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- Colonel; had 6 sons and 1 daughter
Extracts from
“The Story of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange 1887-1947”
Page 17 – Chapter I – Cradle Days of the Stock Exchange 1887-1890
Apart from the foolscap minute book which records the early meetings of the Committee, no authentic records exist of the cradle days of the Stock Exchange. Colonel Rowland Albermarle Arthur BETTINGTON, in his brief outline history to the Stock Exchange, says there were one hundred and twenty-two original members. He records only the names of the following: J. Birbeck, Abe BAILEY, AE Beckman, Mones Davies, WJ DOLD, A Godring, Charl Hanau, HTB Harrington, JS Harrison, GA Jones, E Lippert, Albert Levy, J MacKilligan, RG Rimer, HA Rogers S SACKE, WP Taylor, Colin Watson, SJ Wilks and D Ziman.
Page 25 – Chapter II – The First Boom 1888-1889
When Barnato (membership dated from 15 January 1889, died at sea June 1897) decided that a new building was an imperative necessity he caused a curt notice to be issued to all members that their quarterly subscriptions were to be doubled as a contribution towards the building costs. This arbitrary action caused considerable ill-felling among members and an attempt was made to oppose Barnato. Colonel Rowland Albermarle Arthur BETTINGTON, with more recklessness than discretion, ascended the rostrum on High ‘Change one morning and harangued the members on the unjustifiable policy of making them pay in advance for work that had not even been started. Furious with anger Barnato followed his challenger on to the rostrum and held forth at great length on the beneficial results of the Estates Company’s administration and his personal efforts to obtain better trading conditions for the members.
Colonel Rowland Albermarle Arthur BETTINGTON, the would-be reformer, found the Exchange doors closed to him next morning on technical grounds, but within a week he was readmitted and he set to work to form a committee of eighteen to resist the Barnato encroachments. Needless to sy pressure was brought to bear in the usual way and the reformers failed in their main objective, but achieved success in that the revolt hardened members’ opinion and the ruling Stock Exchange Committee, subservient to Barnato, was forced to resign and a new one was elected by ballot. As a concession, in the face of this hardening opposition, the Johannesburg Estates Company left the entire control of the Stock Exchange in the hands of the Committee and retained for itself only the rights of the financial administration.
Mr James Hay, as a result of this revolt, was elected as the first independent chairman of the Stock Exchange, and the first all-member committee elected at the time consisted of Carl Hanau, WP Taylor, H Solomon, W Gilchrist, W St John Carr, WH Adler, W Campbell, Abe BAILEY, JL Bilbrough, Clifton Faunce Brooks TAINTON, Temple Maynard Cracroft NOURSE (1851-1940 – son of Cpt Joseph NOURSE & Anne Mary OGILVIE), JW Leonard, HA Rogers & J Gardner.
Page 45 – 1892 – Chapter III – Boom, Slump and War
The membership list at this time of business revival (1892) contained the names of the majority of the leaders of the Witwatersrand who had grimly seen the gold industry through its worst crisis. Hermann Ekstein, who had been elected the first President of the Transvaal Chamber of Mines in 1889, retained his membership of the Exchange until the time of his death in 1893 in Stuttgart There were many among the members whose name figure prominently in the historical, financial and commercial growth of Johannesburg; among them were the Albu brothers, Otto Beit, Barney Barnato, Woolf and Solly Joel, JB Taylor, Abe BAILEY, EC Berlandina, Colonel Rowland Albermarle Arthur BETTINGTON, G Cristopherson, William Dalrymple, George Farrar, L Erhlich, A Goerz, Carl Jeppe, Julius Jeppe, JJ Lace, Charles Leonard, F Mosenthal, JG Mosenthal, Henry NOURSE (1857-1842 – son of Cpt Joseph NOURSE & Anne Mary OGILVIE), DJ Pullinger, M Solomon, Harry Solomon, G Sonn, A Sprinz, RC Stroyan.
Page 54 – 1902
The first post –war election of a Committee was held in April, 1902, when the following were elected: EE Berlandina, JW Hilip, JC Kirkwood, A Sprinz, Matthew DOLD (1842-1920 (bachelor son of John Matthew DOLD & Benetta Sarah WITHERIDGE), J Fergusson, H Solomon, DC Greig, A Mackie Niven, George Hurry, John Roy, R Bennett, Colonel Rowland Albermarle Arthur BETTINGTON, Carl Hanau and H Michaelis. Mr Berlandina was elected Chairman, and Mr Harry Solomon Deputy Chairman.
Page 63 – 1903 – Chapter IV – Hollard Street
The foundation stone of the new building in Hollard Street was laid by Lord Milner, the High Commissioner of South African, with considerable ceremony on 6th April, 1903. Lord Milner officiated once more on behalf of the Stock Exchange in July of 1903 in a more light hearted capacity than on the occasion of the foundation stone ceremony. This time he presented the prized to the successful competitors in the Stock Exchange “Go-As-You-Please” foot race to Pretoria held on 15th July, 1903. The idea of holding the race was conceived by some of the younger members during a lull in the market. The idea was taken up enthusiastically and great plans were made for the event. Colonel Rowland Albermarle Arthur BETTINGTON was elected Chairman of the organising committee, which consisted of Messrs JN Greenless, N Richardson, S Lissack, George Marais, DR MacLachlan, William Cawood KIDGER (1866-1931 – Rand Pioneer)and Leo Mayer. Mr Leo Rogaly was elected the honorary secretary of the committee
Page 105-106 – Chapter VI – The Chairmen of the Stock Exchange
During the 60 years of its history, the destinies of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange have been guided by twenty-four men of financial distinction and acumen who were elected from time to time to the Chairmanship of the Committee of the Stock Exchange. They were ably supported throughout their periods of office by Committees drawn from members of the Exchange. The Chairmen of the Stock Exchange from the time of its founder and first Chairman, Mr BM Woollan, have been, James Hay, Harry Solomon, MATTHEW DOLD, SB Joel, A Mackie Niven, EE Berlandina, JW Philip, John Roy, Alfonso Prinz, S Thomson, WJ Haley, Colonel Rowland Albermarle Arthur BETTINGTON, DC Greig, JE Jones, JHL Manisty, RT Mathison, AD Viney, PL Flanagan, James Nielson, AP Lloyd, J Fergusson, J Andrew Cohen and PA Moore.
From the time of its acceptance of true business stability there have been six Secretaries of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange who, by their ability and integrity have invested their office with a very high standard of efficiency. Mr Moss, the first Secretary of the independent Stock Exchange, held his office until 1894 when he was succeeded by SC Black, 1894-1896; Charles Power, 1897-1911; Carr Hammett, 1911-1925; A Torr, 1925-1928. Mr A Linn is the present Secretary of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and assumed his office in 1928.
The Committee of the Stock Exchange at the time of its Diamond Jubilee was composed of PA Moore (Chairman), WJ Lamb (Deputy-Chairman), FHY Bramford, HV Batten, E Freemantle, CW Handley, JA Hyman, DD Maynard, A Menell, RS Mennie, J Morris, FH Neal, RJ Osborne, AD Viney and P Wilson.
From its infancy and from its somewhat erratic foundation years, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange has developed on modern lines of international stock exchange practice and procedure and has gained for itself a unique place in South African economy.
The emphasis of the importance of the Stock Exchange in South African economy is not gauged by the periodic booms and slumps and the hectic markets which have enlivened its career, however, but by the all-round year to year markets which are the barometer of the Union’s prosperity and stability. At the time of its sixtieth birthday, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange looks forward to a period of great expansion, and confidently enters the years leading to its centenary when it will develop in unison with South Africa’s expanding financial and mining economy.
During the course of its history the Johannesburg Stock Exchange has produced some of the great men of South African finance, and from its early colourful days it has developed the stability of its business integrity to the high standard which gives it justifiable pride in claiming the right to the motto on its crest, “Dictum Meum Pactum” – “My word is my bond”.
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