OBITUARY

Otago Witness, Issue 2996, 16 August 1911, Page 69

OBITUARY

MR J. B. THOMSON. The news of the death of Mr J. B. Thomson, of this city, which occurred on August 11, will occasion deep regret among the wide circle of his friends and acquaintances. Mr Thomson was born in Stirlingshire, Scotland. in 1840. and served an apprenticeship of five years to carpentry in Glasgow, In. 1864, immediately after his marriage to a daughter of Mr William Clough, he left the Old Country for Port Chalmers, and arrived off the Heads in December of that year. Owing to unfavourable weather, however, a landing was not effected till January of the following year; and he used to refer jokingly to this accidental circumstance which had excluded him by a few days from membership in the Otago Early Settlers’ Association. Trade _ was very bad here when Mr Thomson arrived, and he took a position as snip’s carpenter on the barque Prospector, which loaded a cargo of wheat for America and brought back flour to New Zealand. After his return he founded in 1866, with Mr James M‘Gill, the building firm of M’Gill and Thomson, a partnership that continued till 1893. Many important buildings were erected by the firm, including part of Messrs Bing, Harris, and Co.’s fine warehouse, the stone house of the late Mr Robert Gillies —one of the best houses within the Town Belt,—Mr A. Lees’s house at E/oslyn, and many others. In 1893' Mr Thomson went into business on_ his own account, and took his elder son into partnership. It was not till toward® the close of last year, however, that he finally withdrew from the business and handed it over to his son. The late Mr Thomson for six years represented Bell Ward in the City Council, and in 1882 ho successfully contested the mayoral election with Mr A, H. Ross. He was returned by 927 votes to 405. He was also an enthusiastic member of the Dunedin Burns Club from its formation, and was for four years a member of the Otago Harbour Board, and also acted as chairman of that body. He occupied a seat on the Hospital Board, and was A trustee of the Benevolent Society for a year. As a member of the order of Foresters Mr Thomson held office as District Chief Ranger at the time of the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh, to whom he presented an address on behalf of the society. He was one of th© very earliest members of the Moray Place Congregational Church, with which he was at one time very actively associated. For some time past Mr Thomson’s health had been failing, and he had been under the care of Dr Evans. He suffered at times from a kind of stroke, attributable to weakness of the heart, and yesterday hi weakness of the heart, and on Friday of his relatives suddenly and with perfect

calmness. He leaves behind a family of consisting- now of on© daughter, married to a prominent business manager living in the Western States, and two sons, the elder of whom continues his father’s business in Dunedin. The other resides in Gore. MR H. E. MUIR. It is our painful duty this week to ro* cord the death of Mr Henry Edward Muir, which occurred with some suddenness at has residence-, Russell street, on Friday evening. ~ r Muir had- been a member of the Daily limes reporting staffl for some six years, latterly acted as shipping reporter. On the Bth mst. he attended the funeral of a relative at Gore, and resumed duty on Wednesday. In the evening, when setting out tor the office, he was seized with a fit of coughing, and this caused hemorrhage of the lunge. Pneumonia supervened, and he died as stated. Mr Muir was born at Bendigo, Victoria, in 1852. and at the age of nine came with his parents to Dunedin. He commenced Ids career at Palmerston, in the office of the local Herald, and was subsequently employed as a compositor in the offices of the Otago Guardian and the Bruce Herald. In 1873, in company with three others, he established the Clutha Leader. Thereafter he joined the composing staff of the Daily Times, migrating thence to- the Morning Herald'. Some years afterwards he, with a partner, leased the Tima.ru Evening Mail, and eventually became its editor. Ho edited the Ashburton Mail and Ashburton Guardian for Major (now Sir William) Steward, and was afterwards subeditor and editor of the Globe in Dunedin. About six years ago he joined the reporting staff of this journal. Prior to that he had entered into business as a sharebroker, and was chairman of the Equitable Stock Exchange, founded during the dredging- boom. After the collapse of the boom he joined the reporting staff of the Evening Star. In 1900 he was elected councillor for High Ward, and re-elected unopposed for the same ward a year later. During his term as councillor lie was chairman of the Reserves Committee, and a member of the Water, Gas, General, Works, and Finance Committees of the City Council. Ho was the council’s representativc on the Ocean Beach Domain Board, a position he resigned owing to journalistic duties. In 1899 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace, and later a Visiting Jiptice of the Gaol. He is survived by his widow and a family of six. all grown up except one boy. One son, Ernest) is a reporter on the Auckland Herald. At Port Chalmers on Sunday prominent shipping officials expressed profound regret with regard to Mr Muir’s death, and showed how highly esteemed he was for his many estimable qualities. The flag on the signal station was half-masted as a tribute to his memory.