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McPherson's Limited

Description

Agent TypeOrganisationIdentifierUMA-AG-000000061Activities & OccupationsIronmongersManufacturers, machinery and equipmentManufacturers, building materialsHistoryThomas McPherson (1822-1888), the man who founded the business later known as McPherson’s Limited, emigrated from Scotland to Australia with his wife Jessie (née Fulton) in c.1853. He set up as an iron merchant in 1860, selling pig iron to the Melbourne foundries. He later expanded the business with tools, steam fittings, engineering supplies and machinery for workshops being added to the stock lists. By 1870 he was referred to as an ‘iron merchant with steam saw mills’ and the business became known as Thomas McPherson and Sons. In 1863 McPherson opened an office in Sydney, and later sent his son Hunter to manage it.
In 1880 the business had its first experience with manufacturing when it began making jute wool packs for the developing Australian trade. This proved to be very unsuccessful due to competition from cheap labour overseas. Thomas died in 1888 and left his sons William Murray (1865-1932) and Edward (1963-1896) in charge of the Melbourne business. Hunter continued with the Sydney branch which was made into a separate business. After Edward’s death in 1896 William Murray became the sole proprietor.
In 1900 William Murray and others set up the Acme Bolt Company to protect local manufacturers from exploitation by overseas bolt producers. The brand ‘Ajax’ was adopted and in 1924 the bolt works was transferred to a new modern building in Richmond. Between 1929 and 1932 the company’s bolt works supplied five million rivets (weighing 300 tons) for the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. An additional bolt works was later set up in Alexandria, Sydney in 1934.
During the First World War the company began the manufacture of lathes and became a leading builder of machine tools which were previously imported. Lathe and machine tool manufacturing continued after the war years, and there was a particular request for lathes designed to suit the needs of technical schools. In 1911 William Murray opened up a McPherson’s branch in Wentworth Street, Sydney. The business was later set up as a proprietary company in 1913 and became known as McPherson’s Pty Ltd. The company entered a new phase by moving away from manufacturing and focusing its efforts on merchandising.
The company expanded further when, after a visit to America in 1924, William decided to convert his under-utilized machine capacity at the Kensington works in Melbourne to manufacturing pumps. This led to the Ajax pump division being set up and by 1930 Ajax pumps were being exported. In 1929 William Murray resigned as Governing Director and the position was taken up by his son William Edward (1899-1950), who had been a director for almost ten years. Whilst on an overseas trip to London in 1924, William Edward married his fiancée Ethel Margaret McKaige, who had accompanied him on the trip.
In the mid-1930s William Edward was asked to join an informal committee of industrial leaders. As war loomed, the committee was concerned about Australia’s dependence on overseas supplies for equipment and tools needed by the manufacturing industry. As a result of this, in 1937 the company invested in Patience & Nicholson Ltd, makers of engineers' cutting tools, and provided the base capital for production of twist drills. The following year, with William Edward sponsoring the project and McPherson's supplying the capital, the Wiltshire File Co. Pty Ltd was established in association with Sir Frederick Wiltshire.
In 1938 Australian Abrasives Pty Ltd was set up and McPherson's acquired the Tool Equipment Company, Sydney. The Associated Machine Tools Australia Pty Ltd was also formed to separate McPherson's machine-tool manufacturing interests from its merchandising activities. In 1939 a foundry and pump manufacturing plant was established at Tottenham, Melbourne, and the Ajax Bolt & Rivet Co. Pty Ltd commenced manufacture in New Zealand. After the outbreak of the Second World War, McPherson’s factories worked at full capacity and were crucial to Australia’s war efforts.
On 5 December 1944 McPherson's converted to a public company named McPherson's Ltd, with William Edward as Chairman of Directors. By the start of the 1950s the company had a very different Board of Directors; in 1947 the Managing Director Oliver Addison died, and his replacement Marshall Eady died only six months later. Both had been Directors since McPherson’s became a proprietary company in 1913. Another Director, Philip Bevan, died in 1948 and this was followed by the death of William Edward in 1950. S.B Holder, F.G. Thorpe, H.L. Hastie, F. Grassick and D.G. Syme all joined the Board before 1950. The company continued to prosper for many years after the death of William Edward. His son, William David, was invited to join the McPherson’s Ltd Board in 1951. He married Angela Cumming in 1955 and soon after was sent to Brisbane as Director in Charge to oversee the building of a new warehouse. The opening of this warehouse in Queensland meant that the company now had major outlets in five states.
As time went on, manufacturing in Australia began to decline and imports of everyday tools began arriving from Asia. These tools were being produced with much lower labour costs and could be sold at cheaper prices. William David retired in 1984 and eventually parts of the company were divested, such as the Richmond Bolt Works which closed in the early 1990s.
Since the 1980s, McPherson's has diversified into housewares, printing, and health and beauty care productsSearch records of this agent

Item

McPherson's Ltd. 1947 Annual Report

McPherson's Limited Annual Report, 1984

McPherson's Limited Annual Report, 1983

McPherson's Limited Annual Report, 1982

McPherson's Ltd. 1981 Annual Report & Notice of Meeting

McPherson's Ltd. 1980 Annual Report & Notice of Meeting

McPherson's Ltd. 1979 Annual Report & Notice of Meeting

McPherson's Ltd. 1977/1978 Annual Report & Notice of Meeting

McPherson's Ltd. 1976/1977 Annual Report & Notice of Meeting

McPherson's Ltd. 1975/1976 Annual Report & Notice of Meeting

McPherson's Ltd. 1974/1975 Annual Report & Notice of Meeting

McPherson's Ltd. 1973/1974 Annual Report & Notice of Meeting

McPherson's Ltd. 1972/1973 Annual Report & Notice of Meeting

McPherson's Ltd. 1971/1972 Annual Report & Notice of Meeting

Certificates of Incorporation on Change of name of company Owen King Printers

Bronze Sign

Plaque

Wooden Bowl

Patents Register of Trade Names Trade Marks

McPhersons Employees Superannuation Fund Minute Book

Shares Transfer Journal

Accounts and Wages

Image

Photograph of the 'Head Office at Melbourne' 1922

Photographic portrait of William Edward McPherson 1915-1950

Photographic portrait of William Murray McPherson 1886-1932

Photographic portrait of Thomas McPherson 1860-1889

Photograph of McPhersons staff 1906

Photograph of 'Party at Invergowrie' c.1920

Photograph of 'Bolt works picnic' 1920

Photograph of the exterior of the McPhersons Department store at 546 Collins Street, Melbourne.

J.K. Merritt, First Chairman of Nettlefolds (Australia)

McPherson's board to face the music

Moving Image

Australian Achievement [Reel 2]

Australian Achievement [Reel 1]

Machines and Metals

Accession

[2012.0021] MCPHERSONS LIMITED BUSINESS RECORDS

[1987.0098] MCPHERSON'S FAMILY BUSINESS AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANY RECORDS

Dates

Date1860-

Names

Other NamesThomas McPherson & Sons

Description Control

Source of Description‘Nuts and Bolts: A story of a family and a firm’ » Barbara Hamer (2006), McPherson’s Printing GroupAustralian Dictionary of Biography - Sir William Murray McPhersonAustralian Dictionary of Biography - William Edward McPherson

University of Melbourne Archives

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McPherson's Limited