Story: Large companies

The Mosgiel Woollen Factory Company, established in 1873, was the major local employer of girls and women in Mosgiel, near Dunedin. The establishment of such large factories needed capital. Companies whose owners had personal links to willing investors and political figures grew rapidly. Arthur Burns, the son of Thomas Burns (a key figure in the the settlement of Otago), was involved in establishing the Mosgiel Woollen Factory.