The Merthyr Express

Merthyr Express" Diary. AU fixtures advertised in the "Express" will be included in the diary free of charge. Saturday, FEBRUARY 20. Saturday POP. Sunday. FEBRUARY 21. Merthyr Adult School—Mr. Edward Smith, J.P. Monday, FEBRUARY 22. Theatre Royal, Merthyr—'Little Cinderella." Temperance Hall, Merthyr—Variety. New Theatre, Aberdare.Poole's Myriorama. Palace of Varieties, Ebbw Vale—Variety. Seven Days' Mission at Penuel, Ebbw Vale till 28th) Tuesday, FEBRUARY 23. North Glamorgan Orchestral Conc-ert-Merthyr Meeting at the Vestry Hall, Aberdare. Monday, MARCH 15. Wrestling Tournament at Aberdare. Solo Contest at Aberdare. Monday. MARCH 29. Eisteddfod at Crumlin. Good Friday, APRIL 9. Eisteddfod at Rhos Chapel, Mountain Ash. Saturday, APRIL 10. Eisteddfod at Ton Pentre. Easter Monday, APRIL 12. Chair Eisteddfod at Abergavenny. Cottage Hospital Eisteddfod. Mountain Ash. Tuesday, APRIL 13. Eisteddfod at Cwm. Eisteddfod at Llanbradach. Chair Eisteddfod at Fochriw. Eisteddfod at Nelson. Monday, MAY 17. Chair Eisteddfod at Brecon. IIT Whit-Monday. MAY 31. Chamber of Trade Eisteddfod at Dowlais. Tuesday, JUNE 1. Chair Eisteddfod at Bedlinog. Wednesday, JUNE 2. Fete and Gala, Penydarren Park, Merthyr. Wednesday, AUGUST 4. Chair Eisteddfod a* Llandyssul.

Notice to Subscribers. Three editions of the "Merthyr Pxpress" art printed every tek. one for the Aberdare Val lev from Hirwain to Abercynon; one for the Boi oufjh of Merthyr Tydfil and East Glamorgan; ano one for West Monmouth, inclusive of the Rhymneij Valley. Subscribers in one district desirous of obtaining the edition in another district can be supplied with it through their regular agents by sending a post card to the ptiblisher, Glebeland street. Merthyr, intimating their wishes and nalll ing the agent.

OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. PARLIAMENT was opened on Tuesday by the King and Queen, with the same state ceremonial which has been observed ever since his Majesty's accession to the throne. The militant woman suffragists lay low for this' occasioi-o The speech, which constitutes the skeleton of the programme of legislatio-n contemplated, con- tained:'many important subjects of which the chief in national interest" to "Wales is the promise of a Bill for the Disestablishment and Discndow- merit; of the Established Church in the Princi- pality. The Government is thus determined to y redeem its pledge often reiterated to present a Bill for this purpose, and we. have no doubt that. as far as they can; they will use their best endeavours to carry it through the House of Commons. It has been stated that in order to relieve the Blouse itself of the demands upon its time and energies by general business, this Bill, like the Children's Bill last year, will be sent to one of the Grand Committees to be threshed out, after it has received a second reading. That would expedite its progress, beyond doubt, and render probable its passage soon enough to be sent up to the House of Lords. What may become of it there, nobody need be in much doubt; but it will be an important step even to pass such a Bill by the House of Commons alone, and prepare the way for a repetition of the process with a more successful ultimate result in the near future. There is to be an amendment of the Old Age Pensions Act, in order to correct a number of anomalies which have arisen in the carrying out of the measure. These defects were only what might have been expected from a new departure of such vast importance. The statisticians have been staggered by the .extra- ordinary proportion of persons over 70 years of age in Ireland, compared with England, Walps and Scotland. A difficulty was antici. pated in the ascertainment of the ago of applicants for the pension-in Ireland, through the absence of official registration early enough to enable each birth to be authenticated, but the disproportion of Irish pensioners to the whole population is so great that an exhaustive inquiry will be held to get to the bottom of it. < BiLLs are promised for dealing with the question of unemployment by the organisation of the labour market through a system of co- ordinated labour exchanges,, with which other schemes for dealing with unemployment may afterwards be associated, and for con- stituting Trade Boards to deal with the condi- tions of employment and wages in those industries which are most subject to sweating." The recently talked-of great reform of the Poor Law is foreshadowed by the delivery of the Report of the Poor Law Commission appointed three years ago, and this will be a social reform of the first importance. Nothing is said about Women's Suffrage, or the larger scheme of I Parliamentary Reform, with a redistribution of seats, which the Government has pledged itself to deal with before this Parliament is dissolved, from which we infer that the prophets who have predicted a General Election during the ensuing summer are altogether out of their reckoning-except as mere random guessers of what may unexpectedly leap out from the chapter of accidents. Meanwhile, the Govern. ment proposes to effect one material Parlia- mentary reform by converting the whole Metropolitan area into a single borough, with separate electoral divisions, in order that the scores of thousands of removals which take place every year between one constituency and another in that area may not continue to be so many acts of virtual disfranchisement, but the voter be able to record his vote in the division where he may reside, at any election held subsequent to his registration for another division. A reform of that nature, once in operation for London, will not be long in vogue there before it is made applicable to the whole country.

GOSSIP. ¡ Great improvements are being carried out at the Thomastown Recreation Ground. The playing area has been considerably extended by the clearing away of a large mound and the filling up of hollows. There is to be a further extension by the taking in of a piece of ground at the north end, which is bounded by the old footpath branching off the road behind the Theatre. This plot has been given to the Corporation by Councillor I- T. James and his brother (Col. A.* P. James). When this land has been enclosed it is intended to plant it with shrubs and make an entrance from the road leading to Penyard. This will be a great convenience and will be highly appreciated, while: by the planting of shrubs, an ugly spot will be made beautiful. Rut this is not the only improvement. The Goisedd Circle has always presented a neglected appearance, and in wet weather has been little better than a quagpiire. Now the ground has been properly drained and levelled, and when turf has oeen laid it is to me fenced in. Oak trees are to to planted inside the railingg, igill hide the u!iaightly and other creeping plants are also to be trailed rouhd the Gorsedd stones. In years to come the Circle will be one of Merthyr's beauty spota. Loads of earth have been carted away from the old tip at Pen-y-bryn to the Gorsedd Circle for the purpose of levelling the ground, and the road near the tip is being widened. As readers will be aware, this is the site selected for a new school, but I very much question the wisdom of erecting a building there. For one thing, I doubt whether a satisfactory foundation can be obtained on the top of the tip, and to clear it away and make the ground level with the road .would be a big undertaking. Only a short distance away is a very much more eligible site—the land between the Gorsedd Circle and the Park. The ground rent would be slightly more, but it would be infinitesimal when compared with the natural advantages which this site possesses over the other. If it is not too late, I think the Education Committee would be well advised to reconsider this matter. I am asked to call attention to the visit to Merthyr, this week-end, of Mr. Edward.Smith, President of the Midland Association of Adult Schools. Ire will be present at the meeting of the Adult School in Shiloh Chapel, on Sunday morning, and will also speak at a service in High-street Baptist Chapel, in the evening. Mr. Smith has just returned from a tour round the world, undertaken at the request of the London Missionary Society, for the purpose of visiting their mission stations. From what I hear, the Adult School is doing excellent work in the town, and the officials deserve all the encouragement that can be given to them by the Churches. Speaking at Pentrebach, the other evening, Mr. Waddington said Tariff Reform would increase trade &nd wages, abolish unemploy- metft, and decrease the cost of living. If Protection—for that is really what is meant by Tariff Reform—would accomplish all that its advocates claim, how is it that such countries as Germany and tho United States have been troubled with the problem of unemployment ? Perhaps Mr Waddington will explain. As for the general conditions obtaining in Protected Germany, it is interesting to learn what the views are of men who have recently visited that country A deputation of Yorkshire textile operatives have just returned from a tour in Germany, and at least three of the five arc as convinced Free Traders as ever. One of them— a Mr. Wilson-states that during the fortnight they were in Germany they only spent twenty- four hours in German factories, although the visit was specially arranged so that the indus- trial conditions could be closely investigated. He declares that the English worker is better off altogether than the German, and that there ii no comparison between the home of a German working-man and that of an English working- man. You never see a piano in a workman's home in Germany, and very little furniture," Mr. Wilson said. He added-and this will be of peculiar interest to South Walians—that German factories worked on Saturday after- noons, there being no such attraction as a football match. Germans, he stated, know nothing about football matches, and would never think of spending sixpence on a Saturday; afternoon's exhibition. Mr. Waddington said, at Pentrebach, that Tariff Reform would increase wages and decrease the cost of living. Mr. Wilson, who, by the way, previously worked in Germany some years, stated that wages are certainly lower in all German woollen manufacturing towns than in England—a great deal lower. The cost of living in Germany, he added, has gone up considerably during the last half-dozen years- at least twenty per ceht.but the wages have not gone up generally in the same ratio. We were told, everywhere we went," he said, that the last tariff was the commencement of a big rise in the price of food-stuff. It will be seen, therefore, that the views of Mr. Wilson do not coincide with those of Mr. Waddington. Under Protection wages might advance, but not to such an extent as would compensate for the increased cost of living, and, consequently, the worker would be worse off than at present; and the statement that Protection would abolish unemployment is not borne out by the experience of other countries. His constituents will regret to hear that Mr. D. A. Thomas, the senior member for Merthyr, has been laid aside for a few days by. a severe attack of rheumatism- He is not likely to be able to resume his. Parliamentary duties for some time. Speaking at Dewsbury, the' other evening, Mr. W. Runciman, the Education Minister, referred to the recent attempt to arrive at a compromise on the Education question—or rathex, the religious difficulty connected there- with. He said that some-of those who were responsible for the' withdrawal of the Bill which be introduced, would rue that they did not accept the terms which were offered. Then he added Of all the thankless tasks any man could undertake, that of trying to got religious people.to agree with one another seemed, to be the greatest." 'Tis true, 'tis pity and pity 'tis, 'tis true. It is expected that over a thousand delegates will attend the annual meetings of the National Free Church Council, which are to be held at Swansea next month, Prominence, it is said, will be given to the question of Welsh Dises- tablishment, which will be introduced by the Rev. Silas K. Hocking, the well-known preacher and author. The mass meeting; at ttbe Market Hall, Aber- daj-e, on Monday, to protest against the decisions of Judge Bryn Roberts, was, in the opinion of many people other than colliers, a very ill- advised one. It may be doubted whether the passing of such resolutions as were adopted will have good effect. I To say, as one of the speakers did, that the decisions of Judge Bryn Roberts are condemned by every lawyer and every doctor is to talk the most ridiculous nonsense. What a doctor knows about legal decisions more than the most casual observer one is at a loss to understand. In view of the fact that the decisions of his Honour are accepted by all other classes of the community without appeal, and are, indeed, considered as being very sound law, one wonders why he should be so denounced for his decisions in compensation cases. Is there no danger lest cases are rushed into court which should never be taken ? When such cases are decided agaii\.»t the men, they condemn the Judge, instead, of condemning their own advisers. One of the charges made against the Judge was that he is too slow. Painstaking he is, in the extreme, but I should have thought that was a virtue rather than a fault. If he were to rush through cases without giving them full consideration, one could under- stand the complaint, but that he is too careful and takes too long a time To come* to a decision is, to the. mind of intelligent persons, a ridiculous charge. It was significant that, in spite of the fulminations at Monday evening's meeting, and in spite of the assertion of Mr. Vernon Hartshorn that the sentiment of Messrs W. Abraham (Mabon), M.P., Mr. W. Brace, M.P., and Mr. T. Rioh^rds, M.P., are identical with those of Mr. Stanton, only two out of the five miners' agents announced, on the bill were present at the meeting, supplemented by Mr. Tom Evans, of the Rhondda. The absence of three of the advertised speakers was rather significant. Very amusing are the excuses of parents for not sending their children to school. A mother summoned at Hengoed, last Friday, for not sending her boy to school, said: "He's got something in his head, sir." Another boy had been kept at home because he have had a brother hurted in the pit, The cost of education, here in Merthyr and throughout the country, is increasing year by year., and ratepayers and taxpayers often wonder whether they are getting value for their money. In this connection, the views of Judge Parry, who lectured on the Disadvantages of Educa- tion to teachers, at Manchester, the other evening, will be read with interest. Among other things he said Inspectors ought to ba pensioned and turned off on to tho golf links. Schoolmasters were generally (present company excepted) men who, having learned to teach, had long ago ceased. to learn. All the really important things of life must of necessity be self-taught, and it was quite unlikely that the minor arts would ever be restored unless children could be taken away from school and put into the hands of cratfsmcn. The bad boy who got into trouble and had the good fortune to be put into a reformatory and there learnt a trade had a better prospect before him than the srood boy who won a County Council prize for geogra- phy. Teachers with academical degrees were men who had wasted many precious hours in securing a smattering of many things that were of no use. Plato's ideal of education was gymnastics for the body and music for the mind, but how many men on educational committees, who had amassed wealth at the expense of their livers, would look askance at Plato ? There was no evidence in the put,that anything worthy of being written was written. If one only saw the small shopkeepers' .books that appeared -b»fwa-th«yidge at the County Court they-would recognise how small was the importance attached to afjthiie^c." The report presented at the annual meeting .f the Governors of the Merthyr General Hospital furnishes proof of the excellent work being done by this noble institution. Last. year 427 cases were admitted, 57 ,more than in the previous year, and no fewer than 391 patients were discharged cured or'relieved. It is twentysyears since the Hospital was opened, and during these years 4,621 cases have been treated. These figures convey but a faint idea of the usefulness of the, institution. Many of the discharged patients, no doubt, owe their lives to the skill I 4

f- I Cures i ] Coughs. i I Coughs are best cured, not by I g opiates which nearly always do II II more harm than good, but by I | removing the cause and improv- jj jj ing the general health. The | I best of all cough cures is | is T 101*4 inlo. vu ANGIER'S I EntiilsMm i ^'§ 1 !?1 because it is both healing and i |« strengthening. It is sootbing to the | ijl entire mucous tract—throat, lungs, • jj pi stomach and intestines. At the same | jES time it keeps the digestive organs I time it keeps the digestive organs healthy and has a wonderfully invigor- ating influence upon H the general health. ij Angier's L-niuision is Ü the "cough cure" that appeals to | sensible, thinking g people. It is largely 3 used by the medical I profession. Of all li Chemists, l/l, 2/9 jj and 4/6. I I .I ï K I I ..w -i$i& I [ A Free Sample I t |i on receipt of 3d. postage. Mention thispaper ■ AW^^CHEMBCAL 0°.~ S2 I I' .U= -IIU'I8:r8:a

Handicraft Training at Merthyr. Mr. Isaac Williams, organiser under the Mertbyr Education Authority, is urging the importance of handicraft training, and his opinions as to its advantages are supported by the report of the Education Department, on the Barry Summer Schqpl for last year. The report s.tatcd The Education Committee of the county are again to be congratulated on the great success of this-school, which was attended by upwards of 144 pupils. Th. organisation, tone, and discipline were admirable, and reflect credit on all concerned." A con- temporary, referring to the importance of th* work, pointed out that in Germany and America considerable attention was being bestowed on the national system of education aiming at a. practical rather than an all-absorbing literary curriculum, for it had been recognised that eighty per cent. of all work depended upon skilful mani, pulation. Wale3 has scarcely opened up th, possibilities of such a system of education, but the start made at Barty Summer School is already bearing good results. Mr. William* urges the ne cessity of handicraft work in the day and evening classes, and it is possible that th* Evening Schools Committee will consider thf matter at their meeting to-night (Friday)* m

Merthyr Vale Haulier's Death. KNOCKED DOWN BY A HORSE IN THB MTNE. At Merthyr General Hospital, on Tuesday evening, Mr. R. J. Rhys, coroner, and a juryt held an inquest upon the, body of William Reading, a haulier, formerly employed in No. 2 pit, Merthyr Vale, and who died at the Hospital on Sunday. Mr. Thomas Williams, manag er of the pit, and Alderman Enoch Morrell, miners' agent, were also present. Anu Reading, the widow, of 27, Aber,an- crescent, Aberfan, gave evidence of identificaa tion. She said deceased was 35 years of agØl On the 30th November he came from work complaining of a pain in His side, saying that a horse had knocked him down. He was ill foi a week, and then be re-started work. He cam4 home again, saying his breath was short. He worked four days in one week, and three dayi in another. On Wednesday before Christmai he gave up work, and was taken to the Mertliyi Hospital the previous Thursday. She had fiv« children, some-by a former marriage. ■^ Charles Condy, haulier, said that on the day it question deceased and himself were trying tc pass a tram of stones. Witness put his horse or the side, and deceased's horse was placed to pull the tram of stones. Witness's horse jumped and pulled down some staging which had been erected there. The horse fell dowt and deceased was under the animal. Tht horse rose and bolted away. Deceased com- plained of terrille pains in the stomach, ana was groaning very much. Owen Evans, a repairer in the same pit, sait he was juet behind the horse when it rushed forward and knocked against one of the armi of some st aging. The animal Tell on the de eased By Mr. Williams: Deceased told him atth. f ime that the hind part of the horse came doux on him. Dr. Richardson Whit e said that Dr. Coleman hi? locum tenene, first attended the (le, eased sitd, according to the entry in the ( ook, ,lit suffered from injury to the abdomen mus-lcsi which produced peritonitis, and this was tht cause of death. With Dr. McGhie he coip ducted a post-mortem examination, and thej found that death was due to peritonitis. De ceased appeared to have tried to work. He was a strong, able man, and-was in wit noss's c omr. ani of the Territorial Axmy. Witness thought thai if the deceased had rested, and not attempted to return to his work, he would have been alivo to-day. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with medical

of the doctors and the devotion of the nurses. Eloquent as are these figures, they cannot teU how much suffering has, been prevented, how many wounds have been assuaged, and in how many cases excrutiating pain has been allayed. That can only be imagined. It is an institution of which we are all justly proud, and it is gratifying to learn that the finances at the -;I present time are in a satisfactory state. The receipts last year amounted to L2,669, of which sum £633 was raised by the lady collectors and the nursing staff. Unfortunately, a hitch has occurred in regard to the representation of the workers on the Board of Management, and all friends of the Hospital will hope that a friendly understanding will be arrived at. It will be a thousand pities if the institution has to suffer on account of the withdrawal of contributio A long discussion took place at the meeting of the Merthyr Town Council, on Monday night, as to whether the work in connection with the Pontmorlais improvement should be carried out by contract or by direct labour. As readers are aware it is not only intended to continue the Promenade from above the Forward Move- ment Hall round into Pontmorlais West, but to. erect shops as well. Those who were opposed to the work being done by direct labour urged that it would be more satisfactory if tenders were invited for the shops, especially as the Corporation officials are too busy at the present time to supervise the erection of such buildings. Eventually a compromise was arrived at. "it was agreed that the work of excavating and building the retaining walls should be done by direct labour, and tenders invited for the erection of the shops. < These "houljrs" are vouched for by a tm-her in a private schoolJoan of Arc was the son of a poor pheasant.—Before paper was invented people used to write on some stuff called vermin.—George Stephenson livou in humole pit, and scrambled up from a man to a boy.—It was a very unpleasant time before Alfred the Great came, for they had no clutiies to wear and nothing to eat. One day London caught on fire, and it was a great disease for the poor people.—-Lady Jano Grey was taught to say, Oh, dear! Where is the blolk Off wetit! her head with one blow.—George Stephen- son went to a knight school where he had to Le taught to ride a horse and to use a sword.—The English wanted to invade France, s) they built tents all round the country, so that the people would die of hunger and thirst .-Wor,tsworth had a school for poets in the Lake District — NeiSon was very kind to the English people, but one day he was killed, beoause he broke his arm. besides the ship was on fire, but not many of the English were burnt or drowned, but they won tho battle of Wellitigton.-SOmeti'lles Alfred the Great had to ask the pheasants to give him bôrd-lodgtngs. Once when he was in a pheasant's house Miss Griff asked hini to loaf after some cakes that were cooking on the hearth.—Blasphemy Saying they were some* body when they knew they couldn't be.- Jacobite: A short name for James. POLONIUS.