LIFE OF SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24448, 6 November 1940, Page 9

LIFE OF SERVICE

DEATH OF SIR PERCY SARGOOD GREAT LOSS TO CITY The death, which we record with regret, of Sir Percy Sargood, governing director of the firm of Messrs Sargood Son. an .1 Ewen. Ltd., will cause a great gap in the commercial and social life of the city. Sir Percy was one of the most prominent business men of Dunedin, and was actively associated with it for over 40 years. He was also connected with various movements for the development of the province and with several welfare societies, and he earned one reward in 1935 for a lifetime of service, when a knighthood wss conferred on him. A generous benefactor to the city, the most notable of his efforts in this direction was the presentation, in conjunction with his wife, of the Art Gallery, as a memorial to their son, Cedric Rolfe Sargood, who was killed at Gallipoli during the landing at Suvls Bay in 1915

Sir Percy was born at Melbourne. Australia, in 1865. his father being Sir Frederick Thomas Sargood. K.C.M.G He received private tuition in his early vouth and later studied at St. Hilda’s Scotch College. The Cedars (Rickmanworth, England), and Hawthorne Grammar School. In 1883 he entered the firm, of Messrs Sargood Butler and

Nichol. warehousemen of Melbourne, which had been originally established bv his grandfather. Mr Frederick James Sargood.' in 1851. under the firm name of F J. Sargood. Later the business was extended to New South Wales, and the firm became that of Messrs Sargood. Butler, Nichol and Ewen Company When two of the Sargood brothers purchased the Australian business, the firm name was changed to Messrs Sargood Bros., which, together with the New Zealand house, which was established in 1861, was recognised as one of the largest wholesale firms in the southern hemisphere After six gears’ apprenticeship in Melbourne. Sir Percy went to London, where he gained further experience with Bradbury. Greatorex, and Co. 1 Ltd., for one year, and was also attached to Sargood’s London office for one year, gaining buying experience. In 1891 he came to New Zealand as manager of the Dunedin and Christchurch warehouses and boot factory. In 1892 he became junior partner, and on the death of his father and Mr Ewen. in 1902. he took over control. In 1907 he formed the present company under the firm name of Sargood, Son, and Ewen, Ltd., and became governing director of it.

In his own words, uttered as recently as September of this year, he said, “ I have had 58 years’ association with the firm, from post boy to governing director,” and as recently as September 6 he wrote to his staff in. these words: “Do not allow present war conditions to damp your enthusiasm or distract you from your duties—business, civil, or military. In all three areas of activity fight on till victory is won and a lasting peace amongst mankind is assured through 1 the assertion of truth, the unveiling of illusion, the dissipation of hate, the enlargement and instruction of men’s hearts and minds.’” In his relations with the staff and with the business community as a whole Sir Percy strictly adhered to the motto laid down by the founders. “Fair trading and fair dealing.” Sir Percy did not confing his business interests to the strictly commercial side.. He was one of the pioneers of irrigation in Central Otago, and as ■ president of the Cromwell Development Company had a large share in the scheme for the irrigation of land on the Cromwell Flat. At Wanaka Station at Pembroke, which he acquired in 1912. considerable attention was devoted to the irrigation of the low levels, and the station also attained a reputation for the quality of its sheep and Friesian cattle, though it was perhaps better known as a centre of the hospitality which Sir Percy dispensed to visitors from abroad. The list of his activities apart from his business was a long one. Since 1909 he was interested in Empire migration, especially in connection with settling boys on the land. Sir Percy was an ex-vice-chairman of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce and an exmember of the executive of the Manufacturers’ Association He represented New Zealand at the International Conference of the Chambers of Commerce in London in 1926. and at the Empire Conference of Chambers of Commerce in London in 1929 he represented the Dunedin Chamber. During the war of 1914-18 he was chairman of the ExpedL tionary Forces Committee. Other interests included the Victoria League, the British Empire Cancer Research Fund, the Otago Public Art Gallery Society, rnd the Otago Expansion League. From its inception, he was a member of the Finance Committde of the Mayor’s Relief of Distress Fund, and he was the originator of the district scheme employed-in Dunedin for the relief of distress, which is generally considered to have been the best and most economical scheme of its kind operating in the Dominion. Keenly interested in Rotary he was a past president of the Rotary Club of Dunedin, and until laid aside by illhealth, was an active member of that organisation.

When the present war broke out. ne associated himself at once with the prosecution of patriotic efforts and became a member of the Finance Committee of the Otago Provincial Council. His experience, gained from similar work during the Great War, was of inestimable value to the council, which fully appreciated- the wise counsels he brought to bear on subjects relative to the welfai'e of soldiers. Pie was particularly interested in endeavouring to co-ordinate the work of the Soldiers and Dependents’ Welfare Committee, the present name of the former association, and the Otago Provincial Patriotic Council so that the needs of the returned men of the last war and the present conflict would be administered by the one organisation. An early meeting of representatives of both bodies had been ai’ranged, and the work done in this direction by Sir Percy will probably bear fruit in the future. During the Great War Sir Percy made available the sum of £SOOO for patriotic work, and he again generously gave a similar sum at the outbreak of the present war. The administration of this gift by the Patriotic Council will be spread over a number of years. In his work in the interests of young people, Sir Percy was as enthusiastic a worker as he was in every other activity He was a valuable friend to the Young Men’s Christian Association, and his financial assistance was always forthcoming when needed. He took a prominent part in the collection of funds for the erection of the association’s present building in Moray place, and the fact that £20,000 was contributed was largely due to Sir Percy’s zeal. At the time of his death he was a trustee of the Y.M.C.A. in Dunedin. All his life he was keenly interested in the Boy Scout Movement, of which he was a foundation member in New Zealand, and in recognition of his valuable services he was. in 1937,

awarded the Silver Wolf,” the highest distinction which any person in the movement can receive. While the gift of the Art Gallery to this city will remain one of Sir Percy’s most notable . contributions to the sphere of art, he will also be remembered for the leading part which he took in the foundation of _ the Empire Art Loan Collection Society which has enabled art-lovers throughout the Empire to view the works of great artists, a privilege many would not otherwise have enjoyed. Sir Percy’s private collection is of rare quality. . c . Throughout his business career Sir Percy was keenly alive to the welfare of his employees towards whom he invariably displayed a courtesy and consideration that won him the respect and liking of every member of the staffs of the numerous branches of his firm. As proof of his desire to better the conditions of his employees, be started a staff provident fund, the firm of Sargood, Son, and Ewen being one of the first to inaugurate such a scheme. Another indication of the fatherly interest he took in his staff, which always found that Sir P'icy dealt as fairly with them as with the business community, w?s the fact that on their return from the last war such of the firm’s employees as had been on active service were given bonuses equivalent to the amount of their war gratuities. . . In 1893 Sir Percy married a daughter of Dr Frederick Francis Ormond, of Hawke’s Bay. Lady Sargood has been a prominent social worker, and was one of the founders of the Women s Club She is also a member of the Victoria League, in connection with which she has made several visits to England. Of the family of three, two daughters survive. these being Mrs S D Macpherson and Mrs Mackillop.

PATRIOTIC WORK SERVICES OF GREAT VALUE At the bi-monthly meeting of the executive of the Otago Provincial Patriotic Council yesterday afternoon, the chairman (Mr J. J. Marlow) moved as follows; “That this council learns with the deepest regret of the passing of Sir Percy Sargood, and desires to extend to Lady Sargood and family its heartfelt sympathy with them in their great bereavement As a member of the Otago Provincial Patriotic Council since its inception, Sir Percy had taken a prominent and active part in its deliberations and activities, and his services were not only highly appreciated by the members generally, but were of the greatest value to the patrotic effort. In him the men of all services have lost one who was a sincere friend, and who, personally and by community service, spared no effort to see that adequate provision was made for their welfare. The people of the Dominion in general, and of Otago in particular, are the poorer for the passing of a great man.” The motion was seconded by Mr F W Mitchell, and carried in silence, and the meeting adjourned for 10 minutes. Mr Marlow explained that the meeting would have been postponed, but for the fact that members from the country had come to town to attend.