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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District]

[Mayfield]

The Township Of Mayfield is situated five miles from the Valetta railway station, and is seventy-two miles by road from Ashburton. There is a daily coach service to Valetta, a post and telegraph office, a daily mail, a public school, with fifty scholars on the roll, a Presbyterian church, and a Wesleyan church. The business places include an accommodation house, a large general store, a blacksmith's shop, and also the premises of a coach builder and painter. A company named the Mayfield Saleywards Company, Limited, was formed in February, 1902, and has acquired a ten-acre block, in the township, and built yards, with accommodation for 4,000 sheep; sales are held monthly. The company has, also an up-to-date sheep dip, seventy feet long. The surrounding country is almost entirely devoted to sheepfarming, and oat and turnip crops do well on the land. The output of fat sheep and lambs increases every year, and the district is rapidly coming to the front as one of the best in Canterbury for grazing and fattening sheep. Owing to the nearness of the hills, there is an abundant rainfall; but although Mayfield is over 1,000 feet above sea level, snow seldom lies more than two days at a time. Amongst the earliest settlers were Mr J. Toner, Mr W. Rutherford, Mr. McKenzie, Mr. James Dellow, Mr. J. Coskerie, Mr. D. Morrow, Mr. E. G. Beckett, Mr J. L. Christensen, and Mr G. J. Rainey.

Burgess, John, Engineer and Threshing Machine Proprietor, Mayfield. Mr. Burgess was born at Templeton and educated at Dunsandel, and at the Boys' High School, Christchurch. After spending some time on his father's farm he was employed by Messrs P. and D. Duncan in Christchurch, and later on was with Mr. D. Reese, the well known builder in that city. On leaving Mr. Reese he followed agriculture for about five years. In 1894 he bought a steam chaffcutting plant, and began page 860 contracting at Mayfield, where he has met with success, and now has an ever increasing business. His plant consists of two powerful traction engines, by Avehng and Porter and C. Burrell respectively, one five foot combine, by Clayton and Shuttleworth, one fourteen inch Empire chaffcutter by Andrews and Beaven, and also two thirteen inch, by Messrs Reid and Gray. He has also all the necessary appliances for haulage, including waggons with a carrying capacity of six tons. Mr. Burgess includes water race cutting in his business, and has a water race plough, which cuts a water race, in one operation, to any width not exceeding three feet. In his workshop he has a good plant for fitting and doing all necessary repairs. The motive power for the shop is derived from vertical steam engine, which drives a powerful double-geared drilling machine, a six foot engineers' lathe by Milne, circular saws and emery wheels. During the season Mr. Burgess employs fifteen men, and at extra busy times, more. He has done a considerable amount of work in cutting water races for the Ashburton County Council. In the haulage of wool and grain he does the principal trade in the district, and has added contract by steam ploughing to his business. Mr. Burgess was married in Ashburton, and has four sons and four daughters.

Good, John George, Storekeeper, Mayfield. Mr. Good is the eldest son of the late Mr. Joseph Good, of Greenstreet. He was born on the late Mr. J. R. C. C. Grammond's farm, Tinwald, and was educated in the Ashburton district. At his father's death, in 1890, he took over his father's farm at Greenstreet, where he resided for five years. He was then for a while in Ashburton, and in 1899 he bought Mr. Tweedie's farm of 335 acres at Anama, where he farmed for three years. He then bought his present business from Mr W. T. Doake, who had carried it on for many years. Mr. Good has built new premises, including a slaughterhouse and yards, in the centre of the township. The stock in the store includes groceries, ironmongery, glassware, crockery, drapery, clothing, etc. Mr. Good is proprietor of the mail coach which runs daily from Mayfield and Valetta, and twice a week to Ruapuna, and he has the contract for carrying the mails. He takes an active interest in local affairs, and is a member of the Mayfield school committee. Mr. Good was married at Greenstreet, in 1889, to the second daughter of the late Mr. Corpus, of Croydon, Surrey, Eng land, and they have a family of five daughters.