WILLIAM MASSIG.
 

	Ambition, determination, courage and perseverance have been the ma-
terials from which William Massig, the owner and proprietor of a pros-
perous drug business in Regina, has built a worth-while career. He was
born in West Prussia, on the 18th of March, 1874, the youngest of the
five children in the family of Edward and Mary (Kunkowka) Massig.
Three of these children are living, as are the two children born to Edward
Massig by a second marriage. The parents are both dead, having passed
away in their native Germany, where they spent their lives. The father
was an overseer in an alcohol factory for twenty-two years. The family
was Lutheran in its religious affiliations and the children were reared
in that faith.
	William Massig was educated in the Gymnasium school of his native
land, following which he started to learn the drug business at the age
of fifteen and worked in a drug store until he left Germany for Canada
in 1908. Convinced from what he could learn about the New World that
it held greater opportunities for advancement than he could see before
him in Germany, William Massig set out to better his fortunes in the
land across the Atlantic, at the age of thirty-four. The first year he was
in Canada he worked on a farm, but soon left agricultural pursuits for
a line of work for which he was better prepared. After varied experiences
which included work with a section gang on a railroad and operating
an elevator in Eaton's store in Winnipeg, he found suitable employ-
ment in a drug store in Winnipeg, where he worked from 1911 to 1914.
From there he went to Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, to become associated
with a brother-in-law in the restaurant business.  His first drug store
was opened in Grayson, Saskatchewan, on two hundred and fifty dollars
of borrowed capital. His quarters were a woodshed, for which he paid
the large sum of five dollars a month rent, considering it dear at that,
while with his small amount of capital his stock of drugs was necessarily
limited. Mr. Massig knew his business, however, and soon things were
looking more prosperous for him. In a year he was able to move across
the street into a good little building and make a large increase in his
stock.  After three years of successful business in Grayson he came
to Regina, arriving here in November of 1917, and started in the mail
order business. Six months later he opened a drug store here and since
then has continued to manage the mail order business in connection with
his drug store. His patronage has now reached very large proportions
and his store ranks well among the business establishments of Regina.
In addition to his drug establishment and mail order concern, Mr. Massig
owns a good business block on Eleventh avenue and has a comfortable,
modern home, each of which bespeak prosperity and financial well-being.
	Twenty years ago Mr. Massig was united in marriage to Miss Paula
Donacker, who was born in Weisbaden, Germany, and they have two
children, a daughter and a son: Lottie, a young lady of eighteen sum-
mers; and Eric, a lad of fifteen. The family are affiliated with the Luth-
eran church.  Mr. Massig's political sympathies are with the Liberal
party, but he finds no time to devote to active participation in party af-
fairs after meeting the constant demand put upon him by his business
interests. For recreation he turns to motoring, which is a source of great
pleasure to him and is a sport not a little enjoyed by the other members
of his family. He is entitled to a generous~ share of credit for his achieve-
ments in life, for he started out without friends, money or influence in a
foreign land and persevered in spite of the most discouraging of circum-
stances. He has worked long and hard, early and late, ever on the alert
to seize every opportunity that might be of assistance to him, and now
is reaping the reward of his labors in the possession of a good business
and the esteem of his fellow citizens.




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