OBITUARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2914, 19 January 1910, Page 67

OBITUARY.

GEORGE WATSON". The death, which occurred a few days j ago, of Mr George Watson, who passed away at his residence, Maclaggan street, at the advanced age of 82 years, removed a. settler of nearly 57 years’ standing. Born in London on January 17, 182 S, Mr Watson was privileged to see paid of four reigns, with all their stirring events, and lie took a delight in describing the interest created by the final abolition of slavery, the Chartist riots, the invasion of the ; Crimea, and other historical occurrences. He was apprenticed to Tobias Tcape, of | the Tower Hill Printing Office, which in its early days was under the special patronage of George IV—it was practically the Government Printing Office. To receive the hallmark of a Tower Hill apprenticeship was : to receive the “ open Sesame ” to any printing establishment in the world. , George Watson was nothing if not thorough in all he undertook. It was his pride, and j is the pride of his family, that there was j not, when he was irx his prime, a more ' capable printer south of the line. Quiet, unassuming, and cheerful, it was his boast that never under the most agravating circumstances did he give way to profanity, play a game at cards, gamble, indulge in smoking or intoxicants. He was a rigid total abstainer and the patriarch of Rechabitism in Otago, having been one of the promoters and charter members of the Hope of Otago Tent, and when that died out owing to the disturbing influences of the gold fever, he

became later on a promoter of and charter member of the now flourising Hope of Dunedin Tent. He was an ardent advocate of peace, and so consistent that ho could say what probably not another man in the Dominion could—vis., that he never shouldered a rifle nor discharged a firearm in his life. Mr Watson came out to Otago in the ship Rajah in 1853. Originally ho booked his passage for Wellington, but owing to serious injury to the vessel when she was 500 miles off the coast of Van Diemen’s Land —row Tasmania—the captain decided to make Port Chalmers tor repairs, which it took 10 weeks to effect. Finding that wages were low in New Zealand, and that a goodly number of the old settlers had gone to the Australian goldfields, Mr Watson went across to Melbourne in 1854, and took employment as a “ grass ” hand on the Age, which was anything but a- robust journal at that time. Wages ranged up to 30s a day. Not liking the extreme heat, he returned to Nelson and Wellington in 1855, .working as a compositor until his own plant arrived, enabling him to commence business on Lambton quay North, Wellington, on his own account in 1856 In these premises lie printed and published the Royal New Zealand Almanac for 1857 on to 1859, receiving good support alike from the public and the then Provincial Government. Having sold out to advantage, he directed his attention to Sydney, but returned to Canterbury and commenced business in Lyttelton at the end of 1859. Ho had not boon there long before the late Rev. John Raven rode over from Christchurch and made overtures on behalf of several leading citizens to purchase his press and plant to start what is now the Press newspaper. The company appointed him manager and printer, in which capacity he remained until 1862, when he started in Dunedin the Caxton Boarding-house, which was well patronised by the diggers. As, however, he preferred his original occupation, another plant was brought out from the Old Country for him, and things boomed with him in his premises in Maclaggan street until the great fire of 1865, when he was burnt out and lost everything. The manager of the company with which he was insured refused, it is alleged, to acknowledge anyr claim, notwithstanding the fact that he had been offered the premium, as he was coming down the steps from his office on Saturday at noon, and had said, “ Oh, never mind that, Mr Watson ; Monday will do; we will keep you covered.” The file, which consumed over 20 premises in an hour and 20 minutes, took places on a. Sunday night through the upsetting of some boiling fat at a hoardinghouse a few doors off. A fresh plant was obtained;, however, but from this on he did not have the same spirit for business, and he experienced other serious losses. Mr Watson, in conjunction with several other

temperance workers, started the old Morn inglon Baiiid 1 of Hope, which is still held ii kindly memory by quite a number of oh friends and Dunedin boy.-. A member fot several years of the High Street School Committee, he always evinced a keen interest in the welfare of the school. In connection with the Ilschabite Order there was at one time no greater enthusiast than he was. Few many years he represented tiro Hope ol Dunedin Tent at the annual conferences. He was also its representative on the Friendly ■Societies’ Dispensary Board. Ho was a lit© member of the Printers’ Pension Corpora.* lion, and a Freeman of the City of London, and one of the oldest members, if not actually the oldest, of the Church of Christ in Dunedin, his membership dating- back to the time when the church met in the little building in Hanover street, near F, lieu I ■street, that has since been pulled down. The funeral was marked by the number of sincere agAd.friends who attended to show their respect for the departed. The coffin was borne to the grave by the office-bearer© of the Tabernacle, Mr W. J. Haeiie, th© evangelist, officiating, while the burial service of the Rechabitcs was read by P.D.C.R. Bro. Sherwood. Mrs Watson predeceased him by some 11 years. He as survived by his two sons and their families. He had eight grandchildren.