OBITUARY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 421, 4 January 1933, Page 4

OBITUARY

(Press. Assn.

MR. MOSS DAVls GENEROUS BENEFArTn. OF AUCKLAND ^ CITY DEATH IN ENGLAKB

— By Telegraph-—

Auckland, tJ The death in London of Ut in Davis, in his 85th year, remov'ejj who spent most of his longHjl New Zealand, and took thekeeicJ terest in his adopted country, J ially in Auckland, where he'afl in 1885, and although he haj] away for 22 years he nevetfj the city he loved so well. | Although in indifferent healtj I some time, Mr. Davis recently J a good recovery, but suffere(j J lapse which resulted in his deal Recently the Mayor of Andj Mr. G. W. Hutchison, inspectedl latest evidence of Mr. Davis1 rj for Auckland — 13 cases fullofl tures and art objects he hajl out as gifts to his formet citizens. The consignment one of many which Mr. Davis ■ from time to time sent out to $1 Gallery and Museum. To ceM his 80th birthday, Mr. Davis J cheque for £1250 to be dividedj orphanages and philanthropnicJ tutions in Auckland, and even 9 he left to live in London he stffl tinued to subscribe to AucklanJ ities. Pew Aucklanders have 9 as consistently generous ingM the town as Mr. Davis, his gM ing prominent in the Art Gfl Museum and Domain, where 9 one of the many pieces of sfj he sent out from London. | Landed in Wellington I Mr. Moss Davis was born el don on April 3, 1847, andwastj out to Australia with his pa J an infant in th barque AgricoM resided in Sydney until 1855, ■ he returned with his parents ti don. He was educated intte j brated school of Dr. PincheSjJ , bard Street, which turned oaifl brilliant men, including Sir® Irving and Sir Edward Clai(B He returned to Sydney in l|l the following year came to NetI land in the brig Wild Wave,® being yery few steamers ijB days. He used to relate ij landed at Wellington from a® boat on to a bulloek dray® beach and was taken ashore to® Lambton Quay now stands. ® After a brief stay in We!® Mr. Davis went to Lyttelton ari® ed his uncle, who was a mere® business there. In those day® was no tunnel through the Po® to Christchurch, and he kai® j times to walk over the hills® , to town. He also saw the k® ! of the Lyttelton tunnel, the t® j way locomotive landed, and® j the first telegraph offices inNe.® i land. He was a contempar® j those days of Sir James Mil® i was also living in Lyttelton, tal er being the Collector of C® j there. He remained in Lytte'i® years and then went to Nelson® his father, who was in busina® merchant. I In 1870 Mr. Davis went to® lia, where he married Miss k® obs, of Melbourne, on Mai® 1871. She was born in ITaE® and came to Melbourne with 1® ther about the year 1868. Mnl Davis has been noted all herifl her philanthrophy and ontr® personality. She was giftedis® ways, and, in her early days® tieular, had a remarkably syrfl J tic soprano voice, and tooka® ! part in musical circles in Nek® subsequently in Auckland. 1® Davis took over 'his father's i'® of general merchant in 181® afterward saw a lot of the gc'fl ing on the West Coast in ti® ! days, and went through the® j tudes of the early pioneai® j eventually made a success ofB® ness and decided to retire atifl ! of 36, but found it impossit';® | idle, so came to Auckland!:® j to join the firm of Hancocka® i and, on the death of his park^B 1 Samuel Jagger, lie became >®| ! proprietor of the present ■ Honoured By Iving ® Under Mr. Davis' far-siglis® ance, the firm of Hancocki^B was built up into the position it occupies in Domici^B ness to-day. In 1910 he Davis went with several daughters to live in London. eontrol of his business over by his two sons, Davis and Mr. Eliot Davii^B whom followed in their fafc-® steps and gave many eW'-^^K their affection for Aucklaci®| Mr. and Mrs. Davis close eonnection with and New Zealanders, altho^^^K were living so far away, the Great War Mr. Davis ally prominent in ])romoting vB fare of New Zealand soldies^B the front and when on leay«>j^B Britain. Many an ex-soldis^B bers with' gratitude ^e. °®K and interest of Mr. Dad^^B. work even included getting^^B with parents in New Zeala^^B them know how their sons ting on. , .■ When Mr. and Mrs. Davkj^J ed in ,1931 the diamond f^R their marriage, they recai^ warm congratulations friends in New Zealand, ,^® were honoured with a gr3^^® sage from His Majesty The London home of ^r' ^ft Davis was the rendezvous^^^K noted people, and one firmest friends was Thomas Lipton. It was sociation with Mr. Ernest Davis that Sir ed his interest in Neff presented a valuable CT.^R; petition by Auckland _yac3i^H Mr. Davis is surviveo Davis, three sons andfii?^® , The sons are Mr. Ernest land, and Mr. Eliot Da^^B^ Boyd Davis, at present The daughters are Ladf of Sir Murdoch McKenzie ber of the House of Cott® '^®v Mrs. Ruby Lang, wife ter Lang, Cannes; j^Bic widow of Mr. Laurio ^B0 Mrs. Zeenie' Moss, bert Moss, Sydney; and ®B Davis, London. ^®