Sixty Years’ Success.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 17624, 8 October 1921, Page 5

Sixty Years’ Success.

-CHAS. BEGG AND GO’S ANNI-

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They tall us mat nothing is losi in ivature, and tnat a stone tnrown rn. uio air, attracts tlie eartn to it a. proportion to its size. It is likewise true mat aii great movements nave tnoir counterparts, in preceding snuu. ones and mat the big uusihesses Oi Ui-aay whose ramifications are Dominion wide are in many cases the infants of a preceding generation, in Id-lU for instance, a Scotchman narnoo Mr Charles Begg opened a pianoforte manufactory in tne granite city, better known as Aberdeen. JtLe turned out a beautiful clear toned instrument, and in a lew years uecaine recognised as a maker or a piano mat had a soul. lxundreds of them he turned out yearly, and eventually some of joogg's pianos arrived m -New Zealand as tne cncusned lamiiy possession of these hardy (Scottish pioneers that have laid so bioad and deep the foundations of Otago's prosperity. Being attracted by me many glowing descriptions of great business possibilities in New Zealand, Mr Begg anu his family came to New Zealand in ’6l and soon commenced a manufacturing business. Handicapped, however, by the lack of suitable machinery and by the fact that a local New Zealand 'manufacturer with restricted output could not compete against the intensive specialisation cl Continental and American makers, he added to the manufacturing side the business of a musical warehouseman. His locally made pianos were well received by the musical public. They were originally all constructed out ol solid timber, and he received a medal for his first, exhibit at the New Zealand Exhibition in ISGS.

i In 1867 the warehouse was destroyed in a fire which obliterated the block in which it stood. The business was quickly got going again, and was flourishing up to the most sanguine expectations of the owner, when lie passed away in 1874. Eor some years then the firm was carried on by trustees, and in 187 < they erected the present substantial musical warehouse m I‘nnces (street, in idy/ Messrs Aiox. ana unanes uegg (sous of the founuer) became menuilied with and soon took over the entire management, the first, named occupying tne position of managing director and the latter manager of the Dunedin warenouse, and a director of the company up to the time of Ins decease.

| It is now GO years since the l'uinitiation of lire business, mul to-day we find its rauuneat-ions covering New Zealand with well housed and flourisniug branches in Wellington, Timaru, Invercargill, Oamaru, Nelson, Ashburton, and Christchurch, and with progressive agencies in Gore, Milton, Blenheim, Gisborne, Bulmerston Worth, Masterton, Mawern, Napier, Danuevirke. A London office is also maintained for facilitating the big overseas work of the concern.

During the war dislocation the firm maintained and lived up to the motto of “business as usual.” and to-day it carries the world’s best agencies for pianofortes and organs, specialises in brass and orchestral instruments, has a complete gramaphono and phonograph department, with many exclusive agencies, has an extensive business in all kinds of music script, and runs apeoial departments under the most highly skilled workmen available for piano tuning, repairing and polishing. It Ims a wholesale department besides the huge retail business, and claims the proud position of being the universal music suppliers and the oldest established warehouse business in the Dominion. The Timaru branch was established

here 95 years ago, Mr TTuggin® Tied’ l '' their firs* 4 manager, which position > -

still holds. The location of the Ti- 1 muru warehouse was originally in the theatre Royal buildings, but with the • expansion caused by the ever increasing business it occupies to-day two aiiop frontages on iStaiiord Street, and one in the Arcade, all turned into a splendidly equipped' salon i° r the proper housing and display of the well chosen musical instruments carried bj' die company. On this, the completion of the 60th year of the business, and the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the Timaru branch, it is worth reflecting on the immense impetus to musical culture that Charles Begg and Co. have given to New Zealand, and to this district. They have probably placed during the 60 years hundreds of thousands of pianos in the Dominion, and these are to be found to-day in tile grand concert halls, musical academies, mansions, cottages, and even in the backblocks, shepherd's huts of New Zealand. How many hundreds of thousands of happy hours have been passed, recreating the great masters on these instruments, and how many happy evenings have they not contributed to on the concert platform, in social event, and more particularly the homo circle, it would bo impossible to say. The company rightly hold that music is the greatest nosthetio relaxation from the sordid cares of life, and they consider that in placing the product of the greatest instrumental makers of '■ho world before the Now Zealand public at a fair market nrice, thev are clm’mr what in them lies to place ‘his uplifting flauc-bfer of the muse 'thin the roach of the general pnhlio. ... /