NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR

Southland Times, Issue 23930, 23 September 1939, Page 7

NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR

WRIGHT, STEPHENSON AND CO. LTD. MR J. T. MARTIN APPOINTED BY BOARD Mr J. T. Martin, of Wellington, has been appointed hy the hoard of directors of Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd., as chairman and managing director of the firm in succession to Sir William Hunt whose death occurred on Monday. Mr Martin has been a director of the firm fox - 26 years. Mr R. D. Nichol, secretary of the company, has been appointed a director. Mr Martin, who is well known m Southland, was horn at Milton in 1874, being a son of Mr and Mrs Thomas Martin, of Lumsden. He. received his educatiion at Lumsden and Lawrence, and in 1907 he married Miss Parker Fleming, a daughter of Mr and Mrs Adam Fleming, of Ardwick street, Gore. Mr Martin was in the service of the Railways Department for 11 years, and in 1900 he joined the staff of Wright, Stephenson,and Co. From 1903 to 1906 he was joint manager wih Mr P. C. Gray of the Gore office, and in the latter year he was transferred to the firm’s Invercargill branch. Promotion followed speedily until in 1913 Mr Martin rose to the position of a director. In his youth Mr Martin showed more than average ability as an athlete, gaining many trophies for running and rowing. He served in the Boer War, and in 1914 he visited Java to take charge of the New Zealand cargo aboard the interned German steamer, Wismar. A director of several companies, Mr Martin is also Consul for Sweden. He is a former chairman of the Board of Governors of Scots College and Queen Margaret College. In 1921. Mr Martin was president of the Associated Chambers of Commerce of New Zealand and was president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce from 1921 to 1922. He was a member of the Government railway tribunal in 1920.