The Cambrian

All teachers are invited to tend to UNCLB ROBIN, The Cambrian," Wind-street, Swansea, particulars of anything suitable for publi- cation in connection with their schools—in- teresting personal notes about the children (with names, etc.) curious sayings, note- worthy examination results, etc. A HANDSOME PRIZE Will be given every week to the boy or girl who sends in the beat letter. Be brief and definite, and strive to write that which you think will interest. TO SCHOOLMASTERS AND OTHERS. Uncle Robin will wive a handsome prize to the boy or girl who sends in the best report of any school concert. Schoolmasters and teachers whose concerts have not yet been held would -oblige by making this known to their scholars. HAVE YOU AN IDEA ? IT MAY BRING YOU A VALUABLE PRIZE. Uncle Robin wishes to introduce a good and new competition among his little friends. There is often wisdom in the multitude, and so a handsome book prize is offered for the best suggestion sent in by Wednesday, Feb. 18th. THE SUGGESTION SHOULD BE BBTEFLY AND DEFINITELY STATED ON A POST-CARD. How, boys end girls, put on your thinking caps and set to work at once. and you may win a very handsome prize. Remember, on- ly post-cards should be used, and they should oe addressed to Uncle Robin, c.o. the Editor, "The Carabrian," 58, Wind-street, Swansea.

WELSH DICKY BIRD SOCIETY FOUNDED BY UNCL. ROBIN, MAUCH, 1899. sFOB THE PROMOTION OF KINDNESS TOWARDS BIRDS AND ALL LIVING THINGS. RULES.—MEMBERS' PLEDGE. I hereby promise to be kind to all living things, to protect them to the utmost of my power, to feed the birds in the winter time, and never takp or destroy a nest. I also promise to get as many girls and boys as possible to join the Dicky Bird Society. GENERAL RULES. I Every boy or girl is admitted a member on taking the above pledge. Each new mem- ber must sign his or her name to any list ilent to Uncle Robin. Each list must be ac- eompanied by a letter attesting the genuine- ness of the signatures, signed by the teacher of the school which the proposed members attend, or by the parents or relatives of the -girls and boys who wish to join our Society. The names, when thus guaranteed, will be entered in the Big Book, and printed in The Cambrian. All letters, which should be addressed to Uncle Robin," c.o. Editor, The Cambrian, Wind-street, Swansea, must 'be written on one side of the paper only.

SARTOR RESARTUS UP-TO-DATE. The general lack of picturesqueness about 'the present-day male attire is frequently la- mented, yet how many people are aware that the average man carries on his coat at least two historical relics, one of which dates back to feudal times? This relic of the times of William the Conqueror consists of the two buttons worn at the back of a morn- .ing or frock coat. The buttons are, of course, useless for any practical purpose, and, in- asmuch as they are certainly not decorative, you may naturally ask what they are there for. Satorial historians now tell us that these two buttons come down to us from the sword-bearing age, when they were placed at the back of the coat for the purpose of supporting a sword belt, which, together with the sword, has long since been dis- carded save by military men, the sole re- maining evidence of its existence being the two buttons. Thus, to this day they remain on our coats as mute witnesses of the days that are gone. The other historical relic which still survives in our modern coats is the nick in the lapel. Though you have been wearing coats and waistcoats ever since childhood's early days you have probably never thought to inquire whether or not there is any reason why tailors should con- tinue to make this nick. It is now recalled by sartorial experts that when Napoleon first felt the sway of boundless ambition he tried to implicate General Moreau in Piche- greu's conspiracy. As you will doubtless re- member, Moreau had been the Man of Des- tiny's rival, and was an exceedingly popular ,soldier, but in the circumstances, with Le Petit Caporal in power it was not safe to I publicly excess sympathy with Moreau. So it came about that his admirers and sup- porters secretly agreed to nick their coat la- pels to show their fellowship, the outlines of the coat, after the cut had been made, forming the letter M. It would be interest- ing to learn if men carry any other marks about their dress which have historical ori- gins or associations. Our dress, after all, has been evolved from that of those who liave lived before us.Daily Mail."

Mr. Alfred Harmsworth has given jB10,000 to the London Hospital, Whitechapel, to endow one of the three lamps started there for the light cure of lupus. Weldon's Crochet, 56th series (2d.), is de- Toted to making of Irish lace. The direc- tions are clear and easy, comprising instruc- tions for making Irish crochet collars, col- lars in Irish point, fine Irish point lace, Irish crochet insertion, revers or vest. The number is beautifully illustrated. The Electric Lighting Provisional Order Bill, which confirms certain provisional or- ders made by the Board of Trade under the Electric Lighting Acts, 1882 and 1888, has come before Mr. Lowther (Chairman of Oom- mittees of the House of Commons). The Bill confirms orders for electric lighting re- lating to Abertillery, Britonferry, Ebbw Vale, jLlandaff, Dinas Powis, Neath (Bor- ough),' and Tredegar. Formal evidence 'having been given, the Bill passed Commit- tee, and in due course will be reported for "third reading. Weldon's Ladies' Journal, June (3d.).-No surer follower of Fashion's footsteps will be found than this magazine. A paper pat- -tern of a charming summer gown, compris- ing the new tucked skirt and a smart bodice, also a large coloured plate of the latest cre- ations,^ are given away. One's summer at- tire cannot fail to be charming if selected from the many illustrations which attract the gaze. Smart gowns, dressy blouses, sty- lish boleros, coats, new capes, lingerie, fash- ionable sleeves, collars and neck finishes, millinery, fashions for matrons, are here in prolusion. That useful section, cookery, de- votes its space this month to the cooking of seasonable vegetables, while the articles on how to select wall papers, flies and fly-rests, good form, some rose tables, should prove most engrossing. What moles denote, toilet whispers, what horary astrology can tell you, and an engaging story "Mimosa," completes a most delightful number. CLAKM'S B 41 PILLS are warranted to cure in either MX. all required or constitutional discharge fr m the Urinary Organs, Gravel, and Paius In tht Bit-it. Free from Mersury. Established upward of 31 year- In Boxes, 4s. 6d. each, of all Chemists an Patent Xwfiein* Vendors throughout tbe World sent for sixty tramp* by tbf Makers, The LINCOLN AdD VNFTTW coinram DB" OowMtY. UBceta.

k AGRICULTURAL NOTES. I THE SELECTION OF ROOT SEEDS. j Selection for Feeding Value.-A great deal of discussion has latterly appeared in the agricultural Press on the subject of a so- called new method of selecting mangels, ) swedes and turnips for their greatest nutri- tive value, though this has really formed the basis of intelligent selection for many years past. To understand the point fully it is necessary to state that every root contains a large proportion of water, and relatively only a small proportion of solid matters. For instance mangels contain on the average 12 per cent. solid matters and 88 per cent. water. The best and most nutritive roots are of conse those containing the highest per- centage of solid substance, since the water is not nourishing. Still the! water must not be entirely disregarded, since it is in the I form of a palatable juice, which gives relish to dry foods and so promotes appetite. This is perhaps a more important matter than is I generally understood. Bailey sums up the question both tersely and correctly by say- ing—"It is found to be profitable to provide, even at considerable expense, a certain amount of fresh green food for winter feed- ing in the form of roots or like material, as a tonic to appetite and digestion. The nalat- ability of a ration of fodder, that is the readiness ot eagerness with which it is eaten, is a. matter of great importance. The nutri- tive effect of a ration often depends on this factor alone. In general animals will make a better return from a ration which is palat- able, even though it may not be ideally per- fect according to the standard, than they will from a perfectly balanced ration that they do not like. In many cases the quaiity of palatability is inherent with the fodder; in others it is due to the individual whim of the animal. It can only be determined for each fodder and each animal by actual trial." Then again the water consumed in fodder to a considerable extent supplies the require- ments of stock instead of water, which would otherwise be drunk; and, generally speak- ing, water adds tenderness succulency and palatability to fodders, so that, as previously remarked, the water content of roots is not to be disregarded. Still the roots containing the highest percentage of nutritive matter are those which have the largest content of digestible solid substances in proportion to their size. The specific gravity of roots shows their relative weight as compared with that of water, and is therefore the best cri- terion to their nutritive value. Selection of Mangels—In the selection of strains of mangel seeds it is necessary to seek thefhighest nutritive value and percentage of sugar, the largest yield per acre, the best keeping quality, and the most symmetric- ally shaped, small topped and short-necked roots, free from fangs and not tod long in form., though growing tolerably deeply in the ground. The nutritive value, as previously explained, depends on the quantity of di- gestible dry or solid matter contained in a root, and is indicated by its specific gravity, the heaviest roots in proportion to their size being the most nutritive. The selected roots are raised very carefully and without wounds or bruises, have their tops cut off an inch from the crown, and are stored in dry sand or in a clamp ,where they are separated from one another with thin'divisions of dry earth. When winter is past the chosen roots are carefully looked over, and those perfectly preserved are tested for specific gravity by I' being plunged into a solution of salt and water of at least 1.03 density (at least 400 grammes of salt to 10 litres of water); and all roots not at once sinking to the bottom are rejected as being of too low specific grav- ity. The denser or thicker the solution the better the test and the greater the nutritive value of the roots which sink. The selected roots are then planted 30 inches apart each way in good, well dunged and tilled land in a sunny exposure, and every cultural care is given. Superfluous flower stalks are re- moved early so as to leave only two or three of the best, and the principal stem is stopped to ensure uniform maturity. Hybridisa- tion is prevented by growing only one variety within a considerable radits. Selecting Sugar Beets.—Sugar beets should be first selected for size, shape, etc., and must then be subjected to a carefully made analysis, a small sample being taken from each for this purpose,- with a probe. Only the richest in sugar are kept for seed pro- duction, but the medium rich roots are planted round the best to prevent any pos- sibility of the flowers of the latter becoming inoculated with pollen from ordinary man- gels. Selecting Swedes and Turnips.-Each root is primarily selected for its symmetrical shape, heavy weight, small top ,thin neck and freedom from injury and side-rootlets: And its nutritive value is then tested in much tne same way as described for mangels, only the heaviest roots in proportion to their size, that is the most nutritive roots, those con- taining the greatest proportion of solid mat- ter for their size being replanted for seed production in rich well tilled land in an open sunny position. The best cultural care is necessary to ensure the heaviest possible and best matured seeds. ABOUT RAPE. This is a very important autumn crop for sheep keep, especially on soils rich in humus, on which it yields heavily if cultivated in rows 15 inches apart. The seed is usually drilled with 3 or 4 cwts. per acre of super- phosphate during May or June folr succes- sion from August onwards, the rows being hoed out like those of turnips, but not so carefully, and horse and hand-hoes being used for tillage between the rows. On an average the yield is ready for consumption 12 weeks after sowing, and early crops usually fit in conveniently before turnip-fold. If grown as a seed crop rape is sown during July or August, blossoms in early spring, and is ready in July to cut, tie in sheaves to dry, and then thresh on the field. INSECTS AND CROP ROTATION. By practising systematic rotation of crops the spread and propagation of many insect pests may be prevented. The system acts by starving the enemy out of the land. Many individuals die, and those which survive are forced to subsist on scattered weeds, with I the result of lessening their rate of propaga- tion. Quite apart from its relation to insect extermination there are many other reasons rendering rotation of crops most important. CLEAN CULTURE FOR INSECTS. The importance of clean culture as a means of lessening and weakening insect attacks cannot be over-estimated, as very many plant pests pass the winter under and in rubbish of one kind or another and practically all of these would be destroyed if all such vegetable rubbish were burned in late autumn. A capital rule is to clean away the remnants of each crop directly the produce is harvested and to burn them in a pit with lime or in the furnace. This applies very particularly to orchards, in which a certain proportion of dead wood is too often allowed to remain on the tree or to be stacked in some corner, where it serves as a breeding ground and harbourage for numerous plant pests. So* far as possible then each field should contain only the crop. and when the crop is off the land there should be left neither rubbish nor remnants. WILLIAM TOOGOOD, Southampton.

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LONDON'S OLDEST WELSH MINISTER. THE REV. OWEN EVANS, D.D. | l The current issue of "Christian Age" has an interesting biographical sketch of Lon- don's oldest Welsh minister. It reads as follows: "No man in the Welsh ministry is held in higheT esteem than the now venerable minister of the Welsh Tabernacle at King's j Cross. For half a century he has been a faithful servant of God in the Welsh Con- gregational Churches; and at his approach- ing jubilee he will be asked to accept from his multitudes of friends a very tangible token of their regard for him as author and preacher, and as a leader of enjfnepee in all good works. "When Dr. Evans was young, the means of education in the Principality of Wales were of the slenderest possible kind. It is true that, many centuries ago, Owen Glyndwr- the Welsh chieftain-laid plans for the es- tablighment of a Welsh University; but it was left for the fourth quarter of the 19th Century to translate that ancient dream into a solid fact, the result being that men like Dr. Owen Evans-who have been the teachers and prophets of Wales-have had to labour hard, and labour long, in the rough4, School of Experience and right nobly have many of these self-taught men worked their way to the front. "Dr. Owen Evans was born at Penybont- fawr, in Montgomeryshire, on the 19th of November, 1829. In the family there were seven sons and two daughters. There are two other sons in the Welsh ministry-the Rev. David Evans, of Carmarthen, and the Rev. Thomas Evans, who is minister at the quaint little seaboard town of Amlwch, in North Anglesey. "Dr. Evans was blessed with a most ex- cellent mother. She made the best possible use of both worlds, and had the proud joy of seeing three of her -sons in the pulpit of her native land; and, in the heart of a Welsh mother, this is about the fondest of all her ambitions. "As the eldest lad in a large family, he was soon obliged to take his place in the battle of life, and assisted his father at one of those small wool and flannei factories so commoh in the Wales of 50 years ago. Even there he improved the shining hours by using up all spare moments in the reading of such books as were within his reach; and-like Livingstone, at the loom-he was able to pick up at these odd times a considerable fund of useful knowledge. "He spent a few months in school, when about ten years of age, under "Ieuan Gwy- nedd," a familiar and honoured name in every Welsh home. He was also about ten years of age when he made his confession of faith in Jesus Christ, and entered into the fellowship of his mother church. It was soon evident that he was born for the pulpit. At eleven years of age he stood before a large audience to fire off his first temperance ad- dress. His parents removing to Llanfyllin -near the present Liverpool water-works--he came under the influence of its well-known pastor, the Rev. David Morgan, and at the age of 16 young Owen Evans was invited- according to the good old Welsh custom—to preach a trial sermon, so that his hearers might decide whether he should be per- mitted to devote himself entirely to the preaching of the Gospel. Like many another preacher of that gen- eration, he kept a Day School for a while, and filled up his Sundays with occasional preaching. Before long he was invited to the full pastorate of the churches at Berea and Penynydd (Anglesey), and on the Whit- Monday of 1851 was ordaifced. In 1854 he was called to the lovely Vale of Maentwrog, in Merionethshire, and in 1357 to the Welsh Church that then worshipped in Fetter-lane, London. After six years) in London, he re- moved to an important charge at Wrexham. From there he removed, in 1867, to the his- toric church at Llanbrynmair, so well known in connection with the famous Robertses, who exercised such a powerful and beneficent, influence in the Principality for at least half a century. "In the year 1881 he was invited to return to London to the church at Fetter-lane, and for the last 20 years he has laboured in this important pastorate with signal success. It was under Dr. Evans's wise and tactful lea- dership that the church removed from the somewhat confined premises at Fetter-lane to the larger and much finer building near King's Cross. He is at present the oldest Welsh minister in London, and with his great pulpit power, his unblemished reputation and his great literary gifts, he commands the first place gmong them. In 18§7 he was chosen chairman of the Welsh Congrega- tional Union, and delivered a. memorable address on "The Apostolic Church." Apart from his pulpit and pastoral work, Dr. Evans has been a considerable contribu- tor to the theological and expository litera- ture of Wales. His books are found in al- most every cottage) in the land. Altogether they must have had an enormous circulation. His best known volumes are "The Miracles of the Lord Jesus" (1868; "The Parables of Christ" (1873); "Hours with Jesus," 2 vols. (1882); "The Women of Scripture" (1886); "Last Words of Jesus" (1887); "The Sacri- fices" (1889), and a Volume of Sermons, pub- lished in 1899. Truly a splendid day's work! They are all written in Welsh, and are full of the substance and the savour of Evan- gelical truth. The style is simple, terse and vivid. He writes with a Bunyan-like di- rectness, the consequence being that he must be about the widest read author on the Welsh side of Offa's Dyke. "As a preacher, he has ,for a full genera- tion, stood in the foremost rank, and is in great request at the great "Cymanfaoedd," which are such a beautiful feature of relig- ious life in Wales. Dr. Evans is not pos- sessed perhaps of the oratorical gifts of his famous frien dthe late Dr. Heber Evans, but for (straightforward, enlightened, powerful utterance, he enjoys a national reputation. In recognition of his pulpit eminence, and the sterling quality of his theological writ- ings, the degree of Doctor of Divinity was bestowed upon him in 1886. "He is on the eve of resignation, after half a century of noble toil, but his friends are not going to allow him to retire without giv- ing him very substantial evidence of their love for one who has, with life and lip, so powerfully expounded the gosipel of redemp- tion. "As he retires into private life, he carries along with him the respect and the affection of all who know him. In their hearts they say, "Servant of God! well done," and wish him a serene and happy eventide. "Free from the trammels of a large city pastorate he will, it is hoped, be able to serve the churches for many a year to come."

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The Bishop of Hereford, who has succeeded in alarming the gambling fraternity by his Bill. is one of the bishops who t.-ke a delight in the friendship of the Nonconformists. He is a Liberal and a warm supporter of Lord Rosebery, who, by the bye, appointed Dr. Percival to the See over which he now rules. He has himself said that but for the educa- tional influenced of the Apppleby Grammar School he would have devoted himself to agri- culture. Instead of that, he has had a dis- tinguished career. At ,one time he was mas- ter of Rugby, and now he has reached the House of Lords.

A ROMANTIC STORY. 1 CARDIFF MAN'S CONTINUED ILL-LUCK I A man named Mr. Howel Jones, of Crich- ton-street, Cardiff, has just died in the Mer- thyr Workhouse Infirmary after falling down in an apoplectic fit at the Merthyr Railway Station. Upon his clothing being searched it was found that he was possessed of only 9d. in money. In an envelope in one of the pockets were several copies of a type-written letter appealing" for pecuniary assistance. There was also in the pocket a Cook's pass from London to Melbourne, which had cost seventeen guineas, together with a letter in- dicating that the pass had been sent to him by a lady in Australia to whom he had in- tended to go out to be married. In the cir- cular soliciting aid the deceased described himself as 54 years of age, and stated that for many years he was chief clerk and cas- hier under the Powell Duffryn Company, and that he afterwards held a similar posi- tion at the Welsh Ironworks, Hirwain. Fol- lowing that he was for six years tenant of the Swan Hotel, Aberamj^ He then em- barked in colliery speculations, and he lost all his savings, amounting to about £6,000, chiefly through the failure of the West of England and South Wales District Bank, and through the long depression which oc- curred in the coal trade after the strike of 1875. What business brought the deceased to Merthyr is not known. The funeral has been carried out at the expense of the relatives. A ROMANTIC STORY. Inquiries made in Cardiff show that the poor fellow seems to have had an eventful career. As stated above, he experienced prosperous times in his early days, but dur- ing the last seven or eight years he had suf- fered a succession of reverses, until latterly especially during the last year—he was fre- quently down to his last shilling. For a year or so he had lodged with Mr. and Mrs. Probl, in Crichton-street, Cardiff, upon whose kind- liness he had at times been obliged to throw himself. It seems to be quite true that he was about to go to Melbourne. The nar- rative of this part of his story begins in the days of his youth. Before he was twenty years of age he lived at Tredegar, and then fell in love with a young lady of the same place, who was then aged about seventeen years. Her parents, however, went to Aus- tralia, taking their family—'including the young lady in question. This was a com- plete separation for the young people. He married another in Wales, she another in Australia, and the two lost sight of each otheT entirely. He made money, became proprietor of the Navigation Hotel, Abera- man, brought up a family, sold the hotel for £7,000 several years ago, returned to dealings in the colal trade, and then (through bank and other failures) lost his money. His wife died, his family went out into the world, and as his misfortunes came upon him he was left a widower and alone. Then, somehow, he heard of his old sweetheart, and a correspondence was opened between them. She, it appeared, had met with fortune so far as rcaterial affairs were concerned, but had lost her husband. Her family had grown up, were all married, and were doing well in the far-off Colony, and she was left a widow with more than ample means. An almost natural sequence was that the old love returned, and a marriage was arranged between them. She proposed to come to Eng- land, but he elected to go to Australia. His misfortunes were made known to her, and the pass to Melbourne that was found in his possession was sent to him by her. His arrangement was to go to Australia by a boat leaving England on or about the 7th of next month, and the typewritten letter found upon him was the copy of one that he had sent to a number of friends. He had the pass to go out, but felt that he did not want the lady to know the full extent of his pov- erty, so he hoped that some of his old friends and acquaintances and relatives would give him a little each, which would enable him to start with a respectable outfit and also with a small amount of pocket money. He had relatives at Pontypridd, and his jour- ney on Sunday was to have been to that ttown, hiis object being primarily to heal up a slight difference that had occurred, and he also (as he said before he left) hoped to "get a couple of sovereigns," given to him. But in order to take the journey he was obliged to borrow a shilling from one of his fellow lodgers and one from his landlady. During the last year he had been trying to get orders for coal and other things for sev- eral fimrs, but had met with a considerable run of bad luek.

KRUGER AT HOME. The news that Sir James Sivewright, who left Scotland as a telegraph clerk 30 years ago, has (says "M. A. P.") come back to set- tie in his native country as Laird of Tully- allan Castle, the fine estate in Fife that he has just bought from Lord Lansdowne, re- minds me (writes a Scottish correspondent) of an interesting conversation I had with him just before the outbreak of the war in South Africa. Sir James, as Cape Minister of Crown Lands and Public Works, had had oc- casions of frequent intercourse with the President of the Transvaal; and he gave me an amusing description of a certain visit he paid him in connection with some pro- jected railway through the South African Republic. Mr. Kruger had a. considerable allowance made to him for the purposes of entertaining; but it seemed that his idea of hospitality seldom soared higher than the cup of coffee-and very good coffee it was— which he was accustomed to offer to his visi- tors. His usual hour for granting audiences was an extremely early one, from half-past 5 or 6 a.m. until (his breakfast hour) he sat on the stoep of his house under a ver- anda, smoking pipes innumerable, and in- terviewing people of all conditions on all sorts of business. On the morning of Sir James's visit he was engaged for some time in settling a cdnjugal dispute. A Boer far- mer came to him with a series of complaints against his wife, which the President heard and adjudicated upon with great perempt- oriness and decision. Immediately after- wards the lady herself appeared on the scene with a tale of grievances against her hus- band so the whole matter had to be gone into again da capo. This little affair took so long to settle that by the time Sir James had haahis audience and finished his busi- ness, it was closet upon 8 o'clock; and his Honour hospitably insisted—for once—that his visitor should stay and breakfast with him. "JJohanna," he shouted, t|aking his big pipe out of his mouth, but not other- wise moving, "Jbhanna," and presently a black domestic appeared round the corner. "Breakfast for two," roared the President, "and plenty of it." After a little delay the meal was announced to be ready, and host and guest sat down at table. Mrs. Kruger, who did not keep such early hours as her husband, was not visible. Mr. Kruger first said a portentously long grace—of course, in Dutch—and they were then each served with an immense beef steak. The President de- spatched his portion with almost incredible speed, and then followed the second course, consisting of two huge wooden bowls of bread and milk. Nothing else whatever was served with the meal, but at its conclusion the old gentleman shouted loudly, "Johanna! Kaf- fee!" After some time & little girl made her appearance and announced that there was no more milk. At this the President flew into a great passion. and pointing out of the window with his pipe—which he h.td already resumed—cried out: "No milk! What then are all those cows out there for P" There were two or three grazing in a small field at the back of the house. However, Sir James could not wait for the milking, as he had to catch his train back to Cape Colony; so he took leave of his host and departed coffeeless.

Miss Josephine Holman, as recently an- nounced, is to marry Signor Marconi, the inventor of wireless telegraphy. Signor Mar- coni was travelling to Europe on the Ameri- can liner St. Paul, and on the same boat was Miss Holman, who is a young New York lady with a host' of English friends. They met, and the engagement was very soon announced. Miss Holman is a daughter of the late Mr. Justice* Holman, of Indiana. Signor Marconi was born in Italy, but he is partly of British descent, for his mother be- longed to a well-known Irish family. It is expected that the marriage will take place in the autumn, and that the inventor and his wife will reside on the south coast.

SWANSEA COUNTY COUNCIL. ADOPTION OF THE BRYNMILL AMEN- DED SCHEME OF DRAINAGE. POLICE BAND.—SUNDAY TRADING PROSECUTIONS. A social meeting of the Swansea County Council was held on Friday last for the pur- pose of considering resolutions, adjourned from the last monthly meeting, dealing with the Brynmill drainage, Sunday trading pros- ecutions, and the proposed resuscitation of the police band. The Mayor (Mr. Wm. Wat- kins) presided, and there were also present: Aldermen Daniel Edwards, Gwilym Morgan, W. P. Wearne, Howel Watkins, and Fred Bradford; Councillors H. A. Chapman, Griffith Davies, W. H. Spring, Morgan Hop- kin, Dr. J. A. Rawlings, Richard Fender, GcoEge Payne, Howel Lewis, H. 6. Solomon Wm. Williams (Wern), John Harvey, Major A. Sinclair, Dr. M. O'Sullivan, E. W. Jones, J. Moy Evans, Roger Thomas, the Hon. Odo Vivian, Morgan Tutton, Thos. Merrells, J. Lee, David Matthews, David Jenkins, E. G. Protheroe, the Town Clerk (Mr. John Thomas), and other officials. BRYNMILL DRAINAGE. At the outset, the Mayor called upon the Hon. Odo Vivian to move the following re- solutions which stood in his name on the agenda paper: (1) "That resolution 623 of the Council of the 16th April last approving of the scheme for the Brynmill outfall sewer be rescinded." (2) "That the Council do adopt the scheme referred to as the Pier Head scheme in connection with the drainage of the Borough, and that the engineer be in- structed to prepare detail plans and esti- mates of the cost of the proposed worts, in new of application being made to the J.oc.al Government Board for power to raise the necessary n}(ney.,r Mr. Moy Evans, interposing, asked to be allowed to present a petition, signed by Lord Swansea and Lieut.-Col. Morgan, and about 630 of the 1 ding householders of the St. Helen's War1, against the Corporation pro posal toi plac" a sewer and septic tank on the foreshore opp; "ite Brynmill on the ground that such a cheme would cause not only depreciation hi the value of property, but an injury to < he attractive nature of the sands, the pai and the residential sub- urb. Rather tl'^n adopt such a scheme the petitioners hop d the proposals would be agreed to, whei. by the congested district of the Sandfields c/uld be relieved. The petition w xs put in, and then The Hon. Odo Vivian submitted the above resolutions, and, in doing so, first of all ex- plained that hiy grounds were that the re- solution adoptin what was known as the Brynmill scheme was passed by a side issue, that a scheme h? 1 been agreed upon on the merits of VI hich they had had no medical omcer's report, r id that by adopting the septic tank, the ( uuncil were embarking on a system of sewag treatment which was but in its infancy. 1-, only one seaport had a similar scheme bf n adopted, and the only expert evidence in lavour of the septic tank before the Corpoi tion was that of a pa- tentee. The Local Government Board, he went on, had prac' cally admitted that the septic tank system 'as not entirely success- ful. He had absolute confidence, however, in the Pier Head scheme, which, moreover, drained a district comprising 16,000 people, as against 6,500 in the Brynmill Amended Scheme, and was, therefore, cheaper per head of the population, the respective* cost being £5 in the Pier Head Scheme, as against £9 in the Brynmill Scheme. The Pier Head Scheme, furthermore, would not destroy the beauty of the foreshore, as the sewage matter would be carried right out to sea, which would not be the case with the scheme that had been adopted. Some refer- ence had been made to the building over of the Singleton Estate, and the impossibility of draining it by the Brynmill Scheme, but he would say that supposing the estate were built upo there should, and probably would be a fine promenade made along the Mum- bles-road, with the houses set back on the hill so that the drainage of that estate would not affect either scheme. In proof of the fact that the sewage would be washed back upon the foreshore if the Brynmill Scheme were carried out, he would tell the Council that only recently he saw a long line of ashes along the beach. He drew the at- tention of Mr. Wheatley (the Corporation assistant solicitor) to the fact, which could not be got over by all the theories advanced to the contrary. In regard to the septic tank system, there were some things such as brew- ery refuse that would not be decomposed, while it had been ascertained that microbes could penetrate through the filter beds. Finally, in the Pier Head Scheme they could at any time, if it was found to be desirable tap the sewer and run most of the sewage of the town through at a very little extra cost, which could not be done in the case of the Brynmill Scheme. Answering Mr. Morgan Tutton, the Bor- ough Engineer (Mr. R. H. Wyrill) who had, with. the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. Ebenezer Davies) reported in favour of the Pier Head Scheme, said that in both schemes there was not much difference in the matter of tapping the sewers except that the dis- tance was in favour of the Pier Head Scheme, as it could be done opposite Argyle-sereet. By Mr. Martin The distance being shorter, the gradient is steeper I am only speaking of the main portion .of the town. Mr. Martin Oh, I De. In seconding, Mr. Moy Evans, the recently- elected member of the St. Helen's Ward, made a capital speech. He said he seconded with the more confidence because he re- presented the ward, which was more im- mediately affected by the question, and be- cause he knew he represented the feelings and opinions of the great majority of the inhabitants of that ward. This was evid- enced by the fact that the petition which he had had the honour of presenting to the Council was so entensively signed. It would have been still more extensively signed had opportunity been given. Speaking for him- self, he could testify that in the neighbour- hood of Bryn-road the inhabitants were practically unanimous in their opposition to the Brynmill outlet. In the Avenue and the Sandfields he need hardly say the feel- ing was equally strong, an dthat not orily from a. fear that the sands might be inter- fered with and polluted, but also on the ground that these districts could not be served with an outlet at Brynmill. It was said that wise men came from the east, but he could not find it stated anywhere that all wise men came from that point of the com- pass. (Laughter.) He modestly suggested that out of the large number of people who had signed the petition, there might be a few (he put it no higher than that) who were capable of forming a sane judgment as to the merits of the schemes for the drain- age of their district, and whose views were entitled to the serious consideration of the members of the Council. The result of the voting at the). April meeting of the Council waa in the nature of a surprise. At a pre- vious meeting the amendment in -favour of the Pier Head Scheme had been passed, and had become the substantive resolution. A motion was made for the adjournment of the discussion, for the ostensible purpose of obtaining the reports of the Medical Officer of Health and the Borough Engineer, with regard to the various scheme's. These re- ports were duly made, and were, he might say, without fear of contradiction, de- cidedly in favour of the adoption of the Pier Head outlet. That, however, did not help matters. The result reminded one very forcibly pf the old saying, slightly amended, "Councillors convinced against their will, will h^ld the same 'opinion still." A fur- ther amendment was proposed for thei ad- option of the Brynmill outlet, plus the septic tank, and, unfortunately, that was carried. It was this resolution which it was now de- sired should be reconsidered, and, he trusted, rescinded. Councillor Tutton, in speaking of the Pier Head scheme, raised certain points as to levels which certainly were at times very puzzling, and which no doubt pre- judicially affected the judgments of a good many of the members. He (Mr. Tutton) had since had an opportunity of examining the plans, and of reconsidering the question. If he had done so he (Mr. Moy Evans) had no doubt he had come to the conclusion that his observations were not warranted, and he would, he was sure, with his well-known love of fairness, takei the first opportunity of explaining that the objections made by him were not justified by the. facts. The adoption of the Brynmill outlet, plus septic tank,was moved by Councillor Rawlings. On a great many subjects he (Mr. Moy Evans) found himself in accord with the doctor; but upon some questions one felt bound to differ from him, and this was one of them. In speaking to the resolution, the doctor, it would be remembered, gave it as his opinion that if crude sewage were discharged into the bay at Brynmill there would be no risk of pollution or damage to the sands. His (Mr. Moy Evans') common sense compelled him to differ, and he thought the opinion of their Medical Officer of Health on that point was more likely to be correct. As Councillor Rawlings held such extreme views, he ven- tured to submit that on this subject he would certainly not be a safe guide to follow. A good deal had been said about "the septic tank process of treating sewage, but it must be admitted that in adopting the sep- tic tank without the accompanying filter- ing beds, they would be adopting half the process oTily, and that not the effective half. The filtering beds really formed the most important part of the process of sewage pur- ification. A well-known expert, Dr. Dibdin, had publicly stated that given proper filter- ing beds, he would do without a septic tank, but he (Mr. Moy Evans) could not find any- one, expert or otherwise, had had the temer- ity to say that given a tank he could do with- out the filtering beds. Of all the large towns it had seemingly been left to Swansea to make the risky experiment of trying half- measures. At Brynmill there was no room for filtering beds, and in the scheme which had been adopted, it had not been possible to make provision for such beds. What takes place in the tank is decomposition and putre- faction. The anaerobic microbe is busy at work reducing the. sewage to a seething mass of decomposed matter, while in the filtering the aerobic microbe brings about the purificar tion. It was true that the sewage will, as a rule, leave the tank in a liquid or semi liquid state, but it would be in a far more ad- vanced stage of decomposition than when it entered, and in this state it was proposed to discharge it through the sewer into the bay at low water. In the tank, certain foul gases would be generated—principally marsh gas. The only proposition he had heard for get- ting rid of those gases was to utilize them for illuminating purposes, that was that lamps should be erected over the tank or in the roadway in the vicinity, which would burn the gases night and day. The pressure of those gases would not be constant. What would happen if in consequence of want of pressure, or otherwise, these lamps were to go out, must be left to the imagination to conceive? Then, again, so far as he could judge, there did not appear to be any proper provision—indeed, he questioned whether proper provision could be made—for the dis- posal of storm water. No doubt a good deal of the surface storm water would find its way, as heretofore, into Vivian's stream, but a considerable volume of such storm-water must find its way through the sewers. Now, it was a. well-known fact that if sewage be diluted with too much water the anaerobic microbe would strike work, and there would be a cessation of decomposition. The con- sequence would be that at times crude sew- gae would, of necessity, be discharged into the bay. This was an evil the magnitude of which they all recognised. He would not refer at length to the unsightliness of those huge drain pipes on the sands. That was a fact that was patent to all. But there was one point which did not seem to have been referred to by any prior speaker. He be- lieved he was right in saying that this piece of ground upon Or under which it was now proposed to construct the tank, was origin- ally acquired by the Corporation on the dis- tinct understanding that it should be used for recreation purposes only. If that were so. then they were certainly not justified in utilising it for the purpose of constructing a eewage tank upon it, and he should be sur- prised if the Corporation were permitted to do so. He sincerely trusted no question as to this would arise. No such question could arise if the Council adopted the scheme which had been so favourably reported upon by the Medical Officer of Health and their Borough Engineer. He had already endeav- oured to show that the opihion of the Ward was against the adoption of the Brynmill outlet, with or without a septic tank-and that opinion was held, not only by the oc- cupants of Villadum at Brynmill, but also by the intelligent working-men of the Sand- fields. To a good many of the hard-working householders of that district, it was a mat- ter of grave moment that nothing should be done to tamper with the beauty or salubrity of the sands. To a large extent they were dependent upon the visitors, who made Swansea their summer resort, and who came here in increasing numbers year by year. They might say what they liked, they might refer to' so-called expert evidence, but with these huge drain pipes in full view on the sanAp, it would be impossible to convince visitors that Swansea Bay had retained its far-famed salubrity, or that it was a desir- able thing to bathe in its sewage-contamin- ated waters. The Brynmill outlet must at beat be considered as an experiment—an ex- periment which, as he had explained, the majority of the inhabitants of the neighbour- hood felt would result disastrously. Why try that experiment when they had a well-con- sidered scheme which would not only drain the district covered by the Brynmill scheme, but would also drain a considerably larger area? It was admitted that at present the Avenue and Sandfields were very inade- quately drained. Now was their opportun- ity of effectively dealing with the drainage of those districts. If they failed to take ad- vantage of that opportunity, it needed no great prevision to prophecy that sooner or later they would be compelled to undertake additional work which would entail a large outlay of money. It had been stated that there was a difference of £20,000 between the costs of the two schemes. Even if this were so, the difference was more than compensated for by the additional area drained, and by the relief to low lying portions of the town. But what was the difference in cost? Pur- suant to 81 minute of this Council, passed in December last, the Borough Engineer made an estimate of cost. The Brynmill outlet, with a septic tank and a double line of pipes on the sands, he estimated would cost £58,600 and in conjunction with this scheme he re- commended the extension of the 6ft. sewer from Somerset-place to York-street at a fur- ther estimated cost of £ 12,100—thus making a total sum of JE:70,700, as against the JB80,000, ot rather £78,000 odd, which was the esti- mated cost of the Pier Head scheme. On the ground of expense, therefore there ought to be no hesitation on their part in adopting the scheme, which would admittedly improve the sanitary conditions of the Avenue and the Sandfields, and which would sensibly re- lieve the main sewer of the town. At best the Brynmill scheme could only be considered as an experiment, and it was the honest opin- ion of the great majority of the inhabitants Of the Ward that it would be an experiment which must result disastrously. In their beautiful,-Sands they had a splendid herit- age, the fortunate possession of which added incalculably to the attractions of Swansea as a residential town. It would be grave folly on their part, nay, worse, it would be sheer vandalism if thwy, by any act of theirs, did anything to pollute or damage those sands, or even create a suspicion that they might be contaminated. They stood in the position of trustees, not only for the present inhabitants of the town, but also for their successors. Let them realise their responsi- bilities, and leave the sands untouched, so that some future Walter Savage LandCr might yet be able to enthusiastically describe and extol their beauty. (Hear, hear.) If they could not do anything to improve them, let them, at any rate, do nothing to deface or mar their beauty and usefulness to the com- munity. (Hear, hear.) Dr. Rawlings was fully persuaded that the people who signed the petition presented by Mr. Moy Evans were under a complete mis- understanding in regard to the properties of the spetio tank. As to the Brynmill scheme likely to depreciate property, he would say nothing on that point except that it was a matter of pure sentiment. With all calm- ness he asserted that this scheme would not in the least injure the health of the residen- tial suburb, nor interfere with its attrac- tions—th4 parks or the promenade. Mr. Councillor Vivian had said that the Bryn- mill scheme was adopted by a side issue. That was not so, for the decision was come to only after arguments which lasted an hour and three-quarters. Then, again, they were told there was no medical report upon this scheme. Well, he would supply one from the Medical Officer of Cromer, which was a most fashionable seaside resc/rt on the east coast— having its sands and its promenades fre- quented by some of the best people of the country—and a place where the authorities would be the last to do anything to interfere with the salubrity of the climate, or cause a nuisance to their neach. At Cromer they had almost the same difficulties as Swansea was contending with, and Dr. Barton, the medical officer of health for that district, and one of the leading practitioners in Nor-

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——— wich, had written to him in these terms: — "Dear Sir,—We have been much bothered at Cromer, when certain* winds were blowing, by the solid, fetid matter and paper being cast up on the beach; which at certain times destroyed its. 'beauty. Again, at certain times, sewer gas was- forced through the manholes, etc. For these reasons, the au- thorities' wisely determined to use the closed filter tanks" (the ordinary septic tanks, Dr. Rawlings observed) "made under the promen- ade with the best results. They have had twelve months' experience, so that it is not now experimental. The fetid matter runs into the sea like beef tea-not a sign of solids —while the gulls have forsaken, the outlet,and there has not been a. case of complaint of sewer gas since. We have no filter beds; I do not see what use they are with the sea at hand to run the effluent inta." That, said Dr. Rawlings, was a complete answer to the statements made with reference to the public health of Swansea suffering, or the attrac- tiveness of the beach to the visitors being interfered with. But if any member of the Corporation desired further information on the septic tank, he could get it from Mr. Morgsm, ;he surveyor to the Pontardawe Dis- trict Council, who was at the present time carrying out the system for that district, with, of course, filter beds, as it was proposed to run the effluent over the land and not into the sea. He (Dr. Rawlings) still held to the belief that if the crude sewage were run into the Swansea. Bay no injury to. the public health would be caused, but to make assur- ance doubly sure, he favoured the adoption of the septic tank, believing, to quote words used by Councillor Vivian himself, that then there could not be any offence. The Hon. Odo Vivian: I have never said in this room that the adoption of the septic tank would give no offence. Dr. Rawlings, Well, there is the newspaper. Aid. Rowel Watkins was not at all con- vinced by the argument from Cromer, as there the system had only been adopted twelve months, and therefore the solid mat- ter in the tanks had yet to be dealt with. That was his objection to the septic tank, for no action of microbes would destroy the solids entirely. A voice: Yes. Aid. Watkins: Well, I am informed other- wise. The removal of that solid matter, he went on, when it had to be done at Cromer, would be offensive. He did not know of any case where septic tanks had been thoroughly discharged and cleansed, and so to him they were like the old cesspools, which were writ- ten down by the medical officer of health years ago,and the present system inaugurated. He (Aid. Watkins) favoured the Pier Head scheme, because it would afford relief to the ratepayers of tihe Sandfields and the St. HelenVavenue, who had been patient, and suffered so much for years, and because the Brynmill scheme would not afford that re- lief he hoped the former one would be sub- stituted. Another reason why he favoured the Pier Head acieme was that any plan for discharging sewage into the bay would be experimental, whereas they had discharged into the river without a single complaint being made. And when they remembered that it was now proposed to make the outlet at a point further towards the Pier Head, he thought that that was all the more reason why the Corporation should follow the lines adopted in the past so successfully and dis- charge the sewage into the river. Then, again, both the engineer and Medical Officer of Health had reported in favour of this scheme, and he would be a bold man whd would go against them. In conclusion, Aid. Watkins, sincerely hoped that the Council would save Swansea from the pollution of its sands, which were now more frequented than ever before. Mr. Richard Martin said that what Aid. Watkins's argument amounted to was that the sewage discharged into the river was no nuisance, but sent into the wide sea. it would create one. (Laughter.) For himself, he maintained there would be a genuine risk of danger to the public health if the sewage of the town was confin3d to the harbour. He had refused to go in for the Brynmill scheme unless there was a chance of the solids being got rid of, as could be done by the adoption of the septic tank system, but in the Pier Head scheme there was to be no attempt to do this, but to allow the fetid matter to dis- charge among people who were as much Swansea people as they were at Brynmill, and who would have to work alongside it through a hot summer, perhaps, and risk a far greater danger to the public health than if the sewage were even washed back upon the sands. As to the solid sediment in the tanks, that was comparatively small-at Ex- eter it was about four feet deep after four and a half years-and could be removed by means of fin occasional wash-out from a bot- tom pipe', after the manner in which mud was removed from a boiler. So that they saw there wag nothing in all those bogies that were being set up on that point. The Hon. Odo Vivian: But where are we going to send this solid matter? Mr. Martin: Into the sea. It is inorganic, and I say we do not, in Swansea, require fil- ter beds, because the sea is a better oxidiser than any filter bed would be. Continuing, Mr. Martin asked where was the sense of the Borough Engineer asking the Corporation to lay a. main eastward when Swansea was growing to the west? Mr. Wyrill admitted that to be of any effect the sewer for Bryn- mill must be raised twenty feet above sea level, and the farther they went westwards the higher that twenty feet would have to be raised in order to get a sufficient fall. That being so, how were they going to drain, if they adopted the Pier Head scheme, the low-lying levels of Brynmill. It could not be done, and so the lower portion of the dis- trict in the west-end would have to be pro- vided with a separate sewer on the foreshore. No engineer worth his salt could possibly think of getting Swaneea carried further to the westward without providing an outlet at Brynmill, and if th" Borough Engineer said differently, he would put leas value upon him than he did at the present time, because he knew that no engineer could do an im- possibility. He believed that for the future of Swansea they must now face the Brynmill sewer and now they had the septic tank that would remove possible annoyance, he did not think that even the sentiments of some of the St. Helen's Ward residents should stand in the way. Mr. Morgan Hopkin was of opinion that the Pier Head scheme would be sufficient for the drainage of the Brynmill drainage for fifty years to come, and maintained that there was not a member present who could say that the sewage now discharged into the river remained there. Major Sinclair claimed that the letter from Cromer at least justified the Swansea Cor- poration in not going in for the original Brynmill scheme—that was without the sep- tic tank—and proceeded to argue that the I comparative cost of the amended scheme* and the Pier Head scheme was, when they re- membered that the Borough Engineer had reported that the York-street district should. be relieved, very little different—some J68,000 more for the Pier Head, scheme. On the ques- tion of the septic tank, he admitted that the action of the microbes practically con- verted the whole of the sewage into liquid, but said that the action appeared to him to be like that of the Kilkenny cats, with the exception that there was a survival of the fittest. That was to say, some kinds of microbes remained behind, and they might possibly do good or they might do harm. The question was then whether it would be bet- ter to turn the raw sewage or the effluent of the septic tank into the bay? He' believed it would be *'ar safer to turn the raw sewage out. Quoting opinions from Manchester and Yeovil, he maintained, that filtration was ab- solutely necessary if the septic tank system was to be used at all,, and said the prospects of a successful application to the Local Gov- ernment Board for the carrying out of an incomplete scheme were not very rosy judg- ing from the recent tvidence of Major-General Carey, R.E., the chief inspector of the Board, who stated that the Local Government Board thought filtration was necessary, and that they considered that th& bacteriological treat- ment of sewage was in an experimental stage, and that they did not feel justified in grant- ing loans unless they was a sufficient stand- by of land In conclusion, Major Sinclair advocated the Pier Head scheme, because it was the only one that afforded relief to the Sandfields and St. Helen's-avenue district. Mr. Morgan Tutton contended that it was only clouding the matter by laying stress on the necessity of filter beds, because, as Mr. Martin had said, the sea would pei form all that was required upon the effluent to make it innocuous. He claimed that Major Sin- clair was in favour of the septic tank, and in regard to the petition presented by Coun- cillor Moy Evans, said that if some other councillors had the activity of their juvenile friends, they could have got petitions more numerously signed on the other side. As to the line of ashes, the Hon. Odo Vivian had seen, that provided the very strangest reason for not going in for the Pier Head scheme, because it was the custom of sailors to throw ftheir ^-jhefe. overboard directly they were leaving the harbour, and those ashes, 'natead of being carried out to eea were simply brought round into the bight of the bay and washed up on the beach. He main- tained that nothing new had been advanced that should induce them to alter the decision already come to, and said that he could give them a fact that was worth all the theories that had been brought forward. Within a, few hundred yards of that building he could show them a state of affairs that should not exist in any civilised community. It was a scandal. The sewage there lay feet thick. It was also carried into the North Dotk, and now they proposed to create a similar abomination at the entrance to the East docks. He failed to understand how any reasonable or responsible member could ad- vocate the creiation of a greater danger than that which had for years been face to face with a long-suffering peopte, for if more sew- age was turned into the harbour they would have something worse than septic tanks-- they would have open sewers. In reply to Councillor W. H. Spring, who protested against the proposed septic tank being put beneath the proroe-nadeL-he had no dbjection to its being on the seaward side of the L. and N.W. Railway-the Town Clerk said that that would be a matter for the con- sideration of the engineer when preparing the plans. The Hon. Odo Vivian replied briefly to the whole of the discussion, and in the course of ld8 arguments challenged Mr. Tutton to say that the ashes he (Mr. Vivian) had seen were thrown out into the harbdur, and not into the Mumblea roade. The resolution was then put and lost by 11 votes to 20, the voting being as follows: — For the motion-The Mayor, Aid. Howel Watkins, Councillors Chapman, Hopkin, D. Jenkins, E. W. Jones, Moy Evans, E. G. Pro- theroe, A. Sinclair, W .H. Spring, Odo Viv- ian—11. Against—Aldermen F. Bradford, Dl. Ed- wards, Wm. Evans, Dd. Harris W. P. Wearne; Councillors Griff Davies Rd. Fen- der, H. G. Solomon, J. Harvey, J. H. Lee, Howel Lewis, Bd. martin, D. Matthews, T. Merrells, Dr. O'Sullivan, G. Payne, J. A. Rawlings Roger Thomas, M. Tutton, W. Williams—20. THE SUNDAY TRADING QUESTION. Councillor Richard Fender again raised this question by moving the adoption of the following resolution, of which he had given notice: "That resolution 400 of the Council of the 16th May, 1900, so far as the same re- lates to minute 1664, of the Watch Com- mittee, with reference to Sunday trading, be rescinded." Councillor George Payne seconded. Dr. J. A. Rawlings, Aid. Howel Watkins, Mr. Morgan Tutton and others opposed, and during their remarks it transpired that since the prosecutions under the Sunday Ob- servance Act had been in force, the number ber of shops open on Sundays had been re- duced from 288 to 23. Mr. Thos. Merrells complained that the prosecutions dealt unfairly with the poorer tradespeople, contended that fresh legisla- tion on the subject was necessary, and would not admit that Sunday trading had been stopped, for though the shutters were up purchases could be made by the side-doors. Eventually the resolution was lost by a large majority. MUSIC IN THE PARKS. Councillor Fender next moved: -uThat resolution 636 of the Council of the 17tli April, 1901, so far as the same relates to minute 1776 of the Watch Committee, re- specting the resuscitation of the Police Band, be rescinded." In doing so, he mentioned that he proposed the motion in compliance with a requelst made by the Trades and La- bour Council. Councillor Morgan Hopkin seconded on the ground that he was told that it would take two months for the police band to got in readiness. He therefore advocated the ac- ceptance of the offer of the Swansea Music- e ians' Society, to provide a band for JE250 for the summer steason. Mr. J. H. Lee said that j3350 was the amount. Aid. David Harris was in favour of the previous decision of the Council to resusci- tate the Police Band, but did not see why other bands should not play as well-he named the Morriston band, which played one season at Tenby and another at Torquay-as local musicians, should be kept in town when they would be available, not only for the sum- mer but also for the winter months. The resolution only received the support of five menbers, and was declared lost. This concluded the business.