OLD CITY COMPANY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21503, 29 May 1933, Page 10

OLD CITY COMPANY

LIQUIDATION ANNOUNCED BUILDING OF TRAMCARS A VARIED HISTORY The old-established Auckland manufacturing business of tho D.S.C. and Cousins and Cousins, Limited, Kitchener Street, has gone into liquidation. The company lias had a varied history, going back fully 40 years, and its career has many features of interest. In the early nineties Mr. John Brown, of tho Auckland Furniture Company, and Mr. A. R. Morrison, of the D.1.C., arranged an amalgamation of interests and established-tho D.S.C. Cooperative Stores, dealing in drapery and furniture. Tho initials in the company's name stood for "Direct Supply Company." The concern occupied various premises in Queen Street and carried on a very successful business for a number of years, in spite of the fact that on one occasion it suffered a disastrous fire.

In 1903 the company secured a lease of premises in Victoria Quadrant, now Kitchener Street, below tho Northern Club, and began the manufacture of furniture on a largo scalo with up-to-date machinery. Its retail business was then being carried on in tho building now occupied by John Court, Limited, tho structure boing at that time only three storeys high. The new venture did not prove the success that was hoped and about 1910 tho company went into liquidation. A syndicate then acquired tho factory and plant, and two or three years later an amalgamation was mado with tho business of Cousins and Cousins, an old-established firm of coachbuiklers, of Lorne Street, with tho object of undertaking tho construction of tramcar bodies for tho Auckland Tramway Company. This tho new company carried on successfully until a few years ago, when the Auckland Transport Board began to build bodies in its own shops near the Royal Oak. Tho largo majority of tho cars now running in Auckland were built in the company's factory. Their design and workmanship alike luivo won much praise from visitors to tho city. At tho same time .tho company developed motor-body building so far as conditions allowed. It also continued tho manufacture of furniture, but had to meet changing conditions in tho trade, particularly the competition flf small factories and tho introduction of plainer styles, which mado a good deal of its woodworking machinery unnecessary. Every endeavour was mado to carry on in tho interests of tho employees, but lately it was found impossible to continue.