Corporate entry: Burns Philip & Company 7 Bridge Street, Sydney
Summary
Burns Philp Co. was founded in Townsville in 1875 by a partnership of two Scottish businessmen, James Burns and Robert Philp. The company began trading as general merchants and wool agents in northern and western Queensland, then extended to the Gulf of Carpentaria region where they held a monopoly of trade by 1880. They diversified into timber getting on the Atherton Tableland (unsuccessfully), mining, insurance, and coastal shipping with interests first in the Queensland Steamship Company which took over its rival the Australian Steam Navigation Line in 1887, and dominated thereafter, trading as the Australian Steam Navigation Company. Elsewhere Burns Philp & Co. developed shipping and trading interests in New Guinea and the Pacific Islands, where they were also involved in the recruitment of labour for Queensland sugar plantations. In 1875 James Burns had moved to Sydney to direct the firms office there, and by the late 1880s this became the company's principal office, largely due to the success of overseas trading. The following is a sample only of an extensive collection of company records formerly held at the head office Sydney. Much of the material, particularly that relating to north Queensland is not sorted or catalogued. This listing is taken from card index files and is necessarily limited, however it serves as an indicator of possible sources. Beyond this, the advice is that there are unsorted Thursday Island records and a large holding of Plantation records, also almost complete company minutes which are considered highly confidential. The collection covers the period 1883-present. These records have been transferred to the Rare Books section, Fisher Library, University of Sydney. Records subsequently discovered, and said to be of comparable volume and to include much north Queensland material, are in the custody of a full-time archivist at the head office, Sydney.
INTERNAL RECORDS
Memorandum and articles of association Burns Philp & Co. LTD, 1882, 1897, 1911.
Reports of annual general meetings, Burns Philp & Co. LTD, 1884-1951.
Private reports, Burns Philp & Co. LTD, 1893-1919.
Minutes of directors meetings, Burns Philp & Co. LTD, 1883-1891, (minute book no.1)
Notes from Burns Philp annual general meetings from minute books 1883-1887.
Minutes of board meeting, 8 November 1895, (extract only).
Minutes of extraordinary meetings, Burns Philp & Co. LTD, 6, 21 September 1911.
Annual balance sheet, private, 1880s.
Correspondence: letters Burns to Black, 1887-1920, chiefly staff matters, also inspections of Queensland, including north Queensland branches, letters to and from head office regarding advance accounts, December 1928-May 1930.
Letters regarding proposed Limited Company, shopkeepers, September 1929-October 1930.
Letters, head office and private, R.J. Bates, March 1929-June 1930.
Correspondence files, head office-branch, business and private letters, August 1930-December 1932, November 1932-March 1935, March 1934-October 1936, October 1936-1939.
Order book addresses, James Burns, London 1902.
Records regarding federal income tax inquiry, 1914-1915, 1918-1919, 1920-1922.
Biographical material regarding Burns Philp identities.
Records regarding Robert Philp and the Burns family.
Trust settlement by David Barnes, 1869, photocopy from Scottish Record Office. FILE 1. A. NORMANTON OFFICE.
Record regarding James Forsyth. Normanton, and power of attorney, n.d.
Record regarding miners rights, Croydon, 1899-1917.
Record regarding Woodstock Station, 1899-1900.
Shipping records, A.U.S.N. Company, Normanton.
Item regarding charter parties from Normanton, 1888.
Financial records, Normanton branch Burns Philp & Co., 1914-1915.
Record regarding Club Hotel Croydon, (William Babzer), 1905.
Record regarding purchase of bullocks by Edward O'Keefe of Croydon, 1895.
Record regarding Railway Hotel, Croydon, (John Olsen), 1890s.
Record regarding Norman Hotel, Normanton, (J. & M. Olsen), n.d.
Record regarding Thornton Hotel and store, Burketown, (Donald Bryce), n.d.
Record regarding Palace Hotel, Croydon, (Mrs. Mary Melvin), n.d.
Record regarding Bretts Hotel, Croydon, 1891.
Record regarding Cowan Downs Hotel, Cowan Downs via Cloncurry, n.d.
Record regarding Normanton meat and bread contracts, 1892-1894.
Record regarding Imperial Hotel, Normanton, n.d.
Record regarding lighterage, Norman River, Normanton, n.d.
Record regarding Bohans Hotel, Croydon, (William Bohan), n.d.
Record regarding Sam Que Woo of Cumberland, n.d.
Record regarding Joseph Irwin, storekeeper, Croydon, n.d.
Record regarding Croydon Securities, Normanton, 9 May 1907.
Record regarding sale of Normanton properties to Power and Kirkaldy, n.d.
Records regarding Normanton Insurance, 1900, 1903, 1910-1914, 1916-1920, 1922.
Record regarding Donald Bryce of Croydon, 1899-1903.
Record regarding John Afflick, no details.
Agreement, G. Ryan Normanton Hotelkeeper, and Burns Philp & Co., regarding £30.3.0, loan, 1 Apr. 1895.
Record regarding sale of bullock teams, J. Reid to J. Frost 8 February 1888.
Record regarding sale of piano, J. Rand & Co., to Burns Philp & Co., £45.8.11, 20 July 1891.
Record regarding Burnells Estate account, 1890s.
Reports on Etheridge district by A.E. Lewis, September 1907.
Contract note regarding sale by Burns Philp & Co., to A. Richardson of 6 tons of cyanide of sodium, 6 May 1908.
List of securities and documents held in safe at Croydon agency, 11 July 1903.
Miscellaneous letters, sale summaries, receipts, 1895-1906.
Record regarding Croydon Explosions, [?] 18 May 1903.
Record regarding bonus payments to Burns Philp employees at Normanton branch, 1907.
Sale summaries, memorandum of mortgages, loans and bonuses paid to employees, also receipt for a horse, 1896-1914.
Record regarding insurance, Normanton branch, 1896-1906.
Bills of sale 1889-1909.
Particulars of the Me Donald (surveyor) account, 17 December 1896.
Affidavit of Debt, Burns Philp & Co. and J. Burnell, 1894, copy.
Record regarding Maurice Barry, 1890s.
Promissory note, J.M. Bell to Burns Philp & Co., Normanton, 7 February 1899.
Bill of Sale, Robert Baker to Burns Philp & Co., Normanton, 28 April 1897.
Record of the Estate of Black & Co., with particulars of goods forwarded to Georgetown and taken over by the Etheridge Store, n.d.
Order given by Robert S. Rien on G. Morey for £12, 1897, copy.
Miscellaneous letters and records regarding insurance, 1897-1898.
Papers regarding insurance over stock destroyed by fire in the store of B.J. Magee, Croydon, September 1894.
Papers regarding lease, Miss K.E. Keogh, n.d.
Documents and affidavits of William Kelly, 1890.
Business agreements, Normanton, 1888-1893, 1890-1910.
Business agreements, Croydon, 1890s.
Promissory notes, Normanton, 1880s, 1890s.
Various Normanton-Croydon business records 1890s, 1905-1913.
Balance sheet, Normanton office, Burns Philp & Co., 1910-1914.
WINTON STORES, correspondence and papers regarding the Winton Stores Ltd, 1917-1952.
G. Hering & Co., correspondence and papers, 1938-1956.
FILE 1B. NORMANTON, CROYDON, 1914-1945.
Correspondence files, 1914-1945, miscellaneous matters, extensive holding.
Death certificate, William Gilder, Solicitor, 24 August 1937.
Record regarding insurance Normanton Store, Normanton Insurances, summary insurances, 8 April 1923.
Annual returns, staff reports, 1914-1923.
Balance Sheets, staff reports Normanton office, 1940.
65th Annual return, Normanton office, 1947-1948.
66th Annual return, Normanton office 1948-1949.
GOVERNMENT CORRESPONDENCE.
Correspondence files, between Burns Philp & Co., and government, file 1, C. 1915-1946. file 1, D. to 1914, extensive holding.
PEARL SHELLS, PEARLING.
The early days of Pearling by Stanley Wilson, Police Magistrate of Thursday Island, (no details)
Report on the Pearl Fisheries of Torres Straits, by C. D'Oyley, H. Aplin, Police Magistrate 1875.
Burns Philp, 'Shell letters', 1907-1916.
Burns Philp, 'Shell letters', 1917-1920.
REGISTERS OF SHIPPING PROPERTIES OWNED BY BURNS PHILP & CO.
Includes record no., name of vessel, class, place of ownership, tonnage, rig, horsepower and engines, build and material, date and place of construction, builder, official no., port of registration, registered owner, location of official documents of vessel, place of acquisition, when and how disposed of.
Register lists 85 vessels, from 1. the Adieu 1881-1885, to 85. the Marsina, 1905.
MISCELLANEOUS CONTRACTS.
Chiefly mail contracts with missionary societies in the Pacific and in New Guinea, and government contracts, also passenger and freight services and hire of ships.
Records regarding Thursday Island-Port Moresby Steam Mail Service 1886.
ADDITIONAL MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS.
Articles of Association, Townsville Shipping Co., 1882.
Memorandum of Association, The Carpentaria Lighterage Co., 1900.
Journal of Frederic Boore, S.S. Victory, 1887.
List of island fares and freights, Burns Philp Shipping Line, 1949.
Shareholder lists, Burns Philp & Co., 1895.
Record regarding Burns Philp and Lowths Hotel Townsville, 1969.
Newspaper extracts relating to the company.
Records of company interviews.
Honor rolls of Burns Philp employees who served in the 1914-1918 war are located in the foyer of the head office. Service persons are listed under branch office, and these include Cairns, Normation, Thursday Island and Townsville, and also the Burns Philp & Co. Fleet.