Flintshire Observer Mining Journal and General Advertiser for the Counties of Flint Denbigh

The Facts. A leaflet issued by the Welsh Disestab- lishment Campaign Committee attempts to show that the Church in Wales is the Church of a small minority. It adopts the usual method of disestablishers who, while claiming that each denomination is a sepa- rate "Church," spoken of as the "Free Churches" (which, by the way, are entirely opposed to each other), the members may be totalled as one body for comparison with the Church. Indeed, to make doubly sure, the leaflet in question includes 64,800 Roman Catholics to swell the ranks of Non- conformity. Having done so, it compares the total arrived at with the communicants only of the Church, and by these means it is not difficult, as may be imagined, to make Church people appear to be in the minority. But what are the facts when the Church, as a religious body, is compared with any one of the other religious bodies. Taking Communicants, and keeping to the Commis- sion figures, the Church Communicants— viz., 193,081-exceeded by 17,934 those of the next largest religious body, the Congre- gationalists, which totalled 175,147 mem- bers. We may also remind our readers how much was made at the time of the Com- mission of the large number of sittings pro- vided by Nonconformists, and how the Church had failed in this particular. It was, however, afterwards found that in five counties in Wales, the population of which totalled 422,206, the number of chapel sit- tings provided were 472,049, or 49,843 in excess of the total population. It is appa- rent to all that statistics such as these can be manipulated to' suit any occasion.

— Ltft_ — Men & Matters. THE boxing tournament at Mold last Saturday was a gratifying success, not merely by reason of the large attendance but also of the sheer excellence of the sport provided. In fact, the display was greatly superior to many exhibitions given in large towns. And, as indicated above, local sportsmen showed their appreciation of the fine programme arranged by turning up in large numbers, and afterwards one heard a chorus of praise and satisfaction—everyone was delighted. -;0;- THE tournament, which was promoted by the Flintshire National Reserve, had several objects. Among them may be mentioned the rousing up of enthusiasm for the National Reserve movement (which has already made splendid progress), the encouragement of the art of self-defence, and the raising of funds. o: IN an interesting leader expressing sym- pathy with the appeal to the responsible authorities at Oxford and Cambridge advo- cating the grant of a full-blue for boxing, "The Times" points out:—"Boxing has all the qualities which tacit agreement requires of a sport before it is admitted to the first rank. It is old—older in fact, by very many years than most of its modern competitors. Till the fifties of last century it was the sport of the English. If, later on, it fell upon evil days it has in the last few years recovered much of its old character and spirit. It demands from those who would excel in It all the best qualities of a sturdy and emulous manhood—hard, physical con- dition, endurance, a quick eye and a light foot, the capacity to take punishment. Above all, its roots are in the character of the English."

THE NEW HAIR GROWER. H AIREGEN is the latest scientific pro- duct for preventing the loss of hair. Buy 1 oz. Hairegen Concentrated and mix with 3 oz. of Rosemary Water. Costly and lengthy experiments have en- abled the makers to put within the reach of all a reliable article. So confident are they of the benefits of Hairegen that all their Agents are autho- rized to refund the purchase money in full, to anyone who, after giving it a fair trial, finds it does not do what they claim for it. Many people wait until it is too late be- fore using a preservative. HAIREGEN prevents the loss of hair, stimulates the growth, and makes the hair soft and glossy. TRY IT NOW Hairegen Concentrated is sold in loz. Bottles, Is. Post free, Is. ld. Sole Agent for North Wales— A. EVANS, Chemist, Wrexham Street, MOLD.

MOLD. CHURCH LADS' BRIGADE. The 1st St. Asaph Cadet Battalion Church Lws' Brigade will be inspected at Hawarden Park on Whit-Monday, June 1st. SUDDEN DEATH AT RHYL. The sudden death took place at Rhyl on Sunday morning of Mr. Greenhouse, licen- see of the Alexandra Hotel. Although in indifferent health, he attended to business on Saturday night and got up on Sunday morning, but soon afterwards expired. DANCE. There was a good attendance at a dance held at the Drill Hall, Mold, on Tuesday evening. The programme included several new dances. Mr. Evans, of Chester, play- ed the music, and Mr. E. Peters acted as M.C. During the evening refreshments were supplied by Mr. A. Davies, confec- tioner, High-street. THE PICTURE HOUSE. For the first three nights this week there was an excellent programme at this popular place of amusement. The principal item in the programme was a fine animal drama entitled "Amid Raging Beasts." There was also a capital detective story entitled "Con- federates in Crime." Some good comic pictures were alto exhibited. EMPIRE DAY CHURCH PARADE. On Empire Day—Sunday, May 24th—the various units in Mold will hold a church parade. Col. Basil E. Philips will take command of the parade, and Capt. Fair- elough will act as his staff officer. The probable numbers of those attending should be sent to Capt. Fairclough. Times of par- ade, etc., will be notified later. LOCAL WORTHIES. During the week portraits of two local worthies have been hung in the reading- room of the Town Hall, Mold. The sub- jects are the Rev. John Blackwell (Alun), the famous Welsh poet, who was born at Ponterwyl, Mold, and Daniel Owen, the eminent Welsh novelist. It is anticipated that further portraits of men of note con- nected with the neighbourhood will shortly be placed in the reading-room. HOMEWARD BOUND. The Rev. R. E. Davies, M.A., son of Mr. Evan Davies, High-street, Mold, accom- panied by his wife and little daughter, is on his way home from New Zealand on a visit. It is nine years since Mr. Davies left Mold. He has charge of Knox Church, Dunedin, which is. the largest church in the Southern hemisphere. It may be mentioned that Mr. Davies was last year president of the General Assembly of New Zealand. He is expected to arrive on June 27th. NORTH WALES ASSIZES. The commission days for the North Wales and Chester Summer Assizes have been fixed as follows:- Newtown, May 25; Dolgelly, May 28; Carnarvon, May 30; Beaumaris, June 4; Ruthin, June 6; Mold, June 10; Chester, July 4. Mr. Justice A. T. Lawrence will take the North Wales Circuit, and he will be joined at Chester by Mr. Justice Atkin. Business will be taken on the day following the commission day. NATIONAL RESERVE. An interesting ceremony will take place at the Armoury, Headquarters of the Flint- shire National Reserve, on Saturday next. By order of the officer commanding, Capt. T. B. Hardern, A Company will parade in the paddock, Plas-yn-dre, Mold (by kind permission of Surgeon Williams, F.N.R.). At the termination of the parade the com- pany, headed by the Buckley National Re- serve G Company's Band, will march to the Armoury, where the celebration of the gift of a flag-pole (presented by Mr. P. T. D* vies-Cooke) and a flag (presented by Mrs. I Alletson, Bod Derwen) will take place. Capt. Hardern desires to acknowledge the courtesy and kindness of the donors, and the ¡ Urban District Council and all supporters of this patriotic movement. BI-MONTHLY SUNDAY SCHOOL MEETING. On Sunday last a bi-monthly meeting of the C.M. Sunday Schools was held at Sar- dis. Delegates were present from all the district schools, to the number of fourteen. During the day the children were catechised in the history of Joshua, and the adults upon Hebrews, IV. chapter. Addresses were delivered on The best method to make the Sunday School more effective." Mr. Rt. Jqnes, Buckley, opened the dis- cussion. The examiner was the Rev. J. R. Williams, Mynydd Isa. Both secretaries were present, viz.: Mr. J. T. Jones, Mold, and Mr. Robert Davies, The Mill, Rhydy- mwyn. The singing, which was of a high order, was under the leadership of Mr. P. Evans, Hendre Farm. PRIZE STOCK SALE. Mr. J. Bradburffe Price, auctioneer, held an important prize stock sale on Friday last. There was an exceptionally large entry of all classes, and the stock in point of quality was above the average. Some 0 grand types of dairy cows and heifers were I shown. Mr. Jones, of Plas-Yw, averaged £ 17 7s. 6d. apiece with 11 calving heifers, and Mr. Bellis, Trebeirdd, £ 17 10s. apiece with seven heifers. The store cattle were a good lot. It was expected owing to the 0 dry weather that the prices would be lower, but the attendance of buyers from far and near caused the trade to be in favour of the sellers. The clearance was excellent. Mrs. Roberts, Ty Newydd, won for the best cow, which deserves special mention. It was purchased for C27 ;)3. by Mr. Mee. Mr. Bellis won the award for the best three- --c vcar-old heifer, which realised £ 21 17e. 6d., Ir. Cameron being the purchaser. Mr. Jones, Trithy, won for the best two-year- old heifer, which was bought for £21 10s. by Mr. Roberts. The first prize bull, the property of Mr. Swetenhnm was sold to Mr Roberts, Plas Heba, for E15. Mr. Wynne owned the best bunch of feeding cattle, Mr Lindsay paying £ 13 10s. apiece for them. The best bunch of yearlings, the property of Mr. Roberts, realised E12 10s. apiece, Col. Philips being the purchaser. The best cottager's yearling, which was owned by Mr Rushworth, was sold for £ 8 12s 6d. to Mr. Leathes. In the sheep section the first prize couples, the property of Mr. Jen- nings, made 70s. apiece, the purchaser be- ing Mr. Moss. The prize for the Welsh couples went to Messrs. Burroughs and Ro- berts, and Mr. McFarlane was the pur- chaser at 22s. apiece. COMPETITIVE MEETING. A successful competitive meeting was held in Pentre Chapel on Thursday last. In the unavoidable absence of Mr. T. H. Parry, M.P., who was detained at the House of Commons, the chair was occupied by his father, Mr. Thomas Parry, J.P. The following were the successful competitors: Annie Thomas, Rhydygoleu; Doris A. Ro- berts, Wrexham-street; Edwin Trefor, Lees- wood; J. Tudor Jones, The Woodlands; Lizzie Briscoe, Pentre; Messrs. E. and J. O. Roberts, Nerquis; Miss Adelaide Da- vies, Crossing; Mr. J. Jones, Gwernymyn- ydd; Mr. Elphin Davies and party; Male Voice Choir, conducted by Mr. Edward Drury. The adjudicators were: Music, Mr Williams, Gorsedd; recitations, Rev. Thos. Morgan drawing and painting, Miss Mabel Morris. The accompanists were Miss M. J. Parry, A.R.C.M. and Miss Cissie Arthur. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to all who had taken part in the meeting, on the motion of Mr. John Owen, seconded by Mr. Edward Edwards. UNKNOWN MAN'S SUDDEN DEATH. Mr. F. Llewellyn-Jones, the Flintshire coroner, held an inquest at the County Hall, Mold, on Thursday last, concerning the death of an unknown man who was stated to be apparently about 65 years of age.- Thomas Gizzie, proprietor of the model lodging house, Milford-street, Mold, stated that on Tuesday he returned home at 5 o'clock .in the afternoon, and found de- ceased in the house, having something to eat. He had been in about an hour and told witness that he came from Flint. De- ceased said that he was tired, and that it took him a long time to walk from Flint. About 9.15 he (deceased) got up from his seat for the purpose of lighting his pipe, and fell sideways in a fit. He was placed on a form and came round in a few min- utes. Shortly after he went to bed, and upon getting to the bedroom witness showed him his bed. He had just turned round to go downstairs when he heard deceased fall- ing. He returned to the bedroom and placed deceased on the bed. Dr. Williams was sent for, but the man died before his arrival.—Dr. Edward Williams said there were no marks of violence on the body. Death was due to exhaustion and heart fail- ure. In his opinion there was no doubt that death was due to natural causes.- P.S. Whitehead also gave evidence.—The jurp returned a verdict to the effect that death was due to exhaustion and heart fail- ure. CHILDREN'S CATECHISING FESTIVAL. New-street C.M. Chapel was crowded on Monday last, in the afternoon and evening, by members of the District Sunday Schools, on the occasion of the children's catechising festival. This annual event grows more popular every year Nearly 500 children sat in the body of the chapel, and were catechised in the afternoon upon "The Mother's Gift," chapter V., and in the eve- ning in the "History of Joshua." The tunes sung were all selected from the pro- gramme. The conductors were Mr. J. F. Davies and Mr. T. Evans, Sardis; presi- dents, Mr. J. E. Jones, Soughton, and Rev. J. H. Williams, Mynydd Isa; accompanists Miss Parry, A.R.C.S., and Miss Cissie Ar- thur examiner, the Rev. R. P. Hughes, Dyserth; secretary, Mr. Robert Davies, Rhydymwyn. A new feature was intro- duced on Monday, and proved very success- ful, the children and a good number of adults assembling in the County Hall Field at five o'clock and singing. They then formed a procession, led by the following ministers:—Revs. Evan Davies, Cilcen; Ellis Lloyd, Buckley; 1. C. Roberts, Gwer- nymynydd; G. Parry Williams, M.A., Mold; Christmas Jones, Soughton; and J. H. Williams. The procession went along King-street and High-street to the chapel. The teachers of the respective schools took charge of the procession. This week's fes- tival eclipsed all previous festivals, which shows that new life is being imparted to the Sunday School.

HOLYWELL LECTURE AT CALCOT CHAPEL. On Monday evening, at Cynfaen Wesley- an Memorial Chapel, a lecture on "The Book of Job," was given by the Rev. Tec- wyn Evans, Llanrwst. There was a large attendance and the eloquent lecturer was much appreciated. Mr. Joseph Jones, J.P. Frondeg, presided, and at the close Mr. J. Philip Jones, J.P., C.C., proposed a vote of thanks to the lecturer. The Chairman seconded the proposition, which was car. ried unanimously. MARRIAGE OF MISS INGRAM. The marriage was quietly celebrated at St. Winefride's Catholic Church on Monday morning of Louise, daughter of the late Mr. Ingram and of Mrs. Ingram, Pendre Villa, Bagillt-street, and Mr. John O'Beirne, of The Shop, Cross-street, and formerly of Shamrock House, High-street. The Rev. Fr. Ryan, S.J., officiated, and Mr. Parry, Maesydre, gave the bride away. Attired in a saxe blue cloth costume, with black hat and black feathers, the bride was accom- panied by Miss Bertha Schwarz, who were a brown costume with hat to match. Mr. Harry O'Beirne acted as best man. After the ceremony the wedding breakfast was at Pendre Villa, the guests being the imme- diate relatives of the couple, and shortly af- terwards Mr. and Mrs. O'Beirne left for Birmingham, where the honeymoon is be- ing spent. There were a large number of presents received by the bride and bride- groom. Mr. W. Brown supplied the wed- ding carriages. "D" COMPANY ORDERS. Orders for the week ending 16th May:— Orderly Sergt., Sgt. T. P. Hayden; Order- ly Corpl., Lce.-Cpl. S. Roberts; Orderly Bugler, Bugler T. W. Carney. Parades.—Monday, 11th May: 7.30 p.m., Recruits' Drill. Tuesday: 6.30 p.m., Bovs Bugle Practice; 7 p.m., Miniature Range Practice. Wednesday: 7.30 p.m., Company Drill strong as possible, Dress, Khaki, Drill Order (Bandolier, Belts and Frogs). Thurs- day: 6.30 p.m., Bugle Practice; 7 p.m., Miniature Range Practice. Fridav: 7.30 p.m., Recruits' Drill. Saturday: Musketry at Mostyn, N.C.O.'s and Men will be warn- ed by postcard. N.C.O.'s are required to qualify in Sema- phore. All men desirous of going in for promotion should join the Battalion Scouts at once. (Sgd.) J. LL. WILLIAMS, Capt. Comdg. D Coy. 5th R.W.F.

-44- CARMEL. CONCERT AT THE SCHOOL. On Wednesday evening week, at Carmel Council School, an enjoyable and very suc- cessful concert was held in aid of the funds of Carmel C.M. Chapel. Mr. H. T. Ro- berts, L.C. and M. Bank, presided over a large attendance, and in a short address re- ferred in congratulatory terms to the work carried on at Carmel. The programme opened with a cleverly played pianoforte solo by Miss Gwladys Owen, Pantasaph Farm. Miss C. E. Jones, Ffynnongroew, who possesses a sweet soprano voice, was greatly appreciated in her songs. She gave "Jesus, lover of my soul," "Y Gloch," and "Ser y Goron" as an encore. Miss Doro- thy Lloyd, Ffynnongroew, sang "Gwlad y Delyn," and "Iy Ships," as encore; and "Land of Hope and Glory." Miss Lloyd as a contralto gives promise of being an ac- compli-shed and popular artiste. Her style and tone was pleasing. The tenor soloist, Mr. J. Wynne, Mostyn sang very pleasing- ly "Mona" and "Baner ein Gwlad." Mr. John Owen Jones (baritone) contributed in an effective style "The Laughing Cavalier" and "Arglwydd, Arwain." Mr. John Wynne and Mr. J. Owen Jones gave a very fine rendering of "Watchman, what of the night," and responded with "Plant y Ced- yrn." The quartette, "In this hour of sof- tened splendour," by the four vocalists, proved a most acceptable item, the voices blending beautifully. Miss Dora Ellis, Ffynnongroew, gave an excellent recitation of "Rhianod Penrhyn gwyr," and Mr. John Ellis recited "Shon Jones a'i clock." Miss and Mr. Ellis also gave the dialogue "Mr. and Mrs. Denman," which had to be re- peated. At the close of the concert a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the chairman, artistes, and accompanists, on the proposition of Mr. R. S. Davies, second- ed by Mr. R. T. Price and carried with ap- plause.

GREENFIELD. HOLY TRINITY CHURCH. The anniversary services were held on Wednesday last at Holy Trinity Church, when the Revs. D. W. Davies (St. Asaph) and W. Armon Ellis (Ffynnongroew) were the preachers.

.j. The Portmadoc three-masted schooner Blanche Currie, with her crew of seven hands, has been given up as lost. The 6chooner was last seen in a gale off Cape Race, Newfoundland, on February 4 last.

ANbTHER PLOT. ■ I ■ Ml' JOHN BULL:—When you have quite finished looking for those smuggled arms in Ulster, gentlemen, perhaps you'll have time to attend to smuggled goods at home. I

Public Notices. I Flintshire Education Committee WANTED—Uncertificated Assistant Tea- chers for Halkyn C.E. Mixed and Saltney Wood Memorial Boys' Schools. Salary £ 45, rising to £ 55 per annum. Also, Supplementary Teacher for the Mold C.E. Girls' School. 'Salary £30, rising to f.45 per annum. Forms of Application may be obtained from J. Bevan Evans, County Education Offices, Mold, on receipt of a. stamped addressed foolscap envelope. Flintshire Education Committee W AXTED.-Cleaner for the Connah's Quay Custom House Lane Council Schools. List of Duties and Form of Ap- plication may be obtained from J. Bevan Evans, County Education Offices, Mold. Re WILLIAM HERBERT JONES DECEASED. A LL persons having claims against the estate of the late William Herbert Jones Solicitor of Connabs Quay and all persons who may be in any way indebted to the estate are requested to send particulars thereof to DAVID HUGHES, Old Bank Buildings, Chester. Solicitor to the Administrator. GEORGE ROBERTS, DECEASED. JkjOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that all persons having Claims against the 0 Estate of the above deceased late of Aled House, Caerwys, Flintshire (who died on the 30th March, 1914) must forthwith send in particulars of such Claims to us the undersigned. W. R. EVANS, LLOYD & EVANS, 56a, Hope Street, Wrexham. n 14 Solicitors for the Administratrix. Holywell Carnival. WEDNESDAY, July 8, 1914 Guaranteed Painless Dentistry. C. H. DA VIES, DENTAL SURGERY, 78, Chester Road, BUCKLEY 7 7 (Opposite Cross Keys. Lane End). EXTRACTIONS, 1/- Teeth mounted on Gold, Dental Alloy, and Vulcanite. REPAIRS FROM 2/6. All work Guaranteed. Terms arranged. ZD Branches at CORWEN, OSWESTRY, and DENBIGH. Old Orkney Scotch Whisky. IT IS THE PURE SPRING WATER FROM THE HEATHER-CLAD HILLS OF ORKNEY ISLAND from which Old Orkney is made which gives to it that distinction and mellowness so peculiar to this delicate spirit. 4 per bottle 48 per dozen. JOHN JAMESON'S OLD DUBLIN WHISKY 12 years old (guaranteed). 54/- per doz. 4/6 per bottle. May be obtained from GEORGE BARLOW, The Old Wine Vaults. Bridge St., CHESTER

Mr. J. H. Doxford, a Newcastle business man and athlete, was seized with a fit on the Newcastle Exchange yesterday, and af- ter being medically attended was taken to the infirmary. I

Cheap Prepaid Advertisements. Advertisements of Situations Vacant and Situations Wanted, short announce- ments of Articles for Sale, Apartments to Let, &c. (if prepaid) are inserted in the Flintshire Observer and News" at the following rates No. of One Two Three Words. Insert. Inserts. Inserts. s. d. s. d. s. d. 12 or less 6 10 1 0 13 to 18 9 1 3 1 6 19 to 24 ..1 0 ..1 8 2 0 25 to 30 ..1 3 ..2 0 2 6 31 to 36 1 6 2 6 3 0 37 to 42 1 9 2 9 3 6 42 to 48 2 0 3 3 4 0 Double charges if booked. Advertisements respecting servants, &c., when the address given is at the office of the Paper, must be answered by LETTER ONLY. Personal inquiries cannot be answered. When an advertise- ment directs Persons to write to the office of this Paper an additional charge of 3d. is made. Situations Vacant. A PPRENTICE Wanted to the General »* Drapery.—J. Harrison Jones, Comp- ton House, Mold. tc Scholastic. TUITION in Pitman's SHORTHAND, TYPEWRITING, and COMMER- CIAL CORRESPONDENCE, oral or post, by Certificated Teacher. 21 pupils success- ful. Terms moderate.—Apply, J. Bellis, "Bryn Awelon," Holywell. Wanted. W ATED.- To purchase or rent detach- W ed House (or Cottage), about 6 rooms, with garden; in or near Mold.D," "Ob- server and News" Office, Mold. For Sale. CYCLISTS!! PEEL CYCLES, E2 12s. 6d., Guaranteed 2 years, any size Frame, British Throughout. Lampe, lOJd. Bells, 3id.; Carbide, 3d. 2 per lb.; Mudguards, 6-1d. pair; Chains, Is. 9d.; Covers, 2s. 9d. to 17s.; Tubes, 2s. 3d. to 5s. 6d.; Pumps, 9 £ d.; Mudflaps, Id.; Pedals, Is. 3d. pair. Everything at WHOLESALE PRICES. Note Address- EMPIRE RUBBER and CYCLE Co., 64, High Street, Mold, and 28, City Road, Chester. jQi Gent's Cycle, perfectly new; Stur- iin*T mey Archer 3-speed gear, Clincher o tyres; bargain, Y.4 10s.—Box B.A., "Ob- server" Office, Mold. nl4 Miscellaneous. W ALLP APERS from ltd. per Roll; any quantity, large or small, supplied at WHOLESALE PRICES. Our stock ex- ceeds 250,000 ROLLS of all classes. Write for patterns, stating what class you require (Dept. 117), BARNETT WALLPAPER Co. Knott Mill, Manchester. HEWITTS, Bootmakers, Abbey Gateway, CHESTER, Have a 60 years' REPUTATION for making and selling Goods 0 that are Stylish, Reliable, and Moderate in price. All the LATEST STYLES are now in Stock. Agent for the "K" and other leading specialities. Telephone 400.

STRIKE THROUGH GRINDSTONE. The drillers employed upon the two battleships fitting out in the Bucclcuch Dock, Barrow, left work yesterday on a technical matter. The men allege that the grindstones available for the sharpening of I C, their tools were not what they should be, and so they downed tools as a protest. It is believed that the trouble will be quickly removed. It is estimated that about 150 men are affected.

-+-- The Liverpool City Council yesterday agreed to increase the minimum wage for able-bodied men from 4s. a day to 4s. 2d. and to grant them six days' holiday a year, at a cost of £ 10,000 a year.

An Electioneering Budget. The present Government have gained the unenviable distinction of presenting to the House of Commons, for the first time dur- ing a period of profound peace, a Budget which exceeds two hundred millions sterl- ing. A Government whose motto is sup- posed to be "peace, retrenchment, and re- form," have year by year made greater de- mands upon the public purse than any of their predecessors. In his Budget speech of 1906 Mr. Asquith said that a return to a "more thrifty and economical administra- tion was the first and paramount duty of the Government." How has that admirable sentiment been acted upon? The expendi- ture of the country has risen from £ 149,638,000 in 1906-7 to £ 210,000,000 in 1914-15, an increase of over 60 millions in eight years, and there is no indication of any future lightening of this enormous load of taxation-rather the contrary. The straits to which our "Free Trade". Chancel- lor is reduced in order to raise the in- creased revenue required is shown by file fact that his only resource is to place addi- tional burdens upon income-taxpayers, and through them, on the productive powers of British trade and industry. The Budget presented by Mr. Lloyd George last Monday is an electioneering Budget, and foreshadows an early General Election. It is, we have every reason to believe, the final effort in finance of a dis- credited Chancellor of the Exchequer and a humiliated Government. They appear to think that the glamour of a Budget which increases the taxation on incomes of £1,000 and over will cause the people of this coun- try to forget all the blunders, failures, and political crimes of the past eight years, and to return them again to power. But we have had a "People's Budget" before from the same source, for whole "rare and re- freshing fruits" the people are still waifcr ing. It is folly to suppose that the increased taxation of the comparatively well-to-do cannot affect the earnings of the workers. By curtailing the amount available for the purchase of the products of British labour it must necessarily tend to restrict employ- ment. Moreover, one of the results of such a tax must be to expedite the flight of capital to other countries, and to make it .more difficult for British manufacturers to compete in the markets of the world. All economists are agreed that it is impossible to tax any section of the community with- out affecting every other section. The Chancellor's finance must inevitably tend to decrease the amount of taxable incomes, and thus defeat its own object. As Mr. Harold Cox says in the "Daily Graphic," of May 1 :—"If money is to be persistently taken away by Act of Parliament from those who have legally acquired it, either by their own exertions or by inheritance, the motives for acquisition and accumulation will, in time, of necessity disappear." We welcome the proposal to relieve agri- culture of a portion of the heavy local taxa- tion which presses so grievously upon this industry. But we have two things to say about this. In the first place, the relief given is absolutely inadequate. In 1896, when the Agricultural Rates Act, which the Government propose to abolish, was passed, the total amount of the rates on agricultu- ral land was about 92,700,000, or 2s. 3d. in the £ The amount then given in relief, viz., 111,325,111, thus diminished by one- half the burden of the rates. But since that date the rates have increased from £ 2,700,000 to C4,400,000, or from 2s. 3d. to 3s. 8d. in the E. As £ 1,325,000 represents only Is. l-jd. in the 9, it is evident that 2 agriculture, as regards the burden of the rates, is worse off to-day by nearly EI,700,000, or Is. 5d. in the C, than it was before the passing of the Act. Therefore, as has been pointed out by the Tariff Com- mission, in order to replace the land in the position it occupied at the time of the pass- ing of the Act, i.e., to relieve the land of one-half the rate, an additional sum of about £ 850,000, equal to Sid. in the I-P, should now be paid from the Exchequer. But this is not sufficient to meet the case. Two Royal Commissions have reported in favour of increasing the relief of agricultu- ral land from rateability from one-half to three-fourths of its present burden. No proposals can be regarded as satisfactory which do not make some effort, at least, to carry out this recommendation. In the second place, it does not seem to have occurred to the Government that to exempt the agricultural industry from a certain proportion of taxation, is "protec- tion" pure and simple. It is very much more protective than the imposition of a duty of two shillings per quarter upon for- eign grain proposed by Tarif; Reformers. Moreover, while the latter plan would pro- duce a considerable revenue, the Govern- ment plan is a direct charge upon the natio- nal income. While we rejoice at any alle- viation of the burdens borne by the farmers and other ratepayers, we would suggest that the cost of such relief should be offset by putting a small duty on foreign competitive foodstuffs. Without this, the Government plan is incomplete; it simply redistributes the burden of the rates; the sum total that has to be paid by the community is not di- minished but increased; the foreigner who invades our market continues to enjoy the privilige free, gratis, and for nothing. That is the sufficient condemnation of all Mr. Lloyd George's Budgets, as it is the essen- tial iniquity of all "Free Trade" finance.

DEATH AT COUNCIL MEETING. Councillor Daniel Horrocks, a member of the Bolton Town Council, died suddenly yesterday at the monthly meeting of the Council. A member was seconding a resolution of condolence with the relatives of the late Councillor Kirkham when attention was directed to Mr. Horrocks, who was breath- ing heavily. Two medical men rendered prompt attention, and he was carried to the mayor's parlour, where death took place in a few minutes. It is believed that death is due to heart weakness. The meeting of the Council was adjourned for a week.