E. Buxton & Co., Ltd.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 205, 7 September 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

E. Buxton & Co., Ltd.

General Importers Hop, Wool and Grain Merchants, etc. Nelson is, broadly speaking, the hop garden of New Zealand. Near the town the tourist may observe scenes of hop fields which remind hiir of Kent, or other English hopgrowing counties, and here as there a very substantial and lucrative industry is possessed. This district supplies the whole of New Zealand, and, to a certain extent, the Australian States. A considerable export therefore takes place, and New Zealand brewers in particular depend on the local harvest. To conduct this export trade an institution bf large dimensions has in course of time come into existence under the name of Messrs E. Buxton & Co., Ltd. Other Nelson houses are en-,/ gaged as hop merchants, but none of them are so important as this. | Indeed, it can be safely asserted that Messrs Buxton & Co. are the largest hop merchants in the Southern Hemisphere. Australia is principally an importer, . and South Africa does little in the industry, and therefore Nelson takes the pride of place as a producer, thus giving the present firm their important standing at the head of southern hop merchants. But Messrs Buxton ai.d Co. are very much more than dealers in hops, as this sketch as it proceeds will seek to show. Except fo: a few lines they buy from the producers all their produce, and in r< cum supply $hem with any kind of merchandise that they require— a b; r undertaking which demands a lof of working and organisation. Comparable with most New Z aland trading institutions Messrs E Buxton & Co: have attained to a ri <c old age. The business was ft mded nearly half a century ago b the late Mr E. Buxton on the sa ac site as is now used in Trafalgui Street. Mr Buxton supervised affairs untii 1867, when he admitted the late Mr Buckeridge into partnership, and handed over the control to him. In 1881 the late Mr F. Hamilton became the proprietor, and continued to manage the business until his death last January. In 1898 he floated it into a limited liability company, the interest, however, being retained in the hands of his family. Although the tride was substantial before that it was not until Mr Hamilton applied his keen commercial mind to it that it began to assume its comparatively large dimensions. Mr Hamilton, who spent his earlier years in the United States, possessed sound business acumen, and that judgment and foresight which was so often evidenced by early colonists. In 1 862 he came to New Zealand, and was engaged in business at Invercargill until 1865, when he proceeded to the West Coast, and at Greymouth quickly became one of the laigest business men serving the goldfields. Old residents of the Coast do not forget the firm of F. and J. Hamilton, of which he was the guiding spirit. He associated himself with Greymouth public affairs as member of the Bor-, ough Council, and Mayor, not to mention other, useful offices, and upon his coming to Nelson in 1881 general regret was expressed by residents of the western centre. It did not take Mr Hamilton long to infuse fresh life into the business of Buxton & Co., and by adding new lines from time to time he led up to the present diverse list. From time to time, also, large additions were made to the premises, which are today perhaps the most convenient of the kind in the colony. Mr Hamilton was an upright sturdy townsman and was highly esteemed. His recent death was a blow to the centre in many ways. Fortunately Mr Buxton, when founding the business, purchased the land upon which he erected his first store, and upon this to-day stands a very extensive building 61 x 162 ft in dimensions, at the rear of which is a heavily,stocked iron store measuring 66 k ipoft. In addition ther is a large hop store, 50 x 1 20 ft in Lridge Street, another store for cement, etc, in Halifax "Street, and also a. fourth building, for machinery and kerosene, near by. Some conception of the dimensions of the business may be gained from the statement that all these stores combined give a.floorage space of something like two acres, the whole of which is used. Passing from building to building the visitor observes almost every kind of merchandise used in the Nelson district—groceries, ironmongery, hardware, station I supplies, implements, drapery, furnishings , cement, oils, etc. The main premises are solidly constructed of brick, and to a part of their depth are two stories high. There are two entrances from Trafalgar Street, one to the hardware and the other to the wholesale department, while a cartway leads to the iron store at the rear, from which again, egress is obtained by what is known as. Fiddle Alley, into Bridge Street. The view from the main entrance of the hardware department is most spacious, the distance, to the extreme end being almost impossible in largely populated cities, and affording the opportunity for a very effective^ display. All sorts of ironmongery, such as domestic utensils, ranges, ovens, lamps, tinware/electroplate ware, and the thousand and one goo-ds tp be found inla well-stocked 'ironmongery store are on exhibition in one or other part of this handsome department. Alongside is the wholesale department. Messrs Buxton & Co. are direct importers of every kind of groceries and oilmen's goods, their stock being chosen with all the care oW distinct busi-*

ness house. Upstairs are the drapery, furnishing, and crockery and glassware departments. All sorts of drapery, except fancy goods, are kept __ cloths, tweeds, bedding, blankets, rugs— while the furnishings include bedsteads, linoleums, carpets, the last of which are made up upon the premises. The buildings at the rear contains a very large assortment of bulk and heavy goods, all the space being fully occupied, while lofts are also brought into requisition. In one place are sheet iron and bar iron ; in another fencing materials ; here cement, here register grates, and ranges ; here farming implements; here axes, saws, and other articles for the forest and field, for the squatter, the farmer, the gardener, the builder, and so forth. In a special department is a mattrass-making plant, and also iron curving machines for curving corrugated iron. Considerable stocks of j oils and kerosene are he.ld in the i stores. Before turning from these branches of.the business it should be mentioned that Messrs Buxton. & Co., Ltd., are the sole agents in Nelson for Ronsomes, Sims, and Jeffries, Ltd. agricultural imple- ! ments, Cannon's Liquid Sheep Dip, Cooper's Powder Sheep Dip, the Kentucky Tobacco Company's Black Leaf Dip, the Gear Company's Fertilisers, Shacklock's Celebrated Orion Ranges,'and theGritzner Hand and New Home Treadle Sewing Machines. Beyond these, they are agents for the Victoria Insurance Coy., Ltd., North British and Mercantile Insurance Coy., besides minor agencies. While the local reader will be more interested in the firm of Buxton & Co. as universal providers, the outsider will probably pay greater attention to a description of their business as hop, wool, and grain merchants. This branch was inaugurated by Mr Hamilton, who wanted to serve the producers in a double sense by not only selling what they required but by buying from them, or selling for them on commission, what they produced. /This was a happy decision, for as already stated they have become the largest hop merchants in New Zealand. The firm are in direct communication with the principal hop, wool, and grain growers in the district, and either buy direct from them or sell on their account. As hop merchants they conduct probably twothirds of the business of the colony, buying from the growers and selling to all the leading brewers in both islands. Their hop store sometimes holds up to £20,000 worth of hops, the stock at present running up to several thousand pounds in value. They receive orders from widely separated parts, this branch being worked on a most convenient system for all parties, and excellent facilities for handling the bales are established at the store. About three years ago after a visit to California, the late Mr Hamilton introduced here the system of wires and strings for training hops, an improvement on the pole system. In wool up to 1-500 bales per year are manipulated, this industry not attaining any considerable proportions in the district. The product is shipped to Wellington and London. Altogether in hops, wool, and grain they transact a considerable business, their probity, and the confidence reposed in them, helping them greatly to attain their foremost position in this respect. They are of eminent service to the growers in providing them with a ready market, their fair dealing being known to all. Altogether Messrs E. Buxton & Co. are among the most powerful and interesting firms in the northern and western parts of the island, their trade relations ramifying widely. In merchandise they do a. large wholesale trade, and in the two branches they have altogether between two and three thousand accounts on theii books, a greater number than any other Nelson firm. Some eighteen hands are regularly employed, some of them having been connected with the business, for twenty-six years, and most of them for long periods. This is a sure sign of good management and considerate treatment. The whole business is excellently organised, and works without a hitch. In conclusion it must be said that Messrs E. Buxton & Co. are splendid examples of the trade importance of Nelson, and in the hands of the present management this old established institution is sure to maintain its prestige and its usefulness.