1 March 2010
New book sheds light on the history of Scotland and New Zealand
A new book from a University of Dundee academic sheds light on the global impact of the Scottish Diaspora following mass emigration in the 18th and 19th centuries.
'Doing Well and Doing Good: Ross and Glendining, Scottish Enterprise in New Zealand' examines the lives, careers and legacy of John Ross and Robert Glendining, and was written by Dr Stephen RH Jones, an Honorary Research Fellow at the University.
Ross and Glendining were Scots drapers who emigrated to New Zealand at the beginning of the 1860s gold rush. They made their fortunes after setting up in Dunedin, the ‘Edinburgh of the south’, in the Free Church settlement of Otago
Ross left his native Caithness in 1861, while Glendining emigrated from his home town of Dumfries a year earlier. Both worshipped at the Knox Church in Dunedin and they soon went into business together, initially importing and distributing draperies and clothing before manufacturing the goods themselves in their own mills and factories. These drew supplies from a coal mine and sheep runs which they also owned.
They went on to amass considerable fortunes but their story is not just a tale of two enterprising Scotsmen forced to emigrate to seek opportunities not available in their homeland.
Dr Jones says that Ross and Glendining provided employment for hundreds, if not thousands, of fellow émigré Scots. Furthermore, they displayed the pioneering spirit, work ethic, religious obedience, frugality and invention for which the Scottish Diaspora became renowned across the world.
'Essentially operating in a microcosm of Scotland abroad, where many of their customers spoke with a Scottish brogue, they made a huge contribution to the development of New Zealand,' he said.
'They founded the largest manufacturing company in the country and were instrumental in developing the clothing, footwear and textile industries. Ross and Glendinning were also pioneers - their Roslyn Woollen mills, pioneered the commercial use of electricity and telephone.
'They were the first company in the Southern Hemisphere to produce worsted yarn and cloth, while other firsts included patented machinery and new production processes.
'As an employment policy, Ross 'preferred to employ Scotchmen'. They took a lot of people from the Borders wool industry out to New Zealand to work for them and so their story tells us a lot about the history of both countries.
'Another important element of the story is their association with the Free Church of Scotland. They were devout Presbyterians with Ross, especially, a strong believer in the Temperance Movement. They were strict with employees who misbehaved.
'They were very fair employers though, contributing to an employees’ savings bank, starting a works canteen, and paying their workers a large bonus at the end of the First World War. Their story tells us that the Scots were very enterprising, very resourceful and that they tended to be fairly frugal but also charitable. Very often they were driven by a strong Presbyterian work ethic.
'Doing well was seen as sign of God’s grace and carried with it the obligation to do good. Thus the pair endowed the Knox Theological College at the University of Otago, the winter house in Dunedin's botanic gardens, an orphanage, and several homes for the elderly.
'Scotland was not neglected, and John Ross erected the Ross Institute on the site of his old school, which, he hoped, would provide activities that would encourage the young to avoid the temptations of drink.'
Robert Glendining passed away in 1917, ten years before his long-time business partner. The firm survived the 1930s Depression fairly well but, after the Second World War, it languished. Ross & Glendining Ltd was finally taken over and asset-stripped in 1966.
Dr Jones himself emigrated to new Zealand as a young man, having first visited the country as a Merchant Seaman. After obtaining his economics degree in London, he moved to New Zealand and eventually became Professor of Economics at the University of Auckland.
After more than 20 years, Dr Jones returned to the UK to take up a role with the University of Dundee. Now retired, he holds the position of Honorary Research Fellow and was asked by former colleagues to write a comprehensive history of business in New Zealand.
He continued, 'As I was conducting my research I was amazed to find that virtually nothing had been written about this very large firm that had played such a prominent role in New Zealand life and history.
'I felt no business history of New Zealand could be written until this firm had been dealt with.'
'Doing Well and Doing Good: Ross and Glendining, Scottish Enterprise in New Zealand' is published in paperback by Otago University Press, Dunedin. It can be bought online from Tesco, Amazon, Waterstones and others, priced from £17.15.
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