Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 26 March 1936, page 16


PROMINENT GOLDFIELDS MAN

Mr. J. H. Cummins Dead.

KALGOORLIE, March 20.—Word was received in Kalgoorlie today of the death in London on Thursday of Mr. J. H. Cummins, managing director of the Kal-goorlie Brewing and Ice Co., and one of the most prominent residents of the goldfields. Mr. Cummins, who was 80 years of age, left Kalgoorlie in Novem-ber last on an extended tour abroad. It is thought that he had been in London for about a fortnight before his death, which was caused by acute peritonitis.

Mr. Cummins was born at Warrnam-bool, Victoria, and was a son of one of the early pioneers of the western dis-trict. After engaging in farming in Vic-toria and South Australia he went to Broken Hill and acquired mining and hotel interests. Arriving in Western Aus-tralia in 1894 he built a hotel that year at Kunanalling which he conducted for four years in partnership with Mr. F. R. Williams. In 1898 he purchased the Wes-tralia Block Hotel at Kamballi, and in 1904 he became manager of the Kal-goorlie Brewery. He had fairly large mining interests. Although unsuccess-ful as a political candidate, he played a prominent part in local government af-fairs. He founded the Coolgardie Road Board—the first body of its kind on the goldfields—and from 1905 to 1907 he was Mayor of Kalgoorlie. For many years he was president of the Kalgoorlie Cham-ber of Commerce and he was one of the oldest justices of the peace for the East Coolgardie magisterial district.

Mr. Cummins is survived by one daughter, Miss Alice Cummins, and by two brothers and a sister. Mrs. Cummins pre-deceased her husband at Merredin four years ago.