JEWEL HAWKER

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 88, 5 July 1927, Page 3

JEWEL HAWKER

BECOMES A MILLIONAIRE BUYS HUGE HOTELS One of the most romantic figures in Indian life has been removed with the death at Calcutta of Mr. Arratoon Stephen, the famous Armenian millionaire. Forty-seven shears ago, Mr. Stephen landed at Calcutta with only £lO in his pocket and unable to speak more than a few words of English or to sign his name in English characters. He lived to become a millionaire several times over, and the owner of the biggest hotels in Calcutta and Darjeeling, and of whole blocks of streets in the first of these cities. At first the boy from Armenia had difficulty in finding work in India, but eventually his search was successful. He became an apprentice to a jeweller, and went from house to house hawking jewellery in a box. But lie had a genius for commerce and his rise to wealth was amazingly rapid. He became owner of the Grand Hotel in Calcutta, the largest hotel in a city of luxurious hotels, and of the Mount Everest Hotel at Darjeeling, which possesses the most commanding site of any hotel in the world. In addition, he owned large blocks of mansions. His collection of china was worldfamous. When Lord Kitchener, himself a connoisseur, was in India as Commander-in-Chief, he asked to be allowed to inspect the collection. While admiring one beautiful bowl. Kitchener had the misfortune to drop it on the floor where it was broken in several pieces. Kitchener was greatly distressed. “I cannot replace the bowl,” he said, "but you must let me pay you for it.” “No, no,” Stephen replied. “It is worth more to me now.” He had the bowl repaired and placed an inscription on it stating that it had been broken by Lord Kitchener while on a visit to his house. Mr. Stephen leaves a son and several daughters. The boy was sent by his father to Switzerland to study the hotel business, and for a time acted as a waiter at a well-known He is now one of the richest men in the East.