Pioneers of Industry

NZ Truth, Issue 1079, 29 July 1926, Page 9

Pioneers of Industry

Two Fires CojuM Not Stop * The Griffins

(By "Truth's" Managing Editor on Tour.) , \ i Twice the factory was completely gutted by fire, thousands of pounds being lost on each occasion. _ ■ ■ And yet to-d&y the firm of Griffin and Sons, Ltd., of Nelson, is one of the best-known confectionery and biscuit manufacturing firms m the Dominion. i John Griffin, the original founder, came to New Zealand fro m England, where he had had experience m the flour line. He started bread and biscuit baking m a small w,ay, and it was from this inauspicious beginning, that the modern, firm grew. Very few firms were m existence then, and so Griffin launched out into confectionery and biscuit making. ■ He prospered and the business grew, but m. 1895, 27 years after he founded the rm, practically the. whole of his life's work was wiped out within^a few hoursi ' '■'■'//"' The factory was razed to the ground, jt meant a loss of many- thousands of pounds to 0. R. and J. H. Griffin, the two sons wiho had tajten over the business on their father's death. They had. irnsuffioient capital left to enable them to start the concern again as private individuals, but they succeeded m f ormiiag a limited company, and two years later manufacture recommenced. But Fate had still an ace to play m the game of Fortune. In .1903 the works were gutted for a second time. More capital was subscribed, another factory built and new maLchinery installed, Bind a year or two later the firm able to start manufacture again. a ' . Since then it has never looked back, although it experience ydv d a hard struggle at first, and it has progressed .and expanded. Between 1 ! 13Q and 140 hands are employed to-day as against 6 when manufacture was really first commenced. ' last year alO per ceni dividend was paid^ j