Kempthorne Prosser
Encyclopedia
Kempthorne Prosser & Co. Ltd, also known as the New Zealand Drug Company Ltd, was the leading drug and fertiliser manufacturer in New Zealand
from 1869 until 1978. Their complete name was Kempthorne Prosser & Co.'s New Zealand Drug Co. Ltd, established in Dunedin
.
Thomas Whitelock Kempthorne and Evan Prosser entered into business together in 1868 as chemists. They set up Kempthorne Prosser, which became a limited liability company
in 1879. The head office was set up on Stafford Street in City Rise
, Dunedin
. In 1904 Thomas Whitelock Kempthorne retired. Kempthorne Prosser & Co became Kempthorne Prosser & Co. Ltd in 1879 when the New Zealand Drug Company was formed.
In early 1881 the NZ Government offered a bonus for three years to any company that would manufacture 50 tons of sulphuric acid per year. KP's NZ Drug Company was the first in the country to combine sulphuric acid and bone
dust to produce superphosphate. The Burnside
Chemical Works in Dunedin were the first of their type in New Zealand. Kempthorne Prosser constructed further superphosphate plants in Auckland
, Christchurch
, and Wanganui
. From this stemmed a major chemical fertiliser industry, of national importance to the agricultural and pastoral economy. For almost a century 'K. P.' was to dominate the market. Prosser resigned from the company in 1886 and went to Australia before committing suicide.
By the mid-1970s, some New Zealand farmers decided it was time to take control of the fertiliser industry, and established a new company, the Ravensdown Fertiliser Co-operative Ltd. With help from Brierley Investments and producer board funds it acquired Kempthorne Prosser in 1978, and Kempthorne Prosser exited the market.
Kempthorne Prosser operated four large chemical works. The Burnside, Dunedin Works (1881), Westfield, Auckland (1887), Hornby, Christchurch in 1922 and the Aramoho, Wanganui (Wanganui Chemical) Works in 1926.
from 1900 until the 1960s. Directly opposite the former laboratories is the office that Kempthorne Prosser occupied during the 1970s, built to replace the earlier structures (31 Stafford Street).
The Burnside Chemical Works in Kaikorai Valley Road, Dunedin was the first Kempthorne Prosser factory to be set up. It operated until 1962, when it was sold to Dominion Fertiliser Ltd, and has since been demolished. The second plant, the Westfield Chemical Works in Bell Avenue, Otahuhu
, Auckland, operated from 1887. It was demolished in the early 1970s to make way for a factory subdivision.
The Hornby Chemical Works in Hornby
, Christchurch, was opened in 1922, and the Wanganui Chemical Works, Burnswick Road, Aramoho, was opened in 1926. Both are still used by Ravensdown Fertiliser.
Kempthorne Prosser also had non-factory buildings in three main centres. Offices in Albert Street, Auckland, were occupied by the company until 1973 (the building was demolished in 1982). An ornate warehouse on the corner of Willeston and Victoria streets as well as Jervois Quay in Wellington
was demolished in 1978 to make way for a Wellington City Council car park building. There were further premises at number 132 High Street, Christchurch. The High St premises were to be demolished in 1986 when the larger 1892-3 section of the structure was awarded heritage protection. Shortly after the building was gutted by fire. It was demolished for a very unattractive building in 1987.
, England
. He was the son of John Kempthorne and Anne Whitelock. He was baptised on 3 February 1834. In 1854 he emigrated to Melbourne
, Australia. He worked briefly as a labourer digging up tree stumps. In 1855 he found a position in the wholesale drug trade. On 23 June 1859 in Melbourne he married Sarah Inman. They had five daughters and one son before Sarah's death in 1895.
Kempthorne arrived in Dunedin in April 1863, sent by the Melbourne pharmaceutical firm of H. & E. Youngman to look at the prospects of establishing a warehouse there. When the company's managers died Thomas Kempthorne stayed in Dunedin and set up his own drug business, French Kempthorne & Co (after going in partnership with a Mr French). It did not last very long and in 1870 Kempthorne, Prosser & Company was formed when he went into partnership with Evan Prosser, a Welsh chemist on the West Coast. The partnership prospered and in 1879 they set up a limited liability company with capital of £200,000.
He became a prominent figure in the Dunedin business community, remaining managing director of Kempthorne, Prosser & Company until 1904 when he retired.
He gave generous support of St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin
. He was a member of the board of managers of the Dunedin Technical School (later King Edward Technical College) from 1911 to 1915 and made a donation of £900 towards its new building. On 29 March 1899 in Dunedin he married Annie Charlotte Rawdon Robinson, about 40 years younger than he. They had one daughter and Annie Kempthorne died in 1903 aged 31 years.
In 1901 as the first Dunedin
citizen to own a car he created a minor sensation when he was driven along Princes Street in his steam-operated two cylinder Locomobile
with one of his company's engineers at the tiller.
New Zealand
, he concluded, was 'a land...in which man indeed is blest.' He became unwell at a board meeting of the National Insurance Company and died of a cerebral haemorrhage in Dunedin
on 3 November 1915.
Council in 1873, and represented the ratepayers of South Ward until the 1st of August, 1875. He was a Welshaman by birth, and arrived on the West Coast during the gold rush. Subsequently he removed to Dunedin, where, with Mr. Kempthorne, he formed the nucleus of the since-important firm of Kemptorne, Prosser and Co. Mr. Prosser afterwards retired from the firm and went to Sydney. He was the second Mayor of Hokitika, and held office in the year 1868. He was in business in Hokitika as a chemist and druggist, and subsequently became an original partner of the well known firm of Kempthorne, Prosser and Company, Limited. Mr. Prosser was a member of the first County Council of Westland, and subsequently held a seat on the Provincial Council. He eventually removed to Sydney
, where he opened a branch of his firm. It is said that he afterwards made a fortune out of Broken Hill mining speculations.
Mr Prosser operated the Western Drug Hall in Hokitika but sold it in 1870 when Kempthorne Prosser & Co got underway.
Mr Evan Prosser committed suicide
at the North Shore, Sydney, on the 20th 1896. The event is thus reported in the Sydney Daily Telegraph: — A deliberate case of suicide and attempted murder occurred at Neutral Bay shortly after noon yesterday, when Mr. Evan Prosser shot himself at his residence, Raymond-road, and afterwards twice fired at his wife. About minutes after 12 yesterday Mrs. Prosser, having heard the discharge of firearms, immediately ran upstairs, and, going into the bedroom, saw her husband lying on the floor, with blood flowing from under his right ear. She endeavoured to raise him to Ms feet, but while doing so he pointed a revolver towards her and fired two shots, one of the bullets grazing her neck. She eventually managed to get possession of the revolver, and immediately sent for Dr. Shirlow, who, upon his arrival, ordered the removal of the unfortunate man to the North Shore Hospital, where attempts were made to locate the bullet by Drs. Shirlow, Clarke, and Rorke. When the revolver was handed to the police it was discovered that four of the chambers had been discharged. Mr. Prosser retained his consciousness until he arrived at the institution, when he collapsed, and expired about 4 p.m. Mr. Prosser, who was 60 years of age, was at one time connected with the late firm of Messrs. E. Prosser & Co., wholesale druggists, of Sydney, which business passed into the hands of the Australian Drug Company some years back. The matter was reported to the Coroner, who ordered an inquest.
KP/Kempthorne Prosser's products were popular in New Zealand. K.P. Lifesalt was a drink offered in the late 1920s until at least the 1940s when Andrew's Liver Salts gained the market. KP also produced flavouring essences in up to eight different flavours.
KP Rockland and Westfield Manures were celebrated manures produced at the Burnside and Westfield Works in Dunedin and Auckland. From 1881 until about 1920 Kempthorne Prosser held a monopoly in the fertiliser division in the country until competition existed.
KP supplied major chemists and hospitals throughout New Zealand.
Early 1930s - KP Fertiliser Handbook for New Zealand (2nd edition)
1960s - KP Fertiliser Handbook (3rd edition)
A 24-page history published by the company in 1954 provides a glimpse of the company’s first 75 years.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
from 1869 until 1978. Their complete name was Kempthorne Prosser & Co.'s New Zealand Drug Co. Ltd, established in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
.
Limited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
in 1879. The head office was set up on Stafford Street in City Rise
City Rise
City Rise is an inner suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. One of the city's older suburbs, it is, as its name suggests, centred on the slopes which lie close to the city centre, particularly those closest to the city's original heart of The Exchange...
, Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
. In 1904 Thomas Whitelock Kempthorne retired. Kempthorne Prosser & Co became Kempthorne Prosser & Co. Ltd in 1879 when the New Zealand Drug Company was formed.
In early 1881 the NZ Government offered a bonus for three years to any company that would manufacture 50 tons of sulphuric acid per year. KP's NZ Drug Company was the first in the country to combine sulphuric acid and bone
Bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
dust to produce superphosphate. The Burnside
Burnside, Otago
Burnside is a mainly industrial suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located at the mouth of a long valley, the Kaikorai Valley, through which flows the Kaikorai Stream. This valley stretches to the northeast for . Burnside is to the southwest of the city centre, close to eastern end...
Chemical Works in Dunedin were the first of their type in New Zealand. Kempthorne Prosser constructed further superphosphate plants in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, and Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
. From this stemmed a major chemical fertiliser industry, of national importance to the agricultural and pastoral economy. For almost a century 'K. P.' was to dominate the market. Prosser resigned from the company in 1886 and went to Australia before committing suicide.
By the mid-1970s, some New Zealand farmers decided it was time to take control of the fertiliser industry, and established a new company, the Ravensdown Fertiliser Co-operative Ltd. With help from Brierley Investments and producer board funds it acquired Kempthorne Prosser in 1978, and Kempthorne Prosser exited the market.
Kempthorne Prosser operated four large chemical works. The Burnside, Dunedin Works (1881), Westfield, Auckland (1887), Hornby, Christchurch in 1922 and the Aramoho, Wanganui (Wanganui Chemical) Works in 1926.
Chemical works and buildings
In 1870 the firm erected its first premises, on Stafford Street, City Rise, Dunedin. This row of three joint buildings still stand today on the lower reaches of the street, below the SaveMart Building, which was the Kempthorne Prosser laboratoryLaboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
from 1900 until the 1960s. Directly opposite the former laboratories is the office that Kempthorne Prosser occupied during the 1970s, built to replace the earlier structures (31 Stafford Street).
The Burnside Chemical Works in Kaikorai Valley Road, Dunedin was the first Kempthorne Prosser factory to be set up. It operated until 1962, when it was sold to Dominion Fertiliser Ltd, and has since been demolished. The second plant, the Westfield Chemical Works in Bell Avenue, Otahuhu
Otahuhu
Otahuhu is a suburb of Auckland. It is located to the southeast of the city centre, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tamaki River estuary to the east...
, Auckland, operated from 1887. It was demolished in the early 1970s to make way for a factory subdivision.
The Hornby Chemical Works in Hornby
Hornby, New Zealand
Hornby is a major residential and retail suburb at the western edge of Christchurch, New Zealand.-Naming and history:Hornby was apparently named by Frederick William Delamain, who came to Christchurch from England in 1852. The name reportedly refers to Hornby-with-Farleton in Lancashire...
, Christchurch, was opened in 1922, and the Wanganui Chemical Works, Burnswick Road, Aramoho, was opened in 1926. Both are still used by Ravensdown Fertiliser.
Kempthorne Prosser also had non-factory buildings in three main centres. Offices in Albert Street, Auckland, were occupied by the company until 1973 (the building was demolished in 1982). An ornate warehouse on the corner of Willeston and Victoria streets as well as Jervois Quay in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
was demolished in 1978 to make way for a Wellington City Council car park building. There were further premises at number 132 High Street, Christchurch. The High St premises were to be demolished in 1986 when the larger 1892-3 section of the structure was awarded heritage protection. Shortly after the building was gutted by fire. It was demolished for a very unattractive building in 1987.
Thomas Whitelock Kempthorne (1834-1915)
Thomas Whitelock Kempthorne was born in CornwallCornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was the son of John Kempthorne and Anne Whitelock. He was baptised on 3 February 1834. In 1854 he emigrated to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia. He worked briefly as a labourer digging up tree stumps. In 1855 he found a position in the wholesale drug trade. On 23 June 1859 in Melbourne he married Sarah Inman. They had five daughters and one son before Sarah's death in 1895.
Kempthorne arrived in Dunedin in April 1863, sent by the Melbourne pharmaceutical firm of H. & E. Youngman to look at the prospects of establishing a warehouse there. When the company's managers died Thomas Kempthorne stayed in Dunedin and set up his own drug business, French Kempthorne & Co (after going in partnership with a Mr French). It did not last very long and in 1870 Kempthorne, Prosser & Company was formed when he went into partnership with Evan Prosser, a Welsh chemist on the West Coast. The partnership prospered and in 1879 they set up a limited liability company with capital of £200,000.
He became a prominent figure in the Dunedin business community, remaining managing director of Kempthorne, Prosser & Company until 1904 when he retired.
He gave generous support of St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin
St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin
St Paul's Cathedral is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Dunedin, in New Zealand and the seat of the Bishop of Dunedin.-Location:The Cathedral Church of St Paul occupies a site in the heart of The Octagon near the Dunedin Town Hall and hence Dunedin...
. He was a member of the board of managers of the Dunedin Technical School (later King Edward Technical College) from 1911 to 1915 and made a donation of £900 towards its new building. On 29 March 1899 in Dunedin he married Annie Charlotte Rawdon Robinson, about 40 years younger than he. They had one daughter and Annie Kempthorne died in 1903 aged 31 years.
In 1901 as the first Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
citizen to own a car he created a minor sensation when he was driven along Princes Street in his steam-operated two cylinder Locomobile
Locomobile
The Locomobile Company of America was an automobile manufacturer founded in 1899. For the first two years it was located in Watertown, Massachusetts, but production was transferred to Bridgeport, Connecticut during 1900 where it remained until the company's demise in 1929...
with one of his company's engineers at the tiller.
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, he concluded, was 'a land...in which man indeed is blest.' He became unwell at a board meeting of the National Insurance Company and died of a cerebral haemorrhage in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
on 3 November 1915.
Evan Prosser (1830s-1896)
Prosser was elected to the CountyCounty
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
Council in 1873, and represented the ratepayers of South Ward until the 1st of August, 1875. He was a Welshaman by birth, and arrived on the West Coast during the gold rush. Subsequently he removed to Dunedin, where, with Mr. Kempthorne, he formed the nucleus of the since-important firm of Kemptorne, Prosser and Co. Mr. Prosser afterwards retired from the firm and went to Sydney. He was the second Mayor of Hokitika, and held office in the year 1868. He was in business in Hokitika as a chemist and druggist, and subsequently became an original partner of the well known firm of Kempthorne, Prosser and Company, Limited. Mr. Prosser was a member of the first County Council of Westland, and subsequently held a seat on the Provincial Council. He eventually removed to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, where he opened a branch of his firm. It is said that he afterwards made a fortune out of Broken Hill mining speculations.
Mr Prosser operated the Western Drug Hall in Hokitika but sold it in 1870 when Kempthorne Prosser & Co got underway.
Mr Evan Prosser committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
at the North Shore, Sydney, on the 20th 1896. The event is thus reported in the Sydney Daily Telegraph: — A deliberate case of suicide and attempted murder occurred at Neutral Bay shortly after noon yesterday, when Mr. Evan Prosser shot himself at his residence, Raymond-road, and afterwards twice fired at his wife. About minutes after 12 yesterday Mrs. Prosser, having heard the discharge of firearms, immediately ran upstairs, and, going into the bedroom, saw her husband lying on the floor, with blood flowing from under his right ear. She endeavoured to raise him to Ms feet, but while doing so he pointed a revolver towards her and fired two shots, one of the bullets grazing her neck. She eventually managed to get possession of the revolver, and immediately sent for Dr. Shirlow, who, upon his arrival, ordered the removal of the unfortunate man to the North Shore Hospital, where attempts were made to locate the bullet by Drs. Shirlow, Clarke, and Rorke. When the revolver was handed to the police it was discovered that four of the chambers had been discharged. Mr. Prosser retained his consciousness until he arrived at the institution, when he collapsed, and expired about 4 p.m. Mr. Prosser, who was 60 years of age, was at one time connected with the late firm of Messrs. E. Prosser & Co., wholesale druggists, of Sydney, which business passed into the hands of the Australian Drug Company some years back. The matter was reported to the Coroner, who ordered an inquest.
Products
Some of Kempthorne Prosser's most well known material:KP/Kempthorne Prosser's products were popular in New Zealand. K.P. Lifesalt was a drink offered in the late 1920s until at least the 1940s when Andrew's Liver Salts gained the market. KP also produced flavouring essences in up to eight different flavours.
KP Rockland and Westfield Manures were celebrated manures produced at the Burnside and Westfield Works in Dunedin and Auckland. From 1881 until about 1920 Kempthorne Prosser held a monopoly in the fertiliser division in the country until competition existed.
KP supplied major chemists and hospitals throughout New Zealand.
Publications by Kempthorne Prosser
Late 1920s - Profitable Fertilising in New Zealand (1st edition)Early 1930s - KP Fertiliser Handbook for New Zealand (2nd edition)
1960s - KP Fertiliser Handbook (3rd edition)
A 24-page history published by the company in 1954 provides a glimpse of the company’s first 75 years.