John Roberts man of business : an account of John Roberts and the establishment of Murray, Roberts and Company Ltd.

Abstract

It seems to me that justice has not been done to the part played by John (later Sir John) Roberts in the business community of Otago. Little, if any, reference is ever made to him in local history books, or to his wide influence in the commercial, political and farming life of the province. This thesis is an attempt to right the wrong. When a man has so many diverse interests, the task of documenting them all becomes almost impossible. I have selected, consequently, what I feel to be his most important contributions to the development of Otago, namely the founding of Murray, Roberts and Company through which his influence was felt in dealings in the wool trade. In the development of the Otago Central Railway, and in the frozen meat trade. The role of private and public companies in opening up the country developing new industries, and as money suppliers appears to have been little touched upon by New Zealand historians[…] [Extract from Preface]