The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-31
DIAMOND JUBILEE
OF THE HOUSE OF
BREWER { CO.
Continued on Page 81

deserved to make this loss, which at the
| time seemed large one.
! The year 1879 was the hardest and sad
dest of all my business experience. We
were developing the Hawaiian Agricul-
tural and Huelo plantations, and were
cramped for funds all through the year
/ It was on December 18th, 1879, that Mr..
John D. Brewer our junior partner, died,
after q short illness of typhoid fever.
| Mr. Brewer was always a delicate man,
although not a sickly man by any means.
He was genial pleasant and thoroughly
upright, pure minded and clean in every
respect The responsibilities and anxi-
Ieties of the year bore heavily upon him,
and he could not stand up under them.
Mr. North left US this January, and at
| his request Mr. George II. Robertson,
now vice president and manager of the
corporation, was placed in charge of the
books He proved to be one of the best
| and most prompt of all the bookkeepers
we ever had.
AT the time of Mr.. Brewers death Mr..
Carter, our senior partner was in Ger
many negotiating a treaty between that
country and Hawaii, consequently had
TO bear the burdens and responsibilities
alone.
Upon the death of Mr.. Brewer. Mr.. j.
10. Carter was engaged to take the posi-
ton of cashier, and he assumed charge
early in 1890. Mr.. 41A A. P. Carter, upon
his return from Europe, keenly felt the
burden the house was laboring under,
and persuaded Mr.. Charles r. Bishop to
join us. Accordingly, in July, 1880, Mr..
bishop brought in his check for 100000,
taking our firm note for three years.
considering the time and circumstances
this was a very helpful act on the part
of Mr.. Bishop, and helped to tide us over
a very critical time.
Eighteen hundred and eighty-two was
the last year of G. Brewer - Co.
las firm, for the incorporation took
place as of January l, 1882. Mr.. Carter
had been anxious for some time to with
draw part of his funds from the con-
Germ Mr.. Brewers interest had never
been settled, and in the interest of his
widow and children, the amount due
them should be paid. Chief Justice ha"
ris was the father of Mrs Brewer and
fully understood the condition of affairs,
and was very lenient with Us. 1t de-
Volved upon me to solve the problem,
and after comforting with Harris Carter,
Bishop and Andrew WEIGH, who .-rst
suggested the incorpora ton of the bust
mess, We decided TO adopt this plan, Mr..
Bishop agreeing to take $4,000 of the
corporation. provided we would take 400
shares of Hawaiian Agricultural Com
lpany at par. Mr.. WEIGH also agreed to
take $1O0,OV0 of the stock, putting in the
mortgages he held with us. Mr.. Harris
died before the business was Incorporate
/ ed, but Mrs. Brewer approved of the
plan, taking the amount due the estate
of her husband in stock of the corpora
ton. The amount of property was $ooU,
loco, but not one dollar was asked for py
ire members of the old firm.
:; The agreement made with Mr. Bishop
Ito take in 400 shares of H. a. Co. stock,
| rhlch at that time was upon dividend
4 pc wing basis, turned out to be very
iHaMable asset of the corporation, for
that estate has paid good dividends
every year except one since we took it
in as part of our capital.
IN January, 1883, application was made
for charter for c. Brewer & Co. for a
term of fifty years. The charter mem
bers We're H. A. P. Carter, p c. Jones
and j. o. Carter, and on February 7th,
the charter was signed, and the corpora
ton duly formed The first officers Were
President and manager, p. c. Jones; sec
rotary and treasurer, J. o. Carter; audi
tor. Henry May directors, Charles r.
Bishop and H A. p Carter Mr. Jones
remained in office until in 1891, when he
retired and spent about fifteen months
in and about Boston, Mass. Mr. ]. O..
Carter was elected president and manag-
er when Jones retired, but retired for
political reasons in 1894, when Mr.. Jones
was again elected as president and Mr..
George H. Robertson as vice president
and general manager and the latter has
held that position ever since. Mr.. Jones
again resigned at the annual meeting in
February, 1899. when Mr.. Charles NJ.
Cooke was chosen president and holds
that office ~ow.
My rela, with partners clerks and
officers on ne corporation were always
pleasant, ar do not recall a single in
stance of serious difficulty dis
pute with of them. If there were
any l am g have forgotten them.
In this paper. so hurriedly prepared,
there are many items of interest that
might be presented, but time will not
permit. Many incidents during the thirty
years I have been connected with the
house that might interest the stockhold-
3 ers, some of them very amusing ~
Mr.. Jones closed his paper with per-
sOnal mention of the men who have been
connected with the house as members
of it or employees, saying an excellent
word for each one of them, even to the
hide boys. In closing, he said:
Thanking you for your patience in
listening TO this long paper, I will close
with the words Of Mr.. James f. Hume
wei! in his account of the early history
of the house: May its long past be the
t.N ..E.g -