OBITUARY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21948, 9 May 1933, Page 7

OBITUARY

MR J. A. JOHNSTONE Few more interesting personalities have dominated the stock and station agency business in Otago than that of Mr James Armour Johnstone, whose death at his home in Maori Hill yesterday we record this morning. His long and prominent association with the mercantile, side of primary production in this province and his personal activities in the realm of livestock breeding entitle him to particular notice. He reflected in a manner peculiar to himself his early training and associations, and almost to the day of his death at the age of 74 years took an active part in the direction of the destinies of the firm in which he had been interested as em-, ployee and director for 58 years. An unusually strenuous youth spent in the mastering of the infinite details of the calling he followed was reproduced in later years in an unwavering devotion to business which kept him constantly at the head of affairs when his years and his achievements might have been said to have earned him complete rest and retirement.- It is very difficult, however, for man to get away altogether from his past. The step of the countryman, springing with the elasticity of the vibrant medium he treads, clings to him after years of city pavements. So Mr Johnstone till the' end of his long commercial years, practically the whole of

which were spent in the heart of Dunedin, retained the tang of the soil and the breeding pen, and that keen and sustained interest in stud stock breeding which earned him the reputation of having sold probably more stud stock than any other man in New Zealand. Mr Johnstone was born in Glasgow in 1859, and was the son of the Eev. David Johnstone, who arrived in Dunedin with his family oft one eon and three daughters in 1808. He was educated at the Otago Boys' High School, and joined the staff of Messrs Wright, Stephenson and Company as a junior in 1875, at the age of 16. The partners in the firm at that time were its founders, Mr John Wright and Mr John Stephenson. After ten years' service with the firm in the pursuit of which he traversed almost every .part of Otago and assisted in the sale of practically every class of livestock, Mr Johnstone was admitted to partnership, and when 14 years later, in 1899, the two senior partners in the firm retired, he became the senior partner. In 1906 the business of Messrs Wright, Stephenson and Company was formed into a public company, and Mr Johnstone became managing director and chairman of directors. By this time he had the business in which he was engaged in a grasp invincible, and the firm of which he was the head had earned a reputation for sound and "proper dealing which attracted to it the support and patronage of farmers and squatters in every part of Otago and Southland, and reflected vividly the personality and character of one of its chief builders. That large circle of land owners and farmers in Otago and Southland who had the privilege of his acquaintance and confidence learned a complete and full appreciation and understanding of his qualities and of his influence on the primary producing community. When a man stands so square across the main highway of commercial life that the age and business he lives in cannot ignore his personality he takes his place as one who is to be accounted for; and in the case of Mr Johnstone his partners and his rivals were alike willing to admit that none of the little tape-lines and footrules which the world delights to use and which have met the ordinary necessities would do for the task of measuring him. He created, in fact, his own standards and then became a recognised criterion for others. In 1907 Mr Johnstone and his family took a trip round the world, visiting Argentina, of which republic he was for many years the Vice-Consul in New Zealand, Great Britain and Europe, returning via the East and'Australia. He resigned the chairmanship of the company prior to his departure, and although urged to resume the post on his return to New Zealand, he preferred not to do so, although he retained the position of managing director of the firm which he had held since the formation of the company. He visited Australia frequently 'on business and was well known in Victoria and New South Wales as a judge of quality and value in livestock and as a business man of standing. He also made other visits to Great Britain, and some of the most notable livestock importations into the Dominion were t the result of his influence and sel ?c-' tion.

In 1920, Mr Johnstone founded his Bushey Park stud, into which he put such a measure of his customary thoroughness that his stock have become famous throughout all the sheep-produc-ing countries of the world. His Comedale flock is one of the best known and best bred in New Zealand and has done more in the way of keeping Otago on the map so far as livestock breeding is concerned than any other stud in the province. His show ring and overseas marketing records combined have been unequalled by any other flockmaster in New Zealand in recent years. Sheep from the Bushey Park stud have been exported in large numbers and have gone to many countries, amongst which may be mentioned New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, the United Spates, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Japan, South Africa and Great Britain. Shortly after the successful establishment' of his Corriedale flock. Mr turned his attention to Scotch'Shorthorn cattle, a notable selection of which he secured at great cost from the best herds in Scotland and England. For 10 years these cattle have heaped added laurels upon the head of their breeder, and*today the herd enjoys a leading place among the beef Shorthorn studs of the Dominion. Throughout his lengthy connection with the stock and station agency busin- 3S in the South Island Mr Johnstone displayed a keen interest in purebred stock raising, and in addition to his own long list of successes as a breeder he has clone much to assist livestock breeding generally. He was the founder, and for many years the president, of the Clydesdale Horse Society of New Zealand, and his breeding activities included the Lanarkshire breed. He never lost touch with the heavy horse breeding industry, and some of the best sires in the Dominion were selected by him for export to this country. Another sphere in which Mr Johnstone was particularly prominent was the work of Sir Trilby King for the welfare of women and children. For a

great many years he was one of tho financial advisers of the Eoyal Society for the Health of Women and Childre» (Plunket Society), and he was also on« of the founders and directors of the Karitane Products Company. Mrs Johnston* held the position of Dominion president of the society for a long time, and provided her husband with yet another opportunity for service in a cause which was always very dear to his heart. He spent time, money and energy freely in his efforts to further the work of the society, which was one of the factors in his life which prevented him from enjoying to the full the complete retirement and rest which a long and honourable career had earned for him. He was also the founder and president for many years of the Otago Navy League and his services were generally appreciated in a wide variety of patriotic efforts and movements during the years of the war. His was not a noticeably public life, but in his own quiet way he displayed unusual public spirit and unselfishness. The best description that could he given of him was that he was a helpful man, always willing to support any cause which he considered worthy of assistance; a liberal giver who preferred that his left hand should not know what his right hand was doing. In his philanthropic activities he exhibited that singleness of purpose and thoroughness which characterised his* whole business career, never sparing himself for either and making a marked success of both. ' Mr Johnstone was married in 1894 to Miss Margaret Forest Doriald, who survives him. He also leaves a family of three daughters—Mrs James Monro, and the Misses Ethel and Winnie Johnstone. Of the three sisters who arrived in Dunedin with him in 18(38 two died when just reaching womanhood, while the third was Mrs David Shand, of the Taieri, who is survived by her two sons, Mr David Brett Shand, of Timaru, and Mr Edgar T. Shand, of Kokonga.

MR E. A. PYRKE f The death occurred yesterday of Mr Edwin Albert Pyrke at his residence, North-East Valley. Mr Pyrke was born in London 84 years ago and came out to New Zealand when he was 21 years of age. He commenced business almost immediately on his arrival' with Mr Hargan, under the style of Messrs Pyrke and Hargan, wholesale spirit merchants, and was later providor on the boats of the Union Steam Ship Company. Subsequently' he travelled for Messrs Esther and Low, general merchants, and was then occupied in a similar capacity with Messrs William Neill and Co. He then joined Messrs Strachan and Co., with whom he was associated for about 25 years as a traveller, principally in >he North Islands In later years he was admitted into partnership with Mr C. A. Wilson, who formed the Wilson Malt Extract Company, of which Mr .Pyrke was a director until the time of his death. MR W. H. BUSWELL (Pek United Press Association.) GISBOKNE, May 8. The death occurred to-day after a brief illness of Mr William Howaid Buswell, who had been engineer to the Poverty Bay Electric Power Board einoe its inception in 1926, and for 14 yeais previously had been borough electrical engineer. He was 54 years of age.