ALLSOP’S COMPANY (LIMITED).

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 467, 30 April 1890, Page 5

ALLSOP’S COMPANY (LIMITED).

(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Your late visitor, Lord Hindlip, occupied the reverse of an enviable position on Friday afternoon last, when he and his brother directors (a glum-looking lot) had to face the angry shareholders of Allsop’s (Limited). Most of the breweries turned into public companies (but more particularly Guiness’) have done extremely well, and more than redeemed the promises of their prospectuses. Allsop’s, however, has proved a notable exception to this rule, as you may judge when I tell you that after three years’ work they are only able to pay a dividend of 3£ per cent. Lord Hindlip, in a Bingularly feeble and infelicitous speech, attributed this lamentable state of things to various unforeseen and unpreventable accidents, bub the shareholders (who hissed him roundly as he took the chair) could not agree. They appeared, indeed, to bo almost unanimously of opinion that the property (a rapidly-failing one at tho time of the Bale) had either purposely or in good faith been grossly over-valued, and that the Allsop family had asked and duly received a far greater sum than it was worth. Furthermore, shareholder after shareholder declared that, assuming this mistake to have been made bona fide, there was nothing now for the Allsop family to do but to refund a fair sum, and so help the Company out of its difficulties. Although the various speakers left no doubt whatever as to their meaning, Lord Hindlip sat silent, or when he spoke appeared curiously obtuse. Ultimately the meeting gob so angry that he was anxious to wind it up at all hazards, and agreed to the appointment of a Committee of Investigation. This will, no doubt, recommend strong measures. Meanwhile the shares in Allsop’s Limited have fallen £5 more.

One reason why Guinese’ have been so fortunate with their Company is that they wisely allotted all the shares applied for by the retail trade. The consequence is thousands of publicans all over England are personally interested in pushing the sale of Guinesß’ stout.

Allsop’s ale has long ceased to be the most formidable rival of Bass’s. I can remember when the firm’s bottled beer was considered the best in England and (in the North especially) preferred to Bass. . JN’ow ib doesn’t even figure on the wine card of many hotels. The firm of Allsop is eightyfive years old, says the “ Rialto,” though the business is much older. Samuel Allsop the first was the nephew of Benjamin Wilson, who owned a brewery in Burton before the Basses, and they go back to 1777. In fact, the Allsop business can be traced by documents further back than 1746. In the early days the firm had modeßb Ideas as to capital. Mr Wilson, ■writing in 1774 to a friend on the extension of his brewery, said the alterations would “ take all the money 1 can raise with convenience to myself, beyond which I do not choose to go.” A century has made a considerable change. Samuel Allsop inherited the brewery in IGOS. Then ib was a comparatively small thing ; now the buildings occupy 50 acres of land in Burton itself, and the maltings and their pertinents in the neighbourhood cover one hundred and forty acres. The old brewery covers only three acres, so'the growth of the business in the past century can be calculated.