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LOCAL PASSING EVENTS.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

LOCAL PASSING EVENTS. THE conference of the Pontypridd Board of Guardians and Mr Bircham, the inspector of the Local Government Board, which took place on Wednesday, was not particularly satisfactory to the Llanwonno section of the Board, at least. There has for some years been a complaint that the Pontypridd, and more especially the Llanwonno, portion of the Union is not so well represented as the Mountain Ash portion of the Union-not that the members already elected do not do their work, for, according to Mr Bircham's own statement, they seem to be bearing the heat and burden of the day so far as that is con- cerned, but Mountain Ash has a larger number of members. It has often been pointed out that if things continue to go on as they do now, the Mountain Ash members may swamp the Board, and, a representation to that effect having been made to the Local Government Board, that body instructed their inspector to confer with the Guardians upon the subject, and it was for this purpose, mainly, that he attended at the board room on Wed- nesday. There is an old Welsh saying that every raven thinks her brood is white, and we think it applies in this case. Mr 3ircham appears to have had a hand iD the arrange- ment of the seats of the Board, and he, naturally, perhaps, thinks it cannot be im- proved, so, after debating the pros and cons with himoelf, he informed the Board that the suggestion to give three wards to Llanwonno parish with two members each was "absurd." He also failed to see any danger of the Board being swamped, as the Mountain Ash members did not attend. Setting aside, for the mo- ment, the inspector's reasons against the scheme, we venture to say that the dictatorial manner he assumed was such as would be immediately resented at some of our larger towns, for as the representative of" the Board above," as it is sometimes termed, his province is to suggest and to listen to the arguements of the members. His remarks may be taken, as he subsequently said, for what they are worth, and though his report to the Looal Government Board may be adverse to the scheme of the Llanwonno members, they need not give up all hopes of attaining their object. We do not mean to impute anything to the Mountain Ash members, who are all gentlemen for whom we have the greatest respect, but in local, municipal, and political matters, the in- teresta of the best friends may sometimes clash, and to allow anything approaching a monopoly of representation on a public body is unfair. The gentlemen referred to no doubt repose so much confidence in their fellow- members that they think it unnecessary to attend every ordinary relief meeting-though after all, that is where the real work of the Board has to be done-but that is no proof that they may not swamp the Board at some future period when they consider the oecasion has arisen for them all to attend. It is the prac- tice at many Boards to allow the priucipal work to be done by a small section, but when any particularly interesting discussion is expected to aiise the ex-officio and other members come out in force and, should they happen to be mostly from one neighbourhood, is there anything more natural than that they should all vote one way ? Be it under- stood, we do not object to having a check upon the working bees," as it were, if that check be a fair representation of the whole Union. Now, it seems to us tha.t if the Guardians act upon Mr Bircham's advice, and wait until the election shows whether the Board is swamped or not, it will be too late to rectify the mistake, for the swamping majority would not be at all likely to sanction an application for the re-arrange- ment of the wards. ANOTHER matter )cn which Mr Bircham gave some very fatljly advice was the ad- ministration of outooi relief. He has re- ferred to this matte before, and since then the Guardians haVifceen trying to econo- mise, or the increase the population and the great poverty c the district would, in all probability, hai made the relief list much heavier thaIit is. Doubtless the chairman expressedjfae views of all when he said it was their isire to balance, as far as possible, the inters and the dues of the rate-payer and the&te-raceiver. How to do that satisfactory must often be a per- plexing question, a% shown by the unfor- tunate misunderstaiing which has arisen with regard to the so of Thomas Harries, of Ystrad. Ratep4rs of all classes do seriously feel the nch of these days of slow trade, for thqh we have seen glim- merings of the pd time coming the working classes kw to their cost that matters have not t come to that happy condition of busine revival which some people outside ourwn district seem to think we have reacll. To the Guardians we would say, keep)wn the rates as much as you can, so long you can do that con- sistently with your ities to the ratepayer and the really poc and deserving rate- receiver. IT IS much to be fretted that any un- pleasantness should 1ve arisen between the Ystradyfodwg mercirs of the Board of Guardians out of e circumstances con- nected with the deatof Thomas Harris, an out-door pauper of t\r district. The dis- cussion reported in mother column clearly proves that Dr. IdrisDavies, than whom there is not a more ki -hearted gentleman to be found, struck tthe fact that the relief in kind of 1) Guardians would not meet the case of Bris, wrote a note to the relieving officer, a in order to show the urgency of the mair said the man was starving. This gave ri to the report that the man, when he breaed his last, died of starvation. Subseque events magnified that report, and it a]ears that Mr E. H. Davies and the relieag officer felt ag- grieved, so the matte: was mooted at the Board on Wednesday. laving given a full explanation, land distiitly stated that he blamed nobody, we d not see why Dr. Idris Davies should btasked to apologise for his conduct, and wearnestly hope that after the little breeze athe Board, all par- ties will consider that le subject has been sufficiently ventilated, sd that those im- mediately concerned wil" shake hands and be friends again. THE inquest on the me killed at the Pen- ygraig Colliery E^ploeior as continued on Wednesday and Thursday before Mr. Over- ton and Mr. Reece, coronas. Mr. Wright, the commissioner appoint by the Home Office to assist in the inqtity, was detained in London by the stooge of the Great Western trains, and on tie first day Mr. Simons, the colliery owJ^is' representative, was unable to attend. Swtoe further evi- dence was laid before ths jury, and an ad- journment took place until to.day (Friday), when the investigatien "ill be concluded. We hope to be able to give the verdict in our second edition. WE understand that Mess:-s. Thomas and Griffiths, the proprietors of Gelli Colliery, are now laying down, in tleir steam coal workings, pipes to water tke roads, so as to prevent the dangers arising from the in- flammable nature of coal dost in the mine. This plan is recommended to the notice of colliery managers generally by Mr. Wales, the Inspector of Mines.

Echoes from the Welsh Papers.

WALK AND TALK. i

AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO FRIENDLY…

FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE TAFF…

FUNERAL OF MRS. MORGAN JOSEPH,…

LOCAL ITEMS.