440 ADELAIUK AND VICINITY Mr. r. Grose on more than one occasion, valuable service to the trade of the Port and Province. As a general rule, vessels requiring repairs of any niaonjtude wait for them to be made on reaching Melbourne or Sydney, ignoring Port Adelaide as not possessing proper facilities for the work. On several occasions, however, Mr. (irose has persuaded masters of vessels to forego this practice ; and he has executed the desired repairs with such exactness and ingenuity as convinced shippers that Port Adelaide was not lacking in the necessary facilities, in this wav materially benefiting that branch of trade. Mr. Grose also superintended many large engineering works, and established a high reputation for the firm with which he was connected. In i87<S he resigned his position under Mr. Robert Lindsay, and with his brother-in-law, Mr. Thomas, visited England, purchased a milling plant, and established the business that has since occupied an important place in Australian trade. The partnership continued until the death of Mr. Thomas in 1891, and the business is still carried on, under the name of Thomas & Co., by Mr. Henry Thomas, a son of the former partner, in conjunction with Mr. (irose. As a public man for many years past, Mr. Grose has helped considerably in shaping Portonian history. In 1890 he entered the Port Adelaide Town Council as the representative of the Centre Ward, and has served that section of the municipality with fidelity ever since. The revolution in the conduct of the Council's business, its officership, and other matters, has been largely due to his unwearied efforts. His election to the mayoralty has also proved of .service to the municipality. P'or many years he has been prominently associated with liberal and democratic associations promoted for the purpose of encouraging public discussion on matters social and political. Both in public and private life Mr. Grose has ever maintained the character of a candid, upright, and intelligent citizen. Mr. James Duncan MR. JAMES DUNCAN of the coachbuilding and wheelwrighting firm of Duncan and Fra.ser, was born at Rothesay, Scotland, February 28, 1840. He learnt his trade as a "body maker" in coachbuilding under his uncles, Messrs. N. & D. McConechy. At the age of 19 years Mr. Duncan came to Adelaide, South Australia, and three years later went into partnership with Mr. PVaser, as a coachbuilder, the firm continuing in existence to this day. Mr. Fra.ser died some years ago, and Mr. Duncan, with his sons, now controls affairs. The business is now one of the largest industries of the kind in .South Australia. They have manufactured tram cars in use in Ballarat (Victoria), and in Adelaide, and they al.so build bicycles. Mr. Duncan, who is a Justice of the Peace, is an ex-President of the Chamber of Manufactures, and more recently took an extremely active interest in the question of federation. He was President of the Central Committee of the Commonwealth Bill League, and did his utmost to secure the acceptance of that measure by the electors.
