Elders' strength in national wool market allows it to grow agencies, land holdings

From its strength in the national wool market, the Elders company expanded into mining, shipping, travel and stock agencies.

Thomas Elder and Robert Barr Smith’s Elder Smith and Co., with Andrew Tennant, formed the Adelaide Steamship Company in 1875 as part of their rapid expansion.

In 1888, Elder's Wool & Produce Co. Ltd and Elder Smith and Co. amalgamated, with Peter Waite becoming chairman for the next 34 years.

Already an economic cornerstone of South Australia, the company in 1903 bought a one third holding in the Western Australian wool business of George Shenton.

This was the started of Elders WA livestock business with a branches extending from Kununurra to Esperance and Perth to Kalgoorlie and dominating the wool trade in South Australia and Western Australia.

In his eighties, Barr Smith launched Elders Trustee and Executor Limited and expanded the company’s resources interests by forming Elders Metal and Mercantile in Melbourne.

Heading towards 100 years of operation, 1928 was a record year for Elders. Rapid expansion of the branch network through SA and WA saw the family and company-owned landholdings continue to increase. The Elders centenary in 1939 coincided with the start of World War II when the highly competitive wool-selling business was put under government control.

Elders now had principal offices in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Geelong and London. It had 38 country branches in SA, 25 in WA and two in NSW at Broken Hill and Wentworth; was agent for a dozen shipping companies, including P&O and a ship charterer in its own right. It was agent for six airlines, had set up Elders Travel and was either Australian or SA agent for more than 80 manufacturers, most of whom made products for the company’s farmer and pastoralist clients.