NEWTON KING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11828, 27 November 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEWTON KING.

AUCTIONEER, STOCK, LAND & ' GENERAL COMMISSION AGENT, & MERCHANT.

The progress of the producing interests of Taranaki in recent years» has been inseparably associated wilb the name of Mr Newton. King, the most successful business man in the province. Engaged in avenues which* - directly serve the landed class, his ' operations have grown with the extension of industry, and enterprise, and at the same time he has stimu.lated and encouraged those developments most worthily. Resourceful . and persistent Mr Newton King long ago recognised the possibilities- in", dairy ing. in Taranaki, and in sub-, serving his own cpmmercial interests did his utmost to foster that paramount industry. To-day. Taraaaki is a most progressive province, while Mr" King*s business endeavours ramify far and wide in the .district, do that in his' branch he has prooably the biggest connection in all New Zealand. * ■ < All his business is the product of twenty-two years' energy. , Established in 1879 as a general auction-, eering and,- stock business . the concern, although then comparatively, dmall, took a firm hold, and, through . the years of stagnation which marked the early part of the period ex- . panded encouragingly. As was the general experience in country dis.tricts Mr Newton King recognised that to obtain any important dimenr sions of- operations it would be nee- . essary to embark upon several of, the . channels of •• industry established here. He added land agency, general commission, shipping and insur- , ance, produce dealing, and general merchandise.- In more recent times with the remarkable uprising of the' province, and the consequent imrposing dimensions attained by every, ' kind of occupation he cut off smaller items, and devoted himself more closely to the primary. The main branches are to-day; stock, auctioneering, land, seeds, farmers' implements, and general merchandise, in each and all of which he performs highly influential functions in Taranaki. As an. example of capable organisation nothing c6uld.be better , than ' this business, and clients ia the remote parts of the province are as satisfactorily served as those about New Plymouth or Stratfor.d. The main offices of Mr Newton King are, as originally, in Devon-street,. New Plymouth. There the land, shipping and insurance business is conducted, «uid there also is an auction mart where 'sales of general merchandise, fruit, etc., are held. Besides this building, however, are two others in New Plymouth, a warehouse, .and horse yards au Kawau Pah, and a second warehouse in James-street. In these are but- / ter stores,' stocks of seeds, imple-\. ments,- and merchandise such us iron, wire, flour, sugar, and farmers' "requisites generally. With a few- ex- * ceptions Mr King serves the producers, in all their wants. There. is. a large stock in the warehouses., storekeepers throughout the district being supplied wholesale with the requirements of farmers, The . best seeds, colonial- or imported, are stocked, a special effort having, been made to obtain those classes best adapted for the soils,, and _ th^ climate of Taranaki. Then popular fertilisers are kept, Mr King being local agent for the Gear Company s and the Wanganui Freezing Com. pany's bone dust and other jnanures. He is also agent for Cooper's Sheep Dip. In implements "he sells practically every mechanical appliance required by Taranaki producers,' ami is agent for the R. A. _ Lister (of Duseey, England), Alexandra cream separators, milk testers and other dairying accessories, of Reid & Grey's (Dunedm, etc.,) implements, and McOormick's reapers ,and mowers. All these lines with heavy ironmongery make up an interesting exhibition in the ware-, blouses.' Mr King's butter stores were at one time largely utilised, but with the establishment of other facilities the necessity for them has been: partly obviated. He still buys butter, but the main part of this branch is now confined to the agency -ot several co-operative dairy factories, Mr King doing their town work, - shipping, etc., a big item which *re- < quires a deal of attention. The principal branches of the business are, however, land' and live stock. As a land agent, Mr King is far ahead of similar district busi- , ness men, his annual turnover in this department being immense. For several years, owing again to the development in dairying, land has been constantly - changing . hands with a briskness that has gladdened i the hearts of land holders, who purchased upwards of ten years' ago. Magnificent prices have beenrecorded, and enquiry is as eager as ever. Tho'-rSse" in value in both town and rural lauds demonstrates hoy? appreciably increase of production vitalises enterprise. Mr Kmg conducts periodical land sales, but the main portion of his sales are negotiated privately. Mr F. Orbell. at one time connected with the Now Zealand Stock Department, has

Charge of the land business, and has on sale at present numerous, farms, large and small, and ' other properties. Of all his commercial operaations Mr ' King is perhaps most widely known in the live stock business. It could safely- be- assumed ■ that no other salesmen ir> the colony aro kept so busy, and the number of stock that passes under the hammer every year would astonish those who are not acquainted with the general activity of Taranaki. MiKing himself. Js^ credited with being one of the most', successful; and, bright colonial auctioneers, .hut ho does not now. conduct many §aj«s, leaving this -vtork to experienced auctioneers,.. of whom -he has thj&e— Mr Stanley W.,Sha,w, Mr F. Watson, and Mr F. W. \Vebster. ,M* Shaw, who has been, connected , wfyh, the business since its '. inception, , does most of the auctioneering, and in the proprietor's right- hand man, having had sole control, of the busin«s during Mr Kind's recent absence in London. . The stock yards of Mr King . are" at.. Stratford, Toko, Raponga, Rahotu, ; Stq&y River, and Awakmo, while he ,isj. having- yards erected at Wbangßmomona. Periodical sales .are <sonconducted in, each qf , these, places of cattle, sheep, and horses,, and, the very name of tJhe proprietor is sufficient to attract a large concourse of dealers.- Stratford is the principal branch outside , New Plymouth, and, there stocks-of merchandise similar to those at -headquarters are kept. Mr Webster , is- in charge, and watches over the interests of local clients with ,th.c, thoroughness which characterises the ; whole business. It may be presumed that jno provincial district in- New Zealand is better served than is Taranaki by Mr Newton King.,, and- the respect ,wi/.h which he is viewed was well demonstrated a few -weeks agoy when on his return from . Great Britain a monster, banquet was tendered him by business people and producers representative ,of the' whole province. Besides other, agencies Mr King' represents in .shipping the .Po>; & O. . and the Marine Companies. . 'The^geneiral, business ramifies gver alk the. country, to about 6S miles, north- of New Ply-, mouth, 40 miles south, and. 3o. mile*; east. The total turnover,. in, .every branch would,; make an interesting, and imposing sum:. ..-■.,: t , ■ .In concluding this^v discur.s.jyc sketch it must ,be added, thai^lfr: King is a highly useful resident .pt Now Plymouth, and has fostered .some of our largest industries by investment. Thus he is Chairman of that powerful institution the. New Plymouth .Sash & Door Company, JLtd., which- employs 184 hands; ono of the three . proprietors ,of tho Crown Dairy Factory, one of. , the largest of the kind in New Zealand, and director of the Taranaki Building Society,.- He is also President cf the Taranaki Agricultural (Society, and in every way has ' done wrhat ho could towards securing the material Welfare of New Plymouth. i