the late , Air William Roy sc as a grain and export merchant. The firm,' under the title of Royse, Stoad and Co., soon had an extensive connection. A large part G of the credit for this wan due to tho capacity Mr Stead displayed and tho extraordinary vigour and industry he brought to bear upon the transactions and schemes ho took in hand. For—-" 7 twelve years the firm carried on a flourishing and increasing business, but in 1881 Mr Stoad revisited England, ;‘j and he then formed tho Grain Agency to. Company, of which ho was a co-director with Lord Goorgo Hamilton, the Right. , Hon C. T. Ritchie, and others. This y company took over Royse, Stoad and y : Co.’s business, but it was in existence y for only two years, and Mr Stoad then ,4 entered info partnership with Mr G..J. ;1 F. Palmer, under the title of George G. Stoad and Co. This firm was even; moi’o successful than wore tho others with which Mr Sroad had boon associated. Tho firm is still in existence, , lmt Mr Stoad retired from it live years ago, nnd since then the business has boon carried on by Mr Palmer. Mr Stead had an exceptionally active brain. This mental activity found occupation. in tho administration of tho affairs of sovoral public companies, nearly all of which under his guidanoe, or with the assist- % iance of his energy and ability, have been very successful. Ho was a New Zealand director of tho New Zealand Shipping Company and chairman of directors of the Christchurch Gas Company, the “Press” Newspaper Company, S. Manning and Co., the Blackball Coal Company, Warner’s and other - businesses. Ho was a promoter and deputy chairman of the Union Insurance Company up to tho time when it was . purchased by tho Alliance Assurance Company, of London, and he was also deputy chairman in New Zealand of tho latter company.• Ho took a loading part in establishing the Tai Tapu nnd Central Dairy Factories. He was interested in many other businesses, some of which have helped to bring about the prosperity this province has His activity in other directions led.him to take a prominent part in the formation of tlie Canterbury Club, ior a long time ho was an active member of tho Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, occupying the position of president in 1889, ISSS and 1886. • From 1891 to 1899 he was a member of the Board of Governors of Canterbury* College. In. 1900 lie was chairman of the Royal Commission in Canterbury appointor}-*—■' to receive the Duke and Duchess - ' of York. In January. 1908, he was elected a member of the first Tramway Board, which carried out the scheme of electrifying the tramway system of the city and.suburbs! and for some time lie was deputy chairman of tho Board. In the days of tho depression, nearly twentv years ago, when, prices for tho dominion’s produce were very low. and when distressing poverty was seen in all parts of the country, Mr Stead entered. energetically into measures taken to . afford relief to the necessitous. _ Ho \ was tho moving spirit of the Winter , Work Fund, which gave much assistance in Christchurch during two winters. and publicly and privately ho did a great; deal to ameliorate tlie sufferings of those times. lie was one of the most active employers in Christchurch during the groat maritime strike of 1890. Ho spoke strongly against the strike method of settling disputes, and he played a lead-- - ing part in organising the “ free labourers ” who took tlio place of strikers at Lyttelton. His activity naturally earned him a good deal of unpopularity, and when he* offered himself as a candidate for Parliament, at j. the end of of 1890. ho; was defeated. That was the first election at which the one-man-one-vote principle was adopted. Its application gave increased power to tho working classes, and led to the defeat of o largo number of candidates who. liko Mr Stead, allied themselves to the old Conservative Party. Tt was at that election that the present Liberal Party came into power. Although M r Stead did not pledge, himself to support Sir. Harry Atkinson and the Conservatives, he was bitterly opposed to Mr Balia nee, who wHts regarded as tlio workers’ champion. The workers’ vote, therefore, was all swainst him. He stood for tho Avon Constituency against Mr E. Blake, the. sitting member, securing 58i votes to _ Mr Blake’s 774. ■' Tu late years Mr Plead came, into prominence in public life by initiating a patriotic movement winch led to Canterbury providing ami equipping a troop of 110 Rough Riders.” who were sent by tlio Knight Tmnplar in February. 1000, to take part in the South African War. Tlio colony had already despatched two ooritineenis 1o tlie war. and Mr Stead’s pronasal was that tlie public should show its approval of Mr Soddon’s policy by organising local funds for the equipment of district companies. Ho gave £SOO to tho fund in Canterbury, and his idea was taken up ontlipsiastioally)J in other provinces. j " J It was as a sporting main, however, ■ that Mr Stead was host known ' to n largo section of .the pnbuo.> in New Zealand and' Aus-Uj

I alia. He first turned his attention riously to the turf in 1875, when he cured a half interest in the late Mr . Redwood’s horses. About the same He, in partnership with the late Hon incelot Walker, ho purchased Le >up and Trump Card. ■ Both these ircnases proved satisfactory. They jre the beginning of a very successful cing career, which, indeed, has selm been equalled in this or any other untry. Nearly every race of importer in New Zealand has at some time lien to horses carrying Mr Stead’s lours. Ho made several visits to istralia, whore his horses won many .the most valuable races. In recent a fs lie devoted special attention to issic races rather than handicap ces, and his record in these events is remarkable. Among his successes e the following:—The Canterbury lampagne Stakes, which he won renteen times, ten in succession; the interbury Derby, fourteen times; the itldle Park Plate, thirteen times; the elcome Stakes, the Great Northern ,al Stakes, and the Auckland lloyal akes, ten times; the Canterbury Cup, 9 Canterbury Challenge Stakes, and B Canterbury Oaks, nine times. He aded the list of winning owners in iw Zealand several times, .his most icessful season being in 1901-1902, 'en his horses won £12,325 in stakes. Both in breeding and buying horses believed in having the best, and ho s a very hard man to beat at the igside once he. had set his mind on, airing a horse. Probably no one did ire than ho to improve the breed of rses in New Zealand by judicious imitations from England, and_no one s responsible for so many well-bred llions" and mares being brought from 3 Mother Country. Included in his glish purchases wore the stallions nlinus, Cadogan, Apremont, Benzoin I pbligado, and the brood, mares troleu3e, L’Orient, Miss Laura, Pul•a, Crinoline, Titania, Nellie Moore, ippe, Florence M’Cartby, Fairyland, dy Ravenswortb, Otterden, Stresa i Saucer. The progeny of these stains and mares won many races, and fclieir names aro found in the pedigrees of many of the most successful horses ■ ‘in New Zealand and Australia at the present time. Some of the best performers that have raced in New Zealand have borne Mr Stead’s familiar '/“yellow jacket, black cap.” A few Which may be specially noted are : Tren--7 ton, Maxim. Russlev, Lochiel, Medalrilion, Clanranald, Stopniak, Uniform, Gold Medallist, Multiform, Royal Ar- " tillery. Conqueror. Screw Gun, Benzoin. Orloff, Machine Gun, Siege Gun, . Cruciform, Martian, Munjeot. .Sun god, Noctuiform and Isolt, tlicse forming a £ collection that no other owner in New has equalled. In addition to being an importer Mr ■I Stead was also an exporter, and quite «’.'-a number of horses which had carried {. his colours successfully were, 'sold at k,good prices to go to England. ’At the A; time of his death he had a number of ■. horses in work at his private training . establishment at Yaldhurst, and he also a select stud farm, where the j: majority of the horses that carried his colours recently were bred. 7/ Apart from his position as an owner 4 and breeder ho held a prominent place • in the racing world. He was elected a '/ member of tho Canterbury Jockey Club A in 1872, and shortly afterwards lie was ' appointed treasurer, a position lie. held ) until his death. He was also chairman jftof the club for a number of years. He b took a leading part in the organisation A-of the New Zealand Racing Conference, and gave good service as one of the ,v delegates of the Canterbury Jockey . Chib. He was well versed in racing i law, and he found time to use his pen as a general writer on turf subjects, the totalisator, of which he was a warm H supporter, having no stronger advocate in the columns of the Press. >’; In 1876 Mr Stead married a daughter i of Mr Wilkinson, of Yorkshire, Eng'r land. He leaves a widow, three sons—/’.Messrs Wilfrid G., Edgar F., and Gerald L. Stead—and one daughter, Mrs ' Russel] Grace, of Wellington. MR~W TpRUDHOE . Mr William Prudhoe, who was for many years a prominent citizen of Christchurch, died yesterday. Mr Prudhoe, A': who was born in Sunderland, England, in 1831, arrived in Lyttelton by the ship Regina in 1859. He entered business as a builder, and erected several • well-known buildings in tho city. In 1882 Mr Prudhoe was elected a member of the City Council, and be held a seat on tbo Council until 1892, when ho became Mayor. Later he again en- . tered the Council. He was long a. member of tbo North Canterbury Charitable Aid Board, and for five years held a seat on Hospital . Board. Mr Prudhoe was a Past Grand ; Master of the Orange Order for tho > South Island. Ho was married in ,ii 1885 to a daughter of Mr Cumberland Adamson, of Sunderland, and loaves ' a widow, two sons a-nd one daugther. He was a Justice of the Pence, and. was «• aged seventy-seven years. rr E R Press Association.] iV TIMA RU, April 29. £ John Rainsley Jones, verger at St -—Alary’s Church for many years, and capZ taimof the Fire Brigade for some years, ■< died suddenly this morning. Ho was i engaged with his duties at the church, ' when he was seized with a fit. He r- Tallied,- but died while walking home.