November 1906

From 1 November 1906 postage of cards and letters in New Zealand was one penny for each 4 ozs or part thereof. A telegram was one half penny per word and for an urgent telegram one penny per word.
Both the Tennis and Bowling Clubs opened for the season at the Cambridge Domain. The Cambridge Band attended and played selections during the afternoon.
The Cambridge Borough Council purchased an Austin road grader at a cost of £55. The machine was practically new, and the Council consider they had made a good bargain.
Cambridge West (Leamington) was administered by the Pukekura Road Board. On two or three occasions it had been suggested that they be incorporated in the Cambridge Borough. At a meeting of Cambridge West householders James Keeley moved and George Hastie seconded that they form their own town district and go solely on their own.
Many of the local farmers were still discussing the proposal of buying McNicol & Co's auctioneering company to turn it into a Farmers' Auctioneering Company.

The Government Tourist Department placed Cambridge on their books as a place where good fishing was obtainable. As the season opened the hope was that more than last year's thirty licences would be sold.
E B Cox of Hamilton Road writes to the paper extolling the virtues of the town's trees - specifically a silver poplar that council decided to preserve. In the next paper F O'Toole explains that for the last twelve years the owner had fought to keep the tree from spoiling his property. 'He has had trenches cut and the roots taken out, he has trenched the whole of his garden; and the trouble is still with him; it is at his front door and at the back; it has forced its way through the tarred pavement at the side, and it shows amongst his early potatoes in the next yard; it is to be seen pushing its way along the front street, and is at present passed the next oak and is still going.' As Mr O'Toole said, 'This silver poplar is a noxious weed, nothing more or less.'

A party of local residents were convinced that motoring had its drawbacks as well as its delights as they abandoned their car when 'something went wrong with the works'. They arrived home in a trap at midnight, dusty and weary.
Cambridge people enjoyed two fine days at the Waikato A & P Show at Claudelands with Crowther & Bell running a coach with cheap fares. Taylors, Hunters and Richardsons had success with their horses; Days, Souters and Fishers with their cattle; Peakes, Goodwins and Mackereth with their sheep.
At Maungatautari there was a social and dance in aid of the piano fund. The settlers had turned over a large area of ground in preparation for the turnip season. Mr C Nickle and Mr Weir had houses built and the Maori erected a wharepuni about 55 feet long and 26 feet wide.
Two fires occurred in town and on both occasions some residents did not hear the bell. It was urged that the Borough Council hang the spare bell in the central part of the town.

The Masonic Hotel had a narrow escape from fire when a mantelpiece in the bar-parlour was set alight by - 'rats carrying matches and igniting a nest they had made in the lining of the chimney'. [This was before the invention of safety matches.]
Mr Charles Jarrett constructed an ingenious plough for roadwork and, with his traction engine, was putting it to work on Shakespeare Street.
Mr Brown, Thomas Well's gardener, had chrysanthemum plants to give away, on the condition that they were grown.
150 members of the Presbyterian faith sat down to tea and many more attended the annual Soiree and Concert at the Alexandra Hall. The tables were presided over by Mrs Hopkirk and Miss Taylor; Mrs Atkinson and Miss Young; Mrs H Ferguson and Mrs Christie; Mrs R J Roberts and Miss Nina Young; Mrs Watt and Miss Russell; Mrs Perkins and Miss Dean; Mrs Wallis and Miss Neal; Mrs John Fisher and Miss Wallis.
A petition to the Auckland Education Board was successful in making Taotaoroa No 1 school and Karapiro school both full time with separate teachers, from the beginning of 1907.

The new drainage system was tested by the Health Inspector Middleton, and found that of 60 gallons poured down the drain - only nine gallons came out. Serious leaks were found in most of the joints. The clerk of works handed in his notice and left town.
Misses Wells, Wright and Brooks (Bowling Club) Misses Nixon and Jeffries (Tennis Club) decided to combine on Wednesdays to make inexpensive and plain afternoon tea for both clubs.
£45 worth of new books had been placed on the shelves of the library over the previous year. A few years ago the number of casual subscribers averaged 150 per year - now there were 25. This was possibly due to the consumptive scare and the new by-laws not allowing consumptives in hotels and boarding houses.
A branch of the National Defence League was formed in Cambridge to push for defensive training of all young men. The president of the League said that their first mission was to arbitrate - but they would be able to arbitrate better if they had a properly trained army.

 

 

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