The South Wales Daily Post

THE POST" DlAUi I TBB KMrmS! T-.vj Perforrnauces every eveaiaz; aid 9 Kvsiii" J AY. "The Brighten" to litracombe and l North Devon coast. J uly lo.- S).ow of flowers, dogs, biuu, &c., at Nealh JII! V 16.—Halt dav trip u> Caidifif per G. W, It, Julv 15.—Sale of Chemist's stock aL 44, Wind-street, Swansea, by Mr A. 13: Davies. ) iu!v I'i,—1 or 3 aays trip to Manchester, per L & N. W. i;:iil\vay. !y 18.—o day.s trip to Sheffield and the North per i/i :V. W. Railway. iu'v^il.—Sale of leasehold property at the Cameron Aim sHotel, by M^sois Lowes, Sona, aud Wutkius, y t'b.—Koyal Regatta OIt Swansea. I .iiy £ o.■—Grand Bazaar and l"tte at Stradev grounds. 3.—Athletic sports by Treorky. v 41-.it 0.—Athletic Spjrt s and Brass Baud Contest, at i landile. "guot6.-S..1e I)f Residential Estate, "Wesifft," at 0!epney Arms Hotel, LiaueHy, by Mr. S. N. Powell, I-Ixiiellv, iii ai(' )f itiniii Of August 26 A 21.—Swansea Horse Sifou-. j Sepi::nihev 2 and 3- Bazaar and feaie-of-Work at Pouiierjaer.

TUESDA V, JULY 14, 1895. NOTES & COMMENTS The dotiiiia oithe freaii agreemeiit effec- ted by the Cuvporutiou sub-coru;v.itteo with the tramway directors throw no i e.v liritt oil tho it)atter. Newspaper forecasts have •oticiDiiietl the disclosure of the actttal winding—a fa'ot not remarkable having regard to the source of the original mfor- niii.Tlu; only surprising element ;s c ntH-neti. not in the substance of the agi\.e-nent. but ii\ ho suggo;it,ion that the Corporation sub-coininiv^;u has secured fi-uni tiiu proprietors. Surely this will not be seriously main- tained. The original agreeniont was set aside by the Company because it was con- sidered disadvantageous in certain regards, and the subsequent modifications rej re- and the subsequent modifications rej re- sent compromise in respe -t of the later demands of the Company, or a frank yielding of them. T;ie original agreement was meant to allocate the £;3:3,000 pur- chase money; the difference arising from that pare of the scheme was concerned solely with the disposal of a possible I balance Jeft. aher the charges specitied had been met. Another noint of difference originated with the flat refusal nf the company to pay half the cost of the transformers or accumulators. As pointed out in our issue of Fviduy last, the later bargain cuts through both the points in dispute by setting a; a /t £ 3,000 of the £ 32,000 for the purchase ur part purchase of the trans- formers. It ,vas arranged at the outset b liiat the company was to devote the purchase money to certain purposes—none of it was to be paid over to the proprietors —and the effect of the compromise is that the transformers are to be treated as part of the new rolling and other stock of the company to be procured with the money of the ratepayers. The fortunes of the scheme will not be bettered by misrepre- sentation of the facts: for better or for worse the bargain has been struck, and it should be squarely looked in the face. Two parties are necessary to an agree- ment, and neither can reasonably expect to have matters all its own way. Alost people would prefer to any attempt at glossing over of features the frank statement by the promoters :—" This is the best agreement we could arrange for you; we should have liked to better it in some points, but even as itatands we believe the agreement confers substantial advan- tages on the town." To mvite destructive criticism from the opponents of the scheme iu regard to details which, after all, are of secondary importance only, is bad policy. I In keeping with the same spirit we have the suggestion made that the loss of energy in the process of transformation and transmission from the dynamos to the trams is intiaitesiinai Messrs. Strode and Company are cited as stating that the Kilowatt transformers used at the Cardiff Exhibition can be reckoned to give from 96 to 97 per cent, efficiency at full load, and even with quarter load the efficiency is 94 per cent. The inference the public are invited to draw from the statement is that in undertaking to bear the loss of energy due to transformation the committee concede to the company a small percentage vary- ing from 3 to 6. We sincerely hope that I the inference is warranted, and would be glad to know that the simple transforma- tion referred to by Messrs Strode and Co. will be the oniy one necessary between the actual production of tho electric energy at the centra! station of the Corporation and its actual application as motive power by the company. The point is of interest since it is being alleged that between the two points (1) the production of an alternating high tension current, and (2) its applica- tion for driving purposes as a continuous low tension current there are practically three distinct opera- tions involving loss of energy, and that of two experienced electricians who worked out the problem under substantially the same conditions as will obtain in Swansea, one estimated the loss of energy at 52 per cent. and the other at 47 per cent, In view of the controversy certain to arise over the matter Mr. Manville might be asked to fix the probable percentage of loss. Expert evidence is apt to confuse, and the ratepayers would unquestionably prefer to have the estimate of the gentle- man who has been selected to carry out the work. It is hardly likely that practi- cal electricians wili differ widely respecting a matter lending itself as this does to easy test. We recognise that in leauingto the view that the company have bettered their bargain by the later negotiations we incur anew the resentment of the gentlemen pijo- j moting the scheme—evidence of which has not been withheld. The oniy comment appreciated is that which is uniformly attuned to the keynote of eulogy. That fact, however, is one to be tolerated. We prefer, whatever the consequences, to look the scheme straight in the face, and to criticise it without fear, favour, or affection," and without any special regard for the interests of Gas Company, Tram- way Company, or any Electric-supply Company. A municipal electric lighting scheme I must sooner or later be adopted by Swan- sea—nearly all the great towns have moved or are moving in that (lirectiorr-an(I the agreement with the Tramway Company should be judged, not by particular clauses, but by its general effect. If the waste of energy due to the process of transforma- tion were equal to even 99 per cent., it would not matter providing that the sub- committee could show that payment for the remaining one per cent. rendered the supply profitable. And so with all the modifications of the original agreement. The members of the sub-committee beyond doubt strove for the best possible terms it I ) is immaterial whether the new wording of this or that section or sub-section favours Company or Corporation so long as the public can be satblied that taken as a whole the agreement is advantageous to the town, and offers a reasonable prospect of proving remunerative. This being so there is no occasion for undu y straining pcints which may he incapable of bearing the strain of auvstse comment. ¡ o A lively debate may be expected when the Waterworks Committer bring up once more their recommendation that the terms arranged with Mr. Hill for acting as engi- neer of the Cray Waterworks he accepted. It is fervently to be hoped that when the question is again put to the vote, that the minority of 13 will have become a sub- stantial majority. A public body cannot be too circumspect IT, taking precautionary measures when a sum of practically £ 300,000 is involved, and whatever change may be introduced in the details, We trust that the chief yurpose witl be tm. ieved ot seeur.n.r the services of a first-class I engineer for this important scheme. I Members of the opposition, successful I 'ttc in administering a check to the committee, were irilitienced by a variety of considera- tious. Their agreement began and ended with the sending back of the recomnieruia- tion. Some of them could, doubtless, be won over to agreement with the minority if an assurance were given y Mr. Hill that ho would not look beyond Mr. Vevers for his resident engineer. The point might be strongly pressed home that Mr. Vevers has a record of sterling work, and that the reputation of no engineer is likely to suffer by reason of any work delegated to him. The ratepayers have by this time a tolerably clear idea why it is desirable that ¡ all engineer of the first rank should be called in. It is only just, therefore, that publicity should also be given to some of the reasons alleged by some members for voting against the adoption of the terms agreed upon with Mr. Hiil. It is argued that the agreement is a tangled one; that it means pushing forward, with excessive haste, a scheme for which there is no im- mediate necessity, and that a sum of £ 10.000, in payment of in engineer, is out of proportion to the services required. Cray Water Works were embarked upon j lest some other local authority should anticipate Swansea by exploiting the Cray watershed. The existing water supply its equal to 574,000.000 gallons per day of twenty-four hours. A season of ex- ceptional drought found sixty-five days' consumption in storage before the recent rains. What need, therefore, say they, is there far proceeding in hot haste to add an additional daily supply of 1,000,000,000 j gallons Why spend money to meet the ¡ possible wants of people half a century t hence, when our obligations to posterity would be satisfied if provision were made I adequate to meet the wants of the probable population- 20 or 30 years hence. By constructing a dam of the proper width. but reducing its height, the expenditure can be cut down by £ 50,000 to £ 75,000, and the remuneration of the engineer kept to about £ 5,000 or il,ooo a year for five years. The preparatory work has already been done, and the chief duty expected of Mr. Hill is the accurate measuring of the work done, so as to avoid complica- tions. The population of Swausea is I not increasing with any degree of rapidity. From 1891 to 1893 the increase was only as between 90,000 and 93,000, and hence I the necessity of hurrying on the work is I not imperative. These, be it borne in mind, are the contentions of the opposi- tion—not ours—and we give them on the principle that the ratepayers cannot be too well informed as to the arguments on well informed as to the arguments on either side of a public controversy. I

THE BOYS AND GIRLS OF SWANSEA. AN APPEAL FOR THE HOMELESS AND ORPHANS. Sir,—Please allow me through the Daily Post" to appeal to the loving-hearted hoys and girls of Swansea to do a great kindness. The Swansea Board of Guardians are allowing the inmates of the Workhouse and the uotta4t3 Homes a day's outing. There are quite one hundred and twenty children who are not so fortunate as those to whum I am appealing, in having parents and friends to give them toys to make their young lives brighter. I have had, the last two years, a splendid answer from the young ones of Swansea to a similar request, and 1 trust not to be disappointed this time. Bats and balls, dolls and picture books, marbles and tops. in fact anything in the toy line, will be gladly welcomed, the state of repair they are in is not of much account, they will all tind an owner. They can be sent to my address. 235, High-street, and with the kind Eemission of the Editor, the gifts will be ac- nowledged in the papers. Thanking you, Mr Editor, for your always readv courtesy,—I am. etc., H. A. CHAPMAN. Swansea, July 11th. P.H.If any of the older boys and girls of Swansea, remembering gratefully the good time they used to have when they were youn.q-. would like to take a hand in this game, I know two or three shops that sell good and cheap toys.

TRADE AT SWANSEA DOCKS. I In the Prince of Wales Dock an unusually large number of vessels are loading and dis- charging, and the dock employees are likely to have a heavy time this week The Oakville is;, discharging 2,000 tons of iron ore from Bilbao for the Swansea Hematite Company the inca, copper ore and copper from the Cape for Messrs. Lamberts and Bath; the Oakdale, 1,800 tons of copper ore from Tiltcove for the Cape Copper Company; the Titan is loading 1,000 tons of tin-plates for China; the Valin, a French steamer, is discharging 2,000 tons of iron pyrites the Cunarder liner, Saragossa, is loading a general cargo of tin-plates, bars, bricks, etc., for the Mediterranean; and the four-masted ship, the Clan Galbraith, is dis- I charging 1,000 tons of ballast to load a cargo of coal for San Francisco.

REFUSE DESTRUCTORS. I The following extract from the "Electrical Review1' is not without interest to Swansea people just now "Mile End.-—We make the following extracts from the report of the special committee on electric lighting :—. Your commttee visited Hampstead. St. Pancras, Brighton. Southampton, and Ports- mouth olectris lightlllg stations. At St. Pancras your committee were much assisted by the resident engineer, who informed tiiem that special apparatus had been laid down for the purpose of producing steam from the burn- ing of house refuse, but the same had not proved successful. Practically the whole of the work had to be accomplished by the use of coal.' Here follows full particulars of thte other stations visited After fully con- sidering the information obtained, your com- mittee are of opinion that it is advisable to light the hamlet by electricity, and accord- ingly recommend That aplication be made to the Board of Trade for a provisional order to enable the Vestry to do this."

The history of the Sheba Gold Mining Com- pany read:, like a romance. The value of the gold taken from the mine since 18b6, approxi- mates to a million sterling! At their current quotation Sheba shares repute to original holders an increase of seventy-fold the capital ill vestel. It is, therefore, only natujiil that the shares of Sheba Hill, Limited (whose pro- perty immediately culjoms that of the Shebu Gold Mining Company) should be largely bought by insider* at about 3s., especially in view of the fact that the Sheba lode is said to run from end to end through the Sheba Hill property. The whole capital of the Sheba Hill Company is only £ 310,000 in 5s. shares, as against the Sheba Company s snare and debenture capita! of nominally about a million p I sterling, but representing at present prices nearly two millions. The Sheba had, when it started, only 20 claims the Sheba Hill has now 60 claims, equal to about 80 acres. The T.I nearly two milieus. i'.w Sheba Com- pany had, when it started. ouly 20 claims the Sheba Hill has now 60 c laims, equal to about 80 acres. Ths drive to reach the Sheba lode has now a length of 390 feet, a id once this lode is cut there is no savin:T to what price Sheba Hills may rise. ° So.12

THE POST BAG. -+- Taking the events of Friday and Saturday into consideration, it iooks as if people an preparing for the next Swansea Assize. A belated traveller who had to walk through Cockctt tunnel the other night won't beiieve it is not more than a quaiter of a mile long. He is prepared to take an affidavit that ic is ."4 least five miles. Sir John Llewelyn is not a silent membe" ot. Parliament. He has caught the Speaker's eye five times this session, and has been selected for the committee on the Lnemployed and the Mines Commission We have been asked to contradict the in- famous report that a fife band at a recent temperance society outing phved the tune Come where the beer is cheaper. Come where the pints hold more." First Sketty Boy: "Have you ever read Shakespeare's 'Love's Labour Lost' Secone Sketty Boy "No; but I have taken a young woman to the New Theatre and had her talk. ing to the man sitting next me all the evening." A Swansea League cricketer, who might start a custard factory with the eggs credi- ted to him this season is convinced that bowlers have a spite against liitn. They always keep the straightest balls for me," 114 confided to a couple of comrades the othei !evening. Although Mr. Studt's tender for the enter- tainment ground on the regatta day has not been accepted, it is certain that we shall have his palatial shows here that day. He has LX- pressed his intention to make the day's pro- ceedings as successful as possible. A young dog fancier, working at Cwm- bwrla, maintains that the muzzling of dogs ought to b3 mstde compulsory everywhere. He says he could buy them a lot cheaper if they were muzzled, and the owtiers were at least a mile away at the time of purchase. Just imagine a Gorseinon man writing ua this :The members of the Gorseinon Crick-.t Club are bragging that they have not lost a match this season. They haven't, nor have they played one. Woe to them when they do." He must be the twelfth man on the list. A member of the Swansea Fire Brigade thought he would like to be photographed tha other day. He was seated with e. most angelic smile, when the operator asked him if he would like the pictures "carte or cabinet." "Never mind carts and cabs," was the re- joinder, "just put in a fire-engine or two." The Swansea Corporation are not the only body who are compelled to visit the big city to transact ratepayers' business. At the Coc- kett School Board meeting on Monday even-1 ing one of the financial items read out had reC ference to Chairman's expenses to London; L6 6s. Od." If Wales has hitherto been neglected in ttai matter of educational facilities, it is obviousg if we may judge by the following, that she iA now progressing too rapidly. A teacher in 81 Swansea Board School one day this week aske4 a class the question, "What is England noW for Pat came the answer from a ten-year- old lad, Babies A local schoolmaster gave out as the readings lesson one day last week that portion cf "Thi Merchant of Venice" in which the "nd of flesh" scene occurs. When the rea waS finished lie asked the class what ',ock'. meant when he said, "My deeds my head." "WelL" said one of the bi *ofkt "I don't know, unless he carried ,», rier* in his hat!" The most terrible ordeal a repo- ivJa „ pass through is to be button-holed t '• men who, laughing themselves ini herency. tell you, "Here's a good ti. the Post Bag." and then trot out a quarter' of-an-hour yarn when your'e already two, minutes late for an important appointment, and which is generally as humorous as Butler; "Analogy of Religion," or an attack of maJ de mer. Regatta pins and brooches are being ex- tensively worn. and a surprising number of sailor hats are being "sported"—if the term may be allowed—by the fair. As for the sterner sex, when they're not singing All in the downs," there is a restless movement of hands and arms about the waist suggestive ol Haul in the slack." I Skipper Pearce of the Centre Hotel has been bringing his nautical knowledge to bear on the regatta business by marking out on a local chart a course for the chief race which would enable the yachts to be seen by thou- sands on shore from Mumbles to Port Talbot and Morfa. The suggested course is of trian- gular shape and 20 miles in extent, so that the big yachts to sail 40 miles would have to cover it twice. The 82 marksmen from Wales who ha pj altered for the chief prizes at the Bisley meet- ng will be severely chaffed unless the Aberyst- vith committee or the Cambrian Railway Com- iany shows more alertness. The pole of tLl4K amous Umbrella tent, lent for the installation ■eremony at the Welsh watering place has not ret been returnd. Whoever is detaining tha irticle should hurry up or the best feature of the camp will be missing. A young man on the hill, who is considered ay his intimate friends to be a bit of an horti- culturist, was being shown a collection oi plants by a lady neighbour of his the other avening. After a comprehensive survey, ha singled out one specimen with the remark,, That's a pretty plant it belongs to the be- cronia family, I believe 1" 11 No, indeed, It does not," was the seemingly offended reply of his friend it's ours, and has always belonged to us At a recent local match a marvellous thin,? happened. The ball struck a player on the cheek, and the next moment the "bawl" cams out of his mouth. At another match a bats- man, while standing up to a somewhat reckless bowler, was at last struck a terrific blow oni the knee by a ball which was considerably off the wicket. How's that ?" cried the bowler, Not out," shouted the umpire. Perhapt not," muttered the batsman "but Fir. going all the same." as he limped painfully away. An old Forestfach woman has a son a downright ne'er-do-well. He has gone away to the lulls to work. A neighbour asked her one day recently, "How is your Johii gcUmg on up the Rhondda. Mrs. Jones; Ob. very well, thank you. I received an order irom turn. this morning." "Dear me. he may prove a good son to you yet: how much was tha order for. Mrs. Jones." "On. he was very good this tune, it wasn't for mucu. only a pair of trousers and boots," replied the old daine innocently. These is a chapel close by one of til* Swausea Police Stations, aud choir practice goes on frequently during the week. Near tilt chapel is an establish incut at which a young man with a sonorous ba.s voice is employed. As a rule- he joins in the singing, and tiM penetrative power of his vocal organ is oof appreciated. The other day the cho'umastei went to him and said he should complain to tilt police. This was met with a derisive laugh, aud the remark, "If you go to the p'-bca station they will kill you lor keeping tliein awake ou Sundava."