The Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard

THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF WALES. THE perfectly hopeless condition of the managing body of this great institution may be inferred from a notice which is to be submitted to a meeting of the Court of Governors to be held at Lonsdale Chambers, London, on Friday, June 8th. This notice is worded as follows To consider the arrangements "to be made for raising the sum necessary to complete the College Building, and to authorise if required the hypothecation of such of the invested funds of the college as "are necessary and available for this purpose." That a meeting of Governors to,decide upon the hypothecation of the invested funds of the college should be held in London is itself objectionable. Two meetings of Governers used to be held at Aberystwyth before the election of representative Governors, but since then only one meeting is held, in October. The College was burnt down in July, 1885. Three years have elapsed since then, and meetings are now being held in Wales to establish committees to collect towards the building fund. The deep and widespread public sympathy aroused by that disaster has been carefully allowed to evaporate and now the London section are going to ask that the endowment fund should be hypothecated. Let the building be given as security, if security is required. We should like to know how the invested funds can be given as security for funds to complete the college buildings without endangering those funds. The simple fact is that the London official clique have failed alto- gether to avail themselves of the sympathy created by the fire and now find it difficult to raise the money required. As long as the college is mismanaged from London it is useless to expect any business-like arrange-nents to be made. It may not, however, be impossible to induce the friends of the college to bestir them- selves so as to prevent the college endowments from being imperilled. The feebleness of the efforts made to raise money in aid of the build- ing fund is pitiful, and would create roars of laughter if the issue were not so serious. The representative Governors may be asked why they do not attend the London meeting in force and put an end to any danger that may threaten the invested funds. The answer is simple. London meetings, in our opinion, are called to prevent large attendences, and if the people who call them are defeated at one meet- ing they call another. This practice has been carried on to such an ex- tent that members of the Court of Governors shrink from spending Y,5 or more in order to attend a meeting which is adjourned in five minutes. The farce of managing the college from London is so obvious that the opposition to removing the offices to Aber- ystwyth is only capable of one or two explana- tions. The neglect in not attending to the building fund as soon as the college was burnt down, ought to be more than sufficient to con- demn the London management. They have, I vre believe, caused thousands of pounds to be lost for no other reason than to prevent Aberystwyth from having the .credit of pro- ducing the funds they now find themselves short of. When the London officials were written to they said they were going to make all the necessary arrangements. Three years have elapsed and last week somebody went pottering to Towyn, only twelve or fifteen miles from Aberystwyth and held a meeting that should certainly have been held not less than two years and eight months ago The action I in trying to raise a fund for re-building the college well illustrates the whole system of management. The small sum the buildings were insured for was itself an instance of the same thing, and the careful way in which the great disaster was allowed to drop out of the public mind before anything was done is on all fours with the general policy. Nothing effective has been done yet, If the management com- mittee think they have done anything effective when they have sent an already over-burdened PRINCIPAL to Towyn and other places in the spare time between his daily classes, his Sunday preaching, and his nightly authorship, they are wofully mistaken. It is not by tentative efforts of this kind, however well meant they may be, that thousands of pounds will be raised. Whatever may be done or left undone the endowments of the college ought not to be pledged in order to raise money to pay for the buildings, and we trust the Governors will at any rate protest against any such like proceed- ings. I

DEATH OF COLONEL PRYSE. THE sudden and unexpected death of Colonel PRYSE, Pcithyll, lord lieutenant of Cardigan- shire, and formerly member of Parliament for the Cardigan Boroughs, adds another to the already long list of recent Cardiganshire bereave- ments. Within about three months there have died Mrs FRYER, of Lodge Park, Lord LISBURNE, Mr F. R. ROBERTS, Mrs MORRIS DAVIES, Mr LONGCROFT, and Colonel PRYSE. When a member of Parliament Colonel PRYSE was said to be the handsomest man in the House of Commons, and he retained his comely presence to the last. He was said to be most affable amongst his personal friends. but in public he was always on parade. He had strong views as to the relative positions of the classes, and never abated a jot of what he deemed to be due to him as Lord Lieutenant of the county, as an ex ntei-aber of Parliament, and as representing the- Gogerddan family. He seems hardly ever to have realised that the present baronet, who is 1 approaching fifty years of age, has attained his majority, and he frequently spoke of him- self as the representative of Gogerddan. The robust Radicalism of Cardiganshire was out of harmony with his notions of Libetalism, and during the past fifteen years he failed to keep pace with the local Liberal leaders, although at his death he was President of the Cardiganshire Liberal Association. He was not with the ad- vanced wing of Liberalism at the time the Irish Church was disestablished but after- wards approved of that great measure of justice. At the last election he was like many other good Liberals opposed to Mr GLADSTONE'S Home Rule policy, but when Mr Bow EX ROWLANDS defeated Mr DAVID DAVIES Colonel PaYSE at once invited the new member to Peithyll, put him on the Commission of the Peace, and generally accepted the situation with the best grace possible. He was a great Conservative force in the Liberal camp, and we almost always were more or less in opposition to him. He had ceased to be the centre of political power and influence in the county, and that a member should be returned for Cardiganshire, not only without the assistance but in spite of the opposition of Gogerddan and Colonel PRYSE must have been a severe blow to him. He was a grand old-fashioned autocrat, prepared to be kind and patronizing to all those who did not pretend to equality with him, but t-old and haughty to all democrats and Radicals and otner vulgar persons who ignored those differences of social position which he never failed to maintain. His sad death brings to an end an old order of things in Cardiganshire. He could not reverse the democratic currents but locally he stemmed them, and it was only because he was so utterly out of harmony with all modern forces that he failed in some of his conflicts with them The elementary teacher and the cheap news- paper were at work when he was out with the foxhounds, which he dearly loved, and when in recent years he came to take part in local movements he discovered that his name and example were less powerful than thirty years ago, and that people were wilful and disposed to follow new leaders who had no stake in the country and who were not even on the Com- mission of the Peace for the county. As Lord Lieutenant of the county Colonel PHYSE during the past ten or twelve years nominated many Liberals to be put on the Commission of the Peace, and at the present time Cardiganshire will compare favourably with most other counties in Wales in this respect. Our contention is that Liberals ought to be made magistrates as freely as Tories, and we never accepted the nomination of Liberals in any other sense than as an act of tardy justice. There is not at this moment a good Tory in Cardiganshire who is qualified to act who is not on the Commission, but there are plenty of Liberals. His successor, whoever he is, will probably be less fair. Colonel PRYSE believed it was his right and the right of his class to rule. He was prepared to make his rule beneficent to those who were obedient and duly thankful, but to those who ventured to assert themselves on terms of equality he had nothing to offer but exclusion from all benefits he could command. The manner of his death was startling, and the country has lost one who filled a large place in public life for more than thirty years, and who always commanded respect.

MINING ROYALTIES. No more important question can be discussed than the question of royalties on gold: silver, lead, coal, and other minerals found in Wales and other parts of the United Kingdom, and, fortunately, this is a question that can be dis- cussed without holding particular opinions as to the wealth laid bare in this or that particular mine, A large amount of rubbish has been spoken and written about gold in Wales, and before two years have passed away very much more will be spoken and written. We have nothing to do with individuals, however, and we shall not be deterred from what seems to us a right course of action by threats. We do not believe in the abounding riches of the Mer- ionethshire gold mines, and are strongly of opinion that somebody is destined to lose large y "I sums of money in the ventures which are beginning to crowd upon the market. The inhabitants of Dolgelley are carried away with excitement, but they would be wise to take sober and moderate vi^ws or the situation, and' not to believe all they see, even when it takes the form of a grand specimen of gold quartz. We have seen the rise and fall of several spasms of madness like that: which now afflicts Dol- gelley, and we do not believe life will have to be greatly extended in order to see the end of this phase. Landowners like Sir WATKIN WILLIAMS W .NN and Lord HARLECH, who sympathize with opposition to the Crown's demand for royalties on gold and silver, arc themselves royalty owners, and if the Crown has to give way to Merionethshire in reference to gold, private owners will have to give way in other pari s of the Principality in reference to lead, copper, coal, slate, stone, lime, and other materials. The royalty owner in Cardiganshire does nothing to.vards develop- mg lead mines. He takes no risk, shares no loss, incurs no rospousiblity, but he demands a fourteenth, or sixteenth "of the mineral dis- covered. Abolish or reduce the. royalties of the Crown on gold and silver and it would be impossible to retain private royalties on lead, copper, tin, and other minerals at their present height. The local question is important to Dol- gelley, but the subject is a national one, and if Crown royalties are abolished or reduced, as they ought to be, private owiaevs will have to make enormous sacriiSces. Whatever may become of the Merionethshire gold mining ventures, will in the long run be of little conse- quence compared with the advantage of gettiDg "I Z5 rid of royalties. Cardiganshire lead ininillg would at once become a possible industry ag111' That Welsh landowners should be wilhng to co-operate with anybody agai°st the demands of the Crown for royalties, n0*" heavier but lighter than are demanded by private owners, is an excellent sign of the timeS. The logical conclusion of the letters written by great landowners to the promoters of Tuesday night's meeting is that royalties are wrong an are an unjustifiable tax on enterprize an<* industry. We welcome these recruits agal?' ancient monopolies, and shall be glad to receive some practical assurance of their earnestness their new character as reformers. As one o the speakers put it, his idea was that it was unfair for the Government to interfere in "enterprises of that kind, and unjust for th0111 to claim part of the proceeds when they invested no money in the undertaking." other words all royalties are an imposition, aD should be abolished. Will the royalty ownelS of Wales deliberately give their adhesion to this doctrine and act t, upon it We don it. We will now venture to deal for a moment with Mr PRITCIIARD'S extraordinary profit and loss account, if we can do so witb°u giving mortal offence. Mr PRITCHARD MORGA^ himself evidently wants to get rid of royaltle altogether. That is the reasonable c011 elusion of his argument. At the outs0 we may observe that nobody in business reckons profit by merely calculating the margin ovt)r what is paid to the labourer. There are other legitimate expenses to take into account. Suppose a farmer took this of argument and said that a hundre labourers employed on the land at £ 1 a >vee could raise on average all the year round as much produce as would leave a balance of p1"0*1, of one hundred per cent, on the capital investe in labour, but if the landowner came in took Yl or XI 10s. per acre as rent for the land on which these men had worked, the there would be a loss, as more than all the pr° would be absorbed, and a great industry would destroyed. Would not this be a foolish way 0 reckoning ? This is a perfectly parallel case that of Mr PRITCHARD MORGAN'S. The or a private individual has land. A 10^ comes and says he will look for mineral. owner asks for a share of treasure, in the case before us a thirtieth. If the miner thinks ther^ will be a margin after paying royalties and expenses he goes to work. A farmer goes the owner and asks for the privilege of cultl" t I ing the surface of the soil. The owner asks for a certain sum as rent. If the farmer tbioks there will be a margin after paying rent he goes to work. We may be told that the miner a royalty in addition to rent. True, but he take away whatever is valuable while the far0^ increases the value of the thing he uses, a° pays rent for the privileg3 of dofng so. SUPP ose, '5 a shopkeeper were to say that his assista0 (J made him a profit of fifty pounds a year ( the amount paid to them in wages, b that he would have to discharge them beca° the scoundrel who owned the shop £ 60 a year for rent and left him £ iQ a year debt. Do not our readers see that it is absU^ to only take into account labourers' conducting any business 1 Rent, royalties, »D other charges must be taken into accoU0 before profit is reckoned. The only royaliti which can be defended on principle ate the royalties demanded by the Gro^ because they go to the nation which bog the only possible right to them. We 1ul believe that if royalties have to be paid Merionethshire gold mines the mines will n<^ be kept open, but we are far from believiDw that if royalities were not demanded that would be kept open. Of course mines cou* at kept open if men worked for nothing would have to be closed if men insisted UP° wages. Every additional expense on c0fal mercial undertakings tend to close the If3? profitable. Gold mining in Merionethshire is IIi a very poor way indeed if the handing over every thirtieth ounce of gold to the means absolute ruin. If this comparative| moderate royalty means ruin the e of it could only mean bare existence inhabitants of Dolgelley are not just now humour to listen to reason, }but they would well to be cautious and not to spend gold mining, or in providing for gold miners, they cannot well afford to lose. This fever just like other fevers that the victims do r recognize simply because they themselves a just like other fevers that the victims do re recognize simply because they themselves a re smitten 1

A COMING EVENT. m SOUTHAMPTON election, agitation against compensation clauses of the County ment Bill, demonstrations against the tax, dissatisfaction with the bottled duty, the uneasiness of Mr and his relations under their obscUrJ^e ard the rapidly deepening horror of country at the cruel coercion practised country at the cruel coercion practised the Ireland have brought the possible collapse oil 1? 6,%0 Government within sight. We do not that an election is imminent, but the time come when constituencies should begin to tJJoO those preparations which are never soon and are never too complete. In Cardj» shire the position is peculiarly unsettled. vjp is a good deal of talk about bringing Mr &e DAVIES forward again, and it is quite imyo;S O,f to say whether he will stand or not. W e bt that he affirms in the most positive manner t he will not contest the seat again, but he ca^v^s be more decided on this point now than he te& before the last election, and yet he was nom inqt;tl 0." and went to the poll, we believe, against hi3 direct intention. Mr DAVID DAVIES'S we are glad to know, is fully f and there is a section ot the people that he would easily beat anybody pitted a»a*niy him. Cardiganshire Liberals would cert& o not vote -with him, and unless he went bøC eot, all he ever said in favour of disestat'lisllrl),i III the Conservatives would not vote f°r he Besides, if he had the whole Tory would fail, for there are no Paper ^"n|°ake** worth mentioning in Cardiganshire to AV^j0uS the Liberals. The Conservatives are aI1 for a contest, and although they do not tt.to kindly to Mr VAUGHAN DAVIES, they 9 Ctit have nobody else able to make even a show of fighting. Mr VAUGHAN DAVIj:S^ -s Conservatives say, is a Liberal, and yet not sufficiently Libera1 to join Mr LAIN'S party if ever it gets outside Bir,13-, ,,I and the limits of his own family- '0 All organisation in Cardiganshire has uril £ sS unsatisfactory state for some titiie, 06,,ter something is speedily done bitterexper.!e°ct rj'jjC on may teach useful and necessary lessons- to- lee 1 great efforts put forth at the last alec suited in a certain degree of re-action ^ia f}! perhaps, natural aud ine vitable. The deat i ^j} I W. JONES. Lhvyngroes, was a blow tha j'oi" felt in certain ranks of the party. He coll" tk(f I' a great deal, and nobody has in any sense his place. The appointment of J. lty}1:,lcl FRYER as Clerk of the Peace for the couiw robbed Liberalism of a most active woi » his knowledge, experience, and i'1*.110' s0l\'e t not bt fully missed until Pavliara^nt is I