The Cardiff Times

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WORKMEN'S TOPICS. (By MABON, M.P.) THE DISASTROUS SHIPYARDS DISPUTE. After four months of hard strife, entailing the sacrifice of an enormous sum of money, loss and dislocation in one of the foremost industries in our country, peace has come at last. From the smallness of the majority in favour of the resumption of work in the north- ern ship-building dispute, as shown in their ballot, it was pretty clear that the men directly concerned were not favouring the peace policy put forward. Nor were the men on the Clyde who were not directly concerned in the dispute, but were locked out by the employers merely with the view of cutting off the sup- plies of the men on strike, in any more con- ciliatory attitude. The deciding factors, as I understand things, were the members of the Joiners' Societies in the inland towns, who were employed in industries far removed from that of ship-building. And the attitude of shipyard men will have occasioned no surprise to those who were acquainted with all the circumstances from the commencement. The fact is that the attitude of both parties to that dispute was not commendable, and both will have had considerable cause to regret that the spirit of conciliation had not been somewhat more in evidence than it was. In the first place, the employers did not wait for a depression to set fairly in before making their demands for a reduction in wages. No doubt they were well secured, through their order books, of the probable future state of trade-that must be conceded. But to the men the demand for less wages came so close on the end of one of the most prosperous years enjoyed by that trade for a considerable time. In the second place the Employers' Feder- ation did nothing throughout the whole of the negotiations preceding the stoppage to secure a peaceful settlement. And only within the last few weeks, had a more conciliatory spirit prevailed, and even that modification, small as it was, came after the most provocative step of declaring a national lock-out had been taken. Again, a settlement could have been effected at one time if the Employers' Federation would have agreed to accept Is of the Is 6d reduction demanded, and the remaining 6d in May. This was refused, as was also the repeated offer to refer the whole matter to arbitration. It is well that the facts should be recalled, not for the purpose of apportioning there- sponsibility for all that has since occurred, but in order that both. the employers and em- ployed may profit by an experience so dearly gained. With the present settlement arrived at, there is the future to be seen to, and the immediate task in this connection is the estab- lishment of machinery which will obviate these industrial conflicts. There is every hope that this will now be done, so far as the shipyards are concerned. The terms of settlement demand the full reduction asked for in November last the one hand, but they also contain now a °f the provision of machinery for f s?^ement future disputes. It is quite that the nature, of t he machinery is not detailed. That matters very little, since it has been left to the representatives of both sides, q axe to meet shortly to discuss the matter. +.nce they have agreed upon the principle, Pjenty of good examples to go upon poses adopted for all practical pur- ine f there is the danger of not provid- + °.i°ne necessary detail to secure the disn 011T °* minor, as well as major ■okong experience has taught one to .sf?c^ machinery, to be of use, and with it finality, must contain a pro- vision tor arbitration to settle questions that the joint committee of employers' and work- men's representatives may have failed to agree upon, otherwise it will be no real improvement upon that which now exists. In the dispute under notice there was no difficulty in carry- ing on negotiations, the weakness was that there existed no provision for further action when those negotiations failed to provide a settlement, and consequently the prolonged dispute turned out to be most disastrous and far-reaching, and inflicted untold suffering on thousands of men, women, and children directly connected, and upon more thousands of the same class of people who had nothing whatever to do with the origin of the dispute. But if it will result in bringing about now what has been long talked of and so often post- poned—conciliation—to be safeguarded by are bitration to finally settle things that may havf been too much to the direct representatives o the parties concerned, which, when such mach- inery is provided,will seldom, if ever, be called into use, there will be something substantial indeed to be placed to the credit side of the account. And yet there might have been the credit side to the matter without any debit Dideatall. One cannot too strongly urge the matter of providing the machinery to secure finality in Hiese trade disputes. Strikes and lock-outs are the methods of barbarism, and should be brought to an end, and methods of civilisa- tion and common-sense substituted instead. And what one recommends in this case, one mast also recommend m for adoption nearer home, with the admirable Board of Concilia- tion we have here in the South Wales coat trade. Still it lacks the one essential provision for finality in local disputes and in the ab- sence thereof we have spent thousands and thousands of pounds in strikes and cessations of work that had no business to exist at all, and without which we are not impregnable against similar unhappy and unnecessary occurences in the future. And one cannot but sincerely hope that in all future agreements some such provision will be agreed upon. Pensions Old and New. The Opposition in the House of Commons are very eager to discover the secret of next year's Budget. A discussion arose last week on the resolution for the expenses in connection with the Old Age Pensions Bill, a mere formal pro- position to enable the Government to produce their Pensions Bill. Sir Frederick Banbury, to whom pensions to the workers, deservinggor undeserving, are a red rag, and who also repre- sents a constituency where no I pensions are needed, was in great opposing form, and did his best in that direction. But Mr Baltour, who is a member for the same happy constituency, was in a more genial frame of mind, and was not at all pleased with his colleague's attempt to force an amendment on the Government to limit the expenditure on Old Age Pensions to £1,200,000, the sum allocated to these pen- sions in the present, financial year. Mr Bal- four, I believe, does not wisp. it to be said that the Tory party, as such, is opposed to old-age pensions. That, indeed, would be too ridicu- lous a proposition for even Mr Balfour to maintain, notwithstanding his apparent great anxiety to know where the money necessary for the pension scheme is to come from. Inno- cent Mr Balfour Although he pretends not to see where the money is to come from, he did not scruple to provide and pay another class of pensions when he thought fit. The j beneficiares of the Balfour scheme are, appar- ently, unconscious of the pauper taint con- nected therewith, and to the wonderment of all, those receiving the pensions are all of them Conservatives. Their names are ] Old Age Pensions, 1 Per Annum. Viscount Cross £ 2,000 Lord George Hamilton £2,000 Mr Henry Chaplin M.P. £ 1,200, Sir J. E. Gprst £ 1,200" Lord Balfour of Burleigh.. £1,200 Mr Gerald Balfour £1.2.00 After this no one will ever dare to say that Mr Balfour failed to fulfil the famous promise to provide for his friends. Viscount Cross has enjoyed his pension for sixteen years at least, and Mr Balfour's own brother has not been overlooked. The name of Balfour of Burleigh is very interesting. A very short time ago he Was foremost among the stalwarts who were so full of the fear of Socialism. Now we pleas- antly find that suspicion of Socialism is not in any way incompatible with the receipt of out-door relief amounting to some £100 a month. Here we have a significant proof that com- paratively wealthy men have no compunction in accepting State aid, not for life's susten- ance, but for sustaining a certain dignity in life and yet neither Mr Balfour nor the Con- servative party have any trouble in satisfying their consciences that it is the right thing to do, and have no compunction whatever as to what source the money for so doing comes from.

OPIUM SMOKING AT CARDIFF. Mr Sidney Robinson has given notice to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Depart] ment Af his attention has been called to the prevalence of opium smoking by Chinese in seamen's boarding-houses at Cardiff, and whether, in view of the attempt now being made to suppress opium dens in some of our Crown Colonies, he will take steps to prevent* the growth of this practice amongst a numer- j' ous and increasing Chinese population in some sf our leading seaports.

A FAMOUS SOLDIER, Death of General Buller. HERO OF MANY CAMPAIGNS. How he Won the Victoria Cross. We much regret to announce that General Sir Redvers Buller, V.C., died on Tuesday at his Devonshire home, Downes, near Crediton, in his sixty-ninth year. The distinguished soldier had been suffering from an incurable complaint, but recently rallied, and there was a hope that the improve- ment would continue for a time. At the end of last week, however, there was a serious re- lapse, and Lady Audrey Buller, who had been staying with friends near Salisbury, hurried back to Downes, and was in close attendance upon her husband until the end. The death of Sir Redvers, which took place about one o'clock on Tuesday morning, has caused much regret and sympathy for Lady Audrey Buller and the rest of the family. In the High-street, Crediton-, shutters were put up at the shops, and blinds were drawn at private houses as a token of respect. The loss to Crediton cannot be conceived. In all public matters for its benefit his advice was always sought and acted on. The death of General the Right Hon. Sir RedversITenry Buller, V.C., G.C.B., G.C.M.G., deprives the British Army of one of its best- known and most popular figures Red-rag Buller went through much fighting. The South African campaign of 1878-9 saw Buller's step towards fame. In the opera- tions against the Kaffirs he commanded the Frontier Light Horse in the attacks on Intala Ka and Udoda Bush, and a column in opera- tions on Buffalo Range-. In the Zulu cam- paign following he distinguished himself by winning the most coveted of all decorations- the Victoria Cross. Here he commanded the cavalry at Inhlobana Mountain and the sub- sequent pursuit at Kambula. "r I The Late General Sir REDVERS BULLER, V.C. Buller was the first to ascend the Inhlobane mountain in the grey dawn of the morning he was the last to descend when his forces had to retreat before a body of 23,000 Zulus down dangerous mountain slopes. Again and again he remained behind eveyhody else to cover the retreat of those he had sent down, with seven men trying to keep at bay a whole army of savage foes. He saved the lives of four men in that terrible retreat. The Zulus had various names for Sir Redvers Buller; they called, him the Steam Engine," because he was alv/ays rushing out of unexpected places, and "the Brother of the Devil," because he led to so much bereavement in their families. From his chiefs he again won unstinted praise, being thanked in general orders, mentioned many times in despatches, given the brevet rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, made C.M.G., and appointed A.D.C. to the Queen. The first Egyptian campaignfound him once more in the field. Here he took up again his special work as D.A. and Q.M.G., and very carefully and well he kept the Army supplied right from its inception up to the victorious close. He was present at Tel-el-Kebir. and received the medal, the bronze star, and the order of the Osmanieh (third class), besides being made K.C.M.G. The Soudan campaign which followed found him promoted to the command of the 1st Infantry Brigade, and second-in-command of the expedition. As a reward for his distinguished services he was promoted Major-General. After this came the Nile Expedition. When the decision to withdraw from the Dongola province was arrived at the task fell to General Buller, owing to the death of Sir Herbert Stewart, and the evacuation was carried out in a masterly fashion which earned high praise from Lord Wolseley. For these services he was made K.C.B. SOUTH AFRICA. This is neither the time nor the place to dis- cuss the events in South Africa, which practically ended Sir Redvers Buller's military career. The verdict upon the individual part played by Sir Redvers Buller may be left to history. His first attempt to get through .the lines investing Ladysmith failed utterly. The enemy was entrenched in the hills to the north of the Tugela, and the frontal attack across the river which Buller essayed was hurled back with heavy loss and the sacrifice of ten guns. Criticism of the general was loud in England, and there was unquestioned satisfaction when it was known that Lord Roberts was going out to take general command, with Lord Kitchener as his Chief of Staff. But Buller, though dismayed by the turn events .had taken, did not forsake his task. The history of the operations which ended eventually when the Boers withdrew from Ladysmith is one which has little more of satisfaction in it than the gallantry of the troops. After the relief Buller cleared Natal in creditablefashion, and, joining hands with Roberts, operated in the Transvaal until the autumn of 1900. The difficulties of his position at the outset must not be forgotten. The neglect of others had handicapped the British troops Ladysmith was invested before he arrived in South Africa, and he thought it necessary, in order to save the garrison and prevent the over- running of Natal, to abandon his plan of an advance on the Republics from the Cape via Bloemfontein. Whatever else may be said, there can be no denial of the justice of the remarks with which the end of his service in South Africa is noted m the official history of the war Thus for him, after a year of hard and unremitting labour, ended another campaign, during the varied fortunes of which he had retained un- varied the affection and .confidence of his men. No general in South Africa had more often encountered the enemy, and under more difficult conditions of spirit, numbers, and country and few had exacted more respect from their opponents." After his 'return to England, Sir Redvers resumed the Aldershot command, and was made the hero of popular ovations in various places. He made the famous Westminster speech early in 1901, and was removed from his command in con- sequence. As a typical country squire, who interested himself in all the local affairs of his rural sur- roundings in Devonshire, Sir Redvers was the most popular of men.

WOULD-BE SUICIDE. DRAMATIC MERTHYR INCIDENTS. Nellie Donovan was charged at Merthyr on Tuesday with attempting to commit suicide. The evidence showed that she went to the Patriot public-house last week,and was seen to go behind a partition in the kitchen. The land- lord's attention was called to her. As he went towards her, she swallowed a white powder. The publican snatched the packet from her hand, and finding it labelled salts of lemoc, took some of the powder from her mouth, ad- ministered an emetic, and sent for Dr. Ward. Dr. Ernest Ward said that the woman was under the influence of alcohol. There were marks of corrosion on her lips. She could not have taken more than a dram, and that would not be a poisonous dose. The woman was removed to theWorkhouse in- firmary. where she soon recovered. The Stipendiary now suggested that the de. fendant should go to a home. She said she was ready to go back to her mother. The Stipendiary said that Canon Wade would find her a home where she would be comfortable for three or four months without being under prison restraint. Defendant consented to enter a home, and the case'was adjourned for is week in order that she might be placed in one. I

FIRST OFFENDERS. The Swansea magistrates yesterday ex- amined the work of the probation officer (Mr Featherstone), and the Chairman (Mr J. W. Jones) expressed delight at seeing that it was Good through and through," and gave first offenders a chance. Mr Featherstone They are appreciating the chance, many of them. The Chairman.; I am very glad*

IMPETUOUS PRESSURE. 11 Broadening the basis does not always produce comfort in a bower of bliss, and Mr Balfour is realising painfully that what Lord Milner calls impetuous pressure is not a pleasant process. Cartoon by Sir F. C. Gould. (Published by arrangement with the Westminster Gazette.")

Kidnapped In Daylight. STRANGE SOCIETY MYSTERY. An amazing kidnapping story comes from Brentford, a well-known London suburb. Early on Tuesday a swift travelling red motor-car containing three men drove into the town and waited in the High-street. It was just before school time, and the chil- dren were to be seen walking towards school. Three schoolboys in particular attracted notice the moment they came into view. The occupants of the red motor car got,out and seized hold of one of the boys, a good- looking< well-dressed lad.. Although he struggled and screamed all his, efforts at resistance, were useless. He was un- ceremoniously bundled into the motor-car, the signal was given to the driver to start, and away darted the- automobile at a furious speed. Meanwhile the frightened boy was scream- ing hysterically, and to silence his cries one of the men thrust a handkerchief over his mouth. By this means his shouts were mufiled and did nov aicract the attention tuey would otherwise have done. The car drove in the direction of Ealing and was soon losij to view. A bystander ran and informed the police, who placed themselves into communication with a lady living at Gunnersbury, who had been acting as the guardian of the boy. She told a remarkable story, which, if it were possible to give in full, would make a fine society romance. The kidnapped schoolboy had lived with her for nine years. She had brought him up from when a little baby. His parents are well-known society people, but their names have never been disclosed, and the boy has always been led to believe that this Gunnersbury lady was his mother. The child was given to this lady to nurse and as the years passed and the parents made no sign she naturally began to imagine that they did not intend to claim the boy. She fervently hoped they never would, for she had grown to love the boy as though he were her own child. Recently, however, the mother wrote saying she wished the child back. The foster-mother bitterly resented having to part with the boy, and as she did not deliver him up she was led to understand he would be taken away by force. The boy, in consequence, was»warned to be very careful, but on Tuesday the well-planned motor car coup quite upset all calculations. Later details to hand show that one of the masters of the school attended by the kid- napped boy was actually close to him at the time of the kidnapping, but was so amazed at what occurred that before he could act the motor had disappeared. A description of two of the men in the motor-car has been furnished to the police. One was a short, stout man wearing a bowler hat and dark suit. He had a full moustache, but this, it is thought, may have been false. The other was tall, clean shaven, and wore a straw hat.

CHIEF OF THE FOREIGN OFFICE The Foreign Office and its work are to the fore at present owing to the persistent ques- tions in the House arising out of the King's State visit to Reval. Sir Edward Grey is the first Foreign Secretary who has sat in the House of Commons since Lord Palmerston. He is a politician who enjoys general goodwill, Sir Edward Grey. I and his speeches reveal considered judgment rather than oratorical effect. His bird-like profile tops a seasoned athletic figure, for he is a tennis champion of renown, and an expert (practical and literary) upon fly fishing. Born 45 years ago, Sir Edward Grey succeeded, as third Baronet, his grandfather, Sir George Grey-Home Secretary in Palmerston's last Administration-before he came of age, At the age of 23 he entered Parliament as Liberal member for the Berwick-on-Tweed division of Northumberland, which he has since repre- sented. He was Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs from 1892 to 1895, and on the formation of the late Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman's Administration in 1905 he entered the Cabinet as Foreign Minister,

ENTANGLED IN WEEDS. Mr Lyndon Moore, Newport coroner, held an inquest on Tuesday on Frank Edward Chap- man" who was drowned in the Malpas brook on Monday. Francis Williams, a boy, said he saw deceased playing on the top of a culvert. When trying to jump to the bank he slipped, and fell into the water, becoming entangled in weeds. Witness raised an alarm. Frank Page, labourer, said he dived twice into the brook, and recovered the body, which had become wedged between stones at the bottom. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental death," and complimented Page and Williams on their courageous conduct.

A committee meeting of Cardigan Town Council was held on Tuesday. A letter from Messrs Morgan and Richardson, solicitors, re Waunsegur-isaf and St. Dogmael's water supply was considered, and it was recom- mended to emplo'yasurveyor to value the land t on behalf of Mrs Da vies, The Castle, Cardigan,

Violent Thunderstorm. PLOUGHMAN KILLED DAMAGE IN BUSHEY PARK. LIGHTNING IGNITES COTTAGES. About; 3.30 cn Tuesday morning during a violent thunderstorm a cottage at Groby, near Leicester, was struck by lightning. Two chil- dren of the occupier, James Dexter, were thrown out of bed, but escaped injury. The cottage took fire and the flames communicated with the roof of an adjoining dwelling. All occupants, however, were safely removed. The flames made progress iB spite of the efforts of the villagers, but were extinguished on the arrival of the Leicester Fiie- Briaade an hour later. Tornado in the Thames Valley. A tornado, amazing ifr itsr-stSerngth and sud- denness, swept the Tharpes Valley on Monday night. At Hampton Oburt enormous damage was done to > he famojgi chestnut avenue in Bvslioy Ps 'k, the tiab being torn up for nearly 200 yards. Men xcgjfe employed all hight: at Teddington clearii-Lg away the trees which had been torn up and thrown on the roads by a hurricane which only lasted five minutes. Windows left open during the night were blown from their fastenings. Lightning Vagaries. During the height of the storm on Monday night,wires a Chertsey correspondent, a flash of lightning struck No. 11, Chapel Park, Addle. stone. Mr Wright, the occupier, who was sitting watching the storm at the front door, was thrown out of his chair and knocked half- way along the passage, sustaining some bad bruises. Mrs Wright and a Mrs Warren, who were in the kitchen, were lifted off a sofa, and a chair was thrown several feet. They suf- fered considerably from shock. The roof of the house caught alight, and a holt nearly two feet in diameter was knocked in the chimney. The fire brigade extinguished the flames before much damage was done. Aerolite Damages Houses. Between 5 and 6 a.m. on Tuesday Man- chester was the scene of a violent thunder- storm. Rain fell in torrents, and there were vivid flashes of lightning. A thunderbolt fell at Stretford, a few miles from the town, and seriously damaged six houses. A large gas meter was blown out of one house, and the windows were shattered. Killed by Lightning. A violent thunderstorm, accompanied by heavy rain, broke over thenorthern division of Nottinghamshire on Monday 'afternoon. At Gamston, about three miles from the borough of East Red ford, an agricultural labourer, named Wm. Cuckson, was ploughing, when a flash of lightning knocked down both the horse and the man. The horse got up immediately and galloped away, but the man was killed on the sp ot. Wireless Pyrotechnics. Late on Monday evening, while a terrific thunderstorm was at its height at Newhaven, Sussex, the wireless telegraphy station was struck by lightning, and considerable damage was done. The operator, Mr Prout, had an extremely narrow escape, receiving a severe shock. The scene when the lightning struck the place was extraordinary, flames aid sparks shooting into the air, and the whole apparatus appearing one mass of fire. Monday night's storm did much damage at Epsom. Tents were blown down, and boughs of trees on Tuesday morning blocked the roadway. The racetrack itself, however, was not interfered with.

KAISER'S SECRET SPEECH. Berlin, Tuesday.—Ai 1;he review of troops ^ernP^ehof parade ground yesterday, the Emperor William made a speech in pre- senting a new standard to tne Second Regi- ment of Foot Guards, but, contrary to the usual custom, this speech is not published in any of the papers to-day. This fact has caused considerable comment in military and political circles, and the Tageblatt" this evening suggests that the speech was possibly of such a character as to render its publication un- desirable.—Central News.

I Girl Thrown Over a Cliff. THE MILFORD SENSATION. Attempted MurderCharge Reduced At the Milford Haven Petty Sessions on Wednesday a seaman named Daniel Morgans, haling from Hull, was brought up on remand charged with attempting to drown a young woman, Laura Jones (25), of Haven's Head, in the Victoria Lake, Hakin, last Sunday night. Miss Jones told the Court that when return- ing home from her sister's house at Milford Haven about 10 o'clock on Sunday night the accused accosted her on the pathway proceed- ing to Haven's Head. He caught hold of her shoulders and asked her a question, whereupon she screamed Murder," and tried to free herself. The man did not release his hold, but threw I er over the railings into the water. A man named Mr Thomas heard her cries and went to her assistance. She afterwards identified the prisoner amongst several other men. Her dress and hair were wet after the immersion, and when she met Mr Thomas she was hatless. Dr. W. S. Griffith described the injuries sustained by Miss Jones, which, he said, were not of a serious nature. The Bench reduced the charge to one ox common assault. Prisoner declared his innocence of the charge, and said he was on the Hakin side of the dock when he heard screams of Murder." The Bench found prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced to two months' hard labour.

FOUNDER OF THE AERO CLUB In the great international balloon race the premier honours went to Great Britain, the Valkyrie, piloted by Mr C. F. Pollock, and the Lotus, piloted by Mr Griffith Brewer, descend- ing at points almost equi-dista.nt from the goal. Mr Frank Hedges Butler and the Hon. Claude Brabazon were, however, well in the l;1 II. i-n Mr F. H. Butler. I running. Mr Frank H. Butler, pilot of the Icarus, and founder of the Aero Club,has made 105 ascents. He stated in an interview that it was the first time within his recollection that the occupants of different balloons were en- abled to hold a little conversation.

At a meeting of the Newport Education Committee held on Tuesday, Alderman Clifford Phillips presiding, it was resolved, on the motion of Councillor Searles, seconded by Councillor Wright, that the sub-committee dealing with the feeding of children be em- powered to charge only a penny a meal instead of twopence to such parents as cannot afford to pay 'the full amount. The Chairman re- ferred with regret to the resignation, after 25 years' service at Barnardtown Girls' School, of Miss M. Chambers, headmistress.

NOT THE QUESTION! TARIFF REFORMER I've got something here I want you to tax. JOHN BULL What is it ? T.R That's not the question. (Mr LLOYD GEORGE What does broadening the basis of taxation mean ? I ask the Opposition for an explanation, seeing that we have already taxed beer, tea, sugar, tobacco, etc., and there is only wheat and meat left. Would the right hon. gentleman (Mr Balfour) put a tax on wheat ar 4 -neat ? Mr BALFOUR That is not the question. -Budget Debate.

Crown Jewels Sequel, SCENE IN A DUBLIN COURT. In the Dublin Police Court on Tuesday, after the police summonses had been disposed of, a gentleman sitting in the place allotted to barristers and solicitors, rose and asked the magistrate if he were ready to take an appli- cation for a warrant, stating that he was a barrister. The Magistrate What is your application ? I apply for a warrant for the arrest of Lord Aberdeen. The Magistrate Lord Aberdeen ? Are you an English barrister ?-I am an Irish barrister. I apply tor a warrant charging him with con- spiracy with Mr Birrell in connection with the Irish jewels. The Magistrate You apply to me for a war- rant to arrest the King's representative in this country ?-I don't care about that, your Worship. The Magistrate I won't hear the applica- tion. Very good, sir. The Magistrate Anything so absurd I never heard. The Barrister We have a -great chain of circumstantial evidence. The Magistrate I refuse to hear the appli- cation. I think it is a great shame that you, respresenting yourself as a member of that honourable profession— The Barrister I object, sir, to such a re- mark. I am serving the King in doing this. The magistrate then left the bench, and, amidst laughter, the applicant walked out of court.

HAVERFORDWEST'S NEW VICAR The new vicar of Haverfordwest, the Rev. S. Baring Gould, was born at the Manor House, Lew Trenchard, now in the occupation of the Rev. S. Baring-Gould, the author. He was educated at Winchester College and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he took his Master of Arts degree. After some years of tutorial work, he was ordained by Bishop Biekersteth, I The Rev. A. BARING GOULD. of Exeter, and served his first curacy at Lew Trenchard with his brother. From there he went to Dartmoor, being curate-in-charge of Princetown, at which place from acting chaplain for a considerable time in the convict prison he gained a rather unusual experience. Thence he proceeded to St. Peter's, Brixham, of which mission church he has had charge for the last seven years, nnd has won the friend. ship of the Brixham fishermen. He was in- ducted to the living of St. Martin's, Haver. fordwest, by the Bishop of St. David's on May 29th last.

COAL FIRM'S AFFAIRS. GROSS LIABILITIES OF £ 76,000. At Newport Bankruptcy Oourt on Tuesday (hefore the Registrar. Mr L. H. Hornby) the hearing was resumed of the affairs of John Saville Blindell, Larkfield, Chepstow, and Charles Edgar Wakeford, Tytherley, Dinas Powis, trarilng as C. Edgar Wakeford and Co.. 5, Exchange, Cardiff and John Blindell's Black Vein Steam Coal Company at Glyn Col- liery, Pontypool,* colliery proprietors. The original statement of accounts gave the gross liabilities at £76,309 16s 3d, and deficiency £35,013 9s 4d. Mr piindell, owing to illness, has been unable to attend the court through- out. and an independent doctor now certified that he would be unable to attend. The amended statement of account gave the total loss on the working of the colliery at JE57,466 6s 6d, and according to Mr Wakeford, his personal indebtedness as a partner amounted to £17,816128 8d. On the other hand Mr Blindell gave Mr Wakeford's share of the profits at 7-20ths, which would make his in- debtedness £ 20,111 2s 3d, and Mr Blindell's share 13-20ths, or £:37,349 4s 3d, making the total of jE57,460 6s 6d. Mr Wakeford, in answer to the Official Receiver, admitted that he made a condition with regard to the sale of the colliery previous to the bankruptcy, that he be appointed sell- ing agent for the coal at 4d a ton, or be paid £1,000 cash. He maintained, however, that it was not because of this condition that the negotiations fell through, but because of other circumstances which he could not now recall. In answer to Mr Forsdike Mr Wakeford denied he had overdrawn from the firm his share to the amount of £ 3,000. Answering Mr Ingledew, Mr Wakeford said Mr Blindell had during the past nine years received £160,000 which was unaccounted for. The Registrar Is Mr Wakeford going to say that Mr Blindell has enough money to pay ? Mr Ingledew I don't know what he will say, but these figures are to show the probabil- ity that Mr Blindell could pay 20s in the £ To Mr Wakeford You had no thought but that Mr Blindell could pay you the jEl,000 when you made this condition for the sale of the col- liery ?—No I thought he was a wealthy man. Mr Forsdike applied for an exemption for Mr Blindell from attending the court. The Registrar said he could not grant the application until they had the affidavit of the doctor. The hearing was adjoured until 7th July at 10.30, and an order made for an amended state- ment of affairs of the joint and separate estate of Wakeford.

ALLEGED ARSON. Cardigan Farm Servant Committed At Lower Troedyraur Petty Sessions held at Cardigan, yesterday, a young farm servant, Evan Owen Davies, was charged with setting fire to four stacks of straw, hay, and an out- house, valued at RW, the property of Evan Jones, Ffrwd-uchaf, Aberporth, on the 29,th of May. Mr Jones stated that accused had been in his employ since November. On Friday about 11.45 p.m. he found a fire in the stackyard. A butt of hay and 6cwt. of wheat thatch in the potato house with about a ton and a half of potatoes, and a poultry house with 40 or 50 fowls were all destroyed. Witness asked accused how it happened, and he said he did not know. Witness had had no trouble with accused, nor had he ever threatened witness or his property. Anne James, a servant at Ffrwd-ucha, stated that she had heard accused say about two months ago that he would have his revenge upon Mr Jones. Sergeant Davies deposed to making inquiries, and said accused told him that he struck a match on the road when he was going home and threw it down on the loose straw. Accused was committed to the October Assizes to be held at Carmarthen. Bail was allowed, himself in JE10 and sureties of £10.

ROBBED OF WATCH AND CHAIN Welsh Engineer's London Experience. Mr Jonah P. Gibbon, a Welsh colliery en- gineer, was prosecutor in a case which again came before Mr Marsham at Bow-street Police Court on Tuesday, in which a young woman named Kitty Gordon was the defendant, the altegation against her being that of stealing a gold watch and chain valued about 140 be- longing to the prosecutor. The proceedings lasted only a few minutes, prisoner being committed for trial at the Clerkenwell Sessions. Prosecutor was not present in court. Detective Cameron, of A Division, stated that he had made inquiries and had found that the prisoner was sentenced to three months with hard labour in July of last year for stealing a gold watch. Mr Tonkin, who appeared on behalf of the t prisoner, said that in the present case the pro- secutor, a man of mature years aid experi- ence, seemed to have st od at the door of his hotel and talked to this woman, instead of turni ig and walking away, as any man of common sense would have done in the circum- stances. Prisoner, who was showily attired, said she wished the case settled now, but, as she main- e tained she was not guilty, she was committed, as above stated, bail being refused.

On Tuesday morning while Mr Wakefield, Swansea, science demonstrator, was out with a group of scholars on a geological excursion at Craig Quarry, one of the lads, Willie Osborne, fell 1:.+ the bottom of the quarry, and sustained injuries to the face.

Welsh Gossip. The Colwyn Bay District Council have just licensed for the second year a woman boat- man." Cardiganshire has ita Temple Baf." This is the quaint name for a place on the route of the proposed light railway from Lampeter to Aberayron. During the absence in the United States of America of the Rev. C. L. Perry, the superin- tendence of the Central Hall Forward Move. ment at Newport will be entrusted to the Rev. Seth Joshua, -now of Swansea. The proposal to establish a new weekly paper which should be the official organ of Welsh Calvinistic Methodism, and the pro- perty of the General Assembly, has for the present been abandoned. I An interesting proposal will be discussed at the General Assemblv at Liverpool this week, viz., to establish summer schools for Welsh Sunday school teachers in connection with the Theological Colleges at Aberystwyth and Bala. The farmers of Anglesey are forming a co. operative association with a view to the estab- lishment of a butter factory and purchasing fertilisers and agricultural implements by combination on the Irish system. Mr T. Hurry Riches has recently been elected a member of the International Con- gress on Railways, which is to meet at Berne, the capital of Switzerland. The forthcoming nnmber of the Univer- sity Review will contain a paper which Mr Austin Jenkins, of the University College. Cardiff, read recently before the Cymmro. dorion Society on the necessity for a principal officer for the University of Wales. Y Gymdeithas Gymreig Abertileri pro- poses to organise a series of excursions to places of historical interest during the summer months. The first trip will be to Bassaleg —or rather Maesateg-the old home of Ifor Hiiel (Lord Tredegar's ancestor), immortalised in Dalydd ap Gwilvm's love lyrics. At one time the Rev, Penry Evans, the father of the present day Congregational minis- ter bearing that name, was considered the most popular lecturer in Wales. He dealt with subjects that appealed to the human interests in man, and possessing a charming delivery, proved a great draw in all parts of the Princi. pality. Some of the lectures he delivered a generation ago are now being reproduced in Y Diwygiwr," and seem as fresh as ever. Another Grinau library volume, which will, it is hoped, be ready this summer, is Mr Ivor John's edition and translation of the entire corpus of Welsh Tristan literature, comprising a hitherto unknown text, with a study on the relations of the Welsh and Anglo-Norman forms of the legend. It is Mr T. Huws Davies, of the Welsh Church Commission—and not Mr J. H. Davies, as announced on Saturday-who will be the principal speaker at the first annual public meeting of the Kent Federation of Brother- hoods, P S.A.'s, and kindred societies, to be held at Folkestone on Wednesday. One of the greatest engineering feats per formed by Mr Hurry Riches was in connection with the gates of the Penarth Dock when it was necessary to remove the old gates and put in the new. He said he could do this between two tides without any interference with the ship- ping traffic in and out of the dock. Marine engineers throughout < he country said it could not be done, especially by a man who was a locomotive engineer, but Mr Riches did it, and this is probabiy the first time that the Cardiff public are made acquainted with this engineer" ing featv The members of the Corph will assemble in large numbers this week for the general assembly at Prinees'-iwad Chapel, Liveru/jck The church at Princes'-rcrv? is. onevi the most flourishing and influential belonging to the denomination either in or outside the Prin- cipahty. Several names-are already mentioned in connection with the presidential chair for next year, amongst them being those of the Rev. Llewellyn Edwards, M.A., (Ruthin), formerly London, and the Rev. John Williams, Brynsiencyn: whilst associated with the vacant secretaryship are the names of the Revs. Gwynoro Davies, Barmouth, and John Owen, M.A., Blaenau-Festiniog (secretary of the North Wales Synod). Mr Gwynoro Davies, who is a native of South Wales, was only two votes behind the Rev. J. Owen Thomas, M.A., Menai Bridge, in the election on the last occa- sion. The latter has since accepted a professor- ship at Bala College. The following is the latest attempt at trans- lating Burns's John Anderson my Jo, John ":— John Prydderch bach, fy ngwr, John, Tro evntaf cwrddem ni; Dy wallt oedd eiliwr'r fran, John— Mor sionc y cerddet ti; Yn awr mae'th wallt yn w-ynjohn, A'th gefn yn grwn yn siwr Ond bendith ar dy goryn llwm, John Prydderch bach, fy ngwr. John Prydderch bach, fy ngwr, John, Dringasom riwiau'r byd; Duw lor a fu- lein help, John Efe a'n daliodd cyd Mae'n hwyr, rhaid mynd i lawr, .Tohn-u» Yn mynwent Min y Dwr. Ceir lie i orphwys inni' nawr, John Prydderch bach, fy ngwr. The translator is a Llanberis man, EUdirfab. Mr Dan Davies in London. No Eisteddfod in Wales could have been more successful than that held at the Harles- den Baptist Church, London. At the invitation of Rev. B. Thomas, the pastor of this prosper. ous church, Mr Dan Davies went up speci. ally to djudicate. The name of the famous Merthyr conductor attracted an enormous number of competitors. Pure Milk and Dirty Milkers. Dr. A. E. Thomas, the medical officer of health for Chester, who has recently given, much attention to the question of pure milk. told the National Union of Public Health Authorities that in all probability the prob- lem of clean milk centred in the actual milker, who was frequently the dirtiest person in the cowshed. It was time that the ignorant, dirty, careless, and negligent milker was abolished and his place taken by the clean and careful operator, possessing an elementary knowledge of general science and bacteriology and trained in a dairy school. The cowshed and the utensils used for holding milk were also fruitful sources of contamination. A Feline Monstrosity. When Mr G. Derrick, a baker, of Bridgend. was going his countryrounds a few davs ago, he was shown the body of a kitten monstrosity recently born in the village of Llangan, From the middle of the back the body of the kitten was divided into two separate 'hindquarters, each of them having two legs and a tail, but on the back ofjjeach was another tiny limb in the shape of an addltlonal leg. The head and shoulders were normal, with the exception that on one side of the neck ;A a very small mouth containing a tiny tongue. "c-- Hoaxing Mania at Swansea. There seems to be an epidemic of practical joking at Swansea. An instance occurred a. day or two ago. Another has come to light. First a tailor called at a house to measure for two suits of clothes then a motor car to take the victim on an excursion a doctor who had been informed that the subject of the joke had had a fit an undertaker, and afterwards a tradesman seeking a mourning order. All these had been summoned by telephone. The Burial Grounds of 6aer Llwyd. The recent discovery of skeletons of pre- historic man at Itton, near Chepstow reminds a correspondent of the great cemetery on the slopes of Gaer Llwyd, close by. This is a huge bare hill rising above the Newport Cor- poration reservoir at Wentwood. The hill is covered with shrubs of that peculiar reddish grey colour called in Welsh llwyd. Right on the top of the hill, 800 feet above sea level, there is a large cromlec an, belonging to the earliest age of these stone monuments, and the hill is dotted over with mounds, the graves of an unknown race who lived there in the stone age. It has been hoped that the Cambrian Archaeological Society would have been able to visit the spot during their week in the vicinity at the end of August, but this has been now found to be too far off the beaten track.

MONMOUTH TOWN FINANCES. At Monmouth Town Council on Tuesday. the Mayor,, the Hon. J. M. Rolls, presiding, it was decided, on the I motion of Mr Edwards, to again approach the Local Government Board and ask them to consolidate all the loans obtained by the Corporation and extend the period of repayment to 50 years. It was: decided that a memorial be signed by the ratepayers, and that a eputation from tht Council wait upon the ProsideoA AI, *.Joq Jocal Govvernment Board.