DEATH OF PHILANTHROPIST

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20324, 3 August 1929, Page 13

DEATH OF PHILANTHROPIST

MR. BERNHARD BARON.

FORTUNE FROM TOBACCO

NEARLY £2,000,000 GIVEN AWAY.

Australian Props Aspoeipfinn—United Service (Received August 2, 7.25 p.m.) LONDON. Aug. 2. The death is announced of Mr, Hornhard Baron, tobacco magnate and philanthropist, in his 70th year. The henefactr ns o| deceased amounted to nearly £2,000,000. '

The late Mi Rernhard Baron, who was a Russian Jew, was a millionaire tobacco manufacturer. Ho was born in December, 185u When he was 16 years old lie went to tho United States to avoid serving in the Russian army While he was working for a New York tobacconist for lbs a week (of which ho managed to savo 10s) lie experimented in the making ot cigarettes which in those days were not, much sniolicd, and gradually worked his way up to a good position. Eventually his experiments culminated in a cigarette making machine. Ho took this to England, but found it difficult to obtain what ho considered an adequate price for it Eventually, however, ho sold it for £l2u,oou and bought for £150,000 the tobacco business ol Carreras, which now employs 2500 hands. In 1905 .Mr. liaron went to live at

-.ovo and became a naturalised British subject. It gave hnn great satisfaction to help Jews and Christians alike. During the last few years he has made htigo donations to charities. To celebrate his birthday in 1925, he gave £50,000 to hospitals. Ho had just previously given £11,500 to the Liberal Jewish Synagogue Building Fund, £IO,OOO each to threo London hospitals and £IO,OOO to Jerusalem University. He also distributed large

sums to Ins employees and his total benefactious during that year carno to £200,000.

In Decomber, 1926, Mr. Baron gavo £2d,UOO to hospitals and other charities and an extra week's wages to all his 2500 employees. He also bo. glit and equipped a largo house at Brighton as a convalescent home for his employees. In 1926 £300,000 was distributed in bonus shares by his firm, many of which went to tho work-people. Mr. Baron, who was not a sporting man and did not catc for society, was a member of the Labour Party and a personal friend of Messrs. Ramsay Mac Donald, J. R. Clynes, Arthur Henderson and J. 11. Thomas. In 1924 Mr. Baron gave £SOOO to the Labour election campaign fund. A strong supporter of the Zionist movement, he made a donation of £25.000 to tho Keren Ilayesod Fund in October, 1926, on condition that Jews should be taught agriculture and not bo allowed to go into small trades or become pedlars in Palestine. He had already given £55,000 to Zionism and had taken stock to the value of £IOO,OOO in Rutenberg's electricity project in Palestine. In 1927 Mr. Baron subscribed £SOOO toward Lord Melchett's Palestine unemployed relief fund. In September, 1928, Mr. Baron set aside £575,000 for tho benefit of hospitals and homes for orphans and crippled children in the next 20 years. A trust was created and tho sum of money available each year is distributed on the anniversary of Mr. Baron's birthday. The trust stipulated that tho money available for distribution should be applied in the propoition of 75 per cent, among Christian and undenominational hospitals, homes and asylums, and 25 per cent, among similar institutions under Jewish control. Mr. Baron was said to have declared that he wished to die poor and that lie had no use for money except to give it away.