Centenary of Henderson

and Macfarlane Ltd.

Auckland Firm's Long Connection With the Pacific

11/ITH the advent of 1942, the NZ firm, h Henderson and IMacfarlane Ltd., celebrates its centenary—exactly 100 years ago, in 1842, Thomas Hender son> a Scottish-born engineer, and John Macfarlane, joined in partnership to found the company at Auckland.

Mr -. Henderson was one of the most S^S en Jo|!f rly ett £ ers the new cql ony m 1840 and he assisted also in establishing the Bank of New Zealand, the NZ Loan and Mercantile Aeency Co., and the NZ Insurance Co. In later years, he served on the Legislative Council. One of his sons, Mr. Harry Henderson, spent much of his youth In the South Seas, before settling down in Sydney.

With the growth of Auckland pro vince, Henderson and Macfarlane Ltd.’s business expanded until its connections extended over the Australasian colonies, the Pacific Islands, Gt. Britain and USA. It established and partly built the fleet of vessels known as the Circular Saw Line. This fleet included the cele brated barque “Novelty” (built at Mech anics Bay by the late Mr. Henry Niccol), which holds the sailing record between Sydney and Auckland, Other crack H. and M. vessels were the “Alice Cameron”, “Kate”, “Breadal bane”, “Sir George Grey” and “Neva”, which were employed carrying cargoes to

and from Polynesia, Australia and Cali fornia.

Before the coming of steam, the firm ran the first regular line of packet ves sels between NZ and Australia and the service was continued until the estab lishment of the Panama Steam Ship Co. in 1865. H. and M. thereupon withdrew its vessels from the Sydney run and employed them as traders in various parts of the globe. Then, in 1870, they were confined exclusively to the South Seas.

When the Union Steam Ship Co. was formed, Henderson and Macfarlane became its Auckland agent and con tinued as such until the USS Co. opened its own branch there under Mr. Thomas Henderson, Jnr.

In September, 1898, H. and M. sold its Western Pacific trade to the well-known Pacific Islands Company, which also acquired the SS “Archer” and several sailing ships.

In 1912 the firm was appointed New Zealand agent for the Pacific Phosphate Co. Ltd., which owned the phosphate deposits on Nauru and Ocean Island.

After the war, the British, Australian and New Zealand Governments assumed control of the phosphate workings on these islands, and the British Phosphate Commission was formed. This Commis sion appointed Henderson and Macfar lane Ltd. as NZ distributors of Nauru- Ocean phosphate, and it acted in this capacity until the BPC opened a branch in Auckland.

At present, the company is chief agent in NZ for the Matson Navigation Co., the Oceanic Steamship Co., and Pan American Airways. It also represents many of the leading steamship and air lines, including Burns, Philp and Co., A. and O. Line, Aberdeen and Common wealth, P. and 0., Tasman Empire Air ways, and Hawaiian Airways.

Executive head of Henderson and Macfarlane Ltd. is Mr. Edward Ander son, managing director, who also is a director of a number of leading NZ business houses, in addition to occupy ing the position of president of the Auckland Savings Bank.

VESSELS OWNED BY H. & M., LTD.

(Circular Saw Line).

Dr. Edward Pohau Ellison, Chief Medi cal Officer of the Cook Islands, arrived in NZ from Rarotonga, with his wife and family, in December. After four months’ leave, Dr. Ellison, who is well known throughout Polynesia for his medical research work and promotion of useful Maori education, will return for a last term, in which he hopes to estab lish the sanatorium for consumptives for which he has been labouring so long.

Schooners: Barques: “Will of the Wisp"

“Breadalbane”

“Sybil”

“Kate”

“Neva”

“Constance”

“Ryno”

“Novelty”

“Kremhilda”

“Alice Cameron”

“Peerless”

“Sir George Grey”

“Orwell”

“Haversham”

“Mazeppa”

“Domiga”

“Coronet”

“Benjamin Heape”

“Belle Brandon”

“Bella Marina”

“Ika Vuka”

“India”

“Sunbeam”

“Glimpse”

“Gazella”

Cutters; Brigs: “Tickler”

“Spencer”

“Teaser”

“Pakeha”

“Triad”

“Albion”

“Tartar”

“Susan”

“Tweed”

“Moa”

“Alma”

Steamers: “Trusty Millar”

“Phoebe”

“Harvest Home”

“Airedale”

“Willie Winkie”

“Lord Ashley”

“Isabel”

“Rose Casey”

“Stag”

"Archer”