The Aberdare Leader

r- Wedding at Aberdare. DENNIS—HUMPHREYS. On Wednesday at Siloa Welsh Congre- gational Chapel, Aberdare, a very pretty wedding was solemnized between the Rev. E. R. Dennis, pastor of Glan- rhondda Unitarian Church, Treorchy, Rhondda, son of Mr William Dennis, 31 I Bute street, and Miss M. A. Humphreys, only daughter of Mr and Mrs Morgan Humphreys, 3 Bute street. The Rev. D. Silyn Evans (pastor of Siloa) offici- ated, assisted by Mr G. G. Jones, regis- trar. The bride was charmingly attired in embroidered robe, with a, black picture hat. She was attended by Miss S. A. Dalies, Harriet street, Trecynon, who wore a champagne colour dress with black hat. The bride was given away j by her father, while Mr W. Williams, student at Carmarthen College, a friend of the bridegroom, acted as best man. The wedding group also included Master Tom W. Powell, Miss Bonnie Jones, and Mr and Mrs Nat Powell. A sumptuous wedding breakfast was partaken of at the bride's parents' house, A large number of nice wedding presents have been received, and the happy couple were the recipients of numerous congratulations from their friends. Mr and Mrs Dennis will make their home at Treorchy,

London College of Music. LOCAL SUCCESSES. At the recent examination of the above College (Aberdare Centre), the following pupils of Prof. T. Jones, L.R.A.M., A.R.C.O., Aberdare, were successful in pianoforte playing:- Master David Luke, 31, Broniestyn- terrace, passed in the senior division. Master Willie Edwards, 21, Merthyr- road, Hirwain, gained the first class cer- tificate in the senior section. Miss Ceinwen Davies, 8, Gospel Hall- terrace, obtained the first class certificate elementary section.

Scraps. BY THE SCRIBE." A good many persons are under the impression that electric trams are actually being constructed in Tre- cynon, This rumour has gained cur- rency because the main road is up and because electric wires have been seen and felt "by a nulnber of the resi- dents. Unfortunately the rumour has no foundation, The Council cannot move quite so fast as some people seem to'think. A good many months if not a couple of yeiirs must elapse before the rails are laid. even if the Bill for the promotion of Tratnways will be parsed when presented The present operations at Trecynon are in connection with the proposed electric lighting of the streets. Let us hope that electric trams will follow in the wake of electric light. Two prominent citizens of Aberdare, to wit Mr A. S. Pleace and Mr D. Tudor Williams, possess a garden each, in which they take just pride. It has long been a subject of dispute between them as to which is the better one. So to settle this vexed question the judges who officiated at the Aberdare Flower Show on Tuesday were asked to visit the gardens in question and to decide. The verdict was in favour of Mr Pleace so far as kitchen gardening was con- cerned, but a kind of consolation was given Mr Williams who was told that his was the most artistic. But Mr Williams is not satisfied with their judgment and has given notice of appeal, notwithstanding the fact that the judges complimented him on his greenhouse and lawn. The seeds used by Mr Williams are Carter and Go's, whose agent he is at Aberdare. The Aberdare Public Park wore an animated appearance on Monday (Bank Holiday). Thousands flocked there m the afternoon, and the lake and baths were well patronised. Scholars from the various Sunday Schools who had paraded the streets and had regaled themselves with tea, reinforced the already large crowd and by 7 o'clock the open space above the lake was one moving mass of humanity. The refreshment rooms attracted a large number, and Messrs Miles and Sons were kept exceedingly busy till the plantation bell rang the knell of parting day.

b.II --v- Penrhiwceiber Notes. 'BY SPHINX." Where is Penrhiweeiber P" is the query on the local hoardings. "Five miles from Aberdare" is my answer; or if you want something more definite ask John Bull." Ceiber is modernising each day. We have now everything with one exception- the modern Park seat. Cannot we get some generous toff to supply us with a- few, instead of the antiquated ones we have now in our park? In Aberaman Station you will see the desired kind of seats strewn about an ash-tip. But we here in Ceiber have to I be content with three wooden non- backed roadside seats for our park. Why, I heard of one of the Councillors saying that if they succeeded in having a park they would not accept such seats. Now, ye Ceiberites, compare your park seats with those of either of the other sur- rounding parks, and say if you are con- tent. I -say no. At last the Council have graciously con- descended to make an allowance for the Fire Brigade. These men follow their duties with perfect zeal, and are worthy of consideration. They are to be seen continually at their drills, and very ready when there is a call. -r.. .o_

Local Assessments. REDUCTION IN ABERDARE HOTEL APPEAL. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Merthyr Union Assessment Committee was held on Saturday, Mr. T. Andrews, J.P. (chairman), presiding. Mr. T. Phillips, Aberdare, appeared be- fore the committee to appeal on behalf of Messrs. Henry Allen and Co., owners of the Hirwain Brickworks, against the assessment of their silica stone, which is rated at 8d. per ton. Mr. Phillips ex- plained that his clients had been paying a royalty of Sd. per ton under a lease which expired last year, but the royalty had now been reduced to 5!2d. The com- mittee lowered the assessment to the same figure. Mr. Stinchcombe. agent to Mrs. Elliott, owner of the Black Lion Hotel, Aberdare, appeared in support of an adjourned ap- peal against the assessment of the Black Lion Hotel, Aberdare, which is rated at X236 gross and JS190 net. Upon the re- commendation of the overseers the assess- ment was reduced to £ 200 and X-160. Messrs. W. W. Nell and Co., through Mr. D. Brinnand, the manager of the house, appealed against a rating of J200 gross and X160 net on the Queen's Hotel, Aberdare, but the assessment was con- firmed. An appeal by Mr. J. D. Hughes against the assessment of the Boot Hotel, Aber- dare, rated at £ 240 gross and tl29 net, was adjourned until the next meeting.

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SCIENCE NOTES & NEWS. GREEN SNOW. The familiar red snow of Alpine ana Arctic regions is well known to be clue to the growth in it of a minute one-celled species of alga. In the Bnllet in of the Botanical Society of Geneva, R. Chodat describes a new species of alga which grows in snow and colours it green. "The specimen Was collected by Viret" in a depression between the Aiguilles du Chardonnet and the Grands Mulets, at the edge of the Argentiere Glacier. The patch of green snow was some thirty- seven yards long by three broad, the colour being a dirty green. The new species has been named raphidium vireti, after its coverer. TO MAKE OLD WINE. It is generally admitted that wine improves with keeping, and that exposure to the action of oxvgen makes it less acrid, and hastens the deposition of impurities in the form of lees. It has also been shown that wine in wood or glass does not improve by keeping unless it has obsorbed oxygen. Pasteur proved that wine deprived of oxygen is not altered by keeping. In order to produce the qualities of age without the aid of time both oxygen and ozone have been tried. And strange to say both have failed. Success, however, is claimed, says the Scientific American, for a process by which oxygen is introduced and changed into ozone in'the wine. It is the in- vention of Mr. Alfred Dorn. A tubular elec- trode is introduced, into the cask connected with an oxygen tank and an induction coil. Z!1 Part of the oxygen thus introduced is changed into ozone by the current. From twenty to ninety minutes" treatment is re- quired for wine, but spirits may take six hours. Natural aging for a short time is re- quired afterwards. THE BEGINNING AND THE END. Sir Oliver Lodge, in a lecture on "Life and Its Meaning," said: Although the problem of existence could not be solved, science could throw some light upon it, and could enable us to realise the greatness of existence—an existence which., so far as could be seen, never had a beginning and would never have an end. Certainly it was exceedingly difficult to imagine anything in the nature of a real beginning. It was easy enough to imagine the beginning of the earth, or the sun, or of any given solar system, and it was not diffi- cult to imagine the end. It had been thought that we should end by

A FLAME OF FIRE. So it might be. We were travelling through space at a terrific rate. The solar sys- tem. the sun, and all the p1 jrt<- were travel- ling in a straight line thin u space at a speed of about twelve mile" every second of time in a direction we nc t,x ere before; constantly sweeping out into new regions of space. In this progressive motion we might, as far as could be told, easily encounter some dark body, like a ship going across the At- lantic. If the sea were empty it was safe, 'Dut if tl-iere were some derelict or other hid- den object the ship was doomed in a moment, and so it might be with the earth and with the solar system, as far as anyone could tell. EXHAUSTION OF RESOURCES. Experts of the Geological Survey (U.S.) deplore the wasteful methods of mining coal, and estimate that at the present rate of con- sumption our supply of coal will be exhausted by the year 2040. -Of course the present rate of consumption is not likely to continue,, owing to improved methods and the greater use of water power. The experts find the waste in the production of petroleum and natural gas is even greater. At its present rate of consumption it is estimated that petroleum will not last more than thirty years. Animal and vegetable oils will not supply its place for lubricants and illumi- nants, and the reckless use of oil as fuel should be checked. It is said that the supply of natural gas will last about twenty-five years at the existing rate of WASTEFUL EXPLOITATION. Iron, although present in nature generally, is not found in paying grades of ore in un- limited quantities, and it is guessed that the supply of high-grade ores will be.all gone in thirty years. Gold, silver, and zinc ores are likely to last for centuries, and the outlook for copper is also good. The world's output of lead has probably reached its maximum. The fertiliser phosphates will be used up in thirty years. While new discoveries of these various materials of industry may be found, it- is deemed unlikely that they will be in suffi- cient quantities to affect the estimates given. DISTRIBUTION OF ROTIFERS. Most animals and plants have a well- marked and more or less restricted geogra- I phical range. According to the investigations of C. F. Rousselet, however, of which he con- tributed an account to the Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club, the rotifers form an exception to this rule. He arrives at the conclusion that most of the species enjoy an almost world-wide range, so that it is impos- sible to speak of a typical rotifera fauna for any region of the globe. Rare species appear in widely-separated localities, which shows that distance is no obstacle to their distribu- tion provided that suitable conditions occur. Many rotifers, it is known, show an extra- ordinary power of resisting drought. Aftet being kept dry for a lenytnei til period they are found to revive on tin 'dih'um of a drop of wateiT. Being mostly of 1 itioscopic size it might be thought they might oe blown far and wide by the wind when in this condition. THE ORIGIN OF EUROPEAN PEOPLES. In his work on the origin of European oeoples, Sergy recognises eight races of men, omy three of which have left remains in caverns. These races are Homo Europteus, H. Eurafricus, H. Eurasicus. The first race is extinct. It was characterised by 1, very low forehead and an enormous protrusion of the glabellum and the superorbital arches, forming a sort of visor: Remains of this race have been found at Taubach, Krapina, Nean- derthal, Spy, Schipka, La Naulette, and Malarnand. Sergy assigns the middle of the Pliocene as the period of this race. The second race is still in existence. It has a visorless skull, dolichocephalic or mesoce- phalic. It came from the north of Africa and has left remains in the loess of Egnisheim, Galley Hill (England) and Piedmont (Mora- via), and in the caves of Langerie, Chance- lede, and Baousse-Rousse. Sergy ascribes to this race the PALiEOLJfi'HIC CIVILISATION of the later Quaternary in the south of France, and finds in that civilisation analogies with the Mycenian or prehistoric Egyptian civilisation, apparently later than the Qua- ternary but in reality contemporaneous with it in the development of the arts. There is no apparent reason why this race should not have penetrated into the southwest of France. The synchronism of two ages, however, is very-difficult to prove, because the pa neon to logical criterion of the Quaternary is not uni- form throughout Europe, owing to differences in climate. For example, no trace of Elephas primigenius, Rhinoceros tichorinus. ar Cervus taraudus has yet been found it- Italy. Homo Eurafricus persisted into the neoli Xhic age at Cro-Magnon, Baumes-Chaudea Arene-Candide, &c. Towards the end of the neolithic age the third race (Homo Euraaicus) came into Europe from western Asia and left remains at Grenoble and Furfoor. This is the still existing brachycephalic race.

Letters to the Editor. IS MR. JACKSON THOMAS A MARTYR? Sir,—From my point of view he is, but alas he is not the only one who has been sacrificed by his fellows simply because he has a mind of his own, and the audacity (sic) to use it. The class of men who inflict this mar- tyrdom on their fellows over whom they may be set from a labour or business point of view, are to be met with everywhere in the district. Personal experience and knowledge hold in view circumstances of similar natures involving the same prin- ciples. For instance: — (1) A certain poor tradesman was only allowed to supply goods at what they cost him. (2) A professional gentleman (being a native) was sacked because he asked the Federation price for his work. (3) A fellow workman was not given the usual allowances and privileges for an afflicted child because his wife was a painstaking, cleanly and honest house- keeper. (4) A fellow workman was not allowed his Federation allowance because his little home and family did not shew signs of distress. Now is this doing as you would or should be done by ? Are these men justified in attempting to muzzle Mr. Jackson Thomas's con- science and commonsense while they are crying out for freedom, free speech, free platform, free houses, free education, and blackguarding the employers of labour who are (like all of us) endeavour- ing to make their businesses pay. I ask are they acting up to what they demand. It seems a reiteration of the old raw, "Place a beggar on horseback, and he'll ride him to the Now I say let these people reconsider their position, and if they put in a little thought they will be able to balance the position justly.—Yours truly, A VIATOR.

,1OW Swimming Competitions, AT ABERDARE PUBLIC PARK. The annual Swimming Competitions organised by a committee consisting of local gentlemen, were held on Wednes- day. The meteorological conditions were not so favourable as last year, conse- quently the attendance suffered. consider- ably. The officers were: President., Mr. W- Kenshole, High Constable; vice-presi- dent, Mr. W. Thomas, solicitor; treasur- er, Councillor M. J. Harris; judges, Messrs. A. S. Morris and F. J. Caldicott; starters, Messrs. A. J. Sheen and Mac- Kenzie; handicapper, Mr. R. J. B. Dick- son, Newport; hon. sec., Mr. E. Parker, Aberdare. The awards were as follows: — Swimming under Water for Men. 1st prize, gold medal; 2nd, silver medal (gold centre); 3rd, silver medal: 1, J. Parfitt; 2, II: Rendell, Aberaman; a, W. R. Owen, Tylorstown. 30 Yards Scratch Race < Schoolboys under 13).—1st heat: 1, J. Price, Nation- al School; 2, D. R. Harris, Park School. 2nd heat: 1, R. Hill, St. Fagairs School; 2, Arthur Williams, Park School. 3rd heat: 1, Trevor Davies, Town Council School; 2, David Hemmings, St. Fagan's School. Final: 1st, R. Hill; 2nd, A. Williams. 100 Yards Swimming Handicap (Open). —1st heat: 1, T. Williams. 2nd heat: I., Phil Davies. 3rd heat: 1, W- Bayliss. 4th heat: 1, W. Eynon. Final: 1st, Phil Davies; 2nd, T. Williams; ;)rd, W, Eynon. I Tug-of-War between A. Gilman's Team v. II. Williams' Team.; winners, H. Wil- liams' Team. 60 Yards Local Handicap.-I.,I- heat; 1, D. R. Jones; 2, A. Gilmor; 3, T. A. Lewis. 2nd heat: 1, G. S. Jones; 2, W. Adams; 3, T. John. Final: 1st, G. S. Jones; 2nd, W. Adams; 3rd, A. Gilmor. Mrs. Owen (daughter), Mr. Win. M. Ed- Walking Greasy Pole.—1, Roy Lewis; 2, W. Owen. 100 Yards Scratch Championship Cup Race.—1st prize, Silver Challenge Cup: 1st, J. Cotter, Mountain Ash (holder); 2nd, J. Heath, Maerdy; 3rd, Phil Davies, Dowlais. 50 Yards Handicap (boys under 16).-1, C. Pleace; 2, J. Bowen; 3, L Parker. Top Hat and Night Shirt Obstacle Race: 1, A. Gilman, Aberaman; 2, Ll. Hicks, Penrhiwceiber. Aberdare Schoolboys' Squadron Race: 1, Town National School Squad. 75 Yards Swimming Handicap (boys under 18): 1, Phil Davies; 2, A. Davies. 30 Yards Schoolboys' Championship Race (under 13), breast stroke only.—Cup presented by Mr. J. Harris, photo- grapher, Aberdare: 1st, R. Hill, St. Fagan's School; 2nd, O. John; 3rd, E. Howells, Town National. Duck Hunt.-lst, J. Taylor. Half-Mile Swimming Handicap (Open). —1st, J. Cotter; 2nd, J. Heath; 3rd, W. Bayliss. Water Polo Match.—Result: Mountain Ash, 3; Aberdare, 1. Councillors T. Lewis, J.P., and M. J. Harris distributed the prizes. The Aberaman Original Band, con- ducted by Mr. R. S. Howells, went through an excellent programme of music.

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