The Carmarthen Journal and South Wales Weekly Advertiser

WHAT ARE WELSHMEN DOING ? THE character of the German operations in Flan- ders and elsewhere should provide further evidence, if any were needed, that there is nothing on this earth, and no devilish scheme which the enemy can borrow from their next, which he is not prepared to employ in full measure for the purpose of attain- ing the end for which he has been preparing for years past, and that is the complete subjugation of the British Empire and the destruction of its people. When the war broke out many people in this country wondered at the audacity of the Kaiser in facing three or four great Powers at the same time, of one of whom the mighty fleet alone should have given him pause. Has the Kaiser anything up his sleeve?"' they asked. Now we know. Mur- der, rapine, outrage in every conceivable form, and by every possible means that brutality allied to science can suggest, prepared and organised for years past-it is with these weapons that he means to blast the British Empire. We appeal to the apathy which we know still exists in some parts of Wales, both as to the progress of the war and its possible results to us as a people. There are still hundreds of men, otherwise sane and intelligent, who secretly hug the delusion that German domi- nance of this country would place them in no worse position than they now occupy, would bring no real danger to their hearths and homes. Suoh in. difference and apathy is truly appalling, and yet not unnatural. The training of these people could not have produced other fruit. In so far as it con- cerned the fostering of an understanding of sound ana healthy Nationalism, of man's real duty to his fellow man, to his country, and therefore to his God that training has in numerous cases been worse than deplorable. Even in this present hour of peril we are told that men who have the privilege of shaping the mental and spiritual growth of the people are using their opportunities and gifts to poison that natural instinct of patriotism which would go out to battle for the safety of the country, and which would be nowhere more admir- able and spontaneous than in gallant Little Wales were it not for these misguided wretches. You people who imagine that all would be well with Kaiserism in Wales, listen to this summary, written by an eminent German-American, of what the German mind has in store for the people of this country when they get here:— You talk about the atrocities committed in Belgium by German soldiers. Whatever was committed in Belgium cannot be called barbarism on the part of the German Army. But once let us get into England and there will be no way of holding back our soldiers, and no doubt the world will learn of atrocities being committed such as are unknown to-day." And what are those atrocities which have been com- mitted in Belgium? We have published official re- cords of them on several occasions, but here is another reminder, taken by the Times from the { diary of a poor Belgian lady since dead:— Under date August 21, 1914, the writer of the diary, then at her home in Dinant, records that the German soldiers had assaulted the Rue St. Jaques; most of them were drunk, and they had shot the peaceable inhabitants, set about pillaging shamefully, then set fire to the houses with bombs, and destroyed everything." When we got into the street we hardly knew what to do. We reached the end of the street leading to the quay and there we stopped, terrified. The sight was a moving one-women, children, wretchedly clothed, nuns holding up their hands to heaven, were standing all along the riverside watching the town blazing-hundreds of people worn out with terror and fatigue, old men lying on mattresses, babies in cradles whose parents had gone—none knew where. Every one was crying and sobbing- men, women, and children. They had all been driven out of their homes by the brutal soldiers, who smashed the doors and windows with the butts of their rifles, seized the unarmed men, and ill-treated the women and children, then ranged them in two rows and shot the men before the eyes of their wives and children. We saw among these unfortunates, a woman who was soon to have a baby, with bare feet and clad only in her chemise and petticoat." After passing three nights in circumstances of terrible privation, this lady and her starving companions gave themselves up to the Germans. They were placed at the head of a column of German troops as a shield for the invaders. For twenty minutes we walked through fields, and came out on an im- mense plain where a battle was going on, and there we were placed near the mitrailleuses, in front of the army and an officer said to us, Nothing of Dinant must be left-the French cannon will finish you.' We remained in this position for about 20 minutes, momentarily ex- pecting to die-an unforgettable torture." The lives of these women-prisoners were only spared during the ensuing massacres at Dinant because a German officer, more humane than his superiors, delayed the execution he had been ordered to carry out, and finally obtained the release of these starving, terrified and exhausted feminine victims of the Kaiser's commands for the treat- ment of Belgians. Couple with the reflections which the reading of the above should arouse, the fact that the German hordes in Flanders have just scored what is next door to a victory. After all these months of fight- ing they are in such a position as to be a constant menace to our coasts. If they break through to th North Sea coast, which is not impossible, they will establish submarine and Zeppelin bases within gunshot of our own country and the position of this country will be serious. Men of Wales, young and old, should find out what are the facts with j regard to the progress of the war, and remember j that the Government has not told them the truth; j then they must look their immediate duty straight in the face. j

i NOTES OF THE WEEK 1 1 A well-known and reliable observer has ldndly sent us the following notes respecting the arrival of migrants in this neighbourhod:—Blackcap, y April 25th; Landrail, April 25th; Swift, April 27th; t Treepipits, April 27th. 1 J e could not possibly hear of all the splendid 1 catches which have been made by salmon anglers ( locally, but we saw one the other day-two fine fish weighing together 261bs. caught by > Mr. J. Burgess, of the Nelson Hotel, Carmarthen. t 1 Mr. W. David Thomas, secretary of the Carmar- thenshire Infirmary, came in for eloquent praise at the annual meeting of the Governors of the Institu- tion last week for his successful efforts which re- sulted in an increase in subscriptions last year uf 254 over the previous year. A correspondent informs us that he has a clock in his possession with James Isaac, Llanfynydd," on it. Sixty years ago it waa then said to be eighty years old, and had been given to the then owner by his grandfather. It found its first me some 30 miles from Llanfynydd. We wonder if there are many other clocks about bearing this name. I A young man from Carmarthen who was in Tyne- mouth at the time of the bombardment by a Zep- pelin, relates a stirring story of the coolness of Ine British Tommy. He states that when the bom- bardment was at its height, and the explosion of bombs vibrated through the town, soldiers gazj up towards the dark trackless sky quite uncon- cernedly of falling bombs, singing "Somewhere the sun is shining." I Although we do not encourage party politics on local public bodies, it will be interesting to those who do, to learn that Mr. Wm. Williams, Llwyn- piod, who was eleoted chairman of the Carmarthan Rural District Council the other day is the first Conservative to fill the chair of that Council for several decades. We feel sure that Mr. Williams, who is a successful farmer, will, during his year of office, carry out his duty with dignity and to the satisfaction of all. Tar-spraying for dust is not without its draw- back says the writer of an article in Know- ledge." He instances the case of the Carmarthen- shire Main Roads Committee receiving a claim from a bee-keeper who complained that his stock had an died owing to the spraying of an adjacent road. Fisii in streams are believed to have been poisoned in the. same way. A "carpet of bitumen" is sug- gested as an improvement on the present process. Mr. David Caradoc Evans has set pens going even in Fleet Street. The Newspaper World makes several references to him, among them the following:— Mr. David Caradoc Evans, who has arrested the attention of literary circles by his incisive and powerfully penetrating studies of Welsh life. just published in "The English Review" is a Fleet- street journalist, and was for a long time asso- ciated with the Amalgamated Press at Fleetway House before becoming the editor of "Ideas." To his credit is the considerable achievement of having set the newspapers talking of Welsh character instead of the war. The Star" promptly interviewed this plain-speaking Welsh- man; "The South Wales Echo" took him to task for "lack of patriotism": "The Carmarthen Journal defended Mr. Evans. No wonder The Globe" styles Mr. Evans a "daring Welshman!" And again- Fleet-street, and indeed the whole journalistic profession, is full of canny Scots. There are also not a few Irishmen prominent in the news- paper world, from T. P." downwards. But where are the Welshmen? Apropos of the in- terest aroufeJ by the clever Welsh studies which Mr. David Caradoc Evans is writing in "The English Review." it is asserted that the author is one of only three Welsh-speaking journalists in Fleet-street to-day. It is said that the young Welshman usually chooses one of three callings- draper, dairyman, or preacher. To which may be added another—that of pugilist. The latter fact may explain Mr. Evans's capacity for hard-hitting. As an instance of the chaotic state of things at the War Office during the early days of the war, an interesting fact was mentioned by Mr. A. D. Thomas, who attended a meeting at Carmarthen last week as representative of the central committee of the Soldiers and Sailors' Families' Association. He said that a few nights after the outbreak of the war, he was walking home in the company of a friend engaged at the War Office, who confessed to- him that there were no fewer than 180,000 letters unopened when he left there that night! Lord Kitchener soon changed this. II was proper (remarks the Globe ") that Sir Owen Philipps, speaking as chairman of a great shipping company, should remind us all what we owe at this time to the mercantile marine, and the tribute he paid at the meeting of Elder, Dempster and Co. to the non-combatant sailor will find a sym- pathetic response everywhere. There is no doubt that the deliberate aim of Germany in her cam. paign of submarine frightfulness has been to strike terror into the heart of the mercantile marine. But the answer to all that has been at. tempted is that our ships sail the seas, carrying on their great world trade and bringing the food for a nation at war with the imperturbable regularity of peace times. The late Rev. John Williams, of Newcastle- Emlyn (uncle of Mr. Llewelyn Wiliams, M.P.), so apt with illustrations, used to locate them all near Llangadog or Capel Iwan. After Kilsby's lecture on Vicar Pritchard, Williams, remarking how thorough a hold Canwyll y Cymry had had on the Welsh people, mentioned the instance of his visit to an old cottager on her beath-bed, saying that that verse from Proverbs, Hir yr erys Duw cyn taro" ("God is slow in striking") was so true in her experience. Now," said Williams, "this is from 'Llyfr Vicer,' and not from the Bible." On the same occasion he explained the expression mae e dan i jrwvs (" He is under his crosses"). When a man is lying'dead this expression is used, and it comes down, he explained, from the Roman Catholic time when the crosses (" crwys being plural of croes ") were laid on the body. That well-known star-group, the Plough, is right over head about 10 o'clock in the evening the be- ginning of May, whilst the equally well-known con- stellation, Cassiopeia, will be found above the northern horizon. The bright stars, Capella and Vega, are in the north-west and north-east respec- tively and Spica high up in the south. The Moon is new on the 14th, full on the 28th. The planet Saturn is still a conspicuous object in the evening heavens, between the well-known stars, Castor and Aldebaran, whilst Mercury will be pretty close to him the end of the month, and may then possibly be picked up. The other planets are only visible in the morning at present. Meteors may be looked for, and their paths amongst the stars noted to- gether with the time, their colour and brightness, etc. Sometimes these particulars are of real scienti- fic value, although only made by that much-despised instrument—the naked eye! Perhaps some readers were fortunate enough to see the great meteor on the evening of March 28; it was seen in Wales in south, but was actually over the Channel Isles. The Sun is pretty active just now, and the great spot which crossed his surface early in April was dis- tinctly visible to the naked eye, protected, of course, by dark glass. Notes of meteors or any interesting phenomena will always be gratefully received by the writer-Arthur Mee. Tremynfa, Llanishen, Cardiff. Speculation, having exhausted itself over the drink question, is now concerning itself with the Budget, the statement on which will be delivered by Mr. Lloyd George one day next week. Tti's year there has been an absence of forecasts, which is very unusual, and what talk is heard in connoc- tion with the forthcoming proposals is practically conjecture. There is, however, a unanimity of opinion upon one point, namely, the improbability of further interference with the Income Tax. It may safely be assumed, however, that there will be increases in other directions, for Mr. Lloyd George has already laid down the principle that part of the cost of the war must be paid for out of the national income as we go along. It will not occasion a great deal of surprise if the duty on tea is raised by another 3d., and it is quite possible also that cocoa and tobacco may be called upon for a larger contribution to the revenue. In addition, it is more than likely that the spirits duty will be in- creased, but the new imposition wou'd be for the purpose of lessening consumption, and not for bene- fiting the Exchequer. Many people arc wondvr'ng whether the Chancellor will take this opportunity of adopting the proposal to impose a tax tipon wages. The idea was first seriously rro-oted last year, and it is said to have been under the con- sideration of Mr. Lloyd George since. The leade-s of the Labour Party as a whole are in favour of the Rotion, and it is improbable that its adoption would arouse much hostility on the part of the work- ing classes, for the tax would be general and would not, like the liquor and tobacco duties, fall exclu- sively on one section of the wage-earners.

THE CARDIGANSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL A MODEL EMPLOYER OF LABOUR!! (By TENANT FARMER.") Whether in the borrowed plumes of a landlord by virtue of the Small Holdings Act, or as an employer of labour, the Cardiganshire County Council sets but a very poor standard for others to go by. What sane business man would conduot his business on similar lines to the Small Holdings Committee? One of the latest attempts of this Council of wise- acres to §how its supreme authority, and to strike terror into its subordinates is to circularise its road- men, a copy of which is reproduced herewith:— CARDIGANSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL. County Council Offices, Aberystwyth, April 12th, 1915. Dear Sir,—I have been requested by the County Council to communicate with the roadmen employed in the Southern Division of the county and point out the importance that every roadman should oor- rectly fill in his time-sheet, shewing the hour when he started work in the morning and the number of hours during which he worked every day. The Council expects you and every roadman to work continuously during the whole time mentioned in the time sheets and wishes to impress upon you the importance of your fulfilling your obligation in this respect, in order to avoid complaints on the part of the public, with regard to the person semployed by the Council. I am further requested to intimate that if the wishes of the Council are not striotly complied with, th? roadmen in default will be instantly discharged. Yours truly, EVAN EVANS, Clerk of tHe Council. A short time ago a member brought a complaint against one or two roadmen (not named as might be expected) before the Council, and I suppose to avoid naming these faulty workmen, it was thought wise to instruct the clerk to write this insulting epistle, insulting not from its construction, but from its. message. Does the Council seriou&Iy think it will get a single ounce of work from the men in return for thi& idiotic screed? Does it seriously think that a body of honest workmen are going to suffer being goaded by a body of unbusinesslike men? Not likely, why should they? I would like to draw the reader's attention to the phrase in order to avoid complaints on the part of th0 public. Really this is too laughable for words! As if the Council valued public opinion! If it did, it would certainly have made an attempt at any rate to set its house, or rather holdings, in order, and. avoid being as it is-a downright laughing-stock. If the supervision of the roadmen is to be en- trusted to the public, of what use is it to pay high salaries to the road surveyors? Are not these- gentlemen competent to look after the workmen under their care? I gather from the above circular that the Council has its eyes upon some certain » workmen. Why then should it not censure those who are at fault, rather than whip the whole lot in order to punish one or two? Perhaps the Clerk to the County Council will en- lighten me, as well as many if not all the roadmen upon one little point. Take the case of a roadman who, say, on a Monday morning is to start work at a spot say three miles from his home. What time is that workman to commence work at his scene of operations? Also what time is he to cease work that evening? Where does the time taken in journeying to and fro come in? What rule has the Council with regard to this, when was it passed if passed at all, and where can it be seen? Before the roadman can properly fill in his time sheets he should be instructed in little things like this. Perhaps the Clerk will at the same time throw some light on another matter. A certain portion of road requires to be metalled. Two or three carte are wanted to haul the metal from the depot. Who is to act as messenger to tout for hauliers, and what about the time taken in walking from one farm to another,—very often miles apart? The public if they saw the roadman on such and like errands would probably arrive at the conclusion that the roadman was simply taking a constitutional walk in order to digest his early breakfast taken in the dim light of a tallow. It passes my comprehension why should roadmen be singled out to be recipients of nasty circulars when officials receiving far better pay are allowed to go scot-free of such indignity. Were I a roadman in the employ of the Cardigan- shire County Council and received a circular similar to the foregoing, I should not hesitate in returning it post-haste, and tell the Council, its circulars, and job to go to blazes.

SOCIETY AND PERSONAL Mr. and Mrs. Alister C. B. Lloyd left Waunifor last Wednesday for Swanage. Miss Mansel, of Maesycrugiau, was operated on for appendicitis on the 22nd inst., and is progress- ing satisfactorily.

LOCAL NEWST CmcKET.On Friday last at the Grammar School, T. W. Griffiths was elected captain of the first eleven, with Rex Lewis as vice-captain. G. R. Davids was appointed to captain the Seconds. It is hoped that the team will have a successful season. An interesting list of fixtures have been arranged. MUSICAL SUCCEss.-At the recent school examina- tion of the Associated Board of the Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music, Master Glyn- mor Evans, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Evans, postman, 66a, Priory-street, was successful in passing with distinction the Primary Division. He is only eight years of age. SCHOOL -MANAGERS.-At a meeting of managers of Group 2, Council Schools, Carmarthen Lnion, at the Shire Hall, Carmarthen, on Saturday, Mr. Wil- liam Williams, of Cilmarch. Upland Arms, was ap- • pointed chairman and Mr. David Davies, Bryn- hawddgar, Abergwili, vice-chairman for the ensuing year. PROPOSED DAIRY FARMERS' ASSOCIATION.—A mass meeting will be held at the Shire Hall on Saturday. May- 15th. when an address will be given by Mr. James Sadler. secretary of the Cheshire Dairy Farmere Association, with a view to the formation of a local association. Every wholesale vendor of milk west of Swansea is asked to attend. PRESENTATION. A pleasant social was held at the English Congregational Church on Thursday in last week, when, in recognition of twelve years' service as secretary of the church, Mr. J. F. Lloyd was presented with a silver salver to mark the occasion of his recent marriage. The presentation was made by the Rev. D. J. Thomas, who spoke in high terms of Mr. Lloyd's services. After tea, an interesting musical programme was gone through. ° DEATH.-The death took place on Sunday of Mr. Thomas Evans, farmer, Ysgyborwen, near Ponty- berem, in his 71st year. Deceased's wife prede- ceased him about six ytars ago. He leaves ten children to mourn their loss-six sons and four daughters-one of whom is Mrs. W. J. Thomas, 5 St. David s-street. Carmarthen. The funeral took place yesterday (Thursday). CARMARTHENSHIRE TEACHERS.-At a meeting of the Carmarthenshire Teachers' Association at Car- marthen on Saturday, the following resolution was passed" That tho Council of the Carmarthenshire Teachers" Association, whilst strongly in favour of the re-establishment of P.T. centres in the county, is of opinion that the teachers of the county cannot conscientiously recommend any child to enter the teaching profession so long as members of the pro- fession are paid salaries that compare so unfavour- ably with those of other professions." WEDDING.-A pretty wedding was solemnized at Lammas-street Chapel on Tuesday, when the con- tracting parties were Mr. Wm. Phillips, Oefnmeurig Llanginning. and Miss Mary Morris, Voelcwan Farm, Newchurch. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. D. R. Davies, Rhydyceisiad, assisted by the Rev. Dd. Roberts, Elim. Mr. Henry Walters, St. Clears, carried out the duties of best man, whilst the bridesmaid was Miss Esther Morris (sister of the bride). The wedding breakfast was partaken of at the Central Hotel, Carmarthen. (( CANTATA. A very successful cantata, entitled David, the Shepherd Boy," was performed by the choir of Bethania Chapel on Thursday in last week, under the conductorship of Mr. J. J. Lewis. The following artistes took part .—Mrs. Hubert Cooke (soprano); Miss Winnie Stephens, R.A.M., Llan- stephan (contralto); Mr. Willie Davies (tenor) Mesrs. J. Thomas and W. Williams (baritone); Mr. D. Williams, Cwmdwyfran (bass). The choir was assisted by an orchestra, the violinists being Mr. J„ Brunker, and Miss Harries, White Mill; cellos, Messrs. W. J. Evans and A. J. Jones. The accompanist was Mr. Stanley Isaac. RINE: DROMB. Week after week, the management of the popular 'Drome are providing absorbing and exciting entertainments and the large audience who frequent it nightly know well that they are provided with the most up-to-date pictorial representations. During the latter part of this week, For the Love of a King is the star drama. For the first part of next week the principal pictures are:—"The Great Larsen Mystery," and "The Decision." Pictures for the latter part of next week include the great exclusive, The Secret of Adrianople," a thrilling episode of the Balkan War, together with the Iateat war films and many interesting dramae.