The Cambria Daily Leader

Sun Rises 7.29, Bun Sets 4.32. Lighting-up Time, 5.2. High Water, 8.3 a.m., 832 p.m. King's Dock 40ft. lOin. a.m., 39ft. 7in. p.m, To-morrow, 8,51 a.m., 9 22 p.m.

BLUE SKY BEHIND THE CLOUDS. Mayor-making yesterday was quite. upon the old pre-war lines. The newly-elected chief magistrate was able without impropriety to invito a large body of citizens to his luncheon, and had it not been for the absence of apologies for the state of Castle-street we might have imagined ourselves back in the days when the troubles of Ireland were our chief pre-occupation! A year has passed to-day since the signal to cease fire brought joy once more into her own, and slowly and awkwardly we are- taking up tho threads where they were entangled in 1914. How good it was to bear the old toast of The Town and Trade again honoured; to listen to speeches fre-e from the trail of the war, to find the sentiment treated as it has been dealt with for a hun- dred years, at portreeval.feasts and mayoral luncheons.. ■ The times Vre grey, and the. optimist must be a man of large faith to-day. But Swansea has I always nourished optimists, men oi completest trust in the destinies of I town and port. with the Vivian con- fidence in its future. These men have always gone out looking for opportunity, building up a. Swansea that would be worthy her growing greatness. Shall we be very wrong if we say that this spirit has drooped of late years, and that we have wilted a little under our trials'? Not. far wrong! The natural hopeful tendency of the town, however, is now re-asserting itself. The optim- ists are turning up for the old anthem. We miss the tenor lead of Sir Griffith Thomas with its eternal motif of undeveloped resources, but men like Mr. Beck and Mr. Fa.rr-to name two only out of many—who have given practical demonstration of their faith in th8 vitality of our trade, are lifting up their heads and detecting the shades of blue that are behind the clouds. That was the splendid note of the speeches at the lua^eon yesterday —arid we want to prolong it all we can. For jeremiads beget a hope- less spirit, and although things are not too bright if we view them from the immediate standpoint of to-day, there is not the slightest reason in the world why we should hang our harps upon the willows. We are working through our bad patch, and we will be out of it the quicker if we get together and push! The new Mayor crowns long period of public service by Jccept- ing the chief honour it is in the power of the municipality to bestow upon a citizen. We have had our jousts with Aid. Sinclair, and may have others; but we want to extend to him our warmest congratulation's upon the dignity that has beon con- ferred on him. He has set an ex- ample of public zeal that we could wish to see more generally followed in Swansea. A busy man, with cares of his own to engross him, he has yet found time to devote to the service of his adopted town, and he has served it with a faithfulness that is beyond praise. As chairman of the Electricity Committee, as chair- man of the Food Control Commit- tee, Swansea is much in his debt. Twenty-two years of work for the municipality is a proud record, and Aid. Sinclair comes to the Mayoralty amid the acclamation of an sections in our public life. He has before him an important year of office, and we are quite sure that he will do his utmost to 'guide his Council into wise decisions in the great project:" that have to be carried out. And in welcoming the new Mayor, we would also thank the ex-Mayor for. his labours. Ald. Miles can look back upon his .occupancy, of,the civic chair with satisfaction. It is a year of perplexities the Mayor has to face. Money is tight. The rates are going up. I The needs of the town are in- I creasing. We trust that Aid. [ Sinclair and the Council will legislate with care, remembering the I :wage of tht last straw. But we a d age of the last straw. But we hope that their caution will b? transfused with A large measure of the confidence that was so splen- didly declared yesterday, and that., in deciding upon such schemes as the allocation of tho Singleton site, they will act in the spirit of men convinced of the great destiny of Swansea. Faith removes moun- tains. Let us keep undimmed our faith in Swansea.

I DAFEN MALE VOICE. Successful Eisteddfod at Felinfoef. I The following were the awards at the Da fen. and District Male Voice Choir eia- teddfod, held at Pelin-foel:— Pianoforte solo: 1. Alice G. Court, wal1. sto; 2, divided between Ethel staples, Lkm- elly. and Lmrys Lewis, LlanePy. Unawd i blant dan 12 oed: 1, Lons+aruo EYnon, Trimsaran; 2, Christiana Atfcertoti, Swansea; 3, Anetirin Williaate, Felinfoel; consolation, Cyril Bevan, Oarnant. Adroddial i Want dan lleg: 1, Dillys R, l^langennech; 2, Begsie Thomas, Loughor. Adroddiad i blant dan 16 oed: 1, Meriel Williams, l,langpnroch; 2, divided between Dillya Aeet,, Llaagennech, &nd Beesie i Thomas, Loughor. Unawd i lechgyn dan 16: 1, Ivor Bvane, Crog¡¡ Hands; 2, Jack Baries, 11, GlenaLla- rOad, lilttnelly. Unawd i ferwhed dan 16: 1, Saddir Eynon, Trim&aran; 2, May Towers, Swansea. Can o glodRev. D. Bowen (Myfyr Hefin), Five Roads. Unawd soprano: Hilda Williams. Pétn- bifiy. V prif adroddiad: Elsa Davieg, Bryn, Llanelly. Oouawd i blant dan 14: Dvrided between Eynon, and Ceridwen Joseph, Trim- Aaran, Contralto solO: M. H. Thomas, Plasmarl, Swansea. Parti meibion: IfOrestfaoh. Unawd newyddion (novice): Divided M- tween M. J. Phillips, Ringed, Pembrey, a-nd Dan Bees, Furna.aty. Unawd tenor: Divided between Arthur Eynon. Burryport, and Harry t'forestfech. Unawd bass: Myrddin Evaxwt, Pw-11 GOWERTON EISTEDDFOD. A competitive concert was held At Bethel C.M. Chapel, Mr. John Thomas pi-e- sidinsr. The adjudicators were: ilusic, Mir. Haydn Williams; literature, Mr. John Wil. liams, Ornfffryn. AcCompanift, is Mor- gan. Secretaries, Messrs. W. Bowen and Llewellyn Lewis. The awards were: Solo for arirls under 14: 1, K. Morgan; 2, .Nancy Walters. Children's recitation: 1.1rannah Davies; 2, K. Morgan. Boy's solo: 1, D. M. Da-vies; Z. K. Morgan. Welsh reading: Misses K. Morgan and Hannah Davies. Girl's solo, under 16: 1, Eileen Davies; 2, A Williams. Impromptu speech: I-uther Davits. Soprano solo: Miss Sybil Lewis. Contralto: Hannah Davies. Tenor: Mr. Stanley Davies. Baritone: Mr. Toni Williams.

FATAL BURNS. I Port Talbot Child Succumbs to Her I Injuries. Mary Ann Frauds (13), of 14, Bl1ck-! row, Bryn, Port Talbot, died on Mon- day as the result of burns received on Thursday. While standing bv the fire, her clothing caught fire, and she ran out into the garden. She was badly burnt about the body.

NO COAL. I Swansea Valley Schools Shut I Owing to Shortage. At the i'onrsrdawe School Managers I meeting on Monday, If r. A. W. Samuel (the clerk) called attention to the number of schools which had been closed last week on account of the «horta<ge of eoal. Tho Controller had now informed him that hp had ordered fifty tons of coal from one colliery and 30 tons from another for the usp of the schools. They would there- f ore wave plenty of cioal for some time.

PRINTERS' STRIKE. | PRINTERS' STRIKE1 1I Men Out in   Men Out in Paris, j PARIS, Monday, I Linotype operators, machine minder;, and proof readers employed by the Paris daily newspapers, at the conclusion of a I meeting held this afternoon, declared a general strike. An order to step work was issued thi 1 E'Hning, and as ? ccc?q?.pnc?p there will be no PM'is newspapers, with a few excep- tions, to-morrow morning. ( Some of the men a short time ago asked I for an extra live francs a day, to meet the \1 I increased cost of living. The variaut' unions took the matter HP, and as imme- j diate satisfaction was not given to their I demands they held a meeting Mii.s after- noon, when the strike was decided. A meeting of the Newspaper Proprietors' Association is to be held to-morrow morn- ins t° consider the situation.

LACK OF HARMONY. Report on Swansea Valley School. Pontardawe school managers on .Ion-I day were informed that the following 1 minute of the Elementary Committee was confirmed by the Education Committee I at their last meeting, and teachers com- municated with:— The sub-committee received, the re- port of the sub-committee that visited Worn Girls' School in regard to com- plaints made as to want of harmony be- tween certain of the teachers, and find that the sub-committee were t reated very discourteously by the head teacher, and direct that the head mistress be informed that they had received this report with great displeasure, and that all teachers in the school he informoo. tliat unless there i-; a marked improvement in the relations between the teachers, immedi- ate and drastic action would be taken."

I REAR LIGHTS. I Old Order Again in Force: -I Ammanford Prosecution. Deputy Chief Constable J. Evans brought a large number of defendants before the Ammanford magistrates on Mondav on summonses of having no rear red lights to their bicycles or vehicles. The news of the revoking of the original order, he s&id, seemed to have had a, very wide circulation—it was known to everybody-— while, on the other hand, of the fact that the order had been re-imposed nobody seemed to be cog- nisant. Still, he was willing to believe that the majority of the defendants did not know that the order had been re- enforced, and. a.s a generol warning, he asked that they be dealt with under the Probation of Offenders' Act, and ordered to pay costs. All the defendants were dealt with accordingly. It must be known." ob- served the chairman (Air. A. E. Du Buisson) that the order as rpgards rear- light is again in force." One defendant, who had no lights at all, was fined 10s .In each of two cases.

I THE BOXING BAN. Claim Against Llanedly Corporation. The Llanelly Corporation have received a claim for damage* from Mr. T. K. Lud- ford in reference to the rescinding of a resolution passed granting the use of the Market Hall for a series of boxing tour- naments. The Town Clerk (Mr. H. W. Spowart) brought tho claim up* at a statutory meeting of the Council on Monday. The Council, it will be remembered, agreed to a How the use of the Market Hall for a series of hosing tournamonte, and subsequently, upon notice of motion being given by Councillor E. Willis Jones, the matter was re-opened, and it was decided to rescind the previous re- solution. One of tho boxing tournaments iv,ts, however, held. The Clerk Ifaid that he desired to make a statement after the public business had been transacted. Ald. Nathan Griffiths: Why not do 60 how in the presence of the members of the Press, who were present when the mess was made? No further statement was made in I public.

RUN OVER BY ENGINE. I II nquest on Skewen Tragedy I Adjourned. i At an inquest before the Deputy Borough Coroner on Monday afternoon, Oil Christopher Stftnbury, la bourer (27), who was run over by a train on November 5fh near the National Oil Refinery Works, Skewen, I Mr. Bull represented the National Oil I Refinery Co., Skewen; Chief Inspector Dalton, the G.W..R., Mr. William J. Hopkins, district organiser of the United Builders' Labourers' Union; and Mr. A. J. Glyn Edwards, H.M. Inspector of Factories, were also present. Win, Blackmora (22), Ysgol-street, engine driver, said he was driving a light engine. When near the spot where ,4r t l l(, sp",t tunnelling operations are being conducted for the Xationul Oi) Refipery, he saw do- ceased right in front of the engine. He pulled up, hut the engine passed over the mv„ Witness went on the engine to Britonferry-road, and fetched an ambu- lance man. Thcr? was no proper path for men employed on the tunn?lin? v.'ork to go up to Britonferry-road station. J. Conins. 14, Evana-tfrracf. I?ndore, goods guard, who had been on th? nine, corroborated. He agreed that to get to Britonferry-road station the men would have to go the way deceased had been going. Dr. Van der Yijzer Swansea Hospital, said death was du^to shock, following injuries. The Coroner remarked t.hat, apart from [ that of deceased's wife, they had no evidence of deceased leaving his work at the culvert. |' On the application of Mr. Hopkins, the inquest was adjourned, so that fur- ther evidence might be produced.

DEAD ON THE FLOOR. I Swansea Man's Sudden Death I From Heart Failure. An inquest was held before the Deputy Borough Coroner on Monday afternoon on Thomas Edwards (70), dock labourer, a, widower who lived by himself at 2, Gomerian-plaoe, who was- found dead in the house last Friday. He waa in his usual health on Thursday. William Wallace, 1, Gomerian-place, said he went into the house to borrow a. oaw, and on striking a match found deceased I dead On the floor. 11 Dr. I/loyd Edwards eaid he had known deceas-ed for 13 years. Death was due to heart failure. I The iurx returned a verdict accordingly. 1

TOWN TALK. ——— —.—— The present assessable value of llan elly is £ 118,000 and a penny rate pro- -;0:- During the past year tlae quantity of water used in Llanelly was 3037 gallons. Of this amount 944 gallons was sold to the various works. — :0 At Aberavon mayor-making Labour members were very anxious co secure control of the committees. They arc al- ready practically hnlf the Council. —.Oi — Astor the Plymouth election says one of our suddenly indisposed men; "it would not b-,4 a Gay man who had Jo Foot the bill." We have prescribed a gargle for him. -;0' Passing a dish of stVimps of cauliflower to a brother councillor at the mayoral banquet yesterday, he remarked: This is, indeed, a dish worthy and apprppri- ate of the occasion! -:0;- Mr. Richard Martin, at the mayoral luncheon, was insistent upon Singleton. being Swansea's civic centre. He was slightly indignant about Cardiff possess- ing Cathays and Swansea not having a centre to compare with it! -:o Supporting Aid. Sinclair's election as Mayor, Mr. David Williams said the new Mayor was not an angel. He added that he did not think there were any angela in the assembly because if they were they would be in Heaven," Councillor Lovell, at the mayor-making yesterday, claimed to have helped to start Mr. Miles on his wedded as well as hi« public career." It is yell to have for a collealue, a man who shared the nervous- neai of the nuptial day writh you! -:0:- Col. the Hon. Odo Vivian "had a little field day in a quiet way in his speech at the mayoral luncheon. He murmured one or two things that raised chuckles, and now and then eome seconds would elapse before many of his TieMWe saw the pointl — :0:— Thus an up-line contemporary last night In 550 years, Mr. an. authority on bulldogs, who has just died, won a hundredweight of eilver and bronze medals." He must have been one of the bulldog breed to have lived all that time! —:OC — It is not generally known that the busi- ness of Mr. J. T. Daviae in Walter-road was first started by Mr. Parlby, formerly of Cradoc-street, a.nd now of Norfolk- street, Mount Pleasant. Thit: was about hali'-a-century ago, when all around what it now Walter-road were green fields. — :o:— They are talking about making the old country a place lit for heroes to live in," said a man in High-street last night. Well, if things go on like this, only heroes will be able to live here." The outburst is explained by the fact that the man had been making a few email pur- chaser, and was very angry 111 con- sequence. A correspondent inquires whether thev reported new secret device for preventing motor cars starting would jiave been use- ful in a re-cent Swansea casfe in which a man is said to have removed a hock from behind the w-Jjeel of a car evidently" under the impression that because the engine had geen started up everything was well? o:- According to calculations made, the following are the figures for the 1!)18 Drink Bills of some of the towns in "h,th the, Leader" circulates: Swansea, Llalieilly, < £ 393,750; Neath, £ 225,000; Pembroke Dock, = £ 90,000; Aber- avon, k.57,500 Carmarthen, £ 57,500; Tenbv, £ 24,170. Total for Soat.h Wallo;: i £lZ,âOO,OOO. A correspondent from the Mumbles say? lie was mucli interested in the para- grapll in yesterday's Town Talk about bird catching. On his way to town in the early morning helfias seen and licir(i call-birda on the ijlackpill golf links, and wondered what was the cause of it. But," he continues, i* it not illegal to enare Briti&h Birds? -:0:- There are various ways of achieving fame. The hero of Swansea just now ia the man who aroea from his seat in a certain picture hall and politely re- queued a lady to "shut up." It may bo explained that the woman was one of thoso modern nuieancea who will persist in reading aloud every word of the letter- ing projected on the screen. An advertisement appeared in a certain paper (not in Swansea) the other day offering for sale a cow that gives tite quarts of milk per day, alro two grind- stones, one set of harness, and a hay- rake." It that wonderful cow could only produce a bit of firewood as well there is a man in Brynmill who says he would i >orrow the money to buy it. A sign exhibited in Swansea last night to the effect tiMt a house was to let. No* dear reader, don't be alarmed, there it-as no rush tor it. It simply happened on the fcveen in a picture palace, and the tenant who took it was reputed to be a gentleman who always flitted when rent day arrived—a habit which cannot be inr dulged in thooe. days in Swansea! Apropos the paragraphs that a certain brand of tobacco had dropped a penny in price in Manchester, a correspondent from the oyster village writes to say that a well-known hrand of cigarettes has dropped in price, as on Saturday ho waa only charged 10d. instead of lid. for a packet of 20. So thus we see that Swan- sea is keeping abreast of the times. — jo:— As the Yule-tide season is drawing nearer, ajid the price of poultry is ftill keeping high, there is consolation to her found in the fact i-hat home-grown beef is plentiful. This is due to the drought, which kept the young cattle from matur- ing too soon, and at present there is quite a glut in the market. Thus this Christmas looks like being a good old- fashioned beef one. — :o:— Speaking at the presentation meeting of the Pantygwydr Brotherhood, Mr. H. R. Bushell offered the medical gentleman who oocupied the chair a tip. He said it would be a good thing if he prescribed to those of his patients who needed a tonic half an hour of the Bryn Male Vok-e Choir. The choir, by the way, had ele* trified the crowded audience with one 40, two of their favourite selections. But f4 wau a nice compliment to the Brytt boys. The women in some centres, it seems, are kicking against the price of bags, the market net bag in particular, and it is becoming quite an ordinary thing to see them going about with their husband's Army haversacks. If they could only be persuaded to wear the old tin hat as well what a saving would be effected I f