Merthyr Times and Dowlais Times and Aberdare Echo

oj.. —7 plir/lji" ,nI-tons of Sectarian schools are in sore •Hoof, '• ^'lc competition with the Board °thcv Sa'(^ fie Archbislioj) of Canterbury the r»reSsil ,('iiy». "'s fast raising salaries, and the ''otthtOi °f- l^lncation Department will un- thatt^ ,V ^'lcrease- These words clearly imply Paii] e teachers of Sectarian schools are under- l>p {j!1 that the schools generally do not come the ,1: requirements of the Department. In j^'iur, |°';ese of Manchester a fund of £ 30,000 is 'the to put the schools in proper order. It °M'u clfUf!,l.r' story we i;o tr from all parts. In our fiiu^ st^'ict the Church schools suffer from lack of "Uiiioi ,r Schools, .Mer( hyr, for instance, >Ui(l j ",ct In sufficient funds from the subscribers, ^ar a deduction of £ 4'» 17s. tid, was In So 01u the Government grant for that reason. hou|1(i Way and to some degree the school is however able and however per- then f 0 ^tafV of teachers may be. A crisis, ?cl'Ool* laa C01'ie in the history of Sectarian liat is the remedy The Seetar- Jhiij ^or help from the local rates. ilivj i i 1,1 ean thai the School Board rate is to tools'. ^'etween the Board and the Sectarian hitveto' °thcr words, that the ratepayers will theV haUUlintaiu schools in the control of which to i)e\c n° v°ice." It-means that public money 3'tlcl tli- ^v°tcd to the service of ))articular sects, t'Jr t] '"nds meant for education are to be used- V'°lati tCHchil'g "t dogma. This is a distinct Mil 011 the democratic spirit, and ^"hat "eVer 1"' tolerated in -this eountrv. If will such a policy nitimatcly lead to? °Ut 'le Socts get their schools maintained entirely ^'c pnblic ]>urse, all sects will resort to the t. and ^linv their income from the same ¡;llit !}.];lU. illie State system of education will be ^U.<tead .'i1 favour of the denominational system. Plicity f°\ ''oar,l Schools we shall have a multi- fcWls°t] 1,'ongregfitional, and Methodist >0gv 0j' 10 dominant factor in all being the theo- Iii "a ^Pai'tieular sects rather than true education. f the Sectarians get their way, the ;111(1 tu,.°lla. Pl ogi"e^s of the CGiintrv Avill be arrested Urn l' k ls 8110,1 course to be pursued ? I tt-e itli Ilot- There is no danger if the Liberals cirJIt: t') the position and faithful to their prin- to li;i]'t, "e other alternative is for the Sectarians ^°Ul<Jt| 01 their schools to the Boards, which to t]l0 thing that could possibly happen ,V°ai'i^ :U1<' 'ol wl'ieh the teachers are Sil,-h n ^'u't alid objection can there be to ''°t he01-1"St'' The theology of the pupils would vari0l '"teilured with, and the ministers of the °f tij 8ccts couM attend to the religious teaching 'Ulojit H c')tl,'en. But, the Sect arians will not As |f ^'ise jiolicy unless they arc compelled to. ^tiy [1;lu?j they remain obstinate they should at for 0 'l;tve the manliness and the honesty to pay is abve AVoi'k their own sects. Kcclesiasticism a"d evervM here the enctnv of liroi/rcss.

•Hh. r >°Use VlfV|T,T' Ji-T-is- M.l' has a Bill in the The s. > Conunons to amend the Burial Laws. reading Mas ])assed last week by a °tljei, -1 to U.S. The Bill proposes, among torj0 Ullgs, to abolish the consecration of cciue- ^•nt •1 to do away with the obligation, at prc- tlio^ 0,1 Ibirial Boards, to provide two chapels, |»uv Conseerated and the other not. Cemeteries iiiv] (J^)llyccrated, if a bishop wishes to do so, or 'r,-ia,J° y c'-e desires to ask him to perform the for (loill" it. Huttheeerc- ('al'l' I' ] I ^'hate'^U11'os M 'th it no cga meaning of any sort • Consecration is an ancient Pagan idea, tiui.tv^y °i,POSCll to the true spirit of Chris- uHiv'Cj u the Christian every atom in God's "lortaf0. sacred, and needs no consecration by 0,ll> 0\v j,ul 01 '1C °1(1''Itc has survived to ^V''°se J' ,v' though tliere have been some bishops te^a 'onesty forbade them to give it any eoun- tJle 1^ J" the Dark Ages, when priestcraft held PUfvj (;e 111 bondage, the Pagan notion served the cie p2 greedy ecclesiastics, and 1 elped them to th^t the money out of people's pockets. Strange tllc Act of Parliament should be required, in f-oiv c'os'"g years of the nineteenth century, to j °ur Kstablishcd clergy to abandon this r ,J'ar'"y I'elic of remotest antiquity Barely been fair and beautiful and sublime i'lfluj! in the minority. Power and wealth, it ;i a'id jircstige would seem to exercise over tlie a'ling and tnateriatisinginnoenee. This is •'•ill ^!llu'eme tragedy of history. Mr. Williams' all 0 abolishes the legal privileges enjoyed by he 0 '^crated buildings, the doors of which will f'e v",(Jcl even to those uncircumoised Philistines, t|,0 j 'Conformists. The Tim-* stands aghast at hfji-v' !"d' a,1'l gives vent to its contemptible snob- f>f ^.v these words Not only \onconformists l>ii.r»it|("y «ort, but Secularists, Mahomedans, and ^ildh* a'l|n'ttcd to these consecrated Hof, ''?*• hy not? hi heaven's name, why ^tlie .*•/r<J M c children of the same of a 1 ■' Is there any difference between the dust ho„1(i :ir,'hl(ishoj), when laid to rest in its earthly the, 1J,1'1 that of a Mahomedan or Pagan In t|)c j|t,seuce of death, at all events, let us give up iictious concocted for pecuniary pur- crafty clerics. I'll j, ~"Y-

t ''gs'ster on which the SchoolUoard election was 'lit;/ sted, appears to have been in a wretehod eon- Hundredsof peoj)le wiiohave voted for years Averc turned a\\ay from the polling-booths. il,;ilj^ °f those who had voted on Monday, were ^iv 't the privilege on Thursday. Householders of th¡tte.lr! standi JIg found, when they went tothepoll, Ue.,]' ,eii' names were not on the list. Somebody's he j 'Scnee is accountable for all this, and it is to ''ttif0^^ ^'la^ the register will be in a better con- Jri V\ ]R.n ^]ie next election comes round,

,0,^1 crisis, like many another in the past, has I- to an end. The men's representatives, in ii(^j(e'°I1<!e assembled, have decided to withdraw the '•'um,1. terminate the Sliding-seak, provided the lioti,lH a,,0Pt a similar course with regard to their Xvh 'm'" Whether the masters will do so, or ill c l,'r' seeing the defenceless state the men are at'h '.J n '!l insist oil the further reductions hinted u„f:\«ir W. T. Lewis, time only will show. The ,J"te tiling is that the men have no orgauisa- «.( '"nds, aud that therefore they are virtually t)", of tlicir employers. Jt Mas also ;i.s ,1 :'t the C'arditl'conference to ballot the men ^"hcther the Sliding-scale should be aban- ,n fa\-our of another method of regulating ''Hi50*' 11:un°l.v, a ('oneiliation Board. Thisisan it, question, and we hope the men will take li,th all possible earnestness, Is the Scale ^ho' l i l'ased on sound economical principles ? ■'>r Wages be considered as part of the profits, '•Kst'1*wrl- t,ie cost of production ? The 'haV S] Uulury-ll.v ffivowr the Scale. 'J'liey know iitjr,' ^"en they reduce the prices owing to com|)c- ^calrA' ? P°ition of the reduction, thanks to the 1'gcnieiit, ill fall on the shoulders of the J'l'ic* ,i ar<! thus more ready to aco<-]»t lower Tlie s; r'1 t'1c.v ^vouId be had there been no Scale, hi-ts, while adhering to the principle, ask "iiii'nuin Mage. But sucli a demand, it is rightly argued by the masters, is diametrically opposed to the whole spirit of the Scale in fact, it does away with the Scale altogether when a certain point has been reached. The demand is really all admission that the Scale idea is an erroneous one. The constant friction caused bv the present arrangement, has introduced a good deal of bitterness into the coal industry, and it is possible that some other method would work more smoothly, and secure more harmonious relations between" masters and men. These are some of the considerations which the men ought to weigh very carefully, ere recording their votes in the approach- ing ballot. We hope the matter will secure at their hands the serious attention it deserves. —

ISPAllKS FROM THE ANVIL. Bv Jo>: liA>tMK!s',nrn. I think we call be satisfied, Air. Editor, with the School Board election. True there are some things, to be regretted, such as the defeat of Mr. C. H. James, J.P., Rev. John Thomas, Mr. Iteea Price, and Canol1 Wade. Mr. James is one of our ablest and most con- scientious educationists, and the hardest worker on the old Huard. Ali-. Ttioiii;ts Ni-otil(i I | belie\e, an excellent member. Mr. Price was a good | me,in Iter, and had wo r Iced very hard. Canon Wade is an educationist of repute and a man of strict integrity though in the wrong, by reason of his oiiico, on the voluntary schools question, he would have been a valuable acquisition to the new IJoard. The Rev D. C. Edwards was also an upright member of the old Board, and his services will no doubt be missed. His speech on the popular control question was not as sturdy and whole-nearted as could be M-ished, and this probably accounts for his defeat. We are all sony that these candidates are out in tlr old. But we cannot ha\e evei vthin.. ;i own wav. The successful candidates will iw\ ui excellent Hoard, and we of the Smithy lra^rniiy are satisfied. So, I believe, are the Board teacic who were very anxious lest a Sectarian majority rtld have been returned, and the efficiency of tin- schools in consequence j reduced. They breathe freely once more. Twenty-four years ago the capitalists headed the poll, followed by two Catholic priests and a vicar. Then came Mr. Thomas Williams, Gwaelodygarth, and the Itev. John Griffiths, rector of Merthyr, stood -seventh. 1 Monder when a rector of Merthyr will be among the successful candidates again ? Things are very different nowadays to what they Mere 2' years ago. There is no\ only one representative ofcapita1. though it is true lie tops the poll. The Church's members have likewise dwindled down to one. Twenty-four years ago the Boani was made up of two capitalists, two Churchmen, two Catholics, twe Baptists, two Independents (counting Sonlcy John- stone instead of Mr. Harpur), and one Unitarian. To-day we have one capitalist, one Churchman, two Catholics, one Labour, three Baptists, one Methodist, and four Independents. Strictly speaking, there is not a single Methodist member, for Mr. W. M. Evans ran as an t'nseetarian Treharrisite, and not as a Methodist. It is doubtful also whether Mr. Artinu Daniel was not a local rather than a denominational candidate. These things are rather mixed. Anyhow, 1 am very glad Mr. Arthur Daniel is in. 1 lc is a strong man and a thoroughly progressive educationist. As for the other Daniel, the whole parish, from Dowlais Top to Treharris, rejoices in his return. In him the new Board will have the best chairman that a public body e\ '!r had. I should have preferred to see the Church repre- sented by Mr. Tom Jenkins, who has sat oil the Board from the start, rather than by the Rector of Dowlais. Mr. Jenkins Mas always fair and generous-minded, and his genial countenance will be very much missed. (By the way. I ho;>e he will soon recover from his ill- ness.) The Dowlais people probably thought he was not as pronounced a Churchman as the rector, and they have rejected him for thp very reason for which I M'ould give him the preference. We look at the matter from different points of view, and must agree to differ. Ilowbeit, the rector is an excellent man iu every way, and by hard work and zealous devotion to duty he has won the confidence of the Dowlais people. Father Pippett is also a most estimable member, though lie has room for improvement in the matter of attendance. Canon Wade's defeat is due, I am told by one who is supposed to know, to the fact that his politics are of a different colour to those of the majority of his people. Had Father Palding been the candidate he would ha ve stood high on the list, as he is generally supposed, though it is not known tor certain, to be more in sympathy than the Canon with the Nationalist aspirations of our Irish brethren. For my own part, I have no objection whatever to thu Catholics being duly represented on the Board. \s a Liberal, I am all for granting, to the fullest possible extent, the rights of citizenship to all sections of the community. But I cannot shut my eyes to the fact that Catholic.-1, like Churchmen, are pledged to the Sectarian sy»1*«m of education. tarn glad, therefore, that they are in the minority. Mr. Wills also, as a Catholic, is a Sectarian, as was gliowji I-iv the side he took in the discussion on the questio:. of popular control in the last meeting of the old Board. But I am bound to say of Mr. WIHti that, judging by his past record, he is not the man to lend himself to any Sectarian intrigue to reduce the efficiency of the schools. On this question he is thoroughly sound. Local considerations seem to have played an impor- electioll. Mr. Gray was supported by the Merthyr Vale people not so much on educa- tional as on local grounds. His position at the top of the poll is due entirely t" his immense personal popularity. Treharris, contrary to general expecta- tions, has returned tw o local men, who will doubtless prove valuable members. Mr. Ev ans had already sat on the Board, and Mr. Henry Da vies can lay claim to practical experience of educational work. Of the other members, very little need be said. Mr. Isaac Edwards' return shows that he enjoys tho con- fidence of the working men. It is somewhat peculiar that -Air. Jo-eph Owen should have polled more votes than Mr. David Davies. The Revs. R. S. Williams and James AVdliains have been and will be very g >od members. A comparison between the voting and that of three years ago will not be uninteresting 1892. 1895. Isaac Edwards 10,433 II. K. Grav 8.830 II. E.Gray 7,597 Rev. LI. M. Wiilianis 7,309 T. Jenkins 6,952 Joseph Ovwn 6,029 I). Davies 6,752 David Davits 5,967 Joseph Owen 6.144 W.M.Evans 5 372 Ruv. J. Williams 6,023 llenrv Davies 5,2B9 V. A. Wilts 5,479 V. A. Wills 5,056 Thomas Williams 5.438 Itcv. It. s. Williams 4,683 Father Pippett 5,378 Isaac Inward- 4,553 Kev. K. Williams 5.114 Father l'ippott 4,550 l'ees l'riee 4,531 W. L. Daniel 4,461 C. II. Jaiues 4.515 Arthur Daniel 4,314 Kev. D. C. Edwards 4,215 I tee. J. Williams 4,242 Canon Wade 4,020 Uuv. J. Tliomus 4,169 W. M. Evaus 3,9ol Kev. D. C. Edwards 4,141 T. S. Thomas 3,633 Cation Wade 3,815 W. Jones 3,435 Kees l'riee 3,623 Kev. D. Lewis 2,400 Dan Thomas 3,385 (II. Jauies 3,061 T. Jenkins 2,954 Kev. I>. Lewis 2,447 Kees Williams 1,475 Some men have gone up in popular favour, and others have declined. Speaking generally, it is clear that public opinion on the educational question is ill the 1-iglit (iii-ect-ioii. The Unsectarian or State system is taking- a finllel" grip on the public mind, and, as far as Merthyr parish is concerned, there is no prospect of a retrogressive step in the direction of the Sectarian system. On the whole we Lilierals can afford to congratulate ourselves most heartily on the result of the election. Catholic writes Allow me to protest most emphatically against your scurrilous remarks last W:l'j.; alJout Catholic prie"t, There is not in this country a finer body of men than the priests, and why you wish to pack them off to Siberia 1. cannot imagine. For unselfish devotion to the work of religion and charity the priests stand unequalled. They deny themselves the enjoyments and renounce the pleasures of the world in order to the poor and the needy, and your cruel insinuations are unworthy of the tolerance that ought to prevail in our land and our age. My correspondent will allow mi; to endorse every word of what he says about the priests. I gladly admit that the Catholic priests of this country throw themselves with exemplary devotion to the work of their Church. They look after the poor, and attend to the spiritual M auts of the sick, in a mamwr that ought to make many Protestant ministers blush with shame. 1 knoM' many Catholic priests iu Wales, and 1 bear willing testimony to their zeal, diligence, and integrity. liut I would point out that the word '"priest" is used by us Protestants in a twofold meaning. Some- times we 111ea.11 by it any religious minister, though as a rule mc limit its application to the Catholic ministers. This was not the sense in which 1 used the word last week, as the context, I think, shows pretty clearly, it M*as in the other sense I used the term, namely, that of a man who arrogates to himself certain powers and privileges and prerogatives denied to ordinary mortals, and takes upon himself a position midway, as it Mere, between his fellow-men and the Creator of the universe. This kind of priest would have us believe we can only approach the Almighty by and through him, that he is the only means of grace and hope of glory, and that it is only by his aid we can attain to eternal salvation. (her the minds of those who do believe all this the priest exercises an influence which is pernicious in the extreme, and destructive of all true morality and religion. It is this sort of priest that hankers after the Inquisition and the stake. He considers all who hold views different to his own are heretics, and tolerance for heretics he counts a sin. In Germany nowadays, as I pointed out, ho seeks to stifle trecdom of thought and discussion. This tstitemantwouldsend to Siberia. Would that 1 had the jwwer to do so We ought to tolerate It]) opinions, but the man who has no tolera- tion himself, and would coerce all others to his views by physical means, is a danger to society, He is no more to be tolerated than the ma.11 who would rob us of our property, or the tyrannical despot who would deptive us of liberty. All Catholic ministeis are not priests in this sense, while some Protestant ministers are, or would be if they could. Some of our Nonconformist pulpits are ascended by men who are as priestly in their notions o as any cardinal that ever stt fire to a faggot or turned a thumbscrew. Ou the other hand, many Catholic tuiu- isters are bubbling over with the will, uf human kind- ness, aud are as charitable to those who differ from them as could be desired. At thesame time, we cannot deny the fact that the constitution of the Church of Koine docs invent its ministers with more power than any other church. 'I here are proportionately more priest-" (ill the bad sense) and more priest-craft in ^hat Church than in any other, No observer y £ men aud things, no student of history, wiil dispute this statement. Tu my humble opiuion, the curse of the Catholic Church is the power granted to and exercised by the priests over the people. In the hands of a good man this power may be bene- fieent; but iu the hands of a man that is not a saiut, and who lias not drunk deeply of the spirit of .Jesus, it is productive of much evil. A great deal could easily be written on this subject. Enough, however, has been said to show that the word "priest" has what etymologist- call a good meaning and a bad, and that it is generally used in the latter by Protestants. A priest in this sense is an impostor, a rogue, and a tyrant, aud even Siberia is too good a place for him.

BY THE WAY. ,+. Carmel Baptist Chapel, Cefn, has been destroyed by water. The circumstances are too sad to admit of jokes. Worth, the great Parisian costumier, is dead, lie was born in Hour ie, Lincolnshire, and now lie has gone to that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns. Dull times make little difference to advertis» r-1. What little is going on, they get; while others arc grumbling they pay their way, and, with a news- paper for a life preserver, swim on the top of the water, while others around are sinking. Monday night Mas a glorious time for seeing the eclipse of the moon. The sky was cloudless. We j sent '"our own special astionomer" to the top of the j Aberdare Mountain to report the occurrence, lb- I has not returned yet. Anyone who brings him back j will be suitably rewarded. Principal Owen, of Lampeter, in his r.'rn >or, examination iu theology at Oxford was ask"d to say all he knew about Jachin. The an-wer was satisfac- tory. e wonder how many of our reader^ know who or what Jachin was without turning to tin- con- cordance. The up in 1851, and has been in active service evvr -ince. All the &c., are the original ones. The • engine is of a somewhat old-fashioned type; it has two cylinders, and is worked by four boilers :t! out I 120 horse-power. The London publishers are still sending book, for levicvv to the South AValc- daily papers. The other 'V tll,* ,f 21 books. Of course, it has 110 space for review of them, so much room being taken tit) to record pri/.e tights, to chronicle football matches, to bamboozle the Liberal lhousaial of Cardiff, and to champion tho alcohol business. Nor is the M-ul a whit worse than the other dailies. If anything if is, slightly better. A man vvit.ii jou^ h.ur aud rolling eve.~ burst into the of lice the ocuer day, an ] said he wanted to denounce all "r"¡tnril' '• voluntaries/' and "pianoforte solos" ,-ts humbug, ;uid he wanted to strangle every composer who had !*rn guilty of oro- ducing them. The office boy agreed with him. and recommended him to go and tulk tile matter over with the cabbiev. I fl' \I'I,t, ¡InrI ¡¡(ljJl' t<> 1", abJe to Mr. liertie Lcwr. ad\;ec to his audience at the j Hearts of Oak dinner 011 Monday night was to be thrifty and seif-den ving. What a grand recommenda- tion to the working men of Merthyr P>oroughs But they scarcely need it. They cannot-save mu .h from starvation wages, and aa for self-denial, they ha veal wavs practised, that virtue, as is shown by the enormous wealth accumulated by the eiuoloycrs. Had not Mr. Bertie Lewis better preach this doctrine to the landlords, the land-agents, the coalowners. and the ironmasters? These chaps want it quite as much as the working men. The Kev. Pedr Williams, lias a thoughtful, intellec- tual face. As a speaker he is vigorous with a restrained, well-controlled strength, and at times passionately earnest. He does not ri.-e to the heights of supreme oratory, but he is always impressive, and does full justice to every sentence and everv woicl. 11 is fedure at Zoar oti Monday night on Lowe!I v.as as full of sotid matter as ;ui egg ts iull ot meal. The flashes ot humour were rare, but when tliev came they were really exquisite. The lecture was a rare intellectual treat, and must ha ve been enjoyed by every lover of literature. '1'111' C.Il'diH "¡¡¡('ral 1'11')11"11'1 11;1\ ;( tine idea of the liberality of the press. Their president, is a regular Bird of Freedom. The other day they held a meeting, and while they admitted the reporters of the S<>»th W>tk* iVVthey excluded those of the M'til. Had there been a spark of manli- Ill']I tli('y NVOLII(L have declined the privilege unless it were granted also to tlili, The Mnih ha v ing an a.\e of its own to grind, has not, it is true, acted honourably towards the Thousand. But it is always a mistake in tactics to meet knavery and cowardice. When it was known that the Dowlais Ivvjel.-ior Minstrels meant to give a performance for the benefit of Mr. 10van Flees Kvans.soniebody asked the popular tenor how much money he had ever received for sin"- ing ill Dowlais. .hist one guinea, was the ansMtT, "and that 1 got fr,)Ill tile year." Kememberiug how often Mr. K.anv services ;)eeti cail(,l iiito our own mathemetician has been figuring it out that he has been paid at the rate of 4bi. for (•cry 1.500 solos, exclusive of recitatives. What price a Cabinet Minister's salary after this ? If Mr. I',van Flee. Iv, .ills, the popular t.ellor, could only acccpt a certain offer that was made to him this week his approaching benefit by the Dowlais Kxed- sior Minstrels would, without a doubt, pi(>e the biggest- thing of its kind evt.-r known in any part of j the district. A company of six young ladi. have! made the astounding otter that they aj,- prepared to take part in the minstrel performance. They ate willing to black their faces and necks, and to w<ar :• hoi't-slcev ed dresses, which will necessitate their j niggerising their arms. That's the New Woman with i ;i vengeance, a six-barrelled edition of her. All enquiries for the names of the daring lasses must be I addressed to the late Brigham Young, in the land of the Mahatma. A prominent Churchman at Dowlais is now enjov- ing,and will continue to do so for the next month, 'the i pleasure of having his newspapers paid for hy a M'ell- I knoMii Nonconformist. They were discussing. r]1(, probabilities of the ^school Board Flection at the beginning of last week, and the Churchman bet that the rector of Dowlais would receive more votes than tiie Kev. K. S. Williams. The chapel man cheerful]v took up the challenge, but as both were too religious to plank down the sponduiix, they agreed that tile for live weeks. The Nonconformist, of course, lost the wager, and he is now trying to console himself with the reflection that although the Churchman buys about 2-. woith of papers per week, he (the loser) is not so badly otf as if he had made a bet with the Dowlais Library. Another t has cropped up, but how unlike the original ? This new blood, who has secured a seat 011 the Merthvr School Board with a substantial majority at the ttack of him, MTas waited upon 011 Tuesday by our Man about Town. After pouringontthoUMnndsOof con. gratulatorv sentcifces. assuring him of the good work that Mas ir store for him, and informing him that he was the best man 011 the new Board by long chalks, and winding up by suggesting that an address of thanks would bring the election and his v ictory to a peaceful conclusion, the newly-made independent and fearless member said: "Address of thanks? Ball! I have 110 thanks to return. I'm. 011 the Board, and shall have the laugh over everybody for the next three years." Kutnour has it that a Birmingham firm have received a large order for iron chains. There were several stiff contests 111 the recent elections in Noitli Wales. III Dolgelly Dr. John Jones defeated Mr. C. E. J. Owen, Hengwrtucha, a powerful landlord, M'ith a majority of 62. An influen- tial quarry manager was beaten by a banker at Festiniog by a majority of 12. In Anglesey a grocer got a majority of 10 over one of the leading landlords, while the most popular land agent in the county, who has charge of two large estates, was 111 a minority of 9 against a guano agent. But the biggest fight of all was that in Machynlleth between Mr. Richard Hoes, a retail draper, and Lord Vane Tempest, brother of the Marquis of Londonderry. Mr. Kees had a majority of four. Three years ago his majonty over the same opponent was only two, which shows an increase of 100 per cent. A Tory friend came in yesterday weeping tears of bitterness, He was clearly in a bad way. Was it the frost in the water-pipesNo. The School Board election? Xo. It whs the Sliding-scale crisis, j What's the bally use," said h. his tone ringing with fierce anger, "of Bertie Lewis tramping about these valleys like a blooming curate, spending his days 011 committees and his nights at dinners and smoking concerts M'hat's the use of shaking many hands and delivering many speeches: what s the use of all this phenomenally diligent and devoted nursing of the constituency, if this confounded Sliding-scale crisis spoils everything ? This nuisance undoes in a day the work of many weary years, and our party is getting no forrader.' The fates are against us, dear Mr. Editvr, :utl hence these bitter tears of mine. We extended to him the right hand of sympathy, and assured him v\e looked upon him as a man and a I brother. But our e(Torts were in vain. He went his wav weeping aud sighing, and wishing the Sliding i seal'' in ISheol.

Wh.it I llfSC spoiled liunds .ill- ('111,<1 1',1' Washing I' I it'ii sm|'ri-'d, {ft;t MATrilLKSs t'LE-NNSbl! ijO.Vl' once, I jipv'

THE MERTHYR WATER BILL. PROPOSED NEW CHARGES. HOUSEHOLDERS V. COMPANIES, i he new Witer Bill promoted by the Merthyr District Council is a matter that touches the general body Or ratepayers very closely. The proj>o.serl ih'-w .scale of charts should bo carefully studied bv the public. A few figures wili show the nature and extent of the changes contemplated by the Bill. The follow- 11 ing ta"!e gives the present and the proposed charges: P;:i:S!:NT Si'.YI.K. NI-:W Scai.K. £ s. d. £ s. d. Houses less than £ 4.0 6 6 Less than £ 4.0 8 8 E4 to £ 6 .0 7 7 £ 4 to £ 7.0 15 0 -66 •• £ 8.0 8 8 £ 7 £ 10..0 17 4 £ 8 £ 10..0 9 9 10L20 10 Over £ 10 5 per cent. £ 20 £ 40 8 £ 40 £ 80 7 Over £ 80 6 Mr. I!. Harris, the book-keeper, has drawn out a schedule showing the effect of the increase 011 all prop;.uy in the district. From this Me find thai the number of houses under £ 4 rateable value is 4.800, 011 l which the increase M'ould be 33 1-3 percent. Between £ 10 ami £ 20 there are 753 houses, and the inciease on j these would be 100 per cent. There ate 469 houses j between £ 20 and £ 40, and the inciva-e would be 60 percent. Above £ 40 there are 123 houses, and the increase, up to £ 80, would be 40 per cent., over £ 80, 20 per cent. TheHe then, briefly, are the new charges. Why are j they made? The reason is that the Mater rents are j not equal to the expenditure of water supply, hi the j ater orks' ai.-count.s for the year ending 29th of September, 1894, there Mas a deficiency rf I £ 4,511 14s. Ilgd., or a rate of 6jd. in the £ 011 the j w hole ratable v alue of the district. The annual defi- ciency for the last eight years averagid L4,800 This sum has had to begot out of the Oeneral District Rate. It is to meet this deficiency thatchc new scale of charges is promised. The idea is to make tl e W aler orks pay its own way, and .so to relieve the pressure on the Oeneral Distiiet Rate. There lies the whole crux of the matter. It is then; the bitr companies come into collision with the general body i of householders, or water consumers. The new scale will bring in an additional revenue of aliout, £ 3.350 per annum, leaving- a deficit, to he made pood out of the O.-iters! Dhtrfet Kate, of alnmt £ 1,450. This nican^ that the rate will be reduced from 3s. 9d. 1;» 3s. 4d. A portion of the burden is thus shifted from the General District Rate to the W ater Rent. Says Mr. Harris in his report: Tiu-i relief under General Distiict Kate for the year ending 29 September last, which, by the increased Water Revenue, would have been afforded to owners of lands, railvvavs. canals, works, &c:" M'orks out ;1" follows — Lands and gardens £ 42 6 5 Canals 2 5 10 Railway stations and sidings 238 4 7 Minerals 1,261 15 4 Works 526 19 2 House property and bu-.iness premises 71 9 7 This gives a total of £ 2,143 0s. lid. Now it is clear tnat this sum nm-t be got in in the shape ot water rents, the large companies pay a heavy General District Rate, and only a small water rent. 1 he new scale will knoek off 5d. iu the £ from their rate, and ouly put on ;t t-rifie to their water rent. Therefore they favour t! *• scale, while the other side in the Counc-ii, championed chiefly by Messrs. 1). Davies, Dan Thomas, and W. Lewis, oppose the new scale with all their nughf. regarding it as an unjust attempt to relieve the rate :,t the expense of the water rent, that is to say. to relieve the large works at the expense of householders generally. They stick to thto present scale, and argue that it is the right and proper thing to make good the annual deficiency in the water account from the Genetal District Kate. See the |>eiition published in another column. Mr. Harris has compiled a verv interesting table. showing how the new scale would afreet the large companies, and we caniiet do better than give it in full, omitting, however, the shillings and per.ee. It is as follows, the first line giving the present charges, and the second the charges under the new scale Water Kent G. D. Rate Totl Decrease I Plymouth JB130 £ 2227 JE:2558 new 181 1980 2161 £ 197 Dowlais 126 5093 4120 new 179 3550 3(2) 301 Cyfarthia gS 5531 3(326 uew 129 3138 3269 357 Nixon's 9o 3864 3960 new 160 3434 3595 305 | Ocean 9:.1 2857 2952 new 151 2539 2691 253 Powell Duffryn 117 uy new jo-1 104 13 A'terdaie Colliery 209 209 new 186 136 23 Taff ale Kail way (15s. 1 S18 513 new 26- i 460 461 ó7 B. & M. R. (19,,) G3 9'. new (26s.) 83 84 10 G.W. ,V G.W. K. 3 926 930 new 6 823 829 101 I L. ilc N.W.K \3Ô., I 32 34 new 3 29 32 2 Cardijf Corporation 209 209 new 186 186 13 j Canal 4 45 50 new 6 40 46 4 1 W. T. Ciiiwskay 2 79 31 new 2 12s. 70 73 S In round liumoeis i he new scale favours the above 1 companies to the extent- LI,800 per annum, and lays that sum on the shoulders of householders, to be paid in the shape of additional Mater rents Mr-. Harris also gives a similar table showing the changes in the case of cottage property. We take a few instances, which arc as follows — Rateable Water Value Kent G.D. Rate Tl. Increase s. d. S. (1. s. d. S. d. £3 10 6 6 8 9 15 3 new 8 8 7 9 16 5 1 2 £ 6 0 8 8 15 oi 23 8 new 13 0 13 4 264. 2 8 Lio 10 0 25 0 35 0 new 17 4 22 3 39 7 4 7 £ 20 20 0 75 0 95 0 new 40 0 66 3 106 8 11 8 £ 80 80 0 300 0 3S0 0 (dec.) new 112 0 266 8 378 8 1 4 £ 100 100 0 375 0 475 0 (dec.) new 120 0 333 4 453 421 8 The argument of the companies is that the Water Works, as far asjiossible, should be so conducted that there will be. no annual deficit in the accounts, and that the water rents should be equivalent to the expenditure. They contend that those M ho use the it, and that they cannot cquit- abl.y be called upon to pay a sum in excess of their liabilities as consumers. The new scale, they main- tain, metes out equal justice to all as consumers, whereas the present scale, by throw ing a larg« deficit every year 011 the District Kate, favours the actual consumers at the expense of those who are onlv benefitted directly to a small extent by the water. A PFTFTION TO THE HOl'SF OF LORDS. On Monday morning Mr. Dan Thomas, with the assistance of other members of the Council, drew out the following petition for presentation to the House of Lords To THK HoXOl'n.UiLK TIIK LoKDS SnniTCAf. AMI Tkmi'ou.u,oi' riii: Unh'h;i> Kingdom, 1 he humble petition of Members of the Merthvr lydfil L l'bau District Council, of Owners of cottage and other property, and Ratepayers within the District of Merthyr Tydfil SHKU'K'I'll That your petitioners view with alarm any and every projxisal which may be made to your Honouurable House to increase the water charges in force within our district. Your petitioners respectfully urge that there's 110 necessity for increasing the water charges, as the extra burden would bear harshly lqion a class of rate- payers who can ill afford to pay for the. rates, whilst a eorres])onding relief would be offered to the larger ratepayers, the owners of iron works and collieries, and_ the railway companies. "Y our petitioners desire to point out that t he thousands now proposed to lie expended for water supply are necessitated to meet the requirements of the Messrs Cravvshay, and other companies to be provided vvith compensation water, and not so much to meet any demands of the district for a Greater supply. 0 Your petitioners consider that the present water charges arc just and equitable, and compare favour- ably with the charges in force in neighbouring towns. Your petitioners humbly contend that because the ovmicis of certain properties—collieries and ironworks —do not derive direct, benefit from the prov ision of water it is 110 reason why a sjiecial scale of charges should be now adopted especially for the relief of such ratepayers for in common with all rate- payers the owners of iron and steel works and collieries have to contribute towards works of sewage, the maintenance of roads, lighting, and gf public improvements generally—undertakings which are for the benefit of the v.-hole community, and n;t for nnv small and exceptional class of ratepayer-. And your petitioners will ever pray. I he petition was extensively signed bv leudiu" townsmen. In Treharris and the lower parts of the parish it was in charge of Mr. W. Lewis, and there also the signatures were very numerous. PLYMOUTH WARD CRITICISM. SfM, Kindly allow me to call the attention of the electors of the above Mard to the action and want of action of their representatives on the District Coun- cil. I wish them to read the report of the last meet- ing and judge for themselves. 1 say nothing for or against Messrs, T. 11. Bailey, Joseph Owen, and II. Lewis, only in their relation to us as our representative*. At the last meeting Mr. Bailev spoke and voted in favour of transferring the b!1rdeil of rates from the works to the house owners. Only1 two members voted for this, Mr. Bailev and Mr Harpur, both of them representing the interests of large works. Mr. Joseph Owen was absent. Whv How is it that Mr. Owen finds it convenient to absent himself 011 such an occasion ? And when. Mr. H, W. Lewis ? He, as well as Mr (Jne' kncw that the question was to be brought forward! The question raised was of vital importance to t iM ne<u,l„ of the district. Yet they talk very largely 0f bcim- the friends aud champions of the workiii" cl-is-on" Men of the Plymouth Ward, let me urge you a uiiu to read for yourselves in the local papers for t hi "'week the discussion on the water rate in the last meeti'ii" of the Council. Note who spoke, who voted, how thev voted, and who were absent. Find out also who wa"s against admitting the reporters .—Yours, &e.. THK ,\lAN THK W.\Tr|t"r,,u-| t;. SiH, Permit_ me to can the attention of vour readers, who reside in the Plymouth Ward to the meeting of the above Council ou Friday last, when the Mater late question was under discussion. At the outset an attempt Mas, made to shut-out the press, and ».» debar the public from knowing Mluit their representatives were doing. Happily, jhat wa< frustrated, and wo know now that the, bone, of eon lent ion was whether i:ot tagn om «>r Hordes proprietors !:hould bear an incrca-ed burden ill respect of the new expenditure. The debate was extremely interesting, and ought to be instructive. O11 the one hand there v.tre Mr. Bailey and Mr. Harpur, representatives of the works' interest on the other the Guaidiaus of the peoples interest, and in the division which followed, the members for the works were still in the same position against j tl'e interests of the masses of the people. After ill, j this is reasonable: one cannot expect them to do | otherwise, bnt what one does object to is that these I individuals during election time do their utmost to tO IN mind they dOllfJt put tj;"il position farelyand squaivlv before the people. But a short time a<jo, since the last election, one found Mr. Bailey voting against the Board issuing an order to lan e all water-taps placed indoors on account of the expense his company would oe put to. It did not seetii tu occur to him that the people had to go out of doors in all kinds of weather for water, nor that, as during the late severe frost, numbers of them were without water at all. That wa- nothing in his sight the comfort and convenience of j tiie workmen were not to l>e considered where the j eompany's jx>ket was concerned. If Me want j further prpof of this, it can be found in the disgrace- j ful state.-of the roads leading to the company's homes j in Pentrebaeh and Duffiyn. During the last Meek or i two it iias'been my misfortune to trav erse these roads, and 1 honestly believe that- worse are not to be found 111 the v. hole district. I maintain, and so does every sensible man, tint the woikman M'ho livis in the com- pany s houses as much entitled to have the water in his house, and good sanitary arrangements and good roads, as any other member of the community, and he \vuuH probably get them t. • if he sent anyone else besides the manager to represent him. I ani,&e., RATI.TA YK! TKFHARKIS < >PINION. A meeting was held at Treharris. on Monday night, to hear an address from Councillor W. Lew-is. oil Mr. Lewis Morris was chosen as chairman, and Mr. \V. I!. Thomas briefly explained the object of the Bill, after which the Chairman called upon Councillor Lewis to address the meetuig. Mr. Lewis then dealt with the pro posed increase of the water charges, and asked the ratepayers present to support him in his attempt to get a fair distribution of the promised charges between the large consumers and the small householders, the latter, he contended, beiug unfairly charged if the i Bill becomes law. The speaker's remarks were we]], received, and if Mas decided that the enairman. the two local S.-b..o! Board members. ;ind the two local guardians, should be :>ked to sign a p.-tit-ion against tiie Bill.A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Lewis t<w his address, and to the chaiiman for pre- siding.

FOOTBALL NEWS. MrUiiiiv:: T;:t !<sn\v 2.i>s v. BukcO.n" Coli.kck A. — Played at Brecon 011 Thursday, and ended in a win for Merthyr by 1 goy] to nil. W. Harris, scored for Merthyr, Aldiidi<e c inverting. A Di sait<i!ntmi-N'I'. A match had b-en announc-d to ,tt the Fbiiw ale and Fernda'e Football C!u'n~. The Kbbw alians had made many preparations, and a "record' gate v.as anticipated. Tiie Femda'c m-n, however, sent to say that they could not gut up a team, so that no nu'tch was played. Keen disap- pointment was expressed at Kbbw Yale, and some sharp criticisms were passed on the Ferndale Club. This is not the tirst time for Ferndale to disappoint Kbbw Yale. They did the same tiling last OetoU'r. Tiie matter was then lejHirtcd to the Welsh I'nioii. out 011 Fern-jaie promising a fixture for March 9th. 110 further act 10a wa-» taken. The Ferndale Club guaranteed the payment of £ 20 if tht-y did not turn oil They did not do so, and th* Kbbw Yah- Committee intend getting the £ 20, or know the reason why. tilt, the elsu Football l iiioii. Tin- i'.bbw Vidians • mean business, and will not stand any nonsense. Not • thev We may add that Mr. Dowle, of Newport, had been letained as referee fer las: Saturday's match, and only arrived to hud that hi services were j not rcouiicd. Nelson v, Aiikhuai:i- An Association game between these teams w is played ill miserable weather on Saturday at Aber-i.irc before a \ery poor attend- ance. 1 he visiting team opened the game in a d term.lied iiiauir. r, aud ,r« sed the weak team which Aberdaiv put ou tin- field. One of the Nelson forwards shot a goal \¡t1¡ill five lllil1lit" of rhe -tart. This put the home pack upon their mettle, and play thereart-r became fa-t and exciting, neither side giving v points away. Some clever bits of drit, bimg Mere seen occasionally by the Aberdare for- wards. The visitors Mere ¡1i(Ji'I' adapted t., the kicking and leading, which is practically a poor exposit'on ot "-ocUer' :>lay. The contest waged hot. :st o 11 e >:d wa.- charged, then another until .\L;;t:i:i!:1 eventually scored fur the home Jut. and half t:.u!" went down with even chalks of one goal each. Restarting Nelson pressed, and the home post.- werc in c-insiaiii .lunger; but Newton, the custodian, elev e. iy averted a • ••ore. and repeatedly sent play to imdtield. From o.m- of tise.se onslaughts Nelson '"cornered, mi' "Ted Lewis scored a second goal. Aberdare now played up 111 a brilliant style, aud n irrov. ly m:ed the posts time after time. From near tfieir own go.d 1 »n-• the home forwards made a pretty bit of combined play, aud by a series of smart dribbling and a few kicks passed the whole of the Nelson pack. Dan Join* dodged the custodian, and scored a well-deserved goal. Nothing of importance resulted thereafter, and the game eini -d In a draw Aberdare 2 goals. :1:]:"UI1 2 goal-. :\11)1 :1'1: .11 1"I'\î'I:!I II 1,1'1.1\] :it ,\1"11' tain A-h on Saturday. Score Mountain Ash. one goal, five tries, live minors Pon!\ pr;.Id. nil. Mor.xT.wx ASM "A" V. Po\rvi'i:ii'U "A". Played at Pontypridd. S-oi- Pontyp'ida. one go-]. om1 try, and three iiiiiio>> Mountain Ash, one minor.

DOWLAIS tkmphkaxce cnou;. i;i!AM) PKRI'ORMANCK. Thursday last saw in spite of the School Board election and other counter-attractions, a fairly laige and appreciative audience gathered together at the Oddfellows' Hall, to hear the Temperance Choir give a rendering of Mendelssohn's Forty-second Psalm. Much time had be en ^pent in quiet, unostentatious preparation, and the result was plainly to lie seen in the finished performance. The artistes engaged weie Miss K G. Drinkwater. and Mr. H, W. Kvans, of Card lit", with Mr..1. 1. Proud, of Penarth, all of M'hom did their work in a praiseworthy manner. Ihis was tl:-lir>t time formally people present to hear Miss Drinkwater, and the hoik; generally expressed at the close of the conceit was that aii opportunity would soon conic for her to sing here again. Thi. work, one of Mendelssohn's choicest composi- tions. contains some most difficult harmonies, the first chorus, A the hart {Hint* giving a keynote to the general content-, preparing the way for the expressive ari.i. "lor my soul tliirstctli for Cod. which Miss Dri nkwater sang in good stvle. as also was the ''te^t My tears have been my meat." which followed. 1 hen came a part chorus, 44 For 1 haul gone forth most glady," and immediately after it the full choru-, Why, my sou], art thou so vexed," which the choir sang with much force and feeling. The soprano had again a lecit, -^fy God, Within me i- it, Lord hath commanded," the four remaining oaits being taken up by Messrs. R. W. Evans, J. F.'Proud. hnoeh <ioiu anil Robert Lees. A cheer greeted Mr. j Rees (who, before and after this item, wielded the I baton, Mr. T. Rhys Lewis, leader of t|lv orchestra, i now taking his place] upon taking his po-ition tosing, j which was loudly repeated when the lieautiful quia- i tette came to an end, the five voices blending together most sweetly. tilt- cot work*, W hy, my soul, art thou .-o vexed." similar to the preceding chorus, but fuller and much more difii- cult. Tin.th" choir took in hand with confidence, winding up jno-t majestiealh". the audience showing • their appreciation <■; their efforts by loud chceri)i"r. ° The singing"! the choir and artistes v,a< materially assisted by a .-elect niofe-ional orchestra (several j I, which did excellent work iu both lirsf am; si.'ond p;rt-o the programme, The second part consist d of miscellaneous items as follow*. —(dee (Bishop) "Now by day's retiring' lamp," with full orchestra] accompaniment, encored and repeated song..dr. L. W Lvans, Beside me and in response to demands for an encore, Ply- mouth Sounl"; violin solo, Mbs (J. Drinkwater- song, "Captain of the lifeboat" (Louis Phicll, Mr.' J. F, Proud: song, Killarney, Miss Javne ■l)av ies song, The Pilgrim (S. Adams), Mr. H. W. Evans song, Krnani" (Verdi), Miss Drillk, water, and encore song, Rosetnonde song, "The f village blacksmith (Weiss), Mr. Proud WeFh glee, Y Gwanwyn," the Choir. Mr. 1). C. Williams, of Glan lrfon, Merthyr (late of Cardiff Collcgek played the accompaniments, taking the place of Mr. Rhys Morgan, who v\ as invalided Mr. t Among the rcei'ved seat ticket-holders we noticed :— i Mr. and Mrs. Dan Davies, Mertlivr Mrs. < )swald Thomas and Mr. Thomas Iv an-, Gwent liou-e Mr. aud Mrs. Greener Mrs. Recs, South-street Miss Kvans, Talybont Mr. and Mrs. J). \y. Jones, High- street Mr. Hanis J-jaes Mr. and Mrs. Schonhart Mr. William Morgan, J.P.: Mr. and Mrs. E\ all Lewis Mr. and Mr. William Davies and Mr. Saunders Davies, High-street Miss Davies, High- street; Mr. and Mrs..1. T. DaAies, Armoury Stores Mr. J. Lewis, Penydarren; 1Ir. and Miss R. pj Ret-s Mr. and Mre. D. John Mr. D. James Mr. D. Jones and Mis. Kvan Jones, Gweenllwyn 1'ehaf Dr. J. R, Kvans Mr. Stanley Kvans Dr. Hindies Mr. Austin Mr. Rees Price Mr. W. D. Thomas, j Sun Stores: Col. D. R. Lewis Mr. S. -Ma kin Mrs' J. P. Ev aus; Mr. Harry EmtJs: and Mr..). M. Edwards, with other ladies and gentlemen. The one e tiling to be sorry for was that the hall was not packed. Combination concerts such as this ought to command success, as it is pleasant to have a small work of one of the great masters, and a little good variety after. Hut as at Christinas, so now good fare, but few feed- ing. However, there were sufficient present to clear the expenses of the tlid Ave trust the Tem- perance Choir Committee will have 110 reason to regret the putting before the public of such a treat as^the! above undoubtedly was.

KITS's COCOA.-(in um. 1, AM.COMKORTIW. —" Bv a tlwoivli knowledge of the natural Jaws which govern the operations of n,ii I (,f tllc (tnc prop'Tlii'S of \vcll--elcctc1 CoiiiA, Mr. Kpps lia-j «rt>» ided f»r our breakfast and fcupj>er a delieatelj flavoured Wvera^# • which may save us in.uiv ht<oy doctoK' bills. It is bv the judicious use of such articles of diet that a constitution may he jrradually built up until strong enough to resist ever*- tendency to disease. We may escape many a fatal shaft by keeping ourselves wc!l fortified with pure blood and a properly nourished frunic." -C:cit Serdre (Jiurtte.—Made simply with boiling water or milk. Sold only iu packets, b\ | Croeers, labelled—IAMKS Kris a; Co., Ltd.. llotiiu*>patlin: i Chemists, London. Also makers of I'pps's Cocoiiine or j Coi-oa-Xib K.xtract. A thin beverage of full flavour, ii.hv with 1 many beneficially taking the "lac, of tea. Its active pniieiple being a gentle m-rve stiinulnnl. supplies the needed ener.y I without unduly exciting the slun. 0-1 AVTANTKD the Public to k^nv that the Merthyr T T 7V»i's is tho eheaposSyand best house in the District for every descriptiioii of Printing. Uur i-tork of type in all tnc latest dtfigns is tube j equalled in town. Wiitc or ,i.k for <piotatiun« before froinfc'HsrMhcrc. Work turn>'d utfl promptly and in the best style. I

A GKOKGKTOWX I5AXkjuL IT. At tho Merthyr Banlnuptcy Court ou Wednesday, before Mr. Registrar Levis, the public examination of iliitun Knight, general haulier, Georgetown, Merthyr. was taken and the debtor liemg represented by Mr. W. lied doc, 011 In-half of Mr. D. ^Tones.Mr. Knight, whose liabilities were £ 259 16s. 51.. with L94 lls. lOd. assets, said, in it \l'ie<Î (;\P¡'I'i"IlCl', 11<11 inc: fornwrJy ilt'en [\ l¡anJillg' contrai-tor 111 the work-, the owner of a colliery ]ove| at Kbbvv "1\ innkeeper, and all ;(Tatt.of wafer manufacturer, in March, 1893. he made a deed c,f a-signnii nr. his liabilities then amounting to £ 600, and the tru-tr-es paid a dividend to the whole of the creditors. lie attributed to pressure by creditor- and heavy le^al expenses: to a loss of aixjut £ 500 on the level and to a loss 0f ;('>out £ 800 i ill the icrated water bu.-ine.-s through oppi'sition, he having f>een obliged to dispose of it for £ 270. although it liiii Iiiiii

A CA EH ARRIS jJAXKRUIT. At the Morthyr Bankruptcy Court, Merthyr, oil Harri- grocer. Caeharris. Dowlais. underwent his publi"- examination. The debtor, M'ho w as represented by Mr. I ughe-, of the firm of Powell aud Hughes. jJryum-iwr. stated thai his liabilities were £ 1.774 19s. 6- and his assets £ 271 4s. He commenced business ?in ye;us ago with a capital of £ 50, borrowed from hi.- f at her. who was a farmer living at Llandovery, He attributed his failure to the illness ot his wife and children during the !a-t three years, the doctor's bill- amounting tn £ 160. including a fee of 50 guineas paid to a .specialist to lo-wes of about £ 150 or £ 200 ou flour contrae; In- i'i\i>,g been obliged to sell a' I6-. 6<1. a suit; what had e, ,-t him 21s. to want of capital, and cotisopieni heavy bank charges, his oveuiratt having been u;> .vards of £ 500 for a consider- able period and to had debt*, the amount of which was £ 976. The elimination was d"chtred elo-ed.

liKM AKKA ].!LI> ( KXTRKKXCE AT ( HI"X. A PA PI'IST < "> I A l'KL DKsTRi > Y Ki». A ua.-t remarkable aifaii occurred at Cefn betv.een Sunday liigl-i and Monday morning. r«•Milling in "f t] Chapei. It appear- that while some collier*, veto proceeding to work eaily on Monday morning the}' > heard an^ ox'tsaordmary noise coming from the direc- tion of the chapel. Die- of the men, m ho was a mcmoer of the church ofwlnch the chapel formed part went into the graveyard and saw that something w.t, v,'i'o>ig- 'he man decided not to proceed to his work, and v.ent baek to ,-ee w.uat could lie done. An attempt was made to effect an entrance to the eltaix-I to see v.'hat v. hat wa-auu-s but on account of the masonry having given way the doors would not open. Lvemuully. how.-ver. an entrance was effected N1711(,l it fotlll(-l tlitt t: I condition. A water-pipe had burst under the foundation of the front wail, and tiie water having mode its way into the chapel had lendered tiie seats almo.-t unfit fot further u-e. An examination of the building was ma<!>- and iiiige crack- were found to have I teen caused ill th*' front aud .lower pinr; end, whist the M'indow sills had been cracked through, and both .-ides of the buihtmg completely destioved. No one seems to have tiie r. moti st j,,>w or when the water-pipe bur-t. tor ou Sunday eveiiing serv ice M'as held in the ciiao. I. ,iud m hen locked up about half-past eight the place was apparently quite safe..Some people residing ">■11 tne chapel state that about half- pa.St ei, n 11 Sunday night thev heard sounu- ot er.-ivknig, widen Weie related about three o cloeiv m the morning. When the men in the grave- yard saw tne condition of the front Mall they lost 110 time in taking^ steps to prevent its falling. Thev ovetturned the uead stones and grave stones, aud put up props to hold up the chapel walls. About, n. quartei-past .eight, the Rev. W. 13. Griffiths, the 1'(, '> ""nt !•> He immediately went to the ,]>• a; and b'Uml -ev.-ra! of the members alxiut. Mr Kic!i;i:\t S•*»* :3. L'oiii r, who off itnd ou has done -11" w.), ;¡I""ll tI" I¡¡¡iidiug', \¡h 'ieut for, and w hen ue urriveij lc di-ijiri u that the place Mas in a i"o-i dengerou- C.m1.n. ,nd oixlered the men to procuie -suuii o'-aiii- and blanks from his yard to i }'re><-iit fui'ilicr devastation. He examined the '"o.uing e,-i.iy. an-1 reported t-hufc it had been toi;l> de:. r-.v j-o. an I that the front and pine end "o'-aHi.-ivi •> taiien down altogether and rebuilt. I .:•• Mai'> on tne root t.lld the wuidov. s Weri'Stved, ;l,n.l hail it not been for the fact Iront nOiu' 01 tne chajal weie closed when ,v, g;;v'' XV:V>, th" whole building would in all iji'O'-ahii.-ty have fa'd--n. As it was, tiie nuvsourv in tne front re.-ted cntir.-iy on the front uoor. The i )esti;> adjoining m'ji-- (juite safe, and a chureii uieet- j l.ug was convened for .vf,.nuay evening to consider what steps shoti'd be taken to prevent further damage. It was resolved that an appeal lie made to the .School board for have to use the infant school to hold • b-u. -1 on ^udax. luasinucli a- it" was d .1 !i _Te: ou.- to -O if:, t!„ .-uaj.el. Ae-ordinglv a depu- tatiorr ,n-ii nj- je- Rev. W. Li. (-Jriftifhs. Mr. "■ 1 lek. r- ;,iid Mr. Jones. Bryncerdvn, were -ipifc'UitMl ou be members of the IJoard. The i.eput:<t;on Old so. and tiio Ikiai'd granted them leave <o.wor-ino at ti.e mfaut.- school. The wcek-uight v,l|k usual, oe le-lu in the vestrv. 'i he cause of rile damage was at first laid down to io iiie fact thai a siraia ..f quicksand known to exbi at tiie place had been put in motion by the recent- thaw. I t and it was iHiinted i.ut that a portion of Kbenezer Ciiupe] had sunk in tins manner and a great ga]i .•reared ill th. w all, au-1 that great difficulty was found in <_>'>taiiliug a tou;iiiat.:oii to the "Wesley Chapel oil accouiii' of the iif .sand. The sexton, however. KI)ows the ground well, scoffs at this theory, and j stales that although a thick lK-d of sand lies in the immediate vicinity, if docs not extend to the grave- yard o. under the chapel. Consequently the quick- sand had dothiug to do with the work of destruction. The Rev. \V. 15. (iritiifhs, the pastor, sutested another oi l luore [ilauutile theory for the s;h]CTk.cui'- rence. hi tu" fir-: place graves have been dug in the pine end, right under the foundation of the chapel down with the walls, and in the front "'rave- h-ive !>eeu ring to the depth of six feet or more within three or four feet of the front walk Consequently, when the watcr-pii>^ burst, it disturbed and loosened the earth around the foundations of the front and pim-end. which i>erhaps had also b.-en interfered with by t'iie recent thaw. The damage ..done amounts to hundreds of pound*, and it is the more to V deplored because it had been anticipated^ to hold a jubilee meeting in tho course of a few months to commemorate the 50th vear of the chapel, and the clearing off of the debt. 'Now, how- ever, this will have to be abandoned, and much sym- pathy i> felt for the members and the pastor, who for some years past have worked heartily to clear the existing debt, which un Sunday last amounted tj ;C.,)Ol whilst the church had £ 48 in hand to meet it. It is to be hoped that the sympathy felt v. ill as-ume a practical sha|>e, and that steps Mill betaken to relieve the church of its great resixmsibilitv. An appeal will he made to thu public, which vve hope will be generously responded to. The church lias a membership roil oi 110. but with the exception of some hali-a-dozeii, the whole are working-men in i«.H»r circumstances.

Till; ITM/DEX'iTAL AS^l'RAXCE COMPANY, LIMITED. It is with pleasure that we draw the attention of our readers to the forty-sixth annual balance sheet issued by the Prudential Assurance Com pan v Limited, winch apjxars upon the fourth page of th~is week.- 1/We have for several war* pi.-l rclerr-d to tu.- enormous amount of funds it th- back of the companv. and also to thereat increases made vear a,t« y.vtir both in funds and the number of policies i-sued. to company tipon an increase fund last, vear of £ 2.650 000" or :.5 ton- ot gold, making the assets of the companv in o itn branches, industrial and ordinary, to be £ 21.213,805. We believe we are iustified'in savin" that the income of the Prudential Compam it of the du-tiial offices and benefit societies in Great Britain ]I,t too "o tl).qt I;o lil,titilt,:Qll ill existence is so bound up with the life of the nation The sorrows of the country arc faithfullv reflected at Holborn Pars, the chief office. Never a Mreek an explosion, a pit accident, or any other catastrophe of any importance, that does not find its special record iu the books of th:- company. When the lamented catastrophe occurred on a Saturday eveniii" at Cil- fynydd Colliery a few mouths ago, earlv° on the Monday morning fallowing. Mr. P. ,F. Phillips, of 38 Union-terrace, Merthyr, the district superintendent of the Prudential. Mas at the pit's mouth with a htr^e sum of money, and before the end of the mck h"d paid insurance money to the relatives of the vicMms to the extent of £ 1,100. Mr, Phillips did not wait until the claims m;civ sent in, bur recognising the need there was of in-taut relief, he paid the money on production of the policies only. And here we may fitly refer to the truly paternal manner in m liicii the office has dealt by its working-class policy-holders in times of need. It is not so many years since the Prudential was commonly looked upon as an industrial office. That time lias passed away. The ordinary business of the company is now marly equal in fundi to, and has a. premium income of nearlv half as large, as. tho stufx-ndous Industrial Department This is a significant fact that tiie Prudential i" edueating the great- ma-«es of the pcoole to their economy, showing tlieni the wav to more oroiit-ible thrift, and passing them through the trainiiV'" «chuo] of its industrial department to fhat° hi-her class of insurance that the Ordinary department mu.st always repre-nt. The company is lifting tile life ot 1 ii' nation from a lower toum^hvi' iviul v.In n tlu1 <*coHomie lii^torv of the century comes to U: written it will be found that the I rudcntial more, perhaps, than any other companv has, eontiibuted to the elevating of the masses of the lieople, and to the improvement of their social well- being. A sjiecial supplement to the report ha- been issued, giving the list of the investments iu detail, which shows that the company has funds iu e.-ted in eveiv county in the kills-doni ",¡th but one ex--option It has often been urged that companies holding a large amount of public money should be- compelled to show exactly how tlicir money is invested. Tit" Prudential has not waited for any enact men* render- ing this compulsory. The income of the Merthvr district alone amounts to the enormous sum of over £ 21,000 per annum, and this sum increases vear bv year. No one can refute the .statement that! in the Merthyr, as well as other districts, immediately proof of death has been s.-iit inc.laims have boen V*«id, and not ill one -ing-te iii has the County Court been resorted to. which is iml-ei mure than satis- factory. 'J he chief district superintendent i- Mi. P. -I. Phillip-, of 3o. L'uion-street, Merthyr: and tiie following sectional -u)>enntcudc!its rt- it tht- company: Mr. p, W. Jones, 1, Dyke-street, 1 6. Merthvr: Mr. W, Kdwards. 6, Treharnv Mr. -I. P.o-U.-v, (j, ( baig-tei race, Dow hue' Btstdc. il(c-e t In ST.' arc aj;-nt.s leguhniv emploved by the eoiupaiiy, and so sat i: f,i. toi il v do t),eV ehai-f thcii ,iuti. -that their chief ha- littK it :n,v. wiust iociimpi.tui. [2069.

T I CYCLING GOSSIP. }{r "1: .vlr. ,F. }Tr Xcwtou, '-AA.ti. i1 h6 uew boll. Morgan and Wrig: makern, recently presented 9 < ;d^r with h *'oid <cial about £ 145 melting vrIu". i • b.eakuig ih-- >•.record, for tl)'d till ILI i All. Lewis i- not gi u g um i.-e. in !{'-• b- I ar< authorised to staf°. ai*-c" i* -i » u" iiremert ride the Gladiator cv!s ie I' e )|- e :> good man. and will make thing's ho.M iu I ..■ i'- l-'r.«ue«. shall hear of him again. ^33 M'ii- the price paid at the Maiiciivr'tcr Jjhow for Boudard-tfearfd Hfrvrori Hnmii-r. I here will be lour £ 4 hours raetss this year, 8 iW cru,nea pn'ic cup ¡'('lUg offered in one of them, Uo-ser. of the Swansea Ifarrien, I hear intends »' the Bordeaux-Paris race next rnontb- this is the chief road event in France, the distance i being about 37f miles. Tho L id;/ i.- t]ie latest. P v. a monthly at A. Y\. H;trris M ill go to Paris iifter his match with rcli fT. Thorn is talk of a big muster rid- ing down to see t he match. frjw I t is about the st/.e and shape of a Match, and bv simply firessing a spring the photograph is taken. The mile has boen done now ;n i tnin. M l-1! sec?. This is American, but is neverthless true. Fairlv done and honestly checked. Another six hour? r;icycomcs off at Putnev on the 23rd of this month. Lady riders promis' to be more numerous than ever this year. Sclvyt is :I, splendid thing for niekel-platmg. A home trainer is advertised by which you can do s mile on .vour machine l.ty riding (with, tins attach menti the length of an ordinary room. A mcct'iig of tbi- Mertlivr Cycling Club was held hnis,(iay night a' the Merthyr and Dowlais Conoe lavern, Mr. T. C. Compton, clothier, in the r'H'ai ^r 'e routine business had been disposed V, J'cn'yman M-as appointed cajitain and Mr. Compton secretary and treasurer. Mr. Comptan, j I may state takes a great iuterest in cycling, aid on uiore than one occasion striven to get up a cycling carnivitl^ for the lieiiefit of the Merthyr General Hospital. The necessary support fer such an under- tasmg did not show itself, but it is hoped that- with s club is a foundation, a carnival will be held at no distant date. I hear that Colonel 1>. R. Lewis has cell approached with a view of his becoming th- president of the club. lo gcl tuc grit out "f the '« a;,ng. after a tuuddv ri. e, loosen the t>canngs a little, turn the machine up- side de.wn so that, the haudle-bar and saddle arc o„ thu ground., pour paraflin freely iu the bearings and give the wheels a good turn. Mop up the filth at; it runs i.n.tt, taking care that tio oil get: on the tyres. ?iI.P. • li.ive formed a 'Vcluig dull called t'u« iS» btephen (A..1. Palfour. T. P. U'Conuor. and Herbert ••kid.-toii" ai'i.1 amoug the uiembcis. A teas]>oijnful of g'tvccriuc iu the nil will prevent if 1-biekcniiig.

TII E FATAL ACCIDKNT AT CYTARTHFA. Uii Wednesday, ai tlie Harp Inn, >> am < a-roej. Merthyr, Mr. K..1. Kh\>, e0runer. and a rurv of whom Mr. -John Jenkins was foreman, a!, inquest upon the body oi William Morgan, contractor under the C yfartlifa Co., who was killed by a fall of sturf in a coal level at Clwydyfagwr, al noon on Saturday. Ir. 0- F. Adaui > assistant inspector of mines and Mr. John JOIICE. Cyfarthia. wer« present. —Jvichard Morgan identified his brother's body, and ev iiicncc as to ihe circumstances eonuwt-ed Mith th" accident was given by John Jones, a collier, who was caught by the fall which killed the deceased, wnom lie M'as helping to remove a double pair timbers, and by John Griffiths, colltei. who said one pair of timber other than the pair Jones and Morcan Mere knocking out had discharged itself, about thre-- trains lagging then falling upon the de cayed. Evi- dence was-iveu abo by Williai«;Wdliam-, the over- man, and John James, i he fireman, and also a haulier. I here were nine men employed at the level, and the- timbering was taken out. A part m liich M as finished With die tiuiuer Mas good, and whilst the men ucsired to get away what thev could of il. th«v were instructed to run no risk, and evidcntlv deceased and • loncs were not aware that tliere was risk when thev pUK'eoded with the ^"ork, the nature of which was stated Morgan, although a .Jher, was'well acijuaiuted.—The iurv returned a \|-dt- of •» i,, i dental death.

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