NINETEEN HOTELS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25866, 9 June 1945, Page 8

NINETEEN HOTELS

OWNED BY AUCKLAND FIRM DETAILS GIVEN TO COMMISSION (P.A.) AUCKLAND, June 8. Evidence in respect to the history of the business and finances of the Campbell and Ehrenfried Company, Ltd., was given by Mr Henry Patrick Ibbertson, a director of the company, and previously the firm’s sales manager and hotel supervisor, before the Royal Commission on Licensing this morning. Witness said that the late Sitf John Logan Campbell founded the Brown and Campbell Company in 1840, and in 1897 this firm amalgamated with Ehrenfried Bros, to form the present company, which was still a private one with a capital of £150,000. The company was a business competitor with all the other wholesale wine and spirit merchants in Auckland, witness said. As far as New Zealand Breweries, Ltd., was concerned, his company was a shareholder in that company, and one director, Mr H. C. McCoy, was common to both companies. Nevertheless, neither company had any control whatever over the other. His company, witness continued, had under management control 26 hotels. Of these 19 were owned by the company, 3 were leased from private owners, 3 were managed on behalf of the Ohinemuri Hotels, Ltd., and 1 was managed on behalf of the Pilling Proprietary, Ltd. His firm was a shareholder in Ohinemuri Hotels, Ltd.,, and also in the Pilling Proprietary, Ltd. In addition to the notels previously referred to, the company was also the owner (lessee in one case) of seven other hotels which were leased (sublet in one case) to individual licensees. Further, the company was a part owner of the Mon Desir Hotel at Takapuna, and a partner in the business of the Naval and Family Hotel, Auckland.