William Plender
William Plender (1861-1946)
1946 Obituary [1]
THE RIGHT HON. WILLIAM, BAROK PLENDER OF SUNDRIDGE, G.B.E., was born on the 20th August, 1861, and died at Tunbridge Wells on the 19th January, 1946.
He was senior partner in the firm of Messrs. Deloitte, Plender, Griffiths & Company, chartered accountants, of London, with branches in the United States, Canada, South America, Mexico, and South Africa, and was a prominent authority on questions of accountancy. His services were called on in connexion with the acquisition, in 1903, of the property of the London water companies by the Metropolitan Water Board, and with the establishment, in 1908, of the Port of London Authority.
In 1911 he was a member of the Committee on Irish finance, and he officially investigated the conditions of medical work and remuneration under the National Insurance Act.
In 1913 he was a member of the Royal Commission on Railways, and from 1914 to 1942 a Commissioner under the Welsh Church Act. His services during the first world war and after included controllership of the German, Austrian, and Turkish banks, the organization of the telephone service, the Metropolitan Munitions Committee, the Enemy Debts Committee, and the Surplus Government Property Disposal Board.
In 1918 he was appointed Honorary Financial Adviser to the Board of Trade.
In 1921 he was a member of the Tribunal on the Ministry of Munitions and of the Railways Amalgamation Tribunal, and was Chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Trade Facilities Act.
From 1921 to 1925 he acted as the first independent Chairman of the National Board for the Coal Industry, and in 1937 was a member of the Coal Mining Royalties Tribunal.
In 1928 he served on the Committee of Inquiry on Export Credits, in 1929 on the Iron and Steel Committee of the Economic Advisory Council, and in 1935 as Chairman of the German Debts Committee....[more]