BIRTH OF THE ‘STAR’

Evening Star, Issue 20059, 27 December 1928, Page 4

BIRTH OF THE ‘STAR’

THJjj change from the Bond street premises to the new modern building at the corner of Stuart and Cumberland streets marks an epoch in the history of the ‘ Evening Star.’ The first issue of that paper published in Bond street was that of September , 25, 1874, so the paper’s occupancy of that site extended over more than fifty-four years. Prior to that the 1 Star ’ Office was situated at the corner of Princes and Stafford streets. First appearing on May 1, 1863, the -‘Evening Star,’ under the proprietorship of Mr W. J. Henningham, got into financial difficulties some years later. The late Mr George Bell, who between 1863 and 1868 had done strenuous and responsible work in the editorial department of the ‘Otago Daily Times,’ established the ‘lndependent’ in 1868, anticipating that the • Evening Star ’ must shortly, come on the market; and in June, 1869, he bought the ‘ Star ’ from Mr Hcnniugham’s creditors and merged the - Independent ’ in it. r. THE i EVENING STAR’ COMPANY, LTD. Elsewhere an interesting account is given of, the progress of the E Star ’ under Mr Bell’s control. This continued for over twenty years, ’during which time he acted as editor. Towards the end of this period Mr Mark Cohen was associate editor and Mr J. W. Jago was business manager.: Owing to advancing age Mr Bell could not continue to take further active part in the management, and in 1895 transferred the business to members of his family. In April of that year a meeting was held at which the present company was formed, the shareholders being all members of the family, with the addition of Messrs J. F. Clapperton and C. ,W. : Kerr. Of the original shareholders Mr Geo. Bell, of Melbourne, and Mrs H. Smith,; of Dunedin, survive..The capital of the company was '£25,000.

The first directors were-Messrs Geo. Bell,’jun., J. i'. Clapperton, C. W. Kerr, and Miss Eleanor Bell. Mr Clapperton was subsequently appointed managing director. Mr Kerr succeeded him in 1897 and held the position until his death in 1901. The position was then filled by Mr George Bell, of Melbourne. The climate did not suit Mr Bell, and he returned to Melbourne in 1904. Before his departure arrangements had been made for carrying on the business under a Board of Management consisting of Messrs E. E. Clapperton, C. Stanley Smith, and R; P. Bell. For some years the directorate consisted of these gentlemen with Mrs H. Smith and Miss Bell. Mr C. G. Smith was appointed to the board in 1919, and Mr E. E. Clapperton, jun., in 1924. FIFTY-POUR YEARS IN BOND STREET. After rather more than eleven years’ occupancy of the Stafford street premises, these were required for other purposes, and Mr Bell : decided on a move to an old corrugated-iron building, known as Reynolds’ Bond.” It was built on reclaimed land, in Bond street, originally granted to the late Mr Johnny Jones, and was devoted at that time to purely mercantile purposes. The task of altering it so 'as to be available for a printing office was carried out, but within a few years the increasing circulation of the paper called for improved machinery. It was found impossible to adapt the then existing premises so as to provide space for the new plant, and it was determined to erect solid and suitable buildings on the same' site. The difficulties were considerable; for, whatever else was done it was necessary to continue to print the paper at the usual hour. The existing machinery could not be moved or disturbed, as no other establishment in Dunedin could print the requisite number of papers in time for delivery each evening. It was thus imperative that, while the new building was being erected, the other one should not bo disturbed tnorq than was absolutely necessary. Thus took place the building of a new over an old structure while all the operations of a newspaper were being conducted within. Fortunately no such disabilities have attended the ‘ Star’s ’ later enterprise of to-day when providing adequate house-room for the new equipment demanded by modern developments in the newspaper industry. {THE BOND STREET OFFICES—FORTY-SEVEN YEARS OLD. The Bond street building, completed at the beginning’of February, 1881, was designed by Mr Wales, of the firm of Mason and Wales, the contractor being Mr Walter Carlton. At the time it was considered quite an. acquisition to the list of commercial edifices of

Dunedin, one professional man declaring it to be “ certainly one- of the finest buildings in the city.” And, with its lower story of Port Chalmers Milestone, dressed and moulded, with partly fluted pilasters and Corinthian capitals to the two upper stories, the ‘Star’ bad a home of which the proprietor and his staff were justifiably proud.

But, as time has gone on, the business has expanded, and at various intervals there have had to bo rearrangements to permit of room to work. The beginning of an installation of a battery of linotypes to replace hand-composing (about October, 1808) was followed not long after by the replacement of the flat-bed printing press by the Goss rotary press. At intervals also new machines were added to the equipment of the job-printing department, and finally it was realised that the Bond street building bad become too small.

BOX FACTORY BUILT. It was for that reason that a site was secured at ■ the corner of Bond 'and Police streets, and a two-story brick building was creeled thereon to accommodate the manufacturing branch of the business, which at that time comprised boxmaking and bookbinding. On the opening of this new factory on November 10, ..1902, the late Hon. Pk J. Seddon was a guest, and he operated the new envelope-making machines, a department of manufacturing which was added to the two before mentioned when the change of premises was accomplished. Since that date a third story has been added to the box factory to keep pace with the growth of the business On the Crawford street frontage of the old building a bookbinding and cardboard box making business was carried on by Mr A. E. Livingstone. This business did not prosper, and it was taken over by Mr Bell. One of the acts of the new corApaiVy was to take into consideration the question of winding up this department if the returns did not im-

prove. However, a new manager, the late Mr Carl Otto, was brought over from Sydney, and with the introduction of new and modern machinery the bookbinding department improved and continued to prosper, and is now one of the most successful branches of the company’s activities.

OVERFLOW TO NEXT DOOR. The additional floor space thus made available in the main premises was speedily taken up by newspaper and job-printing requirements. Soon an additional story was reared on the Crawford street frontage, and, after an interval, this was followed by the whole of the editorial staff being located in the top floor of the adjoining Cooperative Fruitgrowers’ Association building, then just completed. However, by that time this tenancy had come to be regarded as a merely temporary makeshift. It was realised that the company’s business had so outgrown the Bond street premises that a start would soon have to be made with a commodious and up-to-date building on the site at the corner of Stuart and Cumberland streets, which had been acquired .from the late Mr Horatio Massey in 1911 in anticipation of some such necessity, and which, as a sawmill and timber yard, had been a familiar landmark of Dunedin for so many years. THE NEW SITE.

In 1916 a substantial three-storied building was erected by the Company on the Anzac Square frontage, the International Harvester Company of New Zealand occpuying the ground floor, and the upper stories being used as a warehouse. Sufficient ground had been reserved for a pile of buildings to accommodate under one roof all the ‘Star’ Company’s enterprises, and permit in addition some portion of the new building to be set aside lor prospective tenants. The new site had the advantages, from a newspaper point of, view, of propinquity to the railway station, the Law Courts, and the Police Station; while it was considered that the erection of a big building housing many employees would complete the transformation which has steadily overtaken Stuart street since the erection of the Dunedin Railway Station on its present site. It is hoped that the advent of the ‘ Star ’ to this quarter of the city will mean not only a new feature from the architectural point of view, but will lead to increasing business activity in that locality.' About the middle of 1926 instructions to prepare plans for the new building were given to Messrs Edmund Anscombe and Associates, these being based on the most modern practice both in respect of structural methods and of the layout of an up-to-date newspaper office. Tenders were called, and in November, 1926, Mr Hugh Naylor, who secured the contract, made a start on the job, which may justly be regarded as one of considerable magnitude. Steady progress was .made; in fact, it may be said that no hitches occurred during construction. When at length the tower surmounting the corner of the building was added—a feature in wdiich the architect had concentrated architectural adornment—it was generally conceded that a big undertaking had been carried out with credit to those concerned