March 1908

C H Priestley, saddler and harness maker, had two Pearson harness making machines and a creasing and riveting machine installed in his workshop.
The Waikato Independent introduced a Simplex Typesetting machine (one of only thirty in the Dominion) and were looking for a smart girl to learn to operate it.
John Ferguson crossed swords with Dr Roberts at the Cambridge Domain Board meeting when the latter contested that tennis was a better game than bowls as it gave more exercise. A deputation from the tennis club was asking for more land to make two or three more courts. Granted plus £10 to assist.
The total cost of the bandstand was £280. More than they anticipated - 'but they had one that, with care, would last for all times, and was credit to the town. It had proved a difficult structure to erect for no instructions came with the castings from Scotland, and it was somewhat of a puzzle to find out which fitted each other.'
The Maungatautari correspondent reported on a cricket match with deadly bowling by C Hicks making the West side of the district winners.
Their new telephone connecting them with Cambridge gave great satisfaction - thanks to the Chamber of Commerce.

The fifth Annual Show at Cambridge had 610 horses, 279 cattle, 192 sheep, 58 pigs and 440 miscellaneous entries including Dairy Produce and Home Industries. Other features included hunting, riding, driving, wood chopping and guessing competitions. Local business had Stands of seeds, fertilisers, furniture, wagons and buggies, ploughs, phonographs and sewing machines. The North Island Egg-laying Competition Association exhibited various fowls with their eggs.
Finally the long looked for rain set in and continued for a full day (1.25 inches) doing an immense amount of good throughout the district.
The old Salvation Army barracks were removed from Duke Street by traction engine to the rear of Mr Harris' store to be used as a storehouse. The building was built for the Oddfellows Lodge in 1873.
The 'Keep of the Grass' sign at the Cambridge Domain had added 'Where be the Grass'.
The presentation of McMahon's Pictures at the Alexandra Hall was undoubtedly one of the finest exhibitions in cinematography ever seen in Cambridge and the audience was loud in their appreciation. 'Lost in the Alps' was up first, then humorous films 'Her First Bike', 'The Electric Belt' and 'A Quiet Hotel' caused endless merriment.

'Apropos of the ghastly slowness of the train service on the Cambridge line, we might mention that Messrs H Beauchamp and Mr Callander left the train at Hamilton and drove over in a motor car from there to Cambridge, arriving here fully 20 minutes before the train.'
'A Fencourt settler who has had to resow his turnip crop three or four times, estimates that in consequence of the drought and the great shrinkage in his milk supply, his loss this season will be £200.'
A pretty wedding was solomnised at St Andrew's Church between Miss Murial Edith Peake eldest daughter of Mr Robert Peake of Roto-o-rangi and William, the second son of Mr Hugh Greaves of Hawera. The bride's dress was cream cloth, Eton tailor made, with blond lace vest and cream crinoline, and she wore a Dolly Varden hat. The bridesmaids wore blue silk muslin frocks and black picture hats.
The ladies' golf championship was won by Miss Kathleen Willis who received a handsome gold bracelet as her trophy. Mrs Edmunds was runner up. The lady members had formed themselves into a branch of the NZ Golf Union. The Club membership was 27 ladies and 25 gentlemen.

The position of the Chrysanthemum Society was considered somewhat precarious - 'owing to the scarcity of well grown plants in consequence of the drought, and also to the hordes of caterpillars which had infested the plants.' They decided to soldier on.
The Farmers' Club (although the turnips had also suffered from the drought) decided to hold their show in conjucntion with the Chrysanthemum Society. Cambridge West was proclaimed a Town Board District and was rechristened Leamington. James Keeley (the chief promotor of the Town Board proposal) was the sponsor of the new name as he came from near Leamington in England.
A special meeting of the Cambridge Co-op Dairy Company Ltd decided that their new central factory at Hautapu would be built in brick and they would get a BNZ loan to be paid over ten years.
While considering the estimates for the coming year, the Borough Councillors agreed with Mayor Buckland that their town was in a first class position and that the gasworks would prove to be a goldmine. The water rate was abolished for stock and reduced to £1 for garden hoses. The previous year's receipts and expenditure balanced at £4,164.

 

 

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