The Cambrian

DEATH. JONES.—Or. Tuesday, February 5t.h, 1S07, at j Clifton, Brstol, Mary, widow of t.he lat-e, John Jones. The Elms, Sketty, near Swain- eea, Kegietrar of the Swansea Oounity 1 Court, age 71. lOaJIIl.2-8 —,— ■

lite dTambrian. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1907. NOTES ON MEN & THINGS The month of February is known in most parts of Wales as "mis bach" (little month"), on account of its smallest number of days. Leap year is known as "biwyddyn naid." Vicar Rice preached a sermon on "The Atonement" laet Sunday evening, and- never said a word about Rev. R. J. Camp- bell! This is quite w it should be.. j, £ la.u^lly is crying alond for incorportWidiE1 It wants a mayor, and a council, amd any- thing, else that will make Carmarthen feei as small as it looks.—(''Mail.) All Ystradgynla.is is raising its hands in wonder, because a clergyman in the vicinity is spelling the name Lloyd with one L! and he's a Welshman, too. Has Mr. Roosevelt been complained to about this? 'T Gemedl" states that if people think that the "New Theology" is the chief ques- tion in religious circles in Wales, they are mistaken. It is Mr. 0. M. Edwards' (of Ox- ford) remark, that "G^iriadur Charles o'r Bala" is out of date in its information. Mrs. Ormiston Chant, at the Swansea Women's Temperance meeting, deplored the amount of fault-finding in the home, amd re- ferred to the scolding a husband got when he upset the salt. "He doesn't do it be- cause he likes to do it," she said, "he does it because he is a man." -+- It's a. little curious th-i Dr.. Rawlings, who has before now shewn that he is not deficient in that regard, should not see the humour of the thing when he describes him- self as "searching in the newspapers" every evening for objectionable matter, so that he may make a bonfire of what he does not I consider suitable f,,¡ th? kitchen. For the sake of the members of the Swan- sea Scientific Society we do hope that no more whale bones will be discovered at the new King's Dock works. The discussion on the vertebrae that has been unearthed nearly put life into the thing on Monday evening. What would happen if no parts were missing it is hardly safe to conjecture. The Mayor of Neath got into a fix at the Aberavon Free Church Council meeting. In giving the Neath treasurer's address, the Gnoll Mayor said it was Pennywern. "No," interrupted the new president, "not Penny- wern. It's a Welsh word Pen-y-wern." But Councillor Phillips could not twist his Cor- nish tongue into giving the Welsh pronun- ciation, and it remained "Pennywern" so itar as he was concerned. "Dick Hill," the famous Gower pony stal- lion, Sivas present at Parc-le-Breos ploughing matches. A visitor from afar remarked upon the great value of the horse, and re- commended all local farmers to throw the competitions open to all-comers. "That is the only way to get the best out of human nature uind horses," said he. "Select your judges from places well removed from Gower. Don't conserve your prizes for local people. Get fresh blood in, or your society will become extinct." y Few men are better known in Pentard than the geoiai -Mr. Puddicombe, of St. Helen's, Swansea. A few weeks ago he en- terta'ned a large party of his friends to sup- per at the Jeffreys Arms, several Pennard I gentlemen being among the number. The substantial Devonshire pies and the huge round of Penna.rd-fed beef were greatly re- lished. So liberal was the provision, that a good deal remained over, and Mr. Puddi- combe, remembering the scriptural injunc- tion, "Gather up the fragments that re- main, that nothing be lost," invited his little news-boy to bring a friend or two to "clear up." To every one's astonishment, the lad j arrived at the time appointed, with 68 friends, and they not only cleared up the remains of the supper, but all the provi- sions to be found in the hotel as well! It wa.s hard work to cope with such a totally unexpected number, but we are sure that the satisfaction arising from the performance of 1 such a kind act was ample reward to all concerned.—"Gower Church Magaaaoe- "Whereweir there is a blight, there is also, I believe, a. blessing."—(Mr. Fred Enock, at Swansea.) The man who gets on is the man of com- parative commonplace attainments, but ter- rific determination and a grim purpose.— (Dr. Macnamara, M.P.). Professor Ernest Hughes, who lectured at Swansea on Monday, was., for many years prior to taking up his present appointment, one of the masters at the Llanelly Interme- diate School. If Mr. John Burns called at Colbren, which is not so very far from t.he Gray, he could have been able to gratify his taste for the Italian antique by visiting the Colbren Ro- man ruins. He seems to take a great deal of interest in that subject. They want a recorder in Llanelly because it will enable eorre young barristers in the district to have experience in summing up and passing sentence! We have no doubt (adds the sarcastic "Mail") that a number of patriotic prisoners would be delighted to oblige the "prentice hands" with this kind fo legal "sighting" shots. "Don't try and reckon up people from the outside of them," was a piece of advice Mrs. Ormiston Chant gave at the Swansea Albert Hall, and then she detailed' a conversation heard coming up the steps of the under- ground railway in London. Said one woman to her friend, "What do you think of her?" The reply came: "Oh, I don't Shink much of her because of her hat." Mrs. Chant thought much could not have been thought of her because she had come out in a hurry without a hat. Earl Grey's daughter, Lady Victoria Grenfell, whose death has taken plac3 at Government House, Ottawa, was the wife of Mr. Arthur Morton Grenfell, who is the nephew of General Lord Grenfell, Commander of the Forces in Ireland. The bereaved husband, who wa6 married to the daughter of the Governor-General of Canada in 1901, 's a son of the late Mr. Pascoe Du Pre Grenfell, of Wilton Park, Beaconsfiold, Lord Grin- fell's eldest brother. One. of his brothers was killed in the Matabele war and another at the battle of Omdurman. A solicitor by profession (says a contem- porary of Mr. C. W. Slater, Swansea, who gave evidence before the Welsh Church Commissioners on Friday), he made a model witness, and other Free Churches iright do worse than select laymen of this type in preferenoe to ministers to lay their case before the Lord Justice and his colleagues. To Welsh readers the evidence of Mr. Slater, comprehensive though it was, contained nothing new, and as hour after hour passed while the Commissioners were eliciting a mass of details of no particular public in- terest, the Jjirocaedings became unutterably dreary and monotonous. It is noteworthy that in the address to the pastor of Fabian's Bay Chapel, on Thurs- day evening, there was no reference to the Disestablishment agitation, unless the high- ly florid statement that he had "effectually participated in the great work of ameliorat- ing social oondition and promoting the truest freedom and the divin<?st interest of the church generally" can be so construed. But then of course, in a lauda- t-ory address, references only to the successes of the pastof-would naturally be made. And* f1 of course, the church is at the present liine" no freer thaji when the rev. geritlemiin. first began to talk of ameliorating its social condition by the noval expedient of oon- fiscating its funds! -+ SURE CURE! ["A new and infallible recipe for the ail- ing. If you want to become strong and well, become Mayor of Swansea."—"Post Bag."] Why pass through life morose and sad. At all it* ills repining?. Why grumble that you. "feel so bad?" Why on your couch reclining? Why calling in the knedicine man? Why bolting pilb and potions? Come, rouse, aud try ? hapoier plan- The latest thing in notions! A secret had at length been fo *nd For trotting blithely on, see. And growmar viril;* at a bound- Become the Mayor of Swansea! But gentle reader er? you pounce On me unscientific. Remember (nly one at once Can prove this rare specific. aL Is there any county in the country so extensively exploited by competitive rail- way systems as Glamorgan T A magazine writer mentions eleven different com- panies :—The Great Western, Midland, Lon- don and North Western, Taff ale, Rhym- ney, Barry, Brecon and Merthvr, Neath and Brecon. Rhondda and Swansea. Bay, Cardiff, and Vale of Glamorgan. But there are four more—Port Talbot, South Wales Mineral, Alexandra and Newport, and Mumbles—making fifteen in all. Is there any other county accommodating fifteen railway systems? Two of these railways carry no passengers—Cardiff and South Wales Mineral; and one—the Mumbles—is a curiosity (adds a contemporary) in being a sort of cross between a railway and a tramway. Says the Rector of Penmaen in the "Gower Church Magazine" :—"Christmas- tide and New Year of 190(>-7 will, we fear, be remembered, 90 far as our parish and im- mediate neighbourhood are concerned, as one of the quietest—not to say dullest and most cheerless—upon record. Everybody of cheerless—upon record. Everybody of course understands that this is due to the unusual amount of sickness through which we have had to pass. The influenSa fiend has been abroad, and there is scarcely a house where he has not had a look in. In some cases almost every member of the household has sooner or later had to sue- cumb. This has affected the attendance both at school and still more at church, and with one exception—due to the kindness of :\11'. and Mrs. Bostock-we have not been able to have any of the usual social gather- ings which we naturally look, forward to at this time of the year." Swansea Harbour trade during the past week showed an advance of 14,000 tpns as compared with the corresponding period of lastt year. The imports were 12,405 tone, exports 89,979, or an aggregate of 102,404 tons; 105,403 boxes of tinplates were shipped, whilst the receipts from the work reached 95,067. These figures in- dicate a most gratifying condition of things, The sauie kind of report has to be made le- garding Port Talbot, although the exports there were less by 895 tons than during the preceding week, this, however, being more than counterbalanced by the improvement in imports. The total trade for the week was 34,265 tons, or 10,000 tons better than in the corresponding week of 1906. At Llanelly Harbour tradle continues to stag- nate, and the continue! failure of the new dock to realise the hope of its friends is most depressing. The total amount of tonnage handled was 6,800 tons, of which 4,000 re- presented exports. In the meanwhile col- liery proprietors of the district are enjoy- ing a considerable degree of prosperity, and in ° the steel world especially operations are moat brisk, all the furnaces being in full employ. At the Brecon Assizes Justice Bray kindly' inquired of P.C. Probert as to whether they had the electric light yet on at Ystradgyn- lais. "No, it is not, my lords replied the constable. "It's been talked ol for a long while now," 6aid the Judge. "There is no light anywhere in the district, my lord," said the constable. Ystradgvnlais is new holding its breath whilst waiting to see what will happen. ♦ » Mr. John Roberts, who takes the place of "Marco" in "The Gondoliers," at the Grand Theatre. Swansea, tkie week, was once ap- proached (on the recommendation of the late Mr. Jones Hewson, a Swansea boy and principal baritone at the Savoy Theatre, London) by Mr. D'Oyly Carte with a view of taking tenor parts in Gilbert and Sulli- van's operas. Mr. Roberts has not, how- ever, up to the present taken the plunge into the professional waters. A WARNING WORD. Ye Radicals of England Who hold tho ropes just now. Will you from one vrhase watching y £ A little Vlord allow— A little friendly warning wcrd To guide vou as ye go, 'Gainst the yc-aj- drawing near Wlv.m the stormy wind wilt blow! Yon wind will blow from Germany— There's little doubt of that. We 9M: it written on the wall. We read it swift and pat. And yet. you're ali as blind as mice. To 'WUitelm's great delight. Paring ur naval power Till the day of doom's in eight! Ere long the nation will wake up. To find it3 strength decayed. Too late, too bte-the bitter cry. Of that I'm sore afraid. But you won't mind, my trusty friends, For well the fact is known (Heavens above!) that you love Every country but your own! M. In connection with the renewed contro- versy over delays at Swansea docks, it is a pit v that some arrangement cannot be devised whereby the multiplicity of railway systems serving the docks could not be "pooled" for purpose of management, under the control of a single head and staff. The present system whereby the L.N.W., Mid- land, G.W.R., and Riiondda and Swansea Bay Railways maintruu independent control save in the case of the latter is not one making for efficiency of despatch, and there would be an enormous gain in expedition of services if such a as is sug- gested above could be earned into force. A Mr. P-cnrv Caxr Ashley has bequeathed the sum of £ 70,COO to the National Lifeboat institution for tlx1 purp< (,,1 pJv-v;.úing and nnin-taining nve lifeboats around the coast, alnd atoo 1(\1" the. of the widcws a,nd families of WMM* w'ho P;mh^ i, the of Mf- His to be Lope-J that actioTl will be 10-111y toO ensure the of » *>•<* &•"».«»• T.7 towards the reb.tive, of tJ. v.etas o! .he last MutrH, liieW .«* Tx, clearly oKg». Th. !«ly vv. 4},^ nnml 'T Ol iJebcatS 111 off as regards the. r j 4.- -j-.yrj.l'Ci'O-tet t'htiv the c.>mfim.ssao'nJ acd it k V ;n +'W -tvir<l*>' 'l will be used major portion of this a. tho nucleus of a regular r™«" <<»*■ Swawn Parli.mentar; Society is going the way of all such institutions they begu. with a great .how of vigour, then their for- tunas fluctuate, but alvavs ■«* down- ward tendency, and H usually m,res a KtvKial effort to enable them to conclude 1 4 cccinTl with a show of com- the complete session wit-n pa.ctn.ess. The Liberals had their term ot office, when the interest append to have declined to a dangerous point the Conser- v,iiv« succeeded them i* the hope of I brmgihg alxmt ^revival..Th*, ho™>ver- was 'only of a..temporary charac^, and now an<*her re^uffle ot ihe cfV<& to take place in orck-r to gL\"e the Socket Labour party a chance as a ministry of re-mvigor- atihg the society. The statement which Mr. Gaines, the general manager of the National Telephone Company, made to a "Daily P«t repre- sentative, regarding the attitude of the .at- ter towards the proposed purchase* of the Swansea, municipal telephonee, gave the public an impression which we believe not to be altogether warranted by the facts. S'J far from the company being some- what reluctant to enter into negotiations with tltae municipal authorities, there is good reason for believing that the negotia- tions were actually entered upon a. couple of weeks ago, and that the offer from the Corporation which Mr. Gaines seemed fo invite, had already been made and was under the consideration of the company. A more business-like tone is reported to haw prevailed at the resumed sessions of the WeWh Church Commission on Friday and Saturday. The principal witness was Mr. Chas. Slater, who spoke on behalf of the Wesley-an Church in Swansea, and who seems to have proved the most concise and precise witness of all who have yet ap- pealed. A great deal of trouble might have been saved and waste of time avoided had other churches and causes been careful to I select a business man as witness, capable of a-ivin^ evidence in a summarised yet oom- prehensive style and with a minimum of superfluous verbiage. Some blame is also to be attached to the members of the Com- mission. A glance at the questions fnd interjections in the course of taking evidence shows that the members have not escaped the tendency to diffueeness which distinguishes many of tlhe witnesses. The addresses delivered at the Housing Conference held at Cardiff on Saturday, en- couraged the conclusion that very few parts of the kingdom presented so many congest- ed districts as South Wales. Some of the statements pointed to the nooessity for prompt action in the interest of the7 publ'c health. The exceptional condition of Soutn Wales is largely due to the rapidity of its d-avdopn»ant<, especially in the coal dis- tricts. Large collieries, when opened in previously uninhabited localities, impose such a strain upon private enterprise that I" overcrowding is practically unavoidable. On the other hand, the colliery proprietors are not encouraged to invest, capital' in he use property«(nor do the workmen regard such enterprise with favouring eyes), be- „cause of the complications which usually arise whenever a trade dispute brings oper- ations to a standstill at that particular colliery., Swansea National Eisteddfod Committee displayed gratifying enterprise in attempting to secure the services of Madame Melba for one of the eisteddfod concerts. Tiie golden voiced Australian unquestionably possesses the moot beautiful soprano voice of any liv- ing artiste,although her temperamental gifts the essentials of a really great singer, are by no means on a. par with her vocal endow- ments. Unfortunately the effort was de- stined to failure, as the terms requested were beyond the ability of the committee to entertain. Madame Melba desired a fee of .£300, with 15 per cent. of the proceeds if the latter exceeded JB600. It is a curious fact, by the way, that the two most eminent of British female gingers hive been Colorxale. Madame Melba wjis an Australian, and Mad'aime Aibani a French Canadian whilst' it .would be' possible to compile quite a fong list of Co) jnial singers of lesser chiefly from Australia iNtd New Zealand. f It is reported that in all probabi&ii.y the RIght Hon. John Burns, President of the Local Government Board, will be invited to formalIv open the Cray Water Works, and that he is virtually certain to accept the invitation. Only one thing can be depended upon to keep the Democratic Cab- met Minister a-way from t'he Cray cere- mony, and that is some tactless suggestion publicly mad?, tihat the visit from him may facilitate certain financial arrangemeaifts which the Corporation hopes to .effect. -+- We have good reason to believe that though t.he reply received from the National Telephone Company to the proposals sub- mitted by t.he IV, phono Sub-Committee with a view to th" sale of the m^/ilcipal telephones .to tlhe company was- somewhat disappointing, it still furnishes ,a.*basis for negotiations, which promise to lead to a bargain being struck. Instead, however, of the Corporation being left with a bal- ance in hand as the result of the tran- saction, it is likely that the latter v. J1 have to be content witSi securing flhe return of tine capital outlay upon the Telephone Ex- change. Mi". Laws annual report on the trade of the Swansea Harbour during 1906 affords very pleasing reading. The Aggregate was the highest on record, and showed that srlnce 1901 it had increased by 37 per cent. The improvement was principally in the expon of ccal and patent fuel, which reached un- precedented proportions. Tiniplat.es, too, after beginning badly improved so materi- ally towards the end of the year that the aggregate was 18,395 tons better than the previous year. Since 1901 the trade of Swansea has nearly doubled. As indicating t he pe-ogre&s m-ade with the construct ion of the new dock, it may be stated that during 1906, £167 ,000 was spent upon it. The finding of the vertebrae of a whale whilst excavating the sides of the new dock, is an interesting incident, but for scientific purposes the value of the fxrd • ";5 entirely discounted by the failure to arvcr- taitn whether this relic of the &<1 monster was found three feet or thirty feet from the suriace. If only a short distance from the aurface it would have to be regarded as merely a jetsam of the sea thrown up in recent yeans. At thirty feet, however, it would be a trustworthy' irdicateon of a I condition of tihings at » remote period, i whicih would go far towards up&etting the established theories as to thp contour of this part of the country in ancient times. The annual report of Mr. Law, the Swan- sea Harbour mana.ger, incidentally biings out the fact tha.t freights are to an 'in- creasing degree passing into foreign boti- toms. In 1896. 3,958 British veaaeils came I to Swansea, and last year this number liad increased to only 4,106, whereas for the i caime periods other nationalities were. French, 252 and 441 Norwegian, 123 and 370; Italian, 11 a.nd 32; Germany, 3;3 a.nd i 118; Danish, 31 and 63; Sweden, 30 and |and 75;75; Russian, 8 and 22; and Span- tsli, 1 and 41. A fallacy may of course lurk in the figures; to make comparison complete and trustworthy there sTnould be a tabulated statementsowing the respec- tive' tennage to the credit of each .nation, in that case it might be found, that vahilst the. temde-ncy in the British wc^nt;le navy is to .increase the size of> ;thc_me thing is not so marked wit| the f6i«tgnere many of whom are conteat to buy second- hand Britis.h boats.. '91*' Swansea corres^ridenVlia.'? written to the daily iiewspapcrs pointing out the mark- ed absence of bequests to charitable pur- poses in the wills of wealthy people who have died in recent years in Sontti Wales, Ba remarks that it is somewhat difficult t.o reconcile t,h.:s phenomenen with the knewnt kind-heartedness of tlhe Welsh people. No reply lias beitm elicited by the lcttlter, which, it must be axlmitted, has a su'bstratu.in of fact, but in one of our evening contemporaries it fiirni&hed tae text for' pointing two morals 11), that Jil1- t u I decay of the hrubit of "willing" property to oharitablo institutions, the Chancellor of the Exchequer may find justification for fur- ther raids upon the Estates of the wealthy dead and (2) that, the disposition shown by Conservatives of n^ans to stand apart from their party organisations is not un-1 "e y o bring about its own retribution in the form ot k'cr'slation, directed manaily at t e rxC. which will fail to excite the resistance of the rank and file of the party because of t-hf detachment of the majority of the wealthy class from political work of every kind. .}j' An anrounoement which, will mystify a good many people was made^at the annual mating of the western dr.vision of Soutn Wales Free Church Council at Port Talbot, last Thursday Hev. Thos- LMV, whos-e name to the majority of folk is a synonym for politically militant Nonecnfcrmi-y, said that "the movement (i.e., the agitation of the Free Church Councils) did not exist for t.he pulling down of the Anglican ?hUTCh (a task altogether beyond its capacity,^be it. observed), and thev did not exist either for a political purpose. They looked upon such questions as the Education Bill and disestablishment from a spiritual poi-nJ of view." How then does the reverend | gentleman draw his distinctions? At the last general election the "spiritual" atti- tude of the Free Churches found active ex- pression in a most energetic and successful camptetgn for the furtherance of Liberal, candidatures. In other rcCTects the state- ment is a travesty of the facts. The differ- ence between the pulpit and electioneer- ing platform was barely discernible at the height of the contest, and many mincsters were amongst the most active of canvassers. The manner in whicih tne' '5;^ot hiKiAiiiS which is the worst •. feature^iof eistiddfed emnpetitions, ruins for futurp work y oung artistes of prom&e, has not^;received de*? .attention. As a rule the ^prodigy'1 seldom: a success when he she devfejops- mta ajdoleacence, and in of at leaso one of the many youthful musicians who have been electrifying audiences through- out kingdom, the parents have wisely, although at'pecuniary loss, wit.hdra.wn them from the public platform to continue their' studies until they reach maturity. A case at a. Port Talbot competitive meeting on Saturday suggests that many Welsh parents could follow this example with advamiUge,, A lad of twelve. who bad been winning numerous prizes at eisteddfodau, repeated his triumphs on this occasion, but fortu- nately for his future career—if good ad- vice be followed—the adjudicator reminded his parents that private study would prove of more permanent- benefit than a brief period of public succee&es. Eisteddfodau are to be condemned from the point that, by encouraging frequent appearances, they interfere with the years of iinintefrnpfced study which are necessary to the rendition of even simple things in music. It is, in other words, a question of studying for art or preparing for public competitions for the salce of the latter alone, and the foster- ing of the competitive spirit which the in- stitution nourishes distracts the mind cf singer and player from what should be un- divided attention to study alone. A movement probably destined to be car- ried to a successful conclusion is being re- vived at Llanelly, where a notice of motion came before the Council on Monday express- ing approval of the principle of incorpora- tion as adding to the future prosperity and status of the town. Various arguments other than that of civic patriotism were put forward in support of the measure, and the clerk to the Urban Council was instruct- ed to report upon the situation, following which a sp'3cial meeting is to be called. The cost of a step that should be ardently de- sired by the citizens of the tin-plate town, was placed at from JB500 to £1,000, accord- ing to the amount of opposition that was met w't.h. It. is not difficult to divine that Carmarthen would feel it incumbent upon itself to offer very strong apposition to the step, which would in several ways dintiniisih the status of the county town. Swansea Amateur Operatic Society on Tuesday began a five nights' performance .of Sullivan's opera, i, The Gondoliers/' which by a coincidence has just been revived at the Savoy Thea-tre, the home of what is perhaps the only really popular music of an ambitious, character a Britisher has ever composed. As "Io'amthe/' "Patience," and the "Mikado have already been given, the entire repertoire of the delightful crea- tion of Gilbert a.nd Sullivan will presently be exhausted, and perhaps the society will turn its attention to still higher things in the way of grand opera. And it is 1-0 ¡ be remarked that it has become a common practice with choral societies in the North of England to volunteer their services to touring operatic companies to reinforce the choruses, with the happiest of results. This example could well be followed by the so- ciety whenever the Carl Rosa. ot Moody Manners troupes revisit the town. As compensation for the comments Jus- tice Bray passed at Carmarthen upon the average veracity of Welsh witnesses' evi- dence in Hvil cases, in which passion for litigation and native, tcnac'ty produce a deal of hard swearing, Justice Jelf at Flint- shire found occasion to pat North Wales upon the back. He said that in the six counties in wbnch he had been holding as- sizes during the last three weeks, there had been only seven criminal cases, a.nd the court could feel proud of the imimmity of the Principality in regard to serious crime. He doubted whether any six counties in England could produce such a record as that. It is very gratifying, but there is a similar experience, on a, small scale, allow- ing for difference in population, in all agri- cultural counties; and there remains the experience of Glamorgan (which, in point of population, is practically South Wales) to enforce t.he lesson that industrial Wales is unfortunately not exempt from the ter- rible criminal records of similarly consti- tuted communities. Remarks that do little credit to the humanity and self sacrifice of Carmarthen and the adjacent counties on the northern and western side were made at a meeting of Carmarthen Attractions Committee on Monday, when the question of inviting the National Eisteddfod to Carmarthen in 1909 come up. Mr, Blagd'on Richards, J.P-, said there could be no doubt as to their feeling in this matter, but the question wse: Could 3hey obtain the necessary funds? Personally, he did not think they had any chance of collecting £ 1,000 in Carmarthen, or, indeed, in the three coun- tieH, as ihey had experience over the san- atoriwn;, Treavett said that half the people in the three counties did not believe in the .sanatorium, but everybody approved of the National Eisteddfod. The latter remark implies that eitner that half of the people in the three counties did not be- lieve in the sanatorium on medical grounds, which simply demonstrates gross and medi- aeval ignorance, or that they objected to Che gentleman associated with the promo- tion of the Alltymynydd scheme—a display of prejudice that, in a matter where the rerving of suffering humanity is the sole consideration, represents repulsive callous- ness and petty entity- Tha.t it should not be an easy task to collect. £1,000 m Carmarthen or tiro vicinity, as M*. Blagdon Richard's suggested, can easily be compre- hended. But the assumption of another gentleman that there would be twice the support for the eisteddfod that was forth- coming for an enterprise of the first- mag- nitude from the still higher plane of human- itarianism, might have been much more happily worded' if he intended to convey that an extra, effort- would be made to en- sure the financial success of the eisteddofd. People in the locality are free to choose i between the relative eligibility of sana-j torium—eisteddfod for financial sacrifice,; but they must abi-ie by the judgment of observers upon the oegree of taste exhibited in their decision. ♦■» » ♦ ♦ The chronic diccoiitent amongst the ship- per of Swansea regarding the delay in load- in 1* has been brought to a head, and on Monday it was decided that a deputation representing the Chamber of Commerce should be appointed to place before thiei G.W. directors a strong plea for better faci- lities for shutting Amongst the complain- ants there ap-pc'-juis to be practical agreement in attributing wie congestion, winch, has co-t some of them substantial sums indemurrige to the lack of adequate tiding awon.mcna- tion. Once brought upon the tips coal can be loaded with dispatch, but the difficulty is, to bring the trucks to the tips. The great bulk of the. Swansea coal trade is made up of small parcels, and by reason of the, varieties in quality and in kind, each train-load has to be subjected to an elabor- ate system of assorting, which when trade is brisk as it is now, leads to endless de- lays, The reply which Mt. Trie/key, the good's manager for the C.W., makes to the complaints of congestion of the shipper ift substantially this During the la.st l-wo years the company has increased the siding accommodation to the extent of one-third, and" by means of the LandoTe loop line greatly facilitated transit of traffic from the West, The only remedy Mr. Trickey thinks would meet the circumstances is for the company to make a small charge^jor this extra shunting, and also for holding the empty trucks for certain of the collieries j unprepared to receive them back. It is hardly necessary to add that such a re- medy so fa.r from satisfying the shippers, would aggravate their sense of grievance. The latter retort that. since the additional sidings were furnished the increase in the exports has been of such proportions as to bring matters baclt to practically the con- dition that they were in 1903. If the points be dealt with in a purely controver- sial spirit nothing beneficial is likely to re- sult, The main fact upon which the whole matter rests is, whether or not we may expect the Swansea ooal trade to maintain its present proportions, or even to go on steadily increasing them. If the reply to this be in the affirmative, it would seem to follow that not only the interests of I Swansea., but- the interests of the G.W. Company also demand tihat tlhe 1 attrr Should set to in earnest to provide additional sid- ings. It would newt do to have the present congestion continue for the next two or t'hree years, and possibly becoming worse week by week. If that were al- lowed to happen irreparable injury would be done to the port., and incidentally to the West traffic of the G.W. Company. The Swansea Chamber of Trade, at the annual meeting on Tuesday evening, elected .Mr. George Roberts its president for the current year. It was reported that B120 worth of advertisements had been obtained for the guide, besides which, over £100 had been collected in subscriptions. The use I which the Chamber will make of the revenue available for advertising purposes has yet to be decided upon, and we venture to suggest the promotion of a competition in historical tableaux concerned with events i of local interest. Such a competition would excite interest and attract many visitors to the town. -+- Swansea Amateur Operatic Society. seems to have reached its highest point of excel- lence in this week's performance of the "Gondoliers." Most of the leading mem- bers are now tolerably well experienced in stage work, and are therefore more at ease, and less amateurish than would otherwise be the case. It will have been noticed that the society now makes no pretence of devoting the net proceeds to charitable institutions; the expecises are really so heavy that it is a-s much as the society can manage, to make ends meet. The rent of the theatre, with stage staffing, etc., amounts to £12û a week, and the hire of dresses cost about £40. A generous measure of public support is re- quired to prevent an actual deficit. Mr. Prussmann, the Borough Electrical Engineer, 111 his report to the Committee, read on Wednesday, made one suggestive statement. He said:—"It was a debatable point whether the electric lighting depart- ment were making any profit out of the incandescent electric street lighting owing very largely to the heavy capital charges, and he thought the committee should come to a more equitable arrangement, either by increasing the annual rental or by getting someone else to bear a considerable portion of the capital outlay." This bears out the contention repeatedly put forward in thelSe. columns that in displacing incandescent gas lamps for electric lights, the increased cost is altogether out of proportion to the amount of improvement effected in the public lighting. Saturday's match for the benefit of the widowed mother of Bob Thomas, the. ex- Swansea and ex-international player, player, who is now suffering from an in- curable ailment, resulted in over £ 100 being obtained. The players were supposed to represent the past and the pre- sent of the Swansea Club, and they gave the public an interesting, if not an excit- ing contest. The success of the event, how- ever, was marred by a serious accident to Mr J. Prescott, who suffered- a fracture of tho ankle, which will keep him indoors for some time to come. There is always a danger of serious injuries when men who have long retired the game re-enter it for a single match, and are tempted to place undue strain upon their limbs. The Welsh team met a not unexpected defeat at Edinburgh on Saturday. In coming through after losing the services of Winfield for the greater part. of the second half, only three points behind, they gave a highly ereditable performance, and the opinions expressed by competent and mi- partial critics who witnessed the encounter, so far from justifying the conclusion that, the new formation had failed, are rather calculated to ercourage further experiment- ing. It itS "ever easy to defeat the Scotch on their native heath, and eoir.* of our best teams have failed to do so, when on paper! at least their prospects were, excellent. In all probability the Scotch would' have won, whatever the formation on Saturday, hay" ing regard to the disappearance of Win- field when his services were most needed. Having failed to obtain any expert sup- port for the Brynmill scheme, either amongst the Corporation officials or the: practical e.nigrn-eers employed by the Board of Trade, its promoters decided to engage an expert engineer in Mr. Chatterton, who was nominated by the President of the In- stitute of Civil Engineers. The expecta- tion was entertained that. having been put in possession of-all the facts which the pro- moters believe to be favourable to the Bryn-' mill scheme, he would furnish a report that might serve in going to the Board of Trade to ask it to re-open the matter. But Mr. Chatterton, who was brought down to i bless the scheme, has instead cursed it in firm emphatic language, and indicates his definite preference for the Pier Head scheme, even though the latter should cost twice the amount estimated for the Bryn- mill scheme—which has no chance what- j ever of securing departmental, sanction. But there is really another alternative in the adoption of the small scheme (which had the approval of the Borough Engineer) i brought forward a couple of yeans a.go by the Hon. Odo Vivian, which actually re- ceived a majority of votes from the Coun- cil; only a rally on behalf of the Bryn- j mill scheme brought about its ultimate re- jection. It is claimed for this scheme, which would cost no more than £22,000,! that it would effectively drain the upper part of the town, and also relieve the con- gestion in the Sandfield district. The te- port of Mr. Chatterton should at least have the effect of inducing the Council to re- consider the plan suggested by Mr. Vivian and supported by the Borough Engineer. Mr. Herbert Lloyd, J.P., is a magistrate who seems to take what is, in these days of general and indiscriminate Toduct-ion. i wholesale of licenses, a very level headed and common sensible view of the matter. At Pontardawe Licensing Sessions on Thursday he questioned a clerical witness as to the number of licenses the latter would like to see knocked off the register. Half at least," replied the reverend gentleman with alacrity. "Ah, but stay a moment," said Mr. Lloyd; "have vou ever had any experience of clubs ? The witness confessed his innocence of clubs; but one trusts he took to heart, and that others will, the suggestion that for cne puolic house that is closed a corresponding club springs, up; to say nothing of she- beens. It is preferable to have drinking done over the counter ratlier tha.n t the back door, and that people shall become; inebriated under conditions which give the limbs of the law a reasonable chance of; laying hold of them. Mr. Lloyd's obiter; dicta did not stop at the above point either; magistrates were on the bench, ) e observed, not to gratify any particular fad, or fancy, but to decide what houses were required. This is a rebuff that other; J.P.'s could very well give to the private individuals who, possessing temperance opinions stand up at licensing sessions and, as with the wave of a conductor's baton, compel the responsive orchestra seated on! the bench to obey their bidding. The ignorance of some of these gentlemen of the entire aspect of the reduction of li- censes question is quite pathetic. They imagine that when a public house is finally closed the fifty or sixty regular daily customers automatically oease drinking forthwith. It is quite astonishing to the! former if the suggestion is put forward that the latter gentry on the other hand, still being thirsty, simply transfer their custom to another source, ot aunnl"

SWANSEA POLICE STATISTICS. II | Tine annual report of the Chief-constable of Swansea, Capt. Colquhoun, giving statis- tics of local offences during 1906, is a docu- merit, the value of which would be doubled, were it possible, to provide at the same time totals of the number of offences in each caifegory ranging over quinquennial periods, a.nd' the proportion they bear in the respective periods towards the popula- tion of the town at the time. Without such a means of comparison, it is not possible to ¡ form a. definite opinion regarding the degree of influence which the assumed progressive moral improvement of the community exer- cises upon crime in its various forms. With the return, as published on Wednesday, such a. comparison is possible only to the iltimited extent of contrast with 1905; and though the clerical work of compiling such statistics would be considerable, it would be justified. Some further details mig-ht also be afforded in several other directions. The statement that there were 597 Indict- able offences, an increase of 89 on the total for 1905, would gain in lucidity were refer- ence made to the abnormal element im- ported through the activity of the Brothers Evans, who between them accounted for a-bout fifty known offences, and an "x" num- ber of misdeeds which were not brought home and fathered upon them. There were, to consider the report in it6 most salient feaitures, 1,079 ca-ses of drunkenness and 818 convictions. Here again it would be of value to have the corresponding total of convictions for 1905 and preceding years. That inebriety is not seriously on the in- crease—the fact Which it is des-ired to ascer- tain-is, however, to be gleaned from the circumstance that the total prosecutions for drunkenness were only 66 in excess of the 11905 total, and the Sunday drinking cases, 41 in number, but three fewer in the aggre- gate for 1006 than for the preoediMig year, confirm the impression that public sobriety stands at a. fairly high level, though a liberal discount must be made for the num- ber of cases in wthich offenders of old stand- ing made they- appearance again and again before the Benah-a detail that would be illuming, but which is also lacking. The exclusion from consideration of the regular topers, with the large total of convictions that they represent, would probably lead to a still more favourable impression of the sobriety record of 1906 in Swansea.. There was in 1906 the formidable total of 561 rob- beries, a-n-d 303 persons proceeded against, compared with 474 caraes and 334 prosecu- tions in 1905. The hand of the Evans Bro- thers, already alluded to, in perceptible in these totals, but the generally wivial nature of the offences is indicated by the circum- stance that the articles stolen were of the value of £1,239 2&. 8d., which works out at something like £2 a. job as the re- muneration gained by the thieves for their activity: But the heavy hauls from the shops of pawnbrokers again upset deductions in the tendency of minimising the nature of tfes particular class at crime, and the re- covery of tihe bulk of the articles stolen in the latter case stiill further reduces the income obtained by the persons concerned in the robberies. There were 63 cases of assault upon constables, and as the entire strength of the force is 126, one constable out of two has been mauled by some violent prisoner. There were twelve prosecutions against public and beer houses, and seven convictions, three cases bding uncÎ fl" the Sunday Tradimg Act. Amongst the minor details, it is gratifying to learn tGht 101 members- of: the foroa hold the St. s First, Aid certificate, very materially a.ug- menting its value. It will be still more crodtltah-le to the force when every officer possesses such a certificate. In conclusion, the principal point of the report lies in the small but appreciable increase in the num- ber of prosecutions for drunkenness. And this a.fteT a cam.pac.gn conducted by the Tem- perance party, with the greatest zeal and success for the wholesale reduction of public- houses in the borough. The utter fatuous- ness of this proceeding, exposed repeatedly in these columns, is once a.:ain held up to pui>Iic ridicule. The most drastic and am- b-xious campaign vet undertaken by the members of this party in the neighbourhood •has completely f ,'U'd. The impotence and ■ singular incapacity of t-hte extremists to effect the slightest advancement of their cause is one of the most suggestive incidents of British social propaganda. Never has there been a party which has talked more and done so little.

'j. "iiaai» SWANSEA MANAGER'S ESCAPE. FROM FALLING DOWN OLD REGENT S I COURT WELL. I AN UNSUSPECTED DANGER LONG EXISTING. 1 Mr. R. Allen, the manager for Mr. J. Hall, who has a cutlery business in the Alexandra. Arcade, Swansea., had I an experience on Wednesday which might have proved more serious. He was in the shop—formerly occupied by Mr. Solomon, picture frame maker—and was engaged in getting same thing off one of the shelves—the room being used for stock and not the public salesroom—when his foot went through the flooring. This in itself might not have been much, but when his foot found no resting place, curiosity prompted him to peer down. The result cf investigation disclosed the old Regent's-court well, with the pipe intact. The meet extraordinary part of the affair is that the joists did not continue even over the open top, the plain flooring boards being the only covering, and these had be- come rotten. The well is five feet across, and is of stone to within a few feet of the top, where it had been bricked. There is a space of 14 feet before the water—fed by a spring- is reached, and the water is 16 feet deep. The existence of the well explains in a measure the dampness which had been noticed in the stock-room. Arrangements were promptly made to have the top of the well properly girdered. The Arc&de has been constructed about 20 years. Neither the former tenant—Mr. Solomon—nor Mr. Hall's manager had the slightest idea of the well's existence.

IN AID OF THE BLIND AND CRIPPLED GIRLS. On behalf of tlie cripples and blind girls' industrial branch of the Watercress and Flower Girls' Christian Mission, a grand artificial floral exhibition, with sale, will be held in the Albert Hall, Swansea, and will be formally opened on Monday, Feab- ruary 11 bv Mrs. Walters. A number of ladies are taking a kindly interest in the enterprise, and will lend their aid at the stalls during the week. The mission is well known in Swan-sea, and always a good support from all classes. It has under its care two crippled girls from Swan- sea. It is hoped that all who cam will visit this extremely pretty exhibition, and see the crippled and blind girls making flowers. Admission free.

GOOD EXAMPLE TO SHOP EMPLOYES. The employes of Messrs. David Evans and Co., drapers, Swansea, have, by means of a penny collection, handed over 9s. 9d. to the Swansea Poor Children's Brfeakfast Fund.

NEATH NOTES. Bench and the Bonifaces. Neath's Peccadilloes in 1906. The Neath and District Licensed Vio tuallers' Association intend offering a. £1,000 prize for the best ballad upon either of the subjects: "There's a good time ooming, lads," and "We love onr good magistrates, yes we do." There should be no lack of competitors, for m the Spring (ugh!) the young man's fancy lightly turns to poetry. Yes, there is a good time coming for the poor licensed victualler—the black sheep in the social flock. He is the man of whom it may be truly said "Verily he gets more kicks tlian ha'pence." And he gets a few ha'pence too. e After a period of comparative peaoe—a peace broken by the compensation bolt.—the storm has burst upon them. For have not the oounty and borough licensing ju'tices been taking constitutionals? And when you see the magistrate taking his walks abroad you may be sure that there's danger in the air. The county justices had a big area to cover. Briton Ferry and Skewen cannot lay claim to much natural beauty, but they could not have but enjoyed the visit to the glorious vale. The borough gentlemen had easier work to perform. They visited fif- teen houses in the North Ward and ten in the South Ward. What the net result will he we must wait and see, but I am told half-a-dozen are ear-marked. We know something more definite in connection with the county crusade. At their sitting this week they renewed only 12 licenses (five of which were off-licenses at Melincrythan), out of the 101 which is the total for the area. Tliey pointed out that seventeen houses were structurally unfit, and the defects will have to be remedied before the licenses are renewed. All the remaining 72 are form- ally objected to, and many will doubtless be • refused. So you see there is a good time ooming. We all know that there is a. fitting air of dignity about th oounty J.P., and that he thinks himself a cut above his borough brother. Yes;, there is something in that word "county." Yet, at the same time, the county justices might just as well have set a good example in regard to punctuality. They called the licensing sessions for eleven o'clock on Tuesday, and kept the licensed holders fully an hour before they took their seats in court. Further than that, they brought scores of licensees to the town- many of whom had to lose their day's work —for nothing at all. Their carefully con- sidered and weighty words of wisdom, which were delivered by the clerk, con- veyed nothing to the bulk of license-holders, who simply don't know where they are. Of course it's very kind of the self-sacri- ficing justices to give so much time for the public weal. And I cannot for the life of me understand why they are not appraised at their proper value and more generally appreciated. Truly the public do require educating. Since our last publication Mr. F. J. Gib- bins, J.P., has passed away. He was one of the old Quaker School, honest and ùp- right, whose yea was yea., and nay, nay. He and his family were closely associated with the industrial life of the district, a.nd under their care many works, which had been receding before the ever-increasing tide of competition, have. come to the front again, and a,re at present prosperous con- cerns. The deceased gentleman was a wa u advocate of total abstinence, and held very pronounced views on the Temperance Ques- tion generally. The circumstances con- nected with his death are too well-known to call for recapitulation here. The remains were ^buried! at Nw4th"xon Thursday, the attendance bearing eloqiieut testimony to the esteem and regard in which he was held. What I predicted (and others too) a few months ago has come to pass. The Labour Party of the Neath Town Council were pledged to evening sittings, and they. with the help of their Radical friends, changed the time of meeting from 10.30 in the morn- ing to 7 o'clock in the evening. Much wM made of the interest which the 'orny-'anded sons of toil would take in these mighty de- liberations. The results up to the present have proved one thing conclusively: That the 'orny-'handed son of toil d"es not care two-pennorth of gin about their evening meetings. Yet, much of the work of the Corporation has been disorganised by this stupid change-a change which the second- er of the motion said at the time would never work. Head Constable Richard Jone6 has pre- sented his first annual report to the Watch Committee. It contains many interesting facts in connection with the working of the foroe during the past twelve months. There are 17 members in the force, 13 Taffies a.nd four Saxons—and their average height is 5ft. llin. Their weight is not given. Fif- teen members of the force hold the St. John's Ambulance Certificate, ten of them having passed the final examination, and holding the medallion of the society. Our policemen must have been well looked after, for there has been very little sickness amongst them. The number of days aver- aged 3.94 per man. The polioe superannuation fund is also in a healthy condition, the capital amount- ing to £3543 6s. 8d. The cost of the police establishment dur- ing the year ending 31st of March last waa £1.750 7s. 1M., of which one-half has been repaid by the Glamorgan County Council. There were 54 indictable offences, an in- crease of 13 over the previous year. For these offences 50 persons were proceeded against, 37 of whom were convicted sum- marily, eight committed for trial, two tried summarily and discharged, one withdrawn, and two bound over. Under the heading "non-indictable of- fences" we find that 567 persons were pro- ceeded against-472 males and 95 females. Five hundred and sixteen were convicted, 2A dismissed, and 17 withdrawn. Neath people are evidently not very care- ful about the security of their homes, for no fewer than 423 doors and windows were found insecure on night duty, an increase of 130 over the preceding year. During the year the police found 680 public lamps out. as compared with 1,690 the previous twelve months. One often hearts the question from a visitor to the trim and tight little borough: "How many "pubs" have you in Neath?** Well, there are 85—56 licensed victuallere, 20 beerhouses (on), one^ beerhouse (off) four additional beer dealers' licenses (off), and I four shop, spirit and wine licenses (off). This gives one license to every 161.4 of the population. So that if we except the children and some of the teetotallers we must come to the conclusion that Neath people are a very thirsty lot. Anyhow, that's the opin" ion of "OBSERVER.

MESSRS. DILLWYN AND CO. r ANNUAL MEETING: TEN PER CENT* AGAIN. The annual meeting of Dillwyn and Co., Ltd., was held at the offices, Albion Cham- bers, Swansea, on Thursday at noon, Wright (chairman) presiding. The usual ten per cent. dividend for the year was passed and the dividend warnmMi will be posted during the day. Mr. Schwann was re-elected a director, and Messrs. Tribe, Clarke, Cawker and' Co. werr- re-elected auditors. A ten per cent. divided has been paid) each year by the company with the ex- ception of one year, when 13J per oei^« was paid.