OBITUARY

Otago Witness, Issue 3061, 13 November 1912, Page 27

OBITUARY

LORD FURNESS. LONDON, November 10. Lord Furness, the well-known shipowner, is dead; aged. 60 years. Lord Furness, who was raised to the peerage in 19IU, was better known as S*i Christopher Furness, head of the firm of Furness, Withy, and Co. To begin with nothing, or next to nothing, and to become, whilst still in the prime of life, one of the great shipowners of the world, a mighty shipbuilder, the chief figure, in connection with extensive works, the owner of broad acres and patron ol numerous church livings, a commanding figure in the financial world, and a member of the British House of is to have lived to some purpose. Lord E urn-ess was born at West Hartlepool in April, 1852, and with the town of his birth he was closely identified throughout the whole of his life time. The romance of his fortunes arose out of a quite natural development of trade. He and his brother were engaged in a provision business, and by degrees they became such extensive importers from the other side of the Atlantic that they decided to charter a ship, and bring over a cargo entirely on their own behalf. The business grew until they were able to keep a ship of their own. Then they went oif into more or Ices separate careers. In the long run, the original business developed into Thomas Furness and Co. (Ltd.), dealers in ships’ stores on a large scale, with Lord Furness as chairman in the earlier years of the concern. There have been few instances of each rapid business success as that of Lord Furness. Ho was only 40 when he entered Parliament; but he could then be described both as a great owner and balder of ships, and as a partner in a great number of important industrial fains. His name seemed to bo, for some years at least, a synonym for success, He was one of those who had the good fortune to clear out of Chartered;? at the right time. His winnings over this deal were put down by those who professed to know at something over £250,000. One of the great concerns in which he was a leading partner was Furness, Withy, and Co., an amalgamation with an eminent firm of shipbuilders. Ho was i the head of one line of steamships plying ■between London and Nova Scotia. The first suspicion that ho was not infallible in matters of business arose out of the purchase of the works of Robert Stephenson and Co., at Newcastle Lord Furness was a strong believer in co[yartnership as a means of solving the abour problem, and on October 7, 1908, he invited a number of representatives of the shipbuilding and allied trades unions to moot him at West Hartlepool. In an address to them on “ Industrial Peace and Industrial Efficiency,” he made two proposals whereby ho hoped the relations between capital and labour might be made more harmonious. First, he offered to hand over to the trade unions his firm’s shipyards at West Hartlepool as going concerns “ for such sum or sums as may bo determined by a recognised firm of assessors, appointed by joint nomination.” hailing the acceptance of that offer, he made another proposal. He invited the employees to become limited co-partners in the shipbuilding yards of Furness, Withy, and Go. (Ltd.), which owns the Middleton Shipbuilding Yard at Hartlepool and the Harbour j Dockyard at West Hartlepool. The conditions were that the men should take up 10 £1 shares in the company, to be called employees’ shares, paying for them, if they so desired, by a deduction of 5 per cent, from their weekly earnings till the amount required should be covered. On these shares 4 per cent, interest would be guaranteed. The existing shai eholdors would have 5 per cent, reserved to them out of the company's profits, and any additional profit after the payment of the 5 per cent, would bo divided between the ordinary shareholders and the men on the basis of their individual holdings. Ho proposed to sot up n Works Council, composed of an equal number of representatives of employees and of the firm, to settle disputes, to promote friendly communication between the firm and the men. To this council ho would invito the secretaries or local representatives of the trade unions which had members engaged in the works. It would be an imperative condition that under no circumstances should the employee co-partners go on strike, and that the firm should not lock the men out. This was necessary, because it would enable the firm to guarantee delivery of ships by a ccrta'n date, which they' could not do at present. The trade union delegates approved the co-partnership scheme, recommending the local branches of the unions to accept it on trial for 12 months, and trie men adopted it by a majority of 10 to one. After a year's trial the co-partners decided, in April, 1910, by 598 votes to 492. to discontinue the scheme, although they had received 9 per cent interest on their money in addition to their wages. Some of the Lalxaur leaders welcomed the result on the ground that copartnership makes the workmen independent of the trade unions. SIR REGINALD LISTER, LONDON, November 11. The death of Sir Reginald Lister, British Minister at Tangier, is announced. The Hon. Sir Reginald Lister, K.C.M.G., had been Minister Plenipotentiary at Tangier since 1903. He was the third son of the third Baron Ribb’esdale, and was born in 1865. He was nominated attache in 1836, third secretary in 1888, and second secretary in 1893, 'He was employed at Berlin, Paris, Athens, and Constantinople. Ho was secretary to his Majesty’s Legation, Copenhagen from 1902 to 1904; councillor at the Embassy. Rome, in_ 1904-5; and councillor of his Majesty’s Embassy, Paris from 1905 to 1908 He was knighted in 1911. mi \YM. BLACKWOOD.. LONDON, November 11. The death of Mr William Blackwood, the well-known publisher, is announced. Mr William Blackwood, the son of Major William Blackwood, of the Fifty-ninth Native Infantry, was born in 1836 at Lucknow, India. He was a grandson of William Blackwood, founder of the publishing house of William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh ami London. He was educated at the Edinburgh University, and also studied in Paris at the College do Sorbonne. and at the University of Heidelberg. In 1857 ho entered the publishing business under his father and uncle. He was also editor of Blackwood’s Magazine.