The Cambrian

I ht Cambrian. FRIDAY, DEa 6, 1907. NOTES ON MEN & THINGS It is unfortunate that so many Llanelly people are reported to have seen the iOst war bai; x>n. The temperance caose -was getting on so well down the til-i t00- Mr. Lloyd-George's blow is particalariy tragic, coming at this moment w^ler^ had just consummated what has hitherto the greatest triumph in his car- eer, and was the mo6t eulogised xnaai the moment in the kingdom. Truly is a mixture cf sweets and bitters- What an advantage a tactful The clerk of the LlaneUy Distrxct C^xZ assured the mem'>ers that they aa no power to set up in business °°^1. mer" chants. Their lack of power lS their lack of ability, bat the clerk kindly said nothing about that. It's wonderful what imagination can do. Carmarthenshire folk appear to have dis- covered three men in La Patxie, one of whom 'liberated a carrier pigeon" (a Xmas goose would have been JJlOre to the point), to say nothing of two balloons. Whereas there was only one balloon, and nobody in it who could ^berate carried pigeons, cuss wotds or anything else- DevonitIôØS are said to have a dialect all of their own, and the president of the Swaoasa Devonian Society tells the story of the fazm witness who, being cross-examined about his master's hallucinations, diid not understand, and a fellow Devonian came to the rescue in this bit of real Devon: "Do ee think maisber's mazed ?" Then the ques- tio-n was understood. The Gower Church Magazine" states that the custom of going a-souling used to be observed in Pennard in bye-gone days. A supply of soul-cakes' was provided at most of the farmhouses, and these were dis- tributed to those who went about ing.' We suppose that originally the re- cipients of the cakes undertook to pray for the repose of the souls of the departed- hence the name The report that some people at Llanelly saw two balloons early Sunday morning, and others detected three people in the only balloon known to be astray-and «ryiy—hae brought under grave suspicion the ante-breakfast habits of tinplaters on the Sabbath. MT. Nathan Griffiths should have mmethmg to say on this point at the next meeting of the Borough Council. The reporters, of coarse, will be asked to re- tire. "A shocking accident happened last week in the vicinity of Carmarthen. A woman who bad left her two young children alone in her house, and was employed in Carmar- then, fordid on her return the boose in flames, her children destroyed, and the little property of the unfortunate family en- tirely consumed. This dreadful catastrophe is supposed to have been occasioned by the chikLceti playing with the fire during the mother's absence."—" Cambrian," Decem- ber 4th, 1807. "1 iwnmnAtr a ninimber, some years agc^ preaching a missionary aessnon, and the in- evatabie oodSectkn was taken dmmg the sing- ing of tbe hymn, 'Fly abroad, thow vcaghby Gospel,' and witen the deacon came to one man he went on singing more hastily than ever, oblivions altogether of the ooilecteag- box. The ooilector, lorang pat Dodged him and ancfiWy wisispered, Tkase put a feather in the wing, sir, to make the Gospel fly easier: "—(Rev. Elias Joseph, at Sketty.) George Gray, The Fighting Parson." who appears at Swansea Rruptne this week, was at Rochdale Theatre, Mr. Gray with his company giving the R-d to Rain," followed by the fighting Paason," when a member of the aodienoe, ing the entertakunIMA as *one continuous piece, tanned to a companion and exclaimed aadihlv, I can't make owt oat of this. Fasi tbY see him playing caeds, then an t' Tacecooxse, next 'e commits suxade, and then rm biest if t' feOer does na become a parson." Stocty tip the foHowmig paragraph appeared in the **CaidbaEBi":—"We learn that a licensed cteroeti (in consaqoence of the parish of TA-edy having been kuteiy divided) is abewt to be weefced in tbe ■neargbjxrarbood. WiHiasn Chanabees, Esq., is the patroo. The Rov. D. E. vv, late curate of St. David's Chranch, Carmartben, has been ap- pointed to t £ » jiving. Tbe iw. gentleman is yvp-tinwj with Engfish and Weisfa lan- guages, aod his ab2ities are fawoerably ipoken of." This aged and resperfed ciegy- man is sta alive and keenly interested in and was meofciooed the other day- as baring been the tutor of the We ffir Lewia Morris. PGHHASD CASTliE. Of speak. ye tinae-worn stones, of what ye once have seen. How in the past your rained walls- lived an eternal dreom; more mrfkint than the gun, Dyutg when day was done. Lites eventide Hagfh come, To an the" pen e;er knew, Yet in the ftrtwxre, Jiving on, Altiwugb your days be few, Ye weep the past with, every hour that flsaa, Tening your wondsoos story to The nskbrigbt skies. Sileooe and soiltaafe, tozpotien and dkne, Yet not forgot, in history ye te*e ye walle of stone, Pur of the past ye speak To they who from yoor øDenoe kno seek. AH thmgs awBt Eetw thesaalMs, 80 sOenee ewer opeaa- TeUiDcol wovud'i All looe forgotten, yet revrwafc again, For an tbines speak. Even, the reaQeaa iraxv&, Telle of the life that Bee beyond the grave. The peace of torfSgfet drifting tiuoach the woods, The berdJaoy's pipe, the ham of homkie bee, spea" of a deeper fife that few can see, The caim of J.ad peaks, the calm of death, The empty etefar aod wttitered waoe- lour dead. The vacam pew, the mam-mn&emewed. bead r ParoweE, faroweG, and yet CaawweA agate. Dream of my face and may I dream or-VIM% So shall our rest be peaeeftd As 1ho8e de8d. -8IIIC- OEM, 1itr 'I r I f the label donned by a candidate is not to count in Swansea municipal elections, what becomes of our local contemporary's contention that the burgess should vote strictly by the label? The Master of the Swansea Workhouse, Mr. T. Morgan, completed 31 years of ser- vice under the Swansea. Board of Guardians 00 Wednesday, and celebrated his birthday on the same day. -» • The shipping of today and yesterday fur- nishes a contrast. Formerly a steamer of 1.,000 tons at Swaasea was regarded with awe and admiration. On Tuesday there were in one dock alone nine steamers of 4,000 tons burthen each two of 8,000 tons, and a fleet of others between two and three thousand tons. Je ne sais pas," which. translated, means "I don't know," seems a peculiar name to call a French fishing lugger, but it is explained that there are so many craft of the class working the French coast that boats of this kind are described from pure irony, as stated. There are no names on these fishing boats. At Morriston on Tuesday evening Prof. Levi related that when on a. visit to Egvpt he sat in a coffin of an ancient king in the centre pyramid at Cairo. His Egyptian atteodente sang doleful strains around the coffin, whilst he, sitting down in the coffin, j sang HHen Wiad fv Nhadau" to a very "appreciative'' audience. -+- Mr. Sylvaniks Dauncey (who with Mr. M. V. Leveaux is presenting "The Walls of Jericho" at the Grand Theatre, Swansea, j this week), is a brother to Mr. Henry Arthur Jones, the weH-known playwright. Next March "The Hycocrites," bv Mr. Henry Arthur Jones, will be presented at the Swansea Grand Theatre. Figures submitted to the Schools Atten- dance Committee on Monday efeow that at ■feast a fifth of Swansea is at school. There were reported to be an a verage number of 21,008 upon the registers for the five weeks ending November 22nd; and the percen- tage of attendance appears very creditably high. The Municipal Secondary Schools have an attendance of no le-&s than 97 per cent; aad in the elementary schools the lowest average is 83 and the highest 92 per cent. .v- The Swansea Borough Coroner recently severely rebuked a man because the latter did not jump into the canal after a woman who had thrown herself into it. It trans- pired that he has a wife and six children, and that if be had acted as suggested by Mr. Viner Leeder he would in aJI probability have been drowned as Nvoll as the woman, since he coudd not swim a stroke. It is afl very wdl to be heroic, but some regard must be paid to the requirements, and this man so far from deserving rebuke ought to be commended for having the good sense not to throw his life away in attempting to do that which he was incapable of do- ing. Ex-councillor Mov Evans is convinced that another week's electioneering would have changed his minority of nearly two hundred into a majority. He may derive comfort from the suggestion offered by the other side that the adverse majority might have been substantially more but for the recognition of the fact that a victory at St. Helen's would be unfruitful and even em- barrassing unless Municipal Reform suc- cesses were seoored m other wards. Hence the resolution to leave St. Helen's to Mr. Evans and his canvassers--the latter including Mrs. and the Misses Moy Evans, who, as good Church workers, established for him a footing in both camps-in order that the fight might be kept' up along the whole line. The result justified the policy. A local loss was amply compensated in the general gain. The late Mr. Richard Gwynne's life was a curious illustration in its way of the change which the spread of empire has brought about in the daily life of folk in the Bri- tish Isles. One of the old school, Mr. Gwynne himself was for nearly aH the greater part of his vigorous life a confirmed home stayer, but his sons roamed far and wide. One is an /archdeacon in the Sou- dan, battling with the nearly irriaistible tide of Mahottmnedanism, the other, as a war cor- respondent of Renter's, h^ roamed far and wide in many seas and lands ,and prob- ably compressed more colour and incident into one year of his war correspondent days than has father had in^tjie whole of an ex- istence that, however devoid of change and adventure, was none the less of sterling worth and good service to his country in his own walk of life. A want of staying power has been the most marked characteristic of the Swan- sea football team in the past two matches. When the XV met Cardiff and Devonport their superiority was unquestionable in the first half, but after changing sides they fell off badly, aind in the earlier match completely failed to resist the superior staying powers of their opponents. The ex- planation generally accepted is that in the pack there are a number of non-workers, and that the others having to bear an une- qual share of the strain, cannot hold their opponents. The Committee should see to the elimination of the "passengers" among the forwards. By the way the club ap- pears to have made a reaJ find in F. Lewis, the Treorky three-quartesr. He is the fleet- est nmMr in the game just now, and last year the PcwdLvfaall Sprinting Handi- cap. On Sakmday his great pace enabled him to score, and if in fielding and kicking the ball be proves even of average merit, he ought to develop into a. "top-notch" wing three-quarter. A dispete of an uncommon character has broken out at a steel works at Rogerstone, near Newport. A man belonging to the Steed SmeheTle -So --iety has been falling in aerears because, as he holds Unionist and Tariff Reform opinions, according to Secre- tary Tom Griffiths, be is not presumably quite satisfied with the Labour propaganda of has union Probably there are many men in a, like quanaary-gtaun& Liberals as well as loyal oonowvatirea-who are as good unionists as any, but wbo ieel their political view in jarring contrast with those which are being furthered with the heip of their money through their society. And many labour men ace probably jost as much opposed to the Socialism which is permea- ting Labour activity in political and muni- cipal cocks, and Irtish owes its success and insidious advances more to human gulli- bility, greed of getting something for noth- ing (and doing vary little ia the -way of getting &}, aad tbe wewBitjr of adopting same programme dintinet bm what atfeer partkxdaar parties are ready to procaine in their desire to attract motes as from any partaariar keenness upon hnman brother- ity, from acmo-aad posaea- frirnnfr. It is not often that a chapel whinh is in an ex cellent state of preservation is of rered for sal by auction in Wales. Yet this is the fiite that ha.s overtaken Lady Hunt- ingdon's Church on St. Helen's-road, Swan- sea, which for many tens of years has car- ried out with varying degrees of success t1. mission for which it was provided. sale wao efffcted at the auction on Tues- day, and the property was withdrawn at £ 2,750: but it is stated that private-ne- gotiations are proceeding which will prob- ably result in a purchaser being found. The inquiry into the accounts of the Lian- edy roadi officials is proceeding on the same unsatisfactory and objectionable lines. Fi-l'ty or sixty people assemble in pubtec meeting, and this most judicial body affects the functions of a legal tribunal. If the ratepayers of the parish do their duty by themselves and the officials they will ask the Local Government Board to ap- point a competent man to make a thorough investigation into the aamunts nothing short of this will meet the requirements. At Llanelly the miniature rifle move- ment is taking a more comprehensive and gratifying fonn than in anv other town in th,3 Pxincipal-itv. By the getieroeity of Sir Arthur Stepney a splendid rifle range has been provided in the centre of the town, and a dub free from association with any pub- d hoaseor any particular section of the pub- ic has been established with a commencing Membership of over 200. On Saturday last Sir James Hills^Johnes, V.C., K.C.B., fired the opening shot, and a number of speeches were made by local gentlemen who are in sympathy with the movement. At the last meeting of the Swansea Edu- 11 cation Committee an unavailing sta.nd was made against the practice of sending superfluous members on deputations. Re- presentation in the body about to wait upon Mr. McKenna respecting the grants to W elsh secondary schools is desirable, but only to the extent of showing that Swansea is in line with the other authorities in the matter since only two or three speakers will be allowed to submit the case for the Welsh Education Committees, and numbers will have no influence at all with the min- ister. It was clearly unnecessary to send more than the chairman: stiU, so deeply implanted is the practice of sending unne- cessary members on deputations and oppo- sition is so apt to be considered a personal affront to the superfluous members objected to, that the proposition was negatived. It is computed that 21,000 a year is spent by the Swansea Councai upon the personal ex- penses of members and officials, and it is obvious that if strict economy were applied to this branch of public expenditure, a substantial saving might be effected. Another critical situation has been cre- ated at Swtctuioa by the refusal of the Ox- ford-street School mar. ageis to continue to find from heir own resources the salaries of the tearners unless an assurance of re- payment is received fiom the Board of Education. The Jatter has the L.E.A. to evade its legal obligations in re- spe.d of the salaries since the 31st July last, and the teachers have only been able to get the money they have earned by means of advances made by the managers. Up to 31st October about L'5W had been paid in this way. On Monday last when about JB157 more was required the managers hav- ing failed to obtain the assurance of the Board of Education, suspended payment, with the result that considerable hardship is inflicted upon the teachers. It remains to be seen what action, if any, the N.TT.T. will now take to protect its Swansea mem- bers. If the latter belonged to the Dockers' Union swift measures would be adopted to enforce their legal rights, but so far at all events, the N.U.T. has faded to demon- strate its utility as a trades union. But for the managers, who are under no legal obligation to provide the school with coal, the teachers and children would in this month of December he wathout fires since the L.E.A. which is responsible for the heating of the rooms is neglecting its draty in this as in other respects. I Mr. John Williaalw, Miners' Agent, dealt ( with more interesting matters than is usual in an address at Cefn on Monday night. He de- plored the increase in unemployed throogh the continual introduction of labour-saving machinery. But the illustration he ad- duced was not very forcible. Sixteen ecal- cutting machines cut 60,000 tons of coal in Wales last year, he remarked. At that rate it will be a decidedly far ahead time before this particular kind of Wxxtr-saving machinery makes any impression in this direction. It is rather late in the day for Trades Union leaders to inveigh against new machinery, labour-saving or what not. Totally new kinds of indnsferies are spring- ing up. The motor car and bicycle manu- facturing trades for example were. created out of nothing. They have provided cal- lings winch, without in the slightest de- gree encroaching upon or dimrnwAing the activity in other occupations, finds work for hundreds of thousands of men who would, in the absence of such callings, be simply overcrowding the market. Then there is the enormous expansion in electrical ma- chinery making as another that refute the idea that new machinery in some industries is diminishing empioyment. If a few thous- and the iees find occupation in this work or that, there are new trades constantly open- ing up and developing which throw open places for many times the number dis- placed by labour economising appliances elsewhere. Llanelly Council has decided that it can- not legally supply coal, so the very pretty idea of a municipal coal supply has been knocked on the head. It appeared Parlia- mentary powers would have to be obtained, and the game is hardly worth the candle. It is not quite surprising to learn that the original proposer of the scheme, Mr. Thomas Harries, who brought it forward at the instance of the I. L. P., has been having a rather warpn time of it. He told the Council that "since he brought the qoee- tion forward all kinds of slanders had been spread through the district. Half a dozen coad merchants had been going about saying that he should pay has coal bill before bring- ing such a motion before the Council. He did not owe a tangle penny for coal, and challenged anyone to prove to the contrary." This is decidedly rough on Mr. Harries, but he need not have been so much sur- prised at being strongly criticised by men whose livelihood he was proposing to take away, or make a good deal harder than it is at present anyway. In fact, any man who brings forward one of these municipal monopoly ideas ideas need only expect to be strongly attacked by the men whose busi- ness he is threatening; and most people in their inmost hearts wouid probably sym- pathise with the ftstttes. There is a hmit within which the vbiqaity of a Council's or a States' enterprise becomes meddlesome and a uuisance not to be endured by folk I who have not a Teutonic capacity for do- ing m they am bidden, OP going whither -tiwrrasmxadened to go, F I. The visit of the New Zealand team and other contributory causes have given the Northern Union Clubs a spell of prosperity I io which the majority of them have been strangers in recent years, and with re- p!c ted treasuries a new spirit of enterprise I activity has entered into the officials, these are now scouring Wales with offers to W elsh players to abandon their amateurism and act as professionals in the North. One or two genuine captures have already õoon made, and it is nnuestionable that the Welsh club authorities are becoming very uneasy regarding the depredations of these poachers. -+ A conference between representatives of Swansea Council and Mr. D. Jn.mc.«, of the Tramway to., has led to a c: v satisfac- tory agreement being reached upon the question of wood paving Hightroot-so long a subject for reproach in wet weather, ( and not calculated to enhance the prestige of the town in the eyes of visitors. The consent of certain frontagers is alone ne- cessary for this most desirable improve- ™nt 10 1)6 brought about, and no doubt there will be no insuperable obstacles in e way of securing that. Gradually cer- tam toog^tanding reproaches to the town are bemg remold, and this is certainly not the least. a J!1*? foPIate *<*ks in Wales with frrnaces attached, and others with none, and in recent years the discovery has Production is more 40 Prov« remranerative when the same Company producos its own steel bars in- stead of buying them from others. The ^at commercial suc^ of the Briton ,,erTy Works is largely attributed to their dose association with a number of inpiate works. «<e have evidence of this tendency to group together the two indus- ries m the fact that Messrs. Baldwin, Ltd., are securing a controlling interest in the Beaufort Tinplate Works, Morriston. "xaAsrtal of this change is that our staple industries in- West Wades become less susceptible to the influence of dumping, and from the standpoint of the general in- terest that is altogether to the good. The very existence of the Welsh Church Commission was beginning to be forgotten, but it has resumed sessions at Westminster after a very lengthy interval. Evidence was accepted on Wednesday which gave a general survey of Nonconformity in Car- marthenshire to a great extent a good deal of ground is being covered twice over, for the ministers in many parishes in that district have already been most thoroughly cross-examined. It was claimed on Wednes- day that the seating accommodation pro- vided by the various dissenting denomina- tions exeeeded the entire population of the county by about eight thousand; the pro- vision made must be very much in excess of the demand, even after allowance for the fact that Carmarthenshire is one of the most considerable strongholds of Non- conformity in Wales. The figures adduced certainly show a healthy, not to say bitter rivalry between the various sects. A Board of Trade inquiry into the wreck of a steamer is an uncommon occurrence at 1 Swansea. On Tuesday and Wednesday, however, an investigation was concluded at the Guildhall into the loss of the sjs. Mer- vinian in the Bay of Biscay. The inquiry had a tragic interest, for ordinarily a triad of the captain's culpability or otherwise for the disaster, on this occasion the captain was numbered a.monhe six victims who had perished through the capsizing of a lifeboat. The public may not generally be aware that these inquiries are very far from being formal affairs. Officers who are proved guilty of negHgenoe are liable to have their certificates suspended ior a period of several months. Without the latter they cannot obtain employment in their calling, and the punishment is thus a very real one, and occasionally completely ruins the unfortunate seaman, who finds his connection with a Tnisadventuie«ufficient obstacle in the way of securing another post as it is. Folk in South Western Wales—such aa were early lÏøers-lrdld a decided surprise on Sunday morning when, between seven; o'dlock and nine o'cloak, observers from Swansea to Uanelly, Carmarthen and Car- diganshire, were startled and sorely puz- zled—until Monday morning's papeais were at hand--to H-Krimrp what was unmistak- ably dirigible balloon scudding through the air. It turned oat to be no less a craft than the French military airship La Patrie, the most successful of her type in existence, which had been torn from her moorings at Verdun, near the Franco-Ger- man frontier twenty-four hours previously, despate the efforts of two hundred soldiers on the drag y for the French north westasards, far it woudrl have been decidedly diaccocea-tmg to have such a bundle of paecaoos mechanical secrets drop- pmg like the bdessed dew from heaven into the territory of an adjacent rival power. Hence the appearance of the Patrie in the air above Sooth Wales. The seen of her was off the Irish Coast near Belfast, when she was gaily steering for the land o' cakes. The makers of the envelope of the vessel think she may be able to remain noariy a fortnight in the air, but the prob- abilities axe that long before that this in- teresting "visitor will have descended into the øea-where she is safer from the French standpoint tbon on terra firma over the bor- der. If the explanation offered by the Chair- man of the Watch Committee on Tuesday why aa attenqjt is being made to establish a press censorship at Swansea is also that of the Chief Ooostahte we are confronted by the singular fact that it has taken Capt. Colquhoun thirty yearsto discover the expediency of suppressing tbe names of persons brought before the magistrates in order that youthful offenders may be pro- tected from opprobrium. ActoaJly there is mom in this explanation than meets the eye; it confirms the conviction that the whole twwdble arises from the publicity given to the Barnes of two youthful offen- ders because they were "respectably con- nected," and therefoos apparently entitled to be protected from the consequences which fall as a matter erf ootrrse upon the less fortunate class of offenders. So far from this explanation justifying the practice which the Chief Constable has introduced, it makes it infinitely worse, sinoo the ob- ject is obviously to establish a press cen- sorship in the interests of a particular class of offenders. We contend that the fractions of the police do not include con- cern for what happens after a ease is dealt with; their duty begins and ends with the collection and submission of evi- dence, and only in countries like Russia are they permitted to strain their powers in the directum projected by Captain CcA- quhoun. Much mora than the of the Press are hi wived in the matter, for it is in the interests of the public that se- crecy of every description should be ban- ished from the Police Court, and that all persona there tried should be placed upon terms of ajbsoiute Jt ngacdless of A:eir. An old gentleman, seeing a. little boy carrying a lot of newspapers under his arm, said Don't all those papers make you tired, my "No; I don't read 'em," replied the lad. PROM HIGHCLIFFE. He thought he saw a War Lord who Would make the Nations quake: He looked again and saw it was A Kaiser Ultting cake. "This rest-cure does a lot," he said, "Of good, and no mistake." Veribatim report of a Swansea. Police Court case, under the new regulations:— Clerk (aloud): John Jones and William Smith. (To the magistrate): No. 6 on your sheet, air. (A alood): Anyone here re- presenting the London and North Weston Railway Co. ? (A pause, during which Clerk turns round to the magistrate and makes a remark that does not carry more than a yard or so.) ..Chairman (to the defendants): You can go Very illuminative, isn't it? lutending visitors to the Swansea Art Society's Easbibrtran at the Royal Institu- tion, who expect to be accompanied by friends with any reputation for alleged wit, are advised to go alone, for they can't well help being confronted by a stuffed specimen "f a buge gorilla. This sort of thing pro- duces a prolific crop of amateur jokes aIboot "family likenesses," "Darwin's theory," and all that sort of thing, and lots of friends are alienated that way. Upholders of the autocratic system of government at Swansea will doubtless be pleased to learn that the Press censorship ted by Capt. Cohoonovitch at Aber- tawovna has proved most effective. Under the arrangement the police not only decide what persons shall be arrested and pun- ished, but also who, amongst them, shall have their identity disclosed. The chief oonstahle under the new regime is easily the most important personage in the town. t Vicar of Swansea in the November • arish Messenger" comments in severe terms upon the palpably (unfair manner in which the vacant aldermanships were r- Iy fiIWed on the Swansea Borough Coun- cil. He observes "One of the most irrxpor- ant assets of rulers is the respect inspired ln the minds of those they govern. No community can be lifted up and be pro- gressive where its rulers act so as to for- feit respect." His coo elusion is that the actions of the majority have severely soaken public confidence. Newspaper reporters who in the course of their duties have for years been brought into close contact with various forms of trade organisations are now beginning to organise themselves. One of the first ei- ( forts put forth by the recently formed union I is designed to minimise the Sunday work which falls to reporters in consequence of the growth of the practice of reproducing full or summarised reports of Sunday ser- mons. We have no doubt that this Sun- day work could be kept down to very rea- sonable proportions by means of an agree- ment between newspaper editors, and so far as practicable reporters should certainly be relieved of Sunday work. The dispute between the Swansea Coun- cil and Glamorgan County Council regard- ing the education of children from tho county area attending the county borough schools is stiiil unsettled. At one time it was confidently anticipated that the county authorities would have to hand over about in consideration of past sctvises in this respect, but the claim has been challenged, and it is by no means cer- tain now tkafc it can be enforced. Apart from aJil technicalities it should be pos- sible for the two Councils to arrive at a settlement mutually satisfactory—a better and more economical arrangement than that involving the building of a number of county schools in thinly populated. areas which can be more efficiently served by borough schools The election controversy between Vicar Talbot Rice and Mr. Morgan Tutton as to what the former did really attribute to the latter upon the theme of the Bible in the schools has been revived by an outburst of Mar. Tutton's at a smoking concert at the Liberal Club this week. Vicar Rice has now made an effective rejoinder by a quo- tation from a journal which might be ex- pected to err (if it erred, consciously at ally, upon the side of his adversary. The quo- tation is to the effect that Mr. Tutton thought that as matters stood it would be best to exclude the Bible from the schools. There is still no official intelligence as to. how the authorities propose to get over the difficulty of reforming a Welsh Division of the territorial forces. MT Hakiane gave a distinct pledge at Porthcawl that the division should be wholly Welsh, and that will require a good deal of explaining away. It is suggested that several corps which are at present composed of infantry, will be asked to torn themselves into auxi- liaries of the transport, engineers, and ar- tillery arms, to completely equip the divi- sions with all the classes of troops it re- quires. Such a step wilt oesrtainly not be relished by the men thus invited to play a wholly subordinate, if necessary part in the general scheme. It is significant that there have been very many resignations from the 3rd V.B. Welsh, one of the bat- talions named (but without any perceptible ground), as destined for abolition, and many officers in posts of high rank are also faced with the disagreeable prospect that, with the amalgamation of their com- mands, their services will prove soiperflo- ous, and will have to be dispensed with— a poor reward after years of service to the nation. Dr. Rawlings in an address deiivered on Sunday afternoon acknowledged the pub- lic service rendered by the Municipal Re- formers at the recent elections in shaking the Swansea ratepayers oat of their apathy. Regaodkas altogether of the effect upon particular parties, this result is certainly to be welcomed. There can (be no vigor- ous municipal life unless the ratepayers generally taike- an intelligent interest in their own affairs as a community. There. is no worse foe of municipal efficiency than public indifference regarding the candidates appealing for the popular suffrages. Vigi- lance outbade the Council Chamber ifcakes for good work within. The doctor laid down another proposition, namely, no man who is not of good character should be tolerated in the administration of public business., He is very fond of generalisations of this kind, lut in applying them to cog- nate cases the Doctor's observations Jose much of t.he force they would otherwise have by reason of the notorious fact tha.t his censuina is never by any means directed against a mooter of fads own political party. The man ia the street is not an- I mindful of the wufknigs of this code, and ¡ Dr. Rawlings if be ooafd only hear much that is being sadd off public platforms, would probably be surprised to find the ex- tent to whkb las anflaemca :is^ redaoed ■JO* 1, -1- I To hear criticism of the real cold-blooded order, one has to go to the Swansea Art Exhibition. Lovely sky!" rapturously I exclaimed a friendly scanner of one marine picture. "Aye responded the friend of a rival lot of pictures, "all done with the blue-bag Gunner Moir had plenty of sympathisers locally, especially among those who had "something on." Large backers paid up in stolid silence; the smaller fry providing the "gas" part of the programme. One man appeared to be nearly breaking his heart over Moir's defeat, and his friends felt a bit sorry for him, until it was ascertained that he only had a "bob on." I Capt. Colquhoun, the Chief Constable of Swansea persists with his foolish and un- justifiable practice of denying to the pness the addresses of defendants prosecuted at the Police Coral. He declares that he will continue to do so until he receives instruc- tions from the Watch Committee or the mag- istrates to act otherwise. This attitude is somewhat hard to understand, having regard to the fact that the Chief Constable adopted and maintained for 30 years the practice for which he now requires special instructions. The innovation introduced daring the last week or two is said to have had its origin in the publicity given to the name of a minor official, who was charged with drunken mess. Apparently there are to be not only two laws, but two sets of after-consequences for per- sons tried st Swansea. .01. Swansea Docks, like other docks else- where, are more or less dangerous at night. Effective safe-guards are impracticable bs- cause the exigencies of a great business re- quire free access to the sides of the docks and wharfs. But having regard to the unavoidable perils, the Harbour Trust should see to it that the avoidable do not continue to contribute as they do to the large death-roll for which the Harbour is responsible year by year. The lighting leaves much to be desired even when in full working order, but of late breakdowns for long periods have been frequent. A re- mody should be found for this defect, and promptly too. Then suction pipes and other obstacles are allowed. to project above the Gurfaee to the danger of life and limb. It is too often assumed at the inquests upon persons drowned in the Docks that the victims contributed to their own undoing by drunkenness: in many instances this is most unfair to the memory of the de- ceased. We hope to see some effective ac- tion taken by the Harbour Trustees to put aa end to the present unsatisfactory condi- tion of the Docks at night. It has ueen consistently represented to the Board of Education by the managers of the Oxford-steret School that the minimum number of scholars to be provided for in order to maintain the institution as an efficient first-class school is 850: if this cir- cumstance be kept steadily in mind the true significance will be perceived of the long and tedious correspondence between the board and the managers. The former during the past two years, acting at the instigation of or in collusion witJi the L.E.A. has palpably endeavoured to bring about the extinction of the school. In October last ,a.Lihough tolerating without effective protest of any kind the illegal re- fusal of the L.E.A. to maintain the school since the 31st July. it communicated to the managers an imperative mandate that unless a definite assurance wene given by the 30th October, that plans for a school of 750 would be submitted, and an under- taking given that the carrying out of the same would be proceeded with promptly, the L.E.A. would bte informed that it was under no obligation to maintain the schools. At that time the managers had only suffi- cient playground space available for that number of chiidren if the Board persisted in the demand that, it should be equai to 20ft. per child. Sinoe then, however, by the aid of certain generous friends, they have been placed in possession of addi- tional land enabling them to comply with the requirements of the Board of Educa- tion for a school of 866 children. Plans for the larger building were submitted to the Board on the 28th November, actually a day before the date required for the sub- mission of plans for the smaller school. From an educational point there k no comparison between the schemes sinoe the use of the additional area has been placed at the disposal of the managers on the strict understanding that the larger school is sanctioned, otherwise the gift will be with- drawn. The Board of Education is thus placed on tbe homs of a dilemma; it must I either assent to the superior scheme or dis- close its object beyond doubt or question as the keeping down of the standard of efficiency for those schools to the lowest possible point. Should Mr. McKenna de- cide upon the latter course he wilil provide for the debates in the two Houses of Par- liament when the next sessions opens irre- j futab evidence, of the partisan spirit, which has governed the wiMttie conduct of the Board of Education in regard to the Swansea Voluntary Schools. Whilst taking every advantage -fair and unfair of the school managers, the Board of Edooation has proved itself absolutely impotent or absolutely indifferent to the enforcement of the law against the L.E.A., which has been permitted to disregard alike the law and the decisions of the Board. The President of the latter, conscious of the large libe- ral majority in the House of Commons, may think that he is not called upon to grant even common justice to the voluntary schools, but the lessons of the past are that no minister can without injury to himself be palpably unfair in the extercise of the authority entrusted to him. Swansea Harbour trade had a bad set-back last week when the aggregate of shipments handled was only 88,589 tons as compared with 133,757, the previous week, and 115,888 tone the corresponding week of last year. The faJiing off was (principally in coal and patent fuel, and is said to be attributable to the bad weather and a short I supply of coal. Then only 52,372 boxes of tinpiLates were shipped, whereas the re- ceipts from the works reached 71,250 boxes. I The quantity in stock in the Dock ware- houses last week end was 149,749 boxes. A decrease was also reported from Port Tal- bot where 3,964 fewer tons were sliipped, compared with the previous week, although the total was better by 3,488 tons than in the corresponding week of 1906. The total shipments were 39,042 tons. At Llanelly the tonnage, although on the small side, lahowted an upward tendency, the aggregate for the week being 7,600 tons, of which 3,(0) represented coal exports, and 690 tons tinplate exports. The tinplate trade is plainly "sagging," and although the orders in hand wiffl carry the works on briekiy Îor the remainder of 1907, too pros-1 for fibo ww _year are by no-JBfiazf^ **WlAg& £ < '1