The Cambria Daily Leader

HAFOD GUILD. The weekly meet in:? of the Philadelphia Young People's Guild was held on Tues- day evening, Mr. J. J. Hughes presiding, Following an organ recital by Miss M. J. Evans. the pfitor. the Rev. D. Pryse- Williams, gave an address on Translat- ing the Bible int<? EDgli?h." Miss M. H. ?for?an Mng a &olo, and Mrs. Hughes re- ?cited. A vote Of thanks to all who took part concluded the me?tin?

LOCAL EISTEDDFOD SUCCESS. berai-.Nationah Albert Hall, JSov. isf. Champion ( £$ bb.) and Baritone Solos ($3 3s.) won by Mr Gwilvm Jones, coached hy Prof. Dyved Lewys. ;3:3\ Mansel-street, Swansea, Opera,. Oratorio, Musical Com- edy, eto iP-PO i

Cim Rises 7.?, Sun Sats 4.52. Lightiag-up Time, 5.12. High Water, 3.7 a.m., 3.30 p,m. I King' Dock, 56ft. a.m,57{t.7iu. p.m. To-morrow, 4.0 a.m., 4.25 p.m.

THE NEW BUREAU- CRACY. Many business men must have read ?fr. F. \Y. (+ilhei't(:n' ad-I dress i\j. the Metal Exchange yester- |4ay_.m address worth every in<-n o? the room it t<;ok up in yesterdays? "Cambria Daily Leader "-in the spirit of the lady immortalised by Punch." Hhe had arrived at the w ieket-gate o-f the r nderground Haihvay just at the, moment when i if was being' closed by the atlend- ant upon the avri-val of the train. In like ill-luck with her was a portly-looking city gentleman lo whom Charles Keeuc had given i particMilai'ly choleric countenance, of t I heartiness with which he brought 1 oiit the traditional right-word, to | meet the occasion. And his damn soothed the oul of the lady; turning to him with gratitude she declared with great earnestness: Thank you SO much Now all parallels lack a nice ex- actitude, and we would not have it thought for a moment that Mr. (lilbertion in this matter figures ill I,m mi ud as the explosive city gentleman. But every business man who has had dealings with the New Bureaucracy, in reading the address which assails the C New Bureaucracy so lustily and so surely will be inclined to say with the lady "Thank HJlI SO much!" For the address a kind of safety- valve release not only to jlr. Cil- bertson but to all who have had the misfortune to come into contact with the bureaucratic system.* I have been engaged in my trade [the tinplate and steel trade] and pretty well absorbed in it for -5 years, and |" said Mr. Gilbertson) I realise my ignorance every day-, not so the Juek- in-Office, who is positive about every- thing. The very idea of a Jack-in-Otlioe, a Controller of This or That, con- fessing ignorance of anything in the wide- ,()r!d He may think that steel is not required in the manu- facture of tinplate—as a matter of fact one Jaek-in-Oftice was quite Napoleonic upon this very ques- tion—and he may set about -teach- illg veteran paper-makers their trade, and coal-owners how to work the pits; but he is always positive, always certain. and as his is the last word, he generally triumphs. If Mr. Gilbertsoii and his fellow- merchants will do the country a good turn, they will collaborate with representative business men in other industries, and compile a ivork to be entitled The As in Office; or the Records of the New Bureaucracy. If will be a funny work, full of humour as quaint as Barrie s and as full-blooded as Jacob's. But it will also be a tragic work to those  ']I ti l c 13 who understand that every mistake by a Jack-in-Offiee leaves someone or other the poorer, and the country weaker. And not only his mis- takes count. His outlook matters As Mr. Gilbertson said yesterdav, under a bureaucratic system there is little room for individual initia- tive. The purpose of an enter- prise is lost in the maze of detad designed to achieve it, and the in- dividual is more concerned with adherence to bis particular instruc- tions than with the essence of the enterprise. He plays for safety, and since ability or the exercise of initiative will not benefit him, but may either bring censur-i upon him or be placed to the credit of his superiors, he naturally ceases to exorcise them. The returns he has to fill in assume a greater import- ance in his eyes than the object of the enterprise of which he is a cog." You see the not-responsible and don't-care over-much spirit of bureaucracy at its best in the ad- ministration of the Post. Office and the Telephone Departments. Com- pare the attention you get at a post office counter—and we are in- dicting the system not the persons who rotate with it—with the atten- tion offered you at any other busi- ness establishment. Compare the telephone department—but we can- not trust ourselves to a cool argu- ment in this matter! There is something wrong about the bureau- cratic ideal. Business men who came under the harrow suffered un- complainingly during the war. They put up with fools. if not gladly at least with a shrug of the shoulders. But, in the army term, they are now fed up with the whole ghastly business, and are demanding the right to conduct their own affairs unirhpeded by the New Bureau- cracy. I Gunk the country is on the wrong tack [said Mr. Gilbertson] and our w hole ftitiii-c is t i-ii-ile and successful indus- trial nation is being risked by unin- formed interference. We have a difficult time before ub that will call for the best efforts of all citizens; but we shall call for it in vain if we are hampered and disheartened at every turn by the action of controllers and committees who have no direct financial interest in the coute- qyences of their actions, and whose ex- perience has not been gained in the hard school of reality. As the lady said to the old gentle- man, "Thank you so much." It is excellent to have a, safely-valve %of the Gilbertson type.

SLACKNESS AND HIGH PRICES. A Word to Steel Workers.. By A FELLOW MEMBER OF THE TRADE. Do you remember the time when you I hud a workman iu your lioitse., aii(I you watched him you wore surprised at t he shy; progress made: When the bill came in and YOll found the cost about double your anticipation, you inquired the iva,-on, only to be informed that owing to high price ut Illateriab and also t Y,i-tai-n iiii,)titit of sla(- I zness ilonv-a- a lYutain amount-of slackness uow-a- days work cost more. You were up against the fact that the amount of work done by the individual directly affected cost. Think what slack- ness spread over a whole trade means. Slack production always means high prices; larger production, lower prices. Do, you see the connection between this fact and the absolute need for increased l'rodudinn at present? An article is j worth a certain amount calculated on the | actual cost of materials, the wages of the j-sr a If employed and a fail" profit: on the money expended. But if the output is re- i stricted and only a limited number of I articles put on the market, the price is high because there is a greater demand ■ than supply. During the ii-ar 1)rices rose from three causes:— (a) restriction of output, (b) h'glit'r price of raw materials, and (cr) higher wages Now that peace is restored, wages must not Ik1 reduced, but the problem of scarcity cm be overcome and the price of raw materials reduced. A larger out- put on the part of each individual will iie::u;!)pli-h both of hese, ends. \ou aro a steel worker. You cannot understand huw the price of steel affects the pr'ce of you; daily food. Think a nrnute. The fanner owns land, and plants wheat and barley, potatoes and oilier vegetables; but what about the cost ot his hoes h", ploughs and his r&aping machines? If the farmer has to pay more for h;s 'niplciucats he must cliarge more for the result of his labours. Then thc-e foodstuffs Jtl¡¡., be taken to market whn1 a b> ut the incr«a.sed cost of harne-s or of a motor van ? wllell the markev is reached the salesman cla'ms a little iiiok to '-over the ex!ra cost of his wale-, knives and other in-irunierta. Cons'der other artieU*. in a similar way, and fee how intimately .he price of steel re-ae' i-m the co^t of your own housekeeping bill. And I lie fame is true of all sort* of articles which .-eeui very remote iron) the war.ircbe or the breakfast table. OUR EXPORT TRADE. But there is another sid" to tki- steel industry. In addition to the home mar- kets there is tho gnat export trade. You and your fellow-workers have justly made a name for yourselves in all the markets of the world. To-day those markets are short of the very things you can make, and they are clamouring for English machine tools, cutlery, etc. Re- cently in India I found that during the period of our enforced restriction on ex- ports the Japanese had made grf'at trade headway in the East. That trade must bo won back if tha steel industry is to return to its former position. And it can he won back because British steel is recognised for its quality. But tlio Japanese must not be allowed too long an occupation of those Eastern markets. British goods are being asked for now, and they must be supplied at once. But apart from re-capturing trade, there is an even more personal reason for increasing production and export. At present we have a war legacy of debts abroad and we have to pay lar?c itcrest charges. In pie-war days we paid our debts in exports; for five years we have had to pay in cash. This process has depreciated the value oi the sovereign In the world's markets. Naturally we have to pay more for the foodstuffs we im- port and also for those raw materials upon which so much of our trade ilv- pends I THE WORKER'S CHOICE. I This debt, this interest must now he reduced by increased exports. Increasing exports will bring decreased debt, our credit will be restored, the sovereign will rise in value, and our imported goods will become cheaper. I Do you see how increased production means more value for money in every direction—c heaper articleB at home ow ing to less scarcity, reduced interest ehavg's on the National Exchequer, decreased prices for imported essential food and raw materials. Which would you prefer: a modest in- crease in wages tending to raise prices, or your present pay with decreased prices and increased value to your moiK\T? The I choice lies in your own hands.

VISCOUNTESS RHONDDA. I Racing Home for Douglas-Pennant Inquiry. Yheountess Khondda is racing for home in an effort to reach th:s coun'rv before the Douglas-Pennant inquiry is over. She 's one of the chief wKivesses for the Government. She has been off the heahm ïrar.k UIl th other sjde and rabies sent to her were considerably delayed he is now on her way home on the White Star Line steamer Adria.ic, which WaS heW lip a l;tlle by the cmll .striko in America. The Adriatic left Halifax on Thurdsay last, so Viscounte-ts Rhondda may be ex- pected to arrive in Southampton about naxt Friday.

I GOWER MAGISTRATE. Mr. Edward Evans, of Killan, the chair- ruan of the Gower Rural District Council, wkis swol-ii in as a magistrate at the Gower Police Court on Tuesday.

I LLANGENNITH LICENSE. At. the Gower Petty Sessions a tem- porary transfer of the licensp- of the King's Head Hotel, Llangennith, from Mr. George Roberts to Mr. George Rees I was granted. I E:

I WILL BROOKS UNLUCKY. Boxing at Grimrby on Monday night, Will Brooks, of Aberavon, was beaten by jerry Thompson, The E'ghting Fisher- man.' Taken all through there waS iiothing between the two men. and a draw would have been a popular de- cision

j Among the five three quarters eelected for I the Swansea-Leicester mltcli is R. G. Grif- fiths. T. R„ Thomas is not included. The referee will be Mr. 6. K. Jenkins.

'TOWN TALK. I —— f Dr. M. W. Williams, of Pentrepoeth, bag a mild sensation in Morristcm by "Ii)t(Ti;lg round to see his patients. — :o Turns a contemporary: "The home for. ward s were healing very badly:" Presum- ably xhey had been cut up when the other side .stajred — ;« ;— Owing: to the shortage of coal, «»ma s:hool» for the Swansea Valley have been closed. Swansea town school children are watching developments very closely. Can fish, siiiell ? asks a scientific journal lo which an East Side angler I replies he is convinced that the tish off j the Swansea Pier can smell tjanyer all right -;0:- am always pleased to help thosft people who arc in trouble, but landlords have got some lights," remarked Judge Rowland Rowlands- in an application for 'house poessiou. — :o:— It is stated that Mr. Walter Long s Committee has arrived at a scheme for the settlement ot the Irish quest ion. WHu t it rather hard to rob the Distre, 1 "I Isle" of her claim to that title. -:0;- Swansea Profiteering Committee is, after all, to have some real work.' It has (lo. before it constitute prima facie cases of profiteering, so there, will be lull invest i- Rations soon. — :o: — JjHdgititj: by the nu/iber of local people who are talking about visiting the big motor show. Swansea is going to be well represented at Olympia. Some, deter- mi.ned to be iu time, have already left tho town by motor. -:0:- Mr. F. W. Gilbertson departed only once from the manuscript of his Met-il Exchange speech. Then it was to em- phasise how greatly the whole trade of the district ? being handicapped by rail- way congestion. In the North of England the first municipally-built house to be erected ,int-i- the Armistice was occupied laz-t, week. "This undue haste is quite unseemly' was the remark of a Swansea, man when told of this important event. -.0.- He was hurrying up Higlvstreet, attired in deep black, to attend the last rites for a dead pal, wheu a friend stopped him and asked him if he w. going to a iiinfral. Xo," he replied facetiously. can t you see I am going ti) a wedding! — :0. In a certain police 'court, a woman com- plained to the magistrates that her bus- band had not spoken to her for three months. Commenting on this, an ex- perienced married man in Oxford-street last night said he was willing to bet that the poor chap had not had a chance to btitt in. — :o:— After the success, of the Welsh drama week, are we also going to have a Welsh opera week in Swansea? A little group 01 enthusiasts were discussing the prospects with a good deal of animation in a local car last evening, and in their opinion at least suc h a venture could not fa j J to be attended with an overwhelming success. — :o:— A well-known local clubman related tho following yarn in the smoke-room la-st ilight:-A co!i) ii red mall" was being arraigned in one of tho Western States on a charge of manslaughter, and went on to explain that the victim aimed a blow at him first and he struck back in self- defence. Shall I show you, judge, how it was done?" he asked. The judge fell back in his seat. The Beaufort Arms case at Gower Police Courl. on Tuesday gave rise to the ques- tion of how long a man can go without feeding. One defendant said he had hf home at 10 o'clock, and did not have any- thing to eat until about 4 o'clock. Mr. Harold Williams got quite a splendid note of surprise in his voice when he repeated this. whereupon Mr Thorpe remarked, What about me to-day-9 un hi 4? » — :o:— Whi 1st most Swansea housewives are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the promised new season's sultanas, raisins, and other good things which go to make the ever-popular Christinas pudding, it uq,y be of interest to note that this Yule- tide fare, was included in the menu at a local restaurant yesterday. — :0:— The married men in a. certain Swan-e,i. locality are smiling hugely at the exertions baing displayed by a couple of young fel- lows who, are nightly to be seen teaching their young ladies the art of cycling. Dur- ing the past week they must have run a, couple of hundred miles, but they finish up smiling each night. One of the joys of, cycling! — :0:— A good many housewives are nowrinak- ing preparations for getting the neces- sary commodities for making fh^ Christ- mas pudding. And they are much per- turbed at the fact that raisins are very scarce. Perhaps they will Nt surprised to know that, a stall at the market made> a tine display of this fruit on Saturday, and they were soon bought up. Theyjweie Australian raisins, and were retailed at le. Id. a lb — :o:— A native of the Mumbles felt niucH. aggrieved on Tuesday as he passed a fish shop in town with the notice: "Real Wbitstableoysters/* "How oan they expect local industries to thrive," he .said, when they advertise eo conspicuously comnioriitie. from other parts of the country. And another thing, the Whit- stable oyster is not to be compared with the Mumbles native. As a matter of fact, tl)e Mumbles oyster was taken to Whit- stable to start the bods tliera/" — :o :— Apropos of yesterday's paragraph- re H compromisp" and its analogy with pink," one is reminded of Mr. Towyn Jones's apt illustration: There's the bat," he said: "half bird, half mouse. Once the two halves had a debate. The. bird wanted to go out in the day-time, the at night-time. At laet they arrived at a decision—to go out in the twilight (rhwng dau oleiO. That's com- promise." And Towyn brought down the house! —:o:— Our Prince can at any rate boast that he has a long and illustrious ancestry be- hind him. There is a chart at Hatfield tracing the Royal genealogy back to King David and thence to Adam. The chart is forty-five feet long, and said to be the largest in existence. If a rival is b) he found ann.here doubtle",s it is ill. Wale. where one of the older leaves of one of the genealogical trees of the ancient princes is disfigured by damp-spots caused (it is said) by an accident whilst in transit in Noah's Ark. — :o:— Standing in a commanding position on the Gower Peninsula, overlooking,, the LougUor estuary. Weobley Caatle, the restoration of which is about to bo re- sumed, has still remaining many fine features which strongly appeal to tho imagination, recalling vi-tas of the roipan- tic past. Besides the old keep and the stone staircase leading to the top of its massive walls, the vaults and dungeons can be explored, and there are remains of a enlendid hnnauetiug-hall.