DEATH OF J. W. ROBERTSON.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 953, 27 January 1876, Page 2

DEATH OF J. W. ROBERTSON.

To -day it it oar duty to ye fin in the saddest task which has ever fallen to oar lot since the first of this journal, namely, to recorl the death, on. Sunday last, of one of oar ol<iest and most esteemed—we might hj most endeared—citizens, not citizen in the narrow acceptation, but rather as a citizen of the world. Jam ? William Robertson was not only wall-known iu bu«inesß as ihi head and moving spirit of one of oar most influential firms, butMsrarkmdandgenerou? conduct in social life endeared him to everyone who came in contact with him. Even WWI deiltn* with unpleasant he always hid a plem'nt word to say, and h>s benevolence was too Jgreat "to allow him to censure if he ootid not praise. In short, he was a man of lafljge heart, of generous aspirations and upright eoiylnct, an ! alihflugH passed away in the flesh his wfasnce * ill be Me ia the spirit for msny a long &kj. Mr I!oh;rt9<m's name is a household one, ia every sense of tae word, .in this district, and it is alee respected outside the limits of the Wakatip. Dtoasasd was born at St. John's, New Brunswick, British North A merit a, and the earlier part of MH life was R]>ent in. the lumber trade there, at which place hi? father owned a sawmill. Like very many other enterprising men, he was attracted to Australia by the faujtV of the gold mines. Mr Robertson settled in the far«famed Ballarat district, where hid njiae is favorably mentioned to this day. Being su ce snl in-mining operations hs ooosnenced a wafer race speculation at the bttd of Cniwick Creek. This face was known by the name of the "Canada Race." and the projectors as the ■'Yankee" They flumed across a high gulty, but a hirricioe •IcotrojxJ tkeir wwlt Old I )SS* Of OVer £J.(i >0 W.tl sustained. Messrs Joks BN|, Mell>ourne. had just introduced their papier machie pipes, and the party tried these, but they dfrl not withstand thi. pressure. Galvanised piping was also tr.ed w»t" V similar result, and the "Yankee" party had to give up the ground after losing three yeen of time, and expending over £5,000 upon the venture.' We mention these facts to alnw the strong spirit of self reliance that prompted all the actions of the deceased. He at one time asaaased a g>**l stun of money by bottoming puddling tuba, and his work in this direction was so faithfully and well done that be had uli.ost a monopoly of the bnsness around him. lie afterwards worked in the tin>i«r trade at Bullarook Forest and laid dowu the commencement of the extensive tramway system that prevails there It waa here, we believe, that he first formed connection with the M'Bn 'e family, in the person of Mr Fiancie M'Bride, one of the surviving and senior partner of the firm. There were also working in the earns foreet Messrs Daniel, James, and John M'Bride and Mr J. C. Patterson. Mr J. Wbitbourn waa also a mate in the Cresw:ck Creek speculation. A visit to New md to the Sfcoto-r?r opened the eyes of thess parties to the value of a timber speculation in this district The wellknown firm of J. W. Robertson wss then formed and with slight changes has continued in active existence and its career has been one of prosperity. All the members of the firm have taken up land, and have always been willing to assist others in following the same course. They ars bound up intimately ui.h the varied interests of the district, and at time rolls on so will the investments of the firm increase in value. Mr Robertson, as the managing partner J the firm, combined the senator la modo with tie fortier in r* style of doing bonsas. He placed such great confidence in people that those be assisted looked upon it almost as a crime to deceive.' He met, however, in purely businese circles some heavy losses, and the fine's efforts to advance the mining interest also entailed loes to them. The deceased was one of the members of that old Progress Committee, which, amongst other works secured the commonage giant; the opening of the lands, and the establishment of Municipal Institutions. He was thrioe elected Mayor of Queenstown being its first Mayor. He was elected without opposition as xiptesentaiivs for the Lakes District in the Provincial Council, but sat only for one session. The task was not a eoogsnial one to ' him who was not a public speaker at any time, his remarks being j|w and pithy and tersely coufined to the object|n view. His opinions however, at all times groat weight and, as a member of Committees and ia the lobbiee he did good service for the district. He desired in life to be treated as a plain man and, in this spirit have we dealt with him. Xo honest struggling man or woman ever appealed to him in vain. We close our brief and necessarily imperfect sketch—having obtained too reliable particulars beyond those known to the writer of this obituary—with the simple remark that he is mourned and sorrowed over by hundreds who are none of his kith or kin. The immense concourse that formed the funeral cortege on Wedneeday shewed thii. Several people came from CnttweO, Biverton, andp Invercargill to testify their rsspaet to the deceased, and altogether there could not have been less than 400 present. The burial eensaeny was performed by the Rev. Joshua Jones, of ths Church of England, who is also the Masonic Chsptian of the local Lodge, The Masons, to the npmbsr of over 50, preeeded the coffiu, which was on the shoulders of the stalwart partners of their chief. At the entrance to the cemetery the bnrthsn fell to the rear and followed close upon the wfflu After the Cliufeh ritual was finished th# Rif. Bio. Jones, delivered a Masonic sermot •*** this closed the last tribute to the merits of a most worthy aid loving brother.