The Cambrian

NOTES ON MEN & THINGS It takes about ten years to get an idea into a text book, and about 50 years to get a false one out of it.—(Mr. C. A. Seyler, at the Swansea Scientific Society.) The following advertisement appeared in i Cardiff eveinng journal :—" Bank clerk re- quires rooms in Cardiff; no widows need apply." Is it a case of once bitten, twice ¡hy? A bombshell fell among the deacoius of a Nonconformist chapel in Glamorgan the other day. It was reported to them that a minor official had pawned the communion service! -+- An inspector of schools, formerly of Gla- morgan, tells how he once questioned a local, school as to the meaning of the word "spec- tre." "What is a spectre?" he asked, and a small boy promptly replied, "Yon are one, sir Desiring to share the popularity so un- grudgingly given to a prevailing pastime, it is understood that the Welsh mrarnbere aft thinking of changing the name of the party- into-"The Welsh ■ Parliamentary Air- j Gun Parl"("Mai1.") The air bubbles to be seen in the Holy Well at IJanrhidian is rather a curious phenomenon that led the Swansea borough analyst to think that they have something to do with the reputation of holiness the well has attained. Dr. Bufton, a Welshman who occupies a large place in Tasmanian life, ttys there j are several Wekh place-names in Tasmania, e.g., Swansea, Carnarvon, Pembroke" Glam- organ, ete- Swansea is one of the oldest; towns on the East Coast. Mr Keir Hardie's statement that there will be no landlords in heaven has flurried aome of our readers. Mr. D. H. Lewis, of Neath, demands to know, from a contem- porary, without delay, if this means that Earl Cawdor, Lord Tredegar, and Sir John Llewelyn will be missing? Welsh barristers have been in luck's way during the past twelve months. Three have been made county-court judges, a fourth has been made chairman, and a fifth a member of a Royal Commission, and a sixth, already promoted, has been sent to Hong Kong as Attorney-General. I A poem by William Morris, "The Eve 01 Crecy," has been set to mumc by Mr. Vincent Thomas, of the Mumbles, who, it will be remembered, recently composed and produced the opera Guenevere," in Lon- don. The musical setting has attracted favourable comment in the London press. London Welshman" sa.ys In Cazdiff and Swansea the Socialists make a charge for the balcony a* tbeiT meetings, and let tbe body of the ball iree. We always thous'Qt thM Socialists did not beliero in to ck« distortion-' Ttor. i. no Woony at the a SocUW meetmg place! A medical n»n *•« He state. th»t l»S! domicil. of it. » »*ich •>« men. "It is," he says, "absolutely period, structurally, sanitarily and artistically, and reflects the highest possible credit on de- signers, builders and artists aJike," Captain Davies, who on Monday was ap- pointed to succeed Captain Kissock as master of Swansea East Dock, was trading for six months with a contraband cargo around the Japanese coast. During the progress of the big battle in Tsushima Straits he came within hearing of the firing, but like a wdl-conducted peaceful citizen he ran away, ae be himself laughingly admits. -4> One of the novel features of the North Gower ploughing matches was a guessing competition of the weight of a sheep. The animal was taken at random from a flock and placed in a triangle of hurdles. No competitor was allowed to touch the sheep. Several competitors guessed the correct weight, viz., 52ilbe. Contrary to expecta- tion the butchers did not come out best in the contest. Mr. J. T. Robson, the retired mines in- spector, who was presented with a cheque for 2MO at the haads of the Coal Owners' Association at Swansea, promised the don- om that the gift would not ue squandered. Neither, he assured them, would it be sunk in the search for black diamonds in South Wales, nor in the search for gold in Australia or Africa. Mr. Rohson evidently kaowtt a good thiag when he's got it. The Ladies' Committee in charge of the annual balls have paid oyer to the Hospital authorities the sum of !e164. This is an acoeptaible amount to be derived from the effort, but it is regrettable to find that in consequence of diminished support the nett proceeds a.re becoming less year by year. There are continued signs of building ac- tivity at Swansea. The Sanitary Commit- tee on Tuesday had before it plans for four new streets at Cwmdu, six houses in Eaton- road, 127 houses on the Glonmor estate, and ten houses at St. Thomas's. The next few years should witness a boom that will throw the present activity into too shade. Figures submitted to the Swansea Sani- tary Committee demonstrate a high vitality in Swansea, even if there is as an offset a correspondingly heavy mortality. During the firet six weeks of 1907 the birth rate has been equivalent to the high average of 32.5; a.nd the deaths of infants feU to a raAeof f27 per 1,000; which, however, is only approximate to the generall average for the kingdom, and therefore does not indicate any particular reason for local congratula- tion. The high death rate of 24J6 was attributed chiefly to ;:n abnormal mortality amongst old persons, who would find the re- peated changes from sharp frost to a thaw, with general muggi*ess of atmosphere un- usually trying. Swajreea last week very nearly topped the death rate for the United Kingdom with 30.5 deaths per 1,000 per an- num. Rotherham, in Yorkshire, with 33.4, however, jnst beat a very undesirable re- cord. e. Last season's victory of the English team over the Scotch at Inverkath gave rise to the belief that football in England, after years of depression, was once more moving on the up-grade- The results, however, of the two international matches already played are completely destructive to this idea. The Welsh beat the English at Swansea pointless in a most decisive fashion, and the Irish on Saturday were nearly as successful. In this contest, however, the English rallied in a. surprising fashion dur- ing the closing stages of the struggle, and reduced the Irish lead from 17 to 8 points by means of a penalty goal and two tries. It would seem from the scoring that while the Irish are strong in attack, their defence must be comparatively weak. Consider- ably increased interest will now be taken in the Wales v. Ireland match at Cardiff in March. Copiess of the voluminous correspondence that has taken place with regard to the Swansea Voluntary Schools were submitted at Monday's meeting of the L.E.A. The letters, however, do not appreciably in- crease the public knowledge regarding the points in dispute, since the substance of them had previously appeared from time to time in more or less fragmentary fashion. In effect the situation is this: The L.E.A.. made demands for structural alterations in the school buildings, which the managers of the latter consider unreasonable, and the efforts of the Beard of Education to effect a settlement have completely failed. Under the Act of 1902, when the L.E.A. and the Voluntary School managers fail to agree, it is the function of the Board of Education to act as arbitrator and give judgment aga:nst which there is no appeal. But so far the Board has given no decision, with the result that there is a dead-lock. And meanwhile the L.E.A., assuming for its purpose that the school managers are re- sponsible for the delay, is threatening to refuse to maintain the schools. practical outcome of the controversy will be must, therefore, depend on whether the new Minister of Education is prepared to enforce the law, or to act simply as a partisan, regardless of the obligations of his high office. Swansea Education Committee has decided to put into operation tbe School Children's Meal /ot. A Canteen Committee—some-1 what tactlessly named—is to be formed to administrate the funds, whish are available, either from voluntary contributions or a id- rate, and it is empowered to prosecute ne- glectful parents who are in a position to maintain their children properly. Dr. Rhys Davies, in a report upon a small divi- sion of the town's schools, estimated the number of under-fed children in that section at 83, and of low nutrition at 145. Other estimates place the total of inadequately-fed chi'dren attending schools throughout the town as high as one thousand- There is necessarily a good deai of surmise about such a calculation; for there are many fac- tors in the situation—childish voracity, prompting the child to assure ite teacher it does not get enough to eat; improper and wrongful feeding; neglect; actual destitu- tion, etc. But it-is startlingly high. True, there are between 500 and 600 children fed j twice weekly by the Poor Children's Break- fast Fund many of them evade attending school, and others come for the "treat" represented to them by i-he distribution of free food. A thorough examination into the merits of individual sases should mate- riaJly reduoe the total of a thousand cases eligible for treatment under the Act; whilst the absorption of private organisa- tions into that connected exclusively with the schools will, on the other hand, inflict some hardships on the unfortunate little ragamuffins who give the attendance offieear and teacher alike a wKie berth. At the eleventh hour the National Amal- gamated Labourers' Union-Mr. Harry Wil- liams, to be briefer—have sprung a surprise upon tue Harbowr Trustees' Bill. A petition was presented praying to be heard against the Bill on reaching the committee stage, on Tuesday, the last day for the handing in of such notices. Objection is taiken to foor clauses, on the general grounds that their provisions wouM mean "the smashing of all the Labour Unions in the town!" Clause eleven, for example, empowers the Trustees to undertake the work of the loading and discharging of vessels, with incidentals, pro- viding all the necessary labour and materi- aJs, and the objection is apparently that ooal- trimmers would not be recognised as a class, that the Trust would employ men as it thought fit, and that a £1,000 worth of tools, etc., the property of the trimmers at pre- sent, would become valueless. This clause seems to be the most objectionable of aJl four; Crause 18, diealing with the boatmen, affecting a numerically insignificant class of men, and the other clauses being of a general character. In addition to the Labourer's Union, the Corporation, L. and N.W. and Midland Railways, and Freighters' Associa- tion, Crown Spelter Co., and Mr. Christo- pher Rowland promise opposition, the flet effect of which would appear to be to make the passage of the Bill a decidedly costly affair. But it has to be seen to what degree of seriousness these manifold objections are puslked. Other local Bills that meet with objections are the South Wales Mineral Rail- way, Port Talbot Railway and Docks, and Neath, Pontardawe and Brynamman. The' G.W.R.'s opposition to the latter is likely to be the most important of all the fights against tbeee measures, so far as the general interest of the town and its coal-shipping industry is concerned. j The magistrates continue to redoce the number of public-houses, apparently under! the impression that the process makes tor sdbriety—a conclusion by no means war- ranted by the facts. Possibly the state- ment in the King's Speech that it t.; the intention of the Government to bring for- ward another Licensing Bill will have the effect of giving pause to a policy not un- likely to be altogether altered during the next few months. Swansea last week occupied the undesir- able position of having the second highest death-rate in the Kingdom, viz., thirty per thousand per year. This is convincing tes- timony that not only is illness exceptionally prevalent, but also that it is proving fatal in a large number of cases. For a. town which frequently figures low down in the mortality returns of the thirty-six principal populous centres of the Kingdom, this is very disturbing. Apparently influenza is with us in epidemic form, and in too many instances leads to complications which prove fatal. The appointment of Mr. W. Denman Benson to be County Court judge in the Midlands gave general satisfaction in Swan- sea and district where Mr. Benson's amia- bility and uniform courtesy have won mm general respect and admiration. The son of General Benson, of Fairy Hill, the new judge, unaggressive and retiring, permitted men inferior to him in every respect to push themselves to the front, but the fact that this appointment has been conferred upon him, shows that his capacity and other merits have not been unknown in influential circles. It is certain that no appointment made since the present Government went into power is more likely to be justified in the result. It would seem that the G.W .is determined to deal on a comprehensive scale with the congestion. at the Swansea docks. The Hendly-Dynevor line is to be taken in hand almost immediately and carried out at a cost estimated at over £3tJô,OOO. In order to increase the siding accommodation as speedily as possible it is purposed to first construct the section between Dynevor and the Swansea. Harbour. In^connection witn this matter it is significant that at Port Talbot a special high level tip has been put up and arrangements made to facilitate the mixing of coals which is now so essen- tial a feature in the trade—one that is chiefly responsible for the delays of which sJtmuch has been heard recently. It might be imagined that after Sir Joi.n Llewelyn had devoted himself unselfishly and zealously to the public service during a long a.nd useful life, that in his seventy- first year he would be spared the trouble of oontesting a seat. Indeed, when it was iu- timated some months ago that he was lis inclined to seek re-election, the feeling <A regret was deep and widespread in the dis- trict and pressure was applied to the worthy baronet to reconsider his decision. This he has since done. Now, however, certain parties are endeavouring to force a con- test upon him. Probably, but for expecta- tions based upon the possibility of stirring up class and party prejudices, no one would be disposed to challenge Sir John's position in the district where he has spent his whole life. and been a consistent influence for I good in every direction. Utilitarian "motives threaten to deprive Walter road ol all its charm. The Streets Committee on Tuesday, received a report that as a result of the construction of the tramlines' "there was no room left in that thorough- fare for trees, large or small." Walter- romd is rendered undeniably beautiful by the present arboreal avenue, and the vista from the summit of the acclivity near St. James' Church is one of the most charming views in the town. It will be better on the whole to make a clean sweep of the trees if it j s found to be incumbent, ia the interests oi publi-c safety, to remove some of the largest. The rows of trees, att. present regu- lar and even, would le rendered hideous bv the excision of a group of two or three trees here and there or four elsewhere; un- less, by the substitution of small trees tor large it is found possible to satisfy utilitar- ian and aesthetic requirements simultane- ously. The officiaj announcement on Thursday of the formation of a Welsh Department of Education disappointed the extremists, who had expected a Welsh National Council to spring full-fledged from the Education Board like Athena from the head of Jive. This party will have to wa.it to see what possibilities of expansion the future may hold ui stofe. A surprise was, however, forthcoming, in the choice of Mr .A. T. Davies, a Lancashire-Welshman, belonging to the section of Wales that acknowledges Liverpool as its capital, as permanent secre- tary. In South Wales he is comparatively unknown, having been chiefly identified with a solicitor's practice in Lancashire. He is stated to have been prominent amongst passive registers, which atugurs ill for the non-provided schools whose cases come before the department. Mr. 0. M. Edwards, the inspector of education, is one of the leading Welsh litterateurs of the day, and the author of the most ambitious history of Wales yet produced, is not, on the other hand, a choice to which the least exception can be taken. Mr. Edwards is none the less welcome in his new post, be- cause he has politically identified himself with the moderates. Sir D. Brynmor Jooes, M.P., has been giving in the "Tribune" expression to the belief that in a very short time the Gov- ernment will have to deal witn a refusal lof all the Welsh local education authori- ties to administer the Act of 1902, so far as the non-provided schools are concerned, except as the authorities choose to interpret the measure. Judging by the King's speech and the legislative programme fore- shadowed, the Government will presently have to deal with a revolt of the Welsh party also, from its failure to satisfy the letter's expectations regarding disestablish- ment, of greater or less (probably less) seri- ousness. The Minsters seem determined to' proceed with contentious measures which will begin a campaign in which such a pro- vincial subject as Welsh Disestablishment will have no chance of obtruding itself. There have been many indications at Free Church Council gatherings and other kin- dred assemblies in South Wales that Non- conformity is alive to the peril of "shelv- ing that memoes their pet project. Probably by the time Parliament has run itfi course it will have been found that the disestablishment campaign is politically impracticable, as being an encroachment up- on an already overcrowded battlefield. The principle contained in it is sufficient to ori- ginate opposition of first-class magnitude from the ranks of the Opposition; and the Government can find better use for its time I than in its preoccupation with a measure of purely provuocdail concern. Swansea Education Committee has to face the necessity of adding oonaiderably to the accommodation provided at the Girls' Intermediate School. Plans prepared will involve an expenditure of about JB4,000 in carrying out, but the belief is that with the increased accommodation the incpme derived in consequence will more than meet the standing charges in connection with this capital cost. Unquestionably, in the charge of Miss Benger this school is proving highly successful in every respect. The Gondoliers," as performed by the Swansea Amateur Operatic Society, was in every respect the most successful effort ever yet made by it. In artistic merit the production excelled all previous achieve- ments of the society, and the public quickly realising the fact yielded support in such generous measure that the receipts were con- siderably better than fne best on record be- fore. Mr Donald Lott and Mr. Leffler, under whose guidance the opera was produced, and the artistes generally, deserve the heartiest congratulations upon the result of their joint work. Trade at Swansea Harbour continued sat- isfactory during the past week; imports reached 14,963 tons, and the exports 86,028 tons, or a total of 100,991 tons, which was slightly under the aggregate for the pre- vious week, but nearly 3,000 tons bet- ter than in the corresponding week of last year. The quantity of tinplates shipped was 78,298 boxes, but as the receipts from the works amounted to 96,041 boxes there was an apreciable increase in the quantit.y in stock. At Port Talbot a. record number of vessels entered the harbour during the week. There was an increase in the ex- ports of 1,817 tons, and in the import,, of 329 tons, as comparea with the freights handled the previous week, but compared with the corresponding week of last year there was an improvement to the extent of 10,596 tons. Dr. Rhys Davies has prepared a most in- structive report upon the condition of the infants attending schools at Brynmill, Cwm- bwrla, Danygraig, Dyvatty, Hafod, Mansel- ton, Rutland-street, St. Helen's, St. Thomas, Terrace-road, and Waunwen. In afll he in- spected 2,454 children, with a view of as- certaining what proportion were sufficiently clothed for the season of the year, wore1 suitable boots a.nd stockings, were clean, and appeared to receive enough food. In the result, he found 25 insufficiently clothed, 161 defectively shod. 60 had dirty clothes, 83 were underfed* and 145 were apparently suffering from low nutrition. Incidentally, the doctor severely condemns the practice of leaving the arms and legs unprotected in cold weather; this he regards as one of the chief cause of the irregularity in the at- tendance of infants, and as the Government grants are based upon attendance, he con- siders that this fociish habit costs the Swan- sea ratepayers a large sum of tnoney every year. Altogether the report is a most in- forming one, and the points might with advantage be brought to the. knowledge of all the parents. Mr. Ernest Truhshaw, at a dinner of the steel smelters a.t JJLanellv on Saturday night, expressed the satisfaction whicti he-and it might have been added the general public —feel over the smooth working of the Con- ciliation Board, which has kept disputes and strikes out of the, tinplate trade for years past. Mr. Trubshaw, as one of the leading manufacturers., had comfort as well as a warning for the t^jplwters. He an- ticipated that trade would continue brisk for at least eight or nine months more, but that sooner or lartAi would come a sluJ9p> wbi-h would place this country in a very disadvantageous, position compared with Germany and the United States, be- cause it would be used by the producers in the two latter countries for "dumping" their surplus products more heavily than ever before. At the present time the pro- ductive capacity of these countries is being enormously increased to meet the abnor- mal demand; when this falls away, the necessity will be all the greater for finding an outlet for the manufactures which can- not be consumed in the home markets. This is a phase of the situation which the thoughtful ought not to overlook. The report current a week ago that the Swansea Corporation had disposed of its telephone system to the National Company was premature, not to say unfounded. At that time a serious difference d. "ided the parties to the negotiations. The company insisted upon the profits made being included in the assets taken over in consideration of the capital outlay being repaid. On Mon- day, however, a letter was received from Mr. Gaines, the general manager, which rend- ered a settlement all but certain. In this letter it was intimated that if the Corpora- tion would make a definite offer to the com- pany to dispose of the system for the capital OuUayplus the law costs of JB1,500, and less the sinking fund put aside, the company to waive its claim to the profits, it would probably be accepted. This proposal so for met the wishes of the- members of the sub-committee that it was decided to draft a reply in accordance with the terms set out by Mr .Gaines. We believe that the sale of the property upon these terms would be entirely satisfactory to the great body of the ratepayers, and that the subscribers to the municipal telephone will have no cause to complain, having regard to the fact that they are ensured their present terms for a The Mayor of Swansea, Coun. D. Harris, appears to be as much of an optimist as Sir Griffith Thoma-s. Speaking at a din- ner held at Morriston on Saturday evening, to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the British Steel Smelters' Association, he touched on various municipal topic&, and after remarking that there was a proba- bility of securing an annual income of 0 .61,200 to jei.500 from the sale of Cray water to large factories, he said that Swan- sea, in the matter of rates, had reached its high water mark they were now going toi economise in administration, and in a few years the rates would be reduced materially. It is certain that there are good prospects of substantial assistance being forthcoming in the near future from the new industries which will give their quota towards the common burden; and that the prosperity of the occupations upon which the town de- pends renders it possible for a very large proportion of the population to bear with reasonable ease a heavy indirect toll- But as regards the question of reaching the high water mark of rates, that is quite an- other story. Did his worship forget to take into account two very important projects— the Brynmill drainage scheme and the Asy- lums scheme, which will absorb the bet- ter part of £ 200,000 for their realisation? When these matters have finally been dis- posed of it wiN be more permissible to affirm that. the Corporation can rest on its oars for a while, having exhausted every legitimate source of enterprise. Subse- quent to these, however, it is difficult to see what large undertakings of a permanent character will be requisite; but the town is still fa.r from the end of the arduous labour imposed by the necessity of grappling with the great problems of municipal "equipment," as it may be termed, which have to be solved before routine work pre- dominantly administrative only can be m- augurated. As I think of saints, my mind turns, not to holy men and women of ancient times, but to many and many a working man's wife I know, who is Jiving a. Christian life, and training up her children in Christian fashion, and yet seldom or never gets into a church herself."—Rev. G. A. Sowter at St. James 'Hail, Swansea. "We are sorry to announce that the Poily (Capt. Cook) having sailed early in January from the Mumbles, is considered as a missing ship, not having been since heard of. The only hopes entertained by tite friends of the captain and crew are that she may be car- ried into an enemy's port."—"Cambrian," February 13, 1607. The following "engJyn" has been received from "Eifionydd," editor of the "Genioen" and Recorder of the Gorsedd, by Mr. Albao Morns, secretary of the Swansea National Gorsedd "Cyfiarchiad i'm oyfaiil hoff, Mr. J. Albaaa Morris — Biwyddyn heb wylo iddi—a blwyddyn Heb IkuMiant na chroesui— Blwyddyn fras-blwyddyn o hi, Hefo ieohyd fo i dhwi." A local employer ox labour makes it a rule never to pay any sum, however small, without getting a receipt. Some of his men cannot write, and attach their marks. Without making any comment the gentle- man the other day noticed that the men evinced a certain diffidence, and that the circumstance has now a perceptible effect in inducing them to seek some sort of educa- tion for their children, and in more than one instance for themselves. 4 Sir Frederick Bridge, who entertained Swansea with a lecture recently, is an ad- mirer of Welsh singing. "It is a fact," ha once said in a lecture, "that the modern vocalist and instrumentalist are shocking sight-readers." "What about Wales?" someone in the audience called out. To this Sir Frederick made reply, "The Welsh have marvellous singing; they not only breathe together, bu.t I believe they wink together." 4' When referring to the view that people fifty years henoe will take of our neglect of the advantages of electricity in these days, Mr. R. Borlase Matthews, at Swansea Free Library, told a story which came out a.t the time when the newspapers were full of the X-ray discoveries. The scene was fifty years hence. A little girl, talking to her grandmother, trying to imagine what things were like when her grandmother was a little girl, remarks: "And do you really mean to say, grandmother, that when you were a little girl, you couldn't see through a brick wall I A correspondent who read the paragraph about Sir James Hills-Johnes, V.C., scoring a bull's-eye at the longest range at Cow- bridge, tells the following story. One morning a colonel of the Militia went to the shooting range, and, taking up a rifle, fired. Bull's-eye! He fired again, and there was another bull'e-eye. Then four more bnll's- eyes followed in succession. The colonel, highly pleased, parsed on. Then a Tommy took up the rifle and fired. It was a bull's- eye, and the next was another bull's-eye. Then came a mysterious shout: ''Hullo, there, you duffer, what are you up to? The colonel's gone!" The Svraiwfca team, in Its' ■ contest a-way with Newport o.n Saturday last, was'suc- cessful to an unexpected' degree'. When the two teams met previously at Swaneta the result was a draw, and outside Swansea, at all events, the general belief appeared to be that the Newportoniuins would achieve ttheir declared purpose of spoiling the All Whites' clean record. The game was very strenuous, and at times even rough, but in the end the visitors won' by t.wo goals and one try to a try. It has been pointed out as a serious dierfect in the possession of a record that it tends to import excessive oofm- bativeness into the game, one side being as determined to maintain the record intact as the other is to break it. The treatment ac- corded both players and referee by the New- port crowd was very repreberaMe^and In- dicated how keen was the disappointment, which in the case of a section amounted to unreasonable exasperation. It would be de- plorable if tte ebullition of angry feeling, interfered with the good relations whach have now existed for many years between the two clubs. Striking evidence as to the inroads which the process of Anglicisation is making in such a Welsh stronghold as the Rhondda, was given at the session of the Welsh Church Commission on Tuesday by the Rev. Wm. Thomas (vicar of Porth and Cymaner). Ie regretted to say that the little Welsh spoken in the district was a mere patois all public functions in the district were conducted m English; the children of Welsh parents spoke English and a very large propor- tion of those who worshipped seemingly in Welsh, knew very little about Welsh, and were incapable of understanding a sermon in the vernacular. Yet it does no more than confirm the belief that modern life,, especially in an industrial community, tends to the obliteration of distinctive national traits except where, ae in Ireland (and, to go further afield, Poland) there is a keen national sentiment amongst the mass of people. It is a sign of the times that T,be advocates of compulsory Welsh instructijn in schools should note; for if there does not exist in the home a keen racial patriotism the efforts of all the societies and publicists conceivable can do no more than water a sickly plant rooted in impoverished soil. On Tuesday the members of the Water and Sewers Committee of the Swansea Corpora- tion had before them copies of the detailed report of Mr. Chatterton, the expert en- gineer, employed to ascertain and recom- mend the best means by which drainage in the upper part of the town can be most most economically and effectively carried out. Mr. Chatterton is most emphatic in his condemnation of the Brynmill scheme, being of opinion that under no conditions could sewerage be safely and satisfactory delivered on the flat sand in the neighbour- hood of Vivian's Stream. His recommendation in no uncertain language is for the adoption of the scheme, having its outflow off the pier head. With regard to this, he sug gests various amplifications and modifica- tions which would bring up the total cost to £160,000. This amount is likely to be considered prohibitive by the Council, and we may have a revival of the mare modest scheme strongly advocated by the Hon. Odo Vivian some two years ago, which it is estimated could be carried out for an ex- penditure of about £22,000. The Borough Engineer is in favour of this, and if the LocaJ Government Board's sanction can be obtained for it the probability is that it will be adopted now that "the Brynmill scheme is for ail practical purposes put aside.

SWANSEA MUNICIPAL TELE- PHONES. Mr. A. R. Bennett, who, whilst the Swan- sea Municipal Telephone system was being constructed, acted as the consulting engineer for the Corporation, is bitterly opposed to the contemplated sale of the property to the National Telephone Company. In a letter of considerable acerbity he describes the ne- gotiations even as a discreditable capitula- tion on the part of the municipality, which he credits—without any adequate warrant that we can perceive—with liaving com- mitted itself at an earlier stage to a policy of "never surrender." Such a policy, so far from being commendable, would' have been worse than foolish, if permitted to de- prive the town of the benefits of a satis- factory bargain. It would be a policy IW- worthy of business men who, as trustees of the property placed in their charge, are under a. moral obligation to subordinate personal preferences and prejudices to the public interest. Mr. Bennett is plainly of opinion that the telephone system, if sold at all, should be transferred to the postal authorities, even though the tatter's offer was to the extent of thousands of pounds less favourable than that of the National Company. Few of the ratepayers will be found to endorse that view. Mr. Bennett has been so long fighting the company that he has apparently an idea amounting almost to a mental obsession that others share bis feelings towards the "National." In truth they do not. At Swansea, we have had more than a taste of the tenacity with which the management fights to preserve the as- sets of the company, but, after all, most sensible men realise that nothing else was to be expected, having regard to the enor- mous interests at stake. No bitterness en- gendered by strife should induce us to cut off the nose to spite the face. If the Muni- cipal Telephone system is to be sold then it must be to the highest bidder, regardless j of past events. Mr. Bennett is for the continuance of the system as an independent concern, and makes light of the difficulty created by the Local Government Board's refusal to sanction any further loans. With a little Parliamentary pressure he believes the Departmental authorities would modify their atttitude. We seriously doubt it. After 1911, all the telephones of the coun-1 try, except in the two or three areas occu- pied by certain municipalities, will be State property, and the Local Government Board, acting in conjunction with the Post Office authorities, strongly objects to money be- ing spent by a Corporation, the better later on to compete with the State. For the past year the Swansea Corporation has been pay- ing the capital cost in extending the service out of revenue. There is a limit to that I practice, which would be quickly reached if the system were not sold, and soon. The law-costs, amounting to £1,500 would have to be paid thus absorbing all the profits, I actual and prospective, up to the 31st March I next. The National Company is prepared to repay all the money spent upon the capital cost (less the £1,800 in hand' for the pur- poses of the sinking fund) including £l,SOO lost in litigation; to take over the muni- cipal staff and give undisturbed use for two years of the Municipal Telephones to the pm- sent subscribers. Such an offer is £3,000 or £4,000 better than the best obtainable from the Postmaster-General, and we believe the Council would be well-advised to close with the offer, in which event about £2,000 would be available as nett profits after all the liabilities had been liquidated. The telephone enterprise would go on record as practically the only one which had proved remunerative to the Corporation.

OVERPOWERED BY GAS. CWRT HERBERT COLLIERS' PLIGHT. ELEVEN MEN UNCONSCIOUS. Our Neath correspondent 1.eI.ephonee Three men employed at the Cwrt Herbert Cclliery, Neath, were overcome by gas on Thursday afternoon and were brought out from the workings in an unconscious state. Phillipv a fireman, was one of the three men affected and he was reported to J e in a precarious state. Dr. Jones, Skewen, is attending the men, v.'ho^e condition gives rise to grave appre- hension, A later message stated that the affairs at the Cwrt Herbert Colliery was rather more serious than WM at first thought. There were no fewer than eleven men overoome by foul gas, which apparently had its own origin in the old workings, which were the seat of an explosion early last year when twenty-two men were overcome. Had it not been for the prompt action of the manage- ruent. who speedily restored ventilation, f-erioue oonsequenoes would have ensued. Medical aid was at once provided by Dr. Jones, of Skewen. who was quickly on the scene and entered the workings. He had himself a most trying experience from the fumes. He. however. soon recovered and superintended the removal of the men from the workings (which are in the Victoria seam) to the top of the pit. All the men have regained consciousness and have either gone home or have been conveyed home. LIST OF THE MEN OVERPOWERED. The following were affected and are making good progress under medical atten- tion Charles George. Neath. John Morgan. Neath. Will Carpenter, Neath. Jim Hanford. Dd. Williams. Cadoxton. John Phillips. Skewen (fireman). Dd- Jones, Skewen. George Mead. Fred Ccraiah. Grifl. Thomas. In attempting to effect rescues, D. Watkine, Tom Paddteon. and Mr. R. E. West, the colliery manager, were overcome by gas. Too last-named was brought up in a most exhausted condition. Dr. D. L. Jones, who went down into the workings, had a very narrow escope. He fell to the ground over- come by tho gas and was lying prone on the tramway down which a journey of trams was coming. A young collier saw the danger and pulled the doctor from the tramroad. t is satisfactory to add that Dr. Jones has now fairly recovered.

FRACTURED HIS SPINE. SKEWEN OOLLJER TO TWO CXLD INJURIES Mr. HoOwel Cuthbertson held an inqesest a.t Skewen on Thursday, touching the aeath r,' .»•<} )"1 Dynevocw road, Skewen, who dieïi an Monday. Jennet Wa.re said deceased was her aoaMii- law. He was injured at Brynoocih in Decem- her, 1906, by a. atone falling on bun. Daivid Rees Williams. Bryncooh, earid he and deceased were bringing two trams of L: l l' d.JlIU1t: yuTciUg. lilC IfvJifct part of the first tram went off t«be road, and knocked a. post out. Then the atones oame down, and toll on Price. The rail was out of plane, and tha/t was the oaoae of the acoidterat* Dr. Jones said that deoeased suffered from a fracture and dae&ooatdom of the lower part of the spine. He was paralysed. The oause of death was peritoniitSs, sat up by an ajbeoem, the remit of the fracture of the spine. Yerdftot accordingly.

KEEP PEPS BY YOUR FSSSSSB. THEY WILL SOOTHE AND CURE THE WORST COUGH. Keep Pops by your bedside,' 'is a motto which sufferers from throat, lung, and cbest troubles should never forget. The magic of modern science has at last imprisoned the pure healing balsamic breath of the rich pine-forests, in the form of plieasant and palatable little tablets. called Peps. With the characteristic thoroughness of modern achievements, Peps not only bring the breath of the pine-forests to every home, bet in a highly concentrated form, so that sufferers at home can even enjoy more of the healing pine-air than they who can afford to stay at the famous pine-forest resorts of Switz- keep Peps by your bedside, for they will soothe and allay that persistent tickling cough, which keeps you awake at night, and disturbs the rest of everybody in the house. If you are troubled with the dry hacking cough which speaks of deep-seated lung- trouble, keep Peps by your bedside, for there is nothing which will bring such com- ofrting relief, or check so consistently the wasting and weakening caused by incessant coughing. If the children are croupy, weak-chested, or troubled with bronchial coughs, whooping coughs, or wbeeziness, mothers should keep Peps by the bedside, (or children take the little tablets readily, and they ac- quite safe and free from all dangerous drugs. Keep Peps by your bedside, and take them freely if you have any symptoms of catch- ing cold or influenza. Takin in time, vou wu It/mow off i>he infection m the earnest erland, Norway, or the Black Forest. If you suffer from bronchitis or asthma, stage, and have good reason to bless the wisdom of keeping a box of eps always by your bedside. eKep Pops by your bedside, and take them when others in the house are suffering from colds, sore throat, and influenza. The germicidal and antiseptic pine-essences in Peps wil lsafeguard yo uagainst all infec- tion. Keep Peps by your bedside, but be sure that no imitations or substitutes are foisted on you. See that the registered name— Peps—is on every box vou buy. Sold by al lchemists and stores at Is. I¥!. or 25. 9d.

WELSH EDUCATION. SEPARATE BOARD BEING FORMED SECRETARY AND INSPECTOR CHOSEN. It is officially announced that Mr. Mc- Kenna, President of the Board of Educa- tion, has resolved to make arrangements for establishing a distinct department of the Boa-rd to deal with all grades of educa- tion in Wales and Monmouthshire. As a first step the appointments have been made of Mr. A. T. Davies, as permanent secre- tary. Mr. 0. M. Edwards, as ohief inspector. Both will be directly responsible to the President, and will take up their duties to- wards the beginning of April. In the mean- time arrangements aire being made for the separation of the Welsh work from the other duties of the Beard. Mr. Davies, the permanent secretary, is a native of Liverpool, a member of a Den- bigh family, and after receiving his educa- tion in Liverpool and at Aberystwyth Col- leg- was articled to a firm of Liverpool solicitors, commencing private practice in 1886. lie has distinguished himself prin- MR. 0. M. EDWARDS, New Chief Inspector oi Education in Wales. i cipa-lly in licensing litigation. He was a prominent passive resister to )be Act of 1902. MT. 0. M. Edwards, the chief inspector, is very well known in connection Drith his work for Welsh literature, hit sniatory of Wales, etc. On the death c, Mr. T. E. Ellis, in 1899, he stood for Merioneth, and was 'returned unopposed, but in 1900 re- tired in favour of Mr. Osmond Williams, the present member for that constituency. Mr. McKenna is understood to have been solely responsible for the appointments, which have been received with a good deal of approval, but nevertheless with surprise. Mrl S. T. Evans, M.P., remarked that Mr. Davies' appointment was a most excellent one. "I was at college with him," said 00 "and a very able man he is. I am very glad to hear of the appointment.

HON. ODO VIVIAN. RECEIVES WEDDING GIFT FROM SPELTER WORKMEN. At the Morriston Spelter Works on Wed- nesday the Hon. Odo Vivian received a handsome rose bowl from the workmen at the Morriston Spelter, Brick, and Pottery Works, Morriston, the ceremony taking place at the centre of the works on a tenvporary platform. Upon Mr. Vivian's arrival Mr. George Bowen, one of the workmen, announced the presentation, and spoke of the excellent re- w lations between employers and workmen, hoping it would long be maintained. Mr. Tom Davies followed and asked Mr. Vivian's acceptance of a slight token of their goodwill and wishes on the occasion oi bis recent marriage. Mr. E. S. Clauss (official) spoke of the spontaneous way in which the workmen had subscribed to the testimonial, and the Hon. Odo Vivian responding, remarked that he was most happy to receive their valuable present, not for its intrinsic value, but that it spoke of the good wishes of his workmen, and bore testimony of the cordial feeling existing between them. Although he had received numerous presents from his per- sonal friends, he held the gifts of his work- men in hgher estimation. He was pleased to say that the new industry, recently built in the works, that of brick-making from slag, had proved a great success. Thank- ing them on behalf of himself and Mrs. Vivian, he had great pleasure in accepting the gift. Cheers were given, followed by "For be's iolly good fellow." Among those present were Messrs. J. W. van (manager), A. Lehane, B. Clanss and S. Gauss.

NORTH MONMOUTH BYE-ELEC TION. MR. MAOKENNA'S PROMOTION: WRIT RECEIVED. The High Sheriff of Monmouthshire has received a writ for the election in North Monmouthshire, necessitated by the eleva- tion of Mr. Reginald McKenna to Cab^nist rank as Minister of Education, and has pro- visionally fixed the 23nd iaet. for nomina- tions. "0-

,.I, i Neath fionffeee's Ordeal. Scene at the Rural Council. Neath has settled fJbe Houses of Lords difficulty. It doesn't take Neath long to do a thin? when it starts. But it's a terror to start. The license of the House of Lords will be kept back so that the occupier may con- sider the abvisabfiity of applying for a six days' license." bo said the Mayor a day or two ago. If the occupier does'nt see the advisability Then he won't. The House of Lords difficulty is practio- ally settled anyhow. "Can you shoot" Can I shoot?" he rejoined with wither- ing scorn, which made the questioner look small indeed. Can I shoot? What do you mean, man? There are few better shots than me in th< Principality-" No offence, I hope, sir. Am more than delighted to hear it. Weare one shorty will you kindly fill the vacancy? "Certainly, my dear boy." And this is how he filled the vacancy: It was an inter-club match., and his turn came to shoot. He had little, if any, ex- perience of 'air-gun shooting, and not realis- ing the fineness of the pull, the weapon went off before he got it to his shoulder. Bufl,^ shouted the Swansea market. "Bull," exclaimed the Neath marker. And the company looked on in amaze- ment. "If," said one, "he can do that with- out putting the gun to b16 shoukter, what can he do when be does? The shot soon showed them. The next shot extinguished a lamp two yards away from the target, the thkdbroto a pane of glass a few yards the other side, the fourth hit lumps out of the ceiling, the fifth nearly killed the marker, and t £ o — Well, there was no one left to witness tin sixth or seventh. An ex-Army man said that Spiaa-Kop-wa( simply out oOf it. The Neath Cottage Hospital htB was 8 great success as a sociall I have not yet heard" the financial re- suit. The lion's share of praise is due to Mist Maud Elaine Mills, who worbdvery htud. Aid. W. B. Trick, J.P., who inaugurated the fund, must have been delighted with the success of the third bail. Without including the proceeds thereof, there is a sum of JB508 5s. lid. at the bankers to the credit of the movement, so that we are getting nearer the realisation of the hopes of too promoter. .a. The Neath Nursing Association continues to do excellent work, as the fottowine par- ticulars, kindly supplied by the bon, sec- retary, wiil show — Report for January, 1907.—Number of new cases mused, 47; number of visits paid, 992; number of convalescents, 19; number of deaths, 11. A very busy moDth. Qifte since last report.—A Friend, per Mrs. Grif- fiths, old linen, boots, air catttoeL, Mra. L. Lewis, old linen; Mrs. G. T. Sims, magazines; Mrs. Williams, 94, London- road, nursing utensil; Mis. Phillips (mayor- ess), nourishment. The Neath licensing justices will have & busy time on the 11th prox., but fiot nearly so busy as the county justices on the 19th insfc. In the borough tweoty houses haw been mentioned, ten, in the opinion of the bench, being unnecessary, five being in need of structural improvements, four requiring boundary walls at the rear of the premises; and in one instance a six days' license has been suggested. In the county area, on the other hand, no fewer than 72 licenses have been objected to on general grounds. What a delightful time for the lawyers! What a iMfpy time for hcewers and occupiers] c The Neath county justioes wil) Ibegin with Briton Ferry on Tuesday next, and go on from da.y to day until they have dealt with the lot. The gentleman who sit in the borough will probably finish in one day. Well, after all, it is quite time that the licenses were taken away from some booses which are totally unfit for the purpose they are supposed to serve—miserable little holee, hardly fit for ordinary dwelling booses. A licensed house should be commodious, well ventilated, and in every way adapted for the service of the publics There are dozens in the Neath area, which are not, and the sooner they are closed as lioeosed bouses the better for the public health. Neath Rural District Council has got in- to a nioe hole over the electric lighting un- dertaking. They have spent nearly £æ,ooo, and now find that there is an immediate prospect of having no energy to produce the light. Cables have been laid, and standards erected throughout the district, but the cracking up of the South Wales Power Distribution Company has knocked the scheme on the bead for the time at any rate, and after April next tbe-e seems tittle probability of any illuminating power for the source named. The Council engaged in a heated debate respecting the matter on Wednesday, and we were "treated" to un- palatable personalities between two well- known gentlemen. What will the Council do? It is not difficult to forecast. They will have to construct their own generating station. Mr. Sully, the expert, says they can do this for £ 5,000- From experience we can safely say that JB5,000 will not cover the expense. Probably the amount will be doubled; and public bodies are not private individuals. Anyhow, the Cooncil can't afford to throw the ;B20,000 away for noth- ing. They will have to m&ke the best pos- sible out of a bad thing. And they have the Ystradfellte water un- dertaking in hand. Alas! poor ratepayer. If anyone is glad he doesn't live under their juridiction, it is. OBSERVER."

LATE MR. SIMON GOLDBERG'S WILL. GROSS PERSONALTY BETWEEN £ 50.009 AND £61.008. VARIOUS BEQUESTS TO LOCAL CHARITIES. Wo understand that probate of the wiD with one codicil annexed of the late Mr. Simon Goldberg, J.P., Swansea, has been applied for, the gross value of the red and personal estate being provisionally sworn at between £59.000 and £60.000. Testator be- queathed the fellowing charitable legacies free from legacy duty, vix.—Swansea Gen- eral and Eye Hospital. £02; Deaf and Dumb Asylum, £10: Swansea Orphan Home. £141. Swansea Institution for the Blind. £10. Jews' Hospital and Orphan Home. Norwood. .£10; Jewish Soup Kitchen. London. £10; Jews' Hospital for Incurables. London. £10. Swansea Jewish Benevolent Society. £10. Unto the trustees for the time being of the Swansea Hebrew Congregation the sum of £100. upon trust to invest the same and apply the income in the purchase of prisal for distribution among children attending the Hebrew and Religions School or classes carried on under the management of the congregation for regular attendance, good conduct and merit. or in such other manner as the Committee of the congregation might from time to time with the approval of his trustees direct. Testtator, after making various specific and pecuniary devises and bequests to mem- bers of his family and others, devised and bequeathed the whole of his residuary Ee- tate upon trusts far his four children for life, and after the death of the last sur- vivor of them for division among his grand- ohildren. Executors were Messrs Hyam and Barnett Goldberg.

PONTYEATES SCHOOLS CLOSED. MAiNY DEATHB PROM IfliPM'PH HMA Ptmtyeates OCKKKBI School was closed LADT week on account of prerafting illness in the village. Dtipbtharia is racing; arad many deaths from this are reported.