OBITUARTY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9223, 30 April 1908, Page 1

OBITUARTY.

MR G. G. STEAD. Mr G. G. Stead, who suddenly became ill at the conclusion of the race tor the Champagne StaJte6 at Riccarton on "April 13, died at 4.30 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The race was won by Golden islipper, a filly from his stables, and he was watching the winner being taken in after the race when 'he was seized with an attack of pain and faintness. He was taken to his [ home «t Strowan, Papanui, and was attended by Dr Palmer. Although it was realised that the illness was of a j serious nature, there were hopes that the patient would, with care, be pulled through. These hopes became stronger as he improved. On Tuesday, however, he had a very bad night, Dr Palmer staying with him aM the' time. Yesterday morning he became worse. In the middle of tne day he improved slightly, but late in the afternoon he passed away' suddenly. Mr Stead was associated vrith the public, commercial and sporting affairs of this city for many years. ,He was one of the most prominent commercial men of Christchurch and one of the leading sporting men of Australasia. He was a native of London, where he was born sixty-seven years ago. He came from an old Yorkshire family on his father's side, his grandfather being Mr Mark Stead, of Richmond, Yorkshire. On his mother's side he came from a Scotch family 1 , his- grandmother being a Fraser, a direct descendant of the noted Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, who was outlawed and tried for high treason in connection with the rising of 1745, and who was the last man beheaded in the Tower of London. Mr Stead's primary education was commenced in L<fndon, but when he was still a boy he accompanied his parents'to South Africa, and completed his education at St Andrew's College, Grahamstown. When he was twentyfour years of age he roturned to London. On the recommendation of the late Lord Lyttelton and Mr Henry Selfe Selfe he decided to settle in New Zealand. He brought letters of introduction from both those gentlemen. Taking his passage in the ship Talbot he arrived in Christchurch in 1866, and at once joined the staff of the Union Bank of Australia in this city. He was in the bank's employment for four years. Then, in 1870, at ' the age of twenty-nine, he started upon a business career in which he displayed his strong personality and determination and remarkable business ability, and which led him to success and. prosperity. He entered into partnership with the late Mr .William Royse as a grain and ex-

port merchant. The firm, under the title of Jbtoyse, Stead and Co., soon had an extensive connection. A large part of tne credit for this was due to the capacity iVlr Stead displayed and the extraordinary vigour and industry he brought to bear upon the transactions and schemes he took in hand. For twelve years the iirm carried on a flourishing and increasing business, but in ißtil Mr Stead revisited England, and he then formed the Grain Agency Company, of which he was a co-director with Lord George Hamilton, the Right Hon C. T. Ritchie* and others. This company took over itoyse, Stead and Co.'s business, but it was in existence for only two years, and Mr Stead then i entered iu&o partnership with Mr G. J. j F. Palmer, under the title of George IG. Stead and Co. This firm was even i more successful than were the others i with which Mr Stead had been aesoj ciated. The iirm is fit-ill in existence, but Mr Stead retired from it five years ago, and since then the business has been carried on. by Mr Palmer. Mr Stead had an exceptionally active brain. This mental activity found ■ occupation in the administration lof the affairs of several pubi lie companies, nearly all of which j under hi<s guidance, or with the assistl ance of his energy and ability, have ! been very successful. He was,, a New I Zealand director of the New Zealand ; Shipping Company aiid chairman of I directors of the Christchurch Gas Com- ; pany, the " Press " Newspaper Com- ; pany, S. Manning and Co., the Blackj ball Coal Company, Warner's and other j businesses. He was a promoter and de- : puty chairman, of the u'num Insurance Company up to tb© time when it was purchased by the Alliance Assurance. Company, of London, and he was also deputy chairman in New Zealand of the latter company. Ho took a leading part in establishing the Tai Tapu and Central Dairy Factories. Ho was interested in many other businesses, some of which have helped to bring about the prosperity this province lias enjoyed. His activity in other directions led him to take a prominent part in the formation of the Canterbury Club. For a long time he was an active member of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, occupying the position of president in I.BRO. 1885 and 1836. From 1891 to 1899 he was a member of the Beard of Governors of Canterbury College. In 1900 he was chairman of the Royal Commission in Canterbury appointed to receive the Duke and Duchess ;of York. In January. 1903, he was elected a member of the first Tramway Board, which carried out the scheme of electrifvine the tramway system of the city and suburbs, and for sorrie time .he was'deputv chairman of the Boa^d. In the days of the depression, nearly fwentv years aoro, when prices for the dominion's produce ■were very low, and ■when distressing poverty was seen in all parts of +.T»r country, Mr Stesd entered etierseticallv into measures taken to afford relief toj t>e necessitous. He •<vns the moving smrit of the Winter Work Fn^d. wWeh gave much assistance in Clirio+ohurcli durino; two winters and nnbiicly on^T>riva+elv he did a srreat deal to ameliorate the sufferttkw of those t?-»"As. He tor one of the most active enmlovers in Christchurch during t>e great •m^rttime st.'-iVe "f l? or >- Fp sooico ,strn"""lv against tho strike mp^jKxl of Rfittl?n<r rfisnntes. J'nc? Tip pinned a leading nart in oreramsine the " fr«»p inhouro~c " xrhn tooV f^e T>ln^/> of striker* &+ Lvtteitn-n. His aetivitv naturally earned Mm a sroort Aesi of nnwo-nnlarity, and- "he offered Mmseif as a candidate for Parliament, at t^e, en<3 of of 18P0. he wj>s defeated. Thatt was the first election in which tne one-man-rme-wvte principle was adopted. Its styplication .gave increased /power to the working elapses. fiTtri "jori +o fhe d^eiT nf n Inroro nnTihor r>f <»o-nr?.!4n+ps who. Uke "Mr Ste^d. alii of? themselves to fbp, old Oonswvwtivfi Party. It vr^m at t^nt election tnat the present T/ibevnl Pnrty cjw^o into power. Although Mr P+<v*.r? <Ticl not pledge himself to support Sir Harry Atkinson a,Tid the CoisnT?+ ; " o s. he ws bitterly onTY>fied to Mr B«lNnce, who •^ns re<raTcled as the workers' champion. The workers' vote, therefore, was. all firrxlvst him. He stow! for t.V>e Avon Oomtituencv against Mr E. Blake, the mttrncr memTior, securing 587 votes to Mr Bl?ke's 774. In late years Mr Ptead came into prominence in public life by initiating n patriotic movement which lad to Canterbury pro^idinc? and e.inipping a troop of 110 ""Rnu^h Pirler. 1 ?." wV> were sent by the TCm<rht T^mnlnr in Febvnnrv, 1000. to take i>art in the South African War. The colony had already despatched two contingents to the war, and Mr Stead's proposal was that 'the p»iWic should show its approval of Mr Reddon's policy by organising local funds for the equipment of district companies. ■ He gave £500 to the fund in Canterbury^ and his idea was taken up enthusiastically in other provinces. It was as a sporting man, however, that Mr Stead, was best known to j a large 6ection of the public in New Zealand-! and Ausi tralia. He first turned his 1 attention seriously to the turf in 1875, when he secured a half interest in the late Mr H. Redwood's horses. About the same I time, in partnership with the late Hon j Lancelot Walker, he purchased Le j ', Loup and Trump Card. Both these purcnases proved satisfactory. They were the beginning of a very successful racingj career, which, indeed, has seldom been equalled in this or any other country. Nearly every race of importance in New Zealand has at some time fallen to horses carrying Mr Stead's colours. He made several visits to Australia, where his ihorses won many of the most valuable races. In recent years he devoted special attention to classic races rather than handicap races, and his record iv these events was remarkable. ; Among his successes are the following: — The Canterbury Champagne Stakes, 'which he won seventeen times, ten in succession j the Canterbury Derby, fourteen times ; the Middle Park Plate, thirteen times; the Welcome Stakes, the Great Northern Foal Stakes, and the Auckland Royal Stakes, ten times ; the Canterbury Cup, the Canterbury Challenge Stakep, and the Canterbury Oaks, nine times. He headed the list of winning owners in New Zealand several times, his most successful season being in 1901-1902, when his horses won £12,325 in stakes. Both in breeding and buying -horses he believed in having the best, and he I was a very hard man to beat at the < ringside once he had set his mind on securing a horse. Probably no one did more than he to improve the breed of horses in New Zealand by judicious importations from England, and_no one was responsible for so many well-bred stallions and mares being brought from the Mother Country. Included in his English purchases were the stallions Leolinus, Cadogan, Apremont, Benzoin and Obligado, and the bi'ood mares Petroleuse, L'Orient, Miss Laura, Pulchra, Crinoline, Titania, Nellie Moore, Steppe, Florence M'Carthy, Fairyland, I Lady Ravensworth, Otterden, Stresa and Saucer. The progeny of these stallions and mares won many races, and their names are found in the nedizrees

of many of the most successful horsos in New Zealand and Australia at the present time. Some of the best performers that have raced in New Zealand have borne Mr Stead's familiar "yellow jacket, black cap." A few which may be specially noted are : Trenton, Maxim, Riissley, Lochiel, Medallion, Clanranald, Stepniak, ' Uniform, Gold Medallist, Multiform, Royal Artillery, Conqueror, Screw Gun, Benzoin. Orloff, Machine Gun, Siege Gun, Cruciform, Martian, Munjeet, Sungod, Noctuiform and Isolt, these forming a collection that no other owner in New Zealand has eaualled. In addition to being an importer Mr Stead was also an exporter, and quite a number of horses which had carried his colours successfully were sold at good prices to go to England. At the time of his death he had a number of horses in work at his private training establishment at Yaldlnirst, and he also possessed a select/ stud farm, where the majority of the horses that carried his colours recently were bred. Apart from his position as an owner and breeder he held a prominent place in the racing world. He was elected a member of the Canterbury Jockey Club in 1872, and shortly afterwards he was appointed treasurer, a position he held until his death. He was also chairman of the club for a number of years. He took a leading; part in the organisation of the New Zealand Racing Conference, and gave good service x as one of the delegates of the Canterbury Jockey Club. He ? was well versed in racing law, and he found time to use his pen as a general writer on turf subjects, the totalisator. of which he was a warm supporter, having no. stronger advocate in tho columns of the Preps. In 187fi Mr Stead married a daughter of Mr Wilkinson, of Yorkshire, England. Fp leaves a widow, three sons — Messrs Wilfrid G., Edgar F., and Gerald L. Stead — and one daughter, Mrs Russell Grace, of Wellington.