Sir Walter Carpenter

Returns to Canada

THE founder and head of the Carpenter group of companies, Sir Walter Carpenter, accompanied by Lady Carpenter, will leave Sydney this month for Vancouver, where he has made his in Sydney several months ago, Sir Walter has enjoyed a long rest, and has improved very much in health. He is now the active, direct ing head of his group’s new enterprises The growth of the Carpenter group, since conditions arising out of World War I gave “WR” his great chance, has been one of the commercial romances of the Pacific.

Originally, the firm of W. R. Carpen ter Co., Ltd., started trading in Thurs day Island; it was established in 1920 m New Guinea as general merchants, plant ers and inter-island ship-owners; it extended to the Solomon Islands; it established its own line of freighters between the Pacific and Europe; it bought out On Chong & Co., general merchants of the Gilbert Islands; it established Mandated Airlines, Ltd., air transport company in New Guinea; it bought out Brown & Joske, Ltd., and thus became established in Fiji; it established the South Pacific Insurance Co., Ltd.; it established the air transport service between Sydney and Rabaul: and, after the outbreak of World War 11, it extended the group’s activities to Canada, where it introduced the new industry of' copra crushing.

Mr R. B. Carpenter has taken his father’s place as chairman of the com pany. at headquarters in Sydney. Other active directors are W. H. Carpenter (brother of Sir Walter), and C. H. Car penter (another and younger son of the founder). . :.. . ...

As explained in another article m this issue, Carpenters now are the largest shareholders in Qantas, Ltd., the well known Australian company which holds the shares of air operating concerns.