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NOTES. By U OBSERVER:" CARDIFF. THURSDAY M«RNINS. The payment of rates and taxes has always been a sore point with the populace. Two thousand years ago the masses were so disgusted, with the publican" (the tax collector that is) that they wouldn't even class him with the "sinner," but put him aside in a little section to himself. And so it has been ever since, and to-day the rate and tax collector—often a very worthy and a very honest man—is suspected" hated, and abused by the whole country side; and if, soon after his appointment, he happens to become stout and well-favoured as sometimes he does, there is a perfect howl of indignation from one end of his district to the other. The perennial grumbling of the Cardiff ratepayer will not be minimised by the dis- covery that out of a sum of £49,000 owing in the second half of 1895.E15,000, or more than a fourth, is still outstanding. This state of things is most unfair to the honest burgess, who is often tempted to exclain that the old proverb, Bis dot qui cito dat, applies forcibly in this department. Whoever or whatever is to blame it is the duty of the authorities to see that things are put on a new and improved basis without delay, and that the most strenuous efforts are made to secure the great bulk of the £1.3,000 which ought to be in the borough coffers, but is not. There is quite enough grumbling at local taxes without this £13,000 being foisted on the shoulders of lionest ratepayers again, as it must be if the dilatory and dishonest are not looked after sharply and summarily. We have had a lot of pictures in Cardiff of late, some of them by very distinguished artists. Place now for the productions of the Science and Art School. These are now on view at Dumfries-place, and the work of local pupils is reinforced by some of the best specimens from other art schools in the kingdom. I cordially commend the exhibit to the approving patronage of the public. The Cardiff Industrial Exhibition is sim- mering, and will very soon be brought to the boil. Site and building are being discussed The suggestion that it be located in or near the Sophia Gardens is an excellent one, and there is only one better that I can think of at the moment, viz., the north end of the Cardiff Arms Park, which is at once more open and more central, and, if anything, more sanitary. If the tram line is extended up Cathedral-road, however, the locating of the exhibition in the Sophia Gardens will be a permanent advantage to the very nume- rous residents in the locality. The committee have a very nice little problem before them in the selection of a building. There is the Bristol building, which has been tested, and has doubtless numerous advantages; and there is Messrs. Lvsaght's structure, which is at once elegant and built of iron, and so more substantial than the other and capable of being taken down and re-erected with very little com- parative loss through wear and tear. In connection with the exhibition the weiring of the Taff comts to the front again Were this carried out what an ornamental addition the river would be to the coming Cardiff show. Damming the river at Canton Bridge is suggested. A very good idea; but why not another dam at Wood-street. By this means the water might be kept at a safe height so far as the football field is con- cerned, and be a great improvement on the present muddy expanse when the tide is out. The authorities might do a deal worse than take the matter into their serious conside ration. Shunting has claimed another victim— this time at Neatli. The victim was the only son of a widowed mother, and her sole support; I hope this fact will be borne in mind by the rich and powerful Great Western Railway Company. The poor young fellow was attending to the damaged buffers of a truck, when without warning another truck was shunted up against the first it caught the youth, who died in agonies in a few ;,unutes. Adequate shunt- ing accommodation would have saved this young life, and for the public safety I could almost wish the victim had been a director instead. I said something in my column the other morning about the reading tastes of the people of Newport. A Newport paper has also been giving its views on the subject. It says:—" Newport possesses a large number of churches and chapels, yet theological works do not appear to be particularly popular, these with philosophical volumes coming after the above-mentioned class. Fiction is, judging from the statistics, far and away the most popular." Of course. Did anyone suppose Newportonians would prefer religious literature to novels, no matter how many churches and chapels they support ? Go to The bitter weather is with us again, and. it is a pity to see the poor cabmen in various parts of our town shivering in their vehicles or stamping about to keep themselves warm- We have one or two cabmen's shelters, but not enough and it is small comfort to the starving Jehu, say in St. Mary-street, that his colleague in Roath has a nice covering from wind and rain. Cabby has his faults, but it is cruelty not to provide him with a shelter in the neighbourhood o f his stand Another item for the discussion on tea drinking. I'm afraid the teetotalers won't get much comfort out of the latest American centenarian, Miss Eliza Work, who is still living at Henrietta, in the State of New York. The venerable lady has been inter- viewed by an American journalist, and she gives the following recipe for the attain- ment of old age :—" The reason I have lived so long," says Miss Work, "and kept always so well and hearty, is because I never drank tea and coffee, and, above all, never got married." The good lady evidently lives up to her name,. for she says she has done a big day's work very day for more than 90 years, and hopes to do a great many more. Miss Work's brother lived to be 101, and she is of opinion that he would have lived much longer if he had never married, People who marry and drink coffee and tea ought not to expect to live very long' Coffee, tea but not a word about strong drink. This is one for the hvdropots, who are largely tea: and coffee bibbers. But ■magna est Veritas, Sic. Mr. Stead's scheme of a daily paper on ae^-lines^ap faJJ|i» t^roug^. It- was.a bold. scheme. Steady in its every line and feature. It is to be regretted the thing hasn't caught on, for judging by the specimen number circulated (which is likely now to become a rarity the journal would have been one of extraordinary interest, that is if Mr. Stead applied himself to it steadily, and did not sky-rocket off in some other direc- tion after a few months' editorship. The public evidently thinks the country is amply supplied with papers at present, and with magazines too, as most undoubtedly it is. In view of the rumours regarding the safety of the Bank of England, the Pote whispers me that with his usual philan- thropy he is getting up a syndicate to buy up at a reduced figure bank-notes of persons desirous of parting with these bits of paper, which must soon be worth no more th'an their value as the ghosts of old linen. It is astonishing that in these days of selfishness noble souls are to be found large-hearted enough to make a proposal like the above, and doubtless the Poet and his friends will be overwhelmed with the influx of "ponies," monkeys," and smaller fry. By the way, I notice amongst Whitaker's slang terms for money this year the word rhins "-surely a misprint for rhino."

CONSERVATISM IN MONMOUTH

SEVERN AND WYE RAILWAY.

A SERVANT'S FOLLY.

DEATH OF "MATHONWV."

A WARNING.

WELSH COAL CONTRACTS.

Trimty College, London.

Local Trades Unionism. .

SWANSEA LIBRARY.

Cardiff Shipowners' 'Association.

Death of Mr. William Lewis.

Merthyr Public Offices.

District News.

Wales and Welshman.