Nathan Joseph Edward 1876 1912 Wellington Nz

edmondsallan - Hello - In 1876 Nathan established a London office and secured funds for capital expansion. Back in New Zealand, assisted by his eldest son, David, he rebuilt his business which was on the verge of bankruptcy. David did much of the travelling, by coastal vessel and on horseback with saddle-bags full of samples. By the end of the 1870s Nathan had acquired an interest in a number of retail outlets including a Ready Money Store in Palmerston North, which later became the Manawatu Farmers' Co-operative Association store.

Perhaps mindful of anti-Semitic attitudes in colonial society Joseph Nathan kept aloof from politics, although he supported the economic policies of Julius Vogel. In business he strove to develop family interests, and trade and commerce in Wellington. In 1870 he was a foundation director of the Wellington Patent Slip Company and in 1876 a founding committee member of the Wellington and Wairarapa Grand Trunk Tramway Company. He became a director of the Wellington Gas Company, the New Zealand Candle Company and the Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company and was president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce in 1881. He helped set up the Wellington Harbour Board in 1880 and with others inaugurated the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company in 1881. As its chairman of directors, Nathan officiated at the 'last spike' railway completion ceremony on 3 November 1886.

From 1887 onwards the senior Nathans lived in England. Joseph's wife Dinah died at sea between Portugal and Madeira in 1893. Afterwards Nathan visited New Zealand several times but resigned his directorships in favour of his eldest son. Joseph Nathan and Company was registered as a limited company in London on 19 July 1899 with a capital value of £127,000. While Joseph Nathan was chairman and retained control of finances, all of his sons were in some way involved in company business: Louis, Maurice and later Alexander in England; David, Philip, Frederick and later Charles in New Zealand.

From 1901 to 1903 the Nathans negotiated for the rights to manufacture dried milk in New Zealand. They employed an engineer to install milk-drying machinery in Nathans' Makino dairy factory near Feilding. In 1904 the Nathans built a new, specifically designed dried-milk factory at Bunnythorpe. Although twice sabotaged in its first year of production, from 1906 the factory manufactured dried milk in addition to cheese and other dairy products. Alexander Nathan went to England in 1907 and organised the marketing of dried milk or 'Glaxo' (registered in October 1906), using the once-famous slogan 'Builds Bonnie Babies'. (In 1937 control of dairy product manufacture was transferred to Glaxo, by then a separate company.)

Joseph Nathan died in London on 2 May 1912. Although the company was based in London, a Wellington office supplied imported merchandise to all parts of New Zealand, while a dairying branch manufactured and exported dried milk, butter and cheese from New Zealand. By his energy and business foresight Joseph Nathan played a major part in developing New Zealand's export dairy industry. You can now see
how many of these people from many different cultures helped to develope " God's Own Country " Till we meet again - Regards - edmondsallan