The Merthyr Express

f Ambulance Competitions. J j —— j THE GLAMORGAN SHIELD. Some of the competitions heid annually for the money prizes an# shield offered by the Glamorgan County Education Committee in ambulance (theoretical and practical) were held at the Aberdare County School on Saturday. The following teams competed: — Cwmbach, Trecynon, Aberaman, Penrhiwceiber, and Deri. The results will be declared after comparison ( with teams competing at other centres. The present holders of the shield are Mardy.

r Aberdare Claim and Counter-Claim At Glamorgan Assizes on Monday, the Judge, without a jury, heard the counter-claim in an action brought by Elizabeth Reee and her son, Roes Rees, against John Thomas, Nant- melin farm, Aberdare.—Mr Ivor Bowen (in- structed by Messrs. Jeffreys and Powell) was for the plaintiff, and Mr. J. Sankey (instructed by Mr. F. Sydney Simons, Merthyr Tydfil) for the defendant.—The claim was for a sum of L35, balance of money owing for stock taken by the defendant at a valuation when he became tenant, of Nantmelin, in succession to the plain- tiff. Judgment had been given for the plain. tiff in the High Court on the claim. The coun- t-er-claim was for JE42 Os. lid. in respect to cer- tain sheds and other things which the plaintiff informed defendant he was entitled to sell. but which the landlord afterwards claimed, and E10 in respect to the repairs of a certain hedge which the plaintiff undertook to repair, but did not repair. The counter-claim was based upon the provisions of the Agricultural Act, which [r Sankey argued, gave the tenant no right to sell the fixtures erected by him in the absenco of notices, which were not given.-His Lord- ship gave judgment for defendant for £10. and I liaif costs-

ABERDARE VALLEY NOTES. IBY MYFYR DAR.] It was extremely fortunate that the disastrous fire at the Blaennant Colliery, Abernant, occurred between the shifts, otherwise the loss of life must have been much greater. As the cause of the fire will have to be enquired into by the jury at the adjourned inquest, with the assistance probably of an expert from the Home Office. I will say nothing at present in reference to that aspect of the question. I may, however, be permitted to give a word of praise Lo the Aberdare Fire Brigade for the excellent service which they performed. This Brigade is a credit to the town, and I am sure that the Council will be pleased with the way they stuck to their post for over 24 hours under very trying cir- cumstances. iii The coming into force of The Children s Act has naturally sent the various public I bodies and those interested in work among juveniles to examine its provisions, and to con- sider what steps should be taken to caTV them into force. The Merthyr Board of Guardians have appointed a committee to go into the matter, and a very interesting synopsis of the 1 Act, as far as it a fleets the Education Com- I mittees, has been prepared by the Medical Officer and the Director of Education to the Mountain Ash Education Committee. It is very important that. the work of diffusing education on the subject should be well done. so that public opinion man be strengthened in support of the provisions of this excellent measure. I have just been examining the first annual report of the Medical Officer of the Mcunta n Ash Education Committee. Here in Aberdare the lesson is very apparent that there are many children in our schools suffering from various forms of disease of which, in many cases, the parei-t-i are net aware. That out of 219 children examined on admission to the various schools 28.6 per cent. only had good teeth, while 26. 1 had medium teeth, and 44.5 were bad, is a sad comment on our boasted civilisation. Twenty- six children, too, suffered from diseases of the lungs, the most insidious of all diseases. That close on five per cent. of the little ones admitted to school were distinctly verminous, is a sad fact; but I think it is still worse that of the 628 children about to leave school, who have been examined. 43.0 per cent. of the girls had nits in their hair, and no less than 8.4 per cent. were distinctly verminous. Four per cent. of the children had scabies, which is a serious matter, and the px-oposal for the erection of baths, etc., to deal with verminous children has not been made too soon. Dr. Williams is to be com- plimented on the excellence of his report, his observations on the school premises deserving the careful attention of the authority, and his careful analysis of the cases examined at the various schools leaves nothing to be desired.

I Who's J ? What's J? Where's J? THE UP-TO-DATE EASY PAYMENT HOUSE JaL jC-y Furnishers 1"- Æ j AT CASH PRICES! =- & y coo i COo j nO DEPOSITS REQUIRED, j B a £ 8 WORTH OF GOODS 1/6 PER WEEK. I j £ 12 n y* 2/- M 1 j 20 fJ 3/m n I. n 4/6 i* £ 50 „ „ 6/- JAY & Co. employ no canvassers, so by dealing > i direct with us YOU SAVE all Agents' Costs, &c. Catalogues Free- i 8, Commercial=street, Aberdare. I Ancl also at LONDON, BIRMINGHAM, BRISTOL, and tho I Principal Towns in South Wales. B -o, "It..

Aberdarc District Council Election Polling took place on Monday for the elec- tion of a representative of the Gadlys Ward on the Aberdare District Council. The result was as follows:— William Harper (Lab.) 7G9 *James H. James (L.) 537

jABERDARE POLICE COURT WEDNESDAY.—Before Mr. D. r. Davies D. W. Jones, and Lewis N. William. EJECTMENT ORDER.—Mr. Morgan T. Morgan, on behalf of Elizabeth Soimeu, applied for an order for the ejectment of John Varden, Re- gent-street, Aberdare. The notices having been 4 proved, an order was made. i THEFT.—W. Brown and Dennis Hayea, lab- ourers of no fixed abode, were charged with stealing a coat and two flagons of beer from the New Inn Hotel, Mountain Ash.—They both pleaded rruilty, and were sent to prison for 21 days each. No LIGHT.—John Shipley, for not having his cart properly lighted, wa.s iined 5s. and costs. No DOG LICENCE.—John Roberts, for keeping a dog without a licence, was fined 7s. 6d. in- cluding costs.——William Price, for a. like of- fence, was similarly dealt with. —— William Pritchard was fined 10s and costs for a like of- lence, no licence having been yet taken out. I CHILDREN'S COURT. The ordinary business of the court being over, the Magistrates sat for the first time under the ) new Act to consider charges against children under 16 years of age, who must now be deaJt with in a special court from which all the pub- lic. a.nd even the police, except those actually I giving evidence, have to be excluded. Tho only persons allowed to be present were the parents of the children and the press representatives. The first case taken was that of William Evans and Isaac, aged 14 and lo respectively, who were summoned for jostling in the streets.— P.C. Hooper proved the charge. The magis- trates' clerk, addressing the mothers, said that under the new Act children are so much taken care of that they ought to have summoned the father, and fined him. — The children were were each fined 7s. 6d. William Griffiths, Edward Phillips, and Da- vid Lowell wore summoned for playing ball in Victoria-square. — P.C. Sullivan proved the charge. The Inspector said there had been con- tinual complaints of playing in the Square.— Willia.m Griffiths was fined 7s. 6d., and the two boys 5s. each, one of the children's mothers complaining that there was nowhere for the children to play in the neighbourhood of Foun- drytown.

I, Aberdare Building Dispute. WERE THE PLANS CORRECT? I David Griffith Price. Penarth. and Arthur T. Morgan, The Parade, Cardiff, succesors in title to William Frederick Price and Llewellyn Price, at Glamorgan Assizes on Saturday, sued Edward John Hopkins (Glynneath). Benjamin James (Trecynon). and David Morris Powell, Samuel Thomas Charles, and Evan Davies (Aberdare), as trustees of the Gadjys Uchaf Building Club. Aberdare. for £2224 for work done, and the defendants counter-claimed £3.000 under the conditions of a bond of con- tract, or, in the alternative, a sum of £552 for work not completed.—Mr. A. Parsons and Mr. Raymond Allen (instructed by Messrs. Macin- tosh, Thomas, and Co., Cardiff) were for the plaintiffs, and Mr. Abel Thomas, K.C., M.P., and Mr. Villiers Meager (instructed by Mr. T. W. Griffiths, Aberdare) were for the defend- ants. It appeared from Mr. Parsons' opening that defendants advertised for tenders for the erec- tion of sixty one houses at Gadlys. The ten- der of Messrs. Price, plaintiffs' predecessors in title, was accepted. The plans with which they were supplied were, they alleged, in- accurate. Messrs. Price were young men who had recently started in business. They failed in November, 1907. and the contract was as- signed to the plaintiffs, who were sureties under bond. and who completed the work in Novem- ber last. Plaintiffs claimsd £1,277 for extra work done by Messrs. Price, and £947 for extra work by themselves in fulfilling the contract, thi-s extra work bemg made necessary by the levels shown in the plans at variance with the ground line.—Mr. Parsons had not concluded his opening when the Court rose. The hearing was resumed on Monday.—His Lordship suggested a reference, and to this the defendants agreed, subject to an opportunity bsing given for the payment of further money into court before the reference came on. His Lordship then made an order that there be a reference to a person agreed upon, failing that an official referee, to ascertain what, if any- thing, should be paid to the plaintiffs for extra work in filling, walling, and excavating beyond that which was shown on the plan, with deduc tion Cor work 5>1.Ved. for this purpose no ques- tion to be raised as to the absence of any order in writing: to ascertain how much should be paid on plaintiffs' claim on the contract terms; and how much on the counter-claim. William Frederick Price, one of the original contractors, said that he first discovered the levels on the plans were not correct when the foundations were put in. Mr. Char'es. the clerk of works, upon having his attention called to the matter, pointed out other inaccuracies which he Aid would be in the contractors' fay our. He undertook that any extra work should be paid for.-In cro=<-ex ami nation by Mr. Abel Thomas, witness said that he had Iven in busi- ness for five years, and ha.d previously been associated with his father, who was also a con- tractor. He sent in two tenders for the work. After the €r«t was sent m, the plans were al- tered. and the iob was re-advertised. The first tender was £ 231 per house, and the second £2.50 10s. per house. He examined the ground before sending in each tender Mr. A. J. Howell, surveyor. Cardiff, said that he had surveyed the site, and found that the nlans were all against the builders. He did not think the levels were taken at all except for th" roads. Mr. John Henry Phillips, Cardiff, said that the sections shown on the orieinal nlan were very misleading, and h", imasrin^d they were guesswork—Mr. David Griffith Price, x con- tractor of 40 years' experience, also that th" plan^ we- inaccurate. Mr. Arthur Churchill, architect, Aberdare. called for the defendants, said that the defend- ants advertised for an architect to prepare olans for the houses. He surveyed the eround and prepared plans. These, he believed, to cor when he sent them in but. he now knew them to be incorrect in several instance-, but in the main they would out correctly. His I/ordship trave plaintiffs liberty to amend t.heir claim within seven days, and gave de- fendants 21 davs thereafter to pav more money into court. His Lord<hip gave plaintiffs an or- der for costs up to the direction, but "are de- fendants a sum of J375 towards their costs, and ordered further costs to abide the award, and to be settled by the referee.

FREE TO WOMEN ANN BROWN'S FEMALE SYRUP hll ob- tained wonderful results in the cure of all fe- male irregularities. I will send anv wsman a trial bottle free on receipt of two stsmps to nav po5ta.t7e and 1"1I{"kinrr. if Exnresv" i mentioned. Do not reelect this offer, but. write me to dav.— "nn Brown. 21. Station Parade, [ Southfields. London >

Aberdare Trades fiLabsur Council 1 MUNICIPAL SCHEMES DISCUSSED. The monthly meeting of the Aberdare Tra,des Council was held on Thursday evening, Isaac Griffiths presiding. There were presnet Mr. W. U. Lewis (vice-chairman), Councillor E. Stoneiake (secretary), Messrs. R. W. Grey (corresponding secretary), and J. H. Bruton i (treasurer), and a fair number of delegates from the various lodges. Mr. T. Bowen gave a report on the work done by tho District Council during the past few months. Since Labour had been represented on the Council mors had been done for the improvement of roads. The speaker passed on to deal with the electric lighting scheme and the refuse destructor. These things, he said, would entail considerable expenditure, but they weie necessary. If electric light were installed it would be a source of remuneration to the ratepayers. A new isolation hospital was to bo provided, at a cost of £2U,CuD, provision made for fifty beds. This was another requirement, and if the Council did not set about it the County Council would step in and buiLl it themselves, making the Council pay for it. They were obliged to provide one bed for every thousand of the population of the area. Their schools were too small and the Education Committee were fared with the problem of providing new schools. One would shortly be in readiness at Absrcivmh-1. the total cost being .£12,000. Mr. William R o"s said the Council had several schemes at preset in hand, and to these there was considerable opposition. The old cry was that improvements, etc., tended to raise the rates. ()f course, the Labour members were blamed for this, but when any good was done they were not credited with it. For some three years the Labour members had agitated for the Workmen's Dwelling Act to be put into opera- tion. Now a tender had been accepted for the erection of a certain number of dwellings, but up to the present the successful tenderer had not come forward to carry out the work. The Council understood that the public would raise no opposition the introduction of electricity into the town, but on the day of the inquiry it was found that the whole town was un in arms against it. Concerning the question of the refuse destructor, Mr. Rees said that the Council had no choice in the matter, as they were com- pelled to provide one. Mr. E. Stoneiake made a brief reference to the question of horses, after which he passed on to deal with the Water Bill which the County Council had promoted. By this the County intended purchasing up all the reservoirs in the county. This was all right for certain Council areas, but not for Aberdare, which could boast of a good and cheap supply of water. Major W. D. Phillips attended the meeting, by permission of the Executive of the Council, to explain the new army scheme. He pointed out that he was there officially and not politically. The Territorial Force was intended to organise men to be ready in the event of foreign aggres- sion. The Major afterwards described the divisions into which the old Volunteers were divided, contrasting them with the present scheme. Under the present scheme fourteen days were allotteel in camp, but only eight days were compulsory. If they did not put in eight days they were liable to be fined unless they were able to tender sufficient excuse. After having dealt with the system of enrollment and camp life, the speaker pointed out that personally he was in favour of compulsory service. This, of course did not mean conscription. Reference was made to the facilities which certain firms had extended fco their employees to join. The following motion was carried That this Council do hereby instruct the Labour membere on the Urban District Council to nominate some lady, other than tho present co-opted lady, on the Education Committee, believing that suph a change would give the other Wards a chance of bringing out their best qualified ladies, and thereby benefit by the change of representation.

Aberdarj Education Committee. SCHOOL GARDENS. The meeting of the Aberdare Education Com- mittee was held on Wednesday afternoon. Mrs. D. M. Richards occupied the chair, and there- were also present:—Messrs. D. P. Daviee, T. Bowen, D. Davies, Illtyd Hopkins, M. J Har- ries, T Lewis, J. 0. George, T. Walter Wil. liams, with Mr. J. Morris (clerk), Mr. T. D. Jones (deputy clerk), and Dr. M. J. Rees (medi- cal officer of health). A report of the meeting of the Exhibition bub-committee was read, in the course of which it was recommended that the Exhibition should be held on Friday and Saturday, July 16th and 17th. that the exhibits from tho Infant Schools bo kindergarten exhibits, and from the Boys'. Girls', and Mixed Schools, freehand and model drawing, brushwork, ek. Evening Classes Classes and Continuation Schools, card- board drawing, woodwork, metal work, etc.—It was also recommended to ask Barry, Rhondda, Cardiff, Manchester, and London Education Authorities to send exhibits.—Tho report was unanimously agreed to. The Staff and Management Committee re- commended tho appointment of four female as- sistants. and that the application of the Welsh Language Society for scholarships be not en- tertained.—It was also recommended, in refer- ence to the communication of the Aberdare Gardeners' Society that notice be served on the present tenant of the trarden adjoining the Park Schools to terminate his tenancy, with the view of utilising it for a school garden, and that the matter of obtaining school gardens in con- nection with the other schools should bo con- sidered when vacant plots of ground wou!d bJ available. It was reporied that arrangements had been mad-s for a. conference of the Brecon County Council and +he Aberdare Education Commit- tee in reference to the maintenance of the Hir, wain School. A further letter from the District Auditor was read respactine the conveyance of children to the Higher Standard School, and it was erallv agreed that it was now possible to pay for thi'5. and that it was desirable to do so.— Tho and Management Committee was in- structed to prepare a scheme for the consider- ation of the committee at its next meeting. An application by Dr. Pritchard for an in crease of salary was referred to the Finance Committee to report thereon.—A letter from the Vicar in reference to a conference re the non-provided schools was referred to the Staff and Management Committee to deal with.— Several applications from the correspondents of the non-provided schools werÐ referred to th3 various committees to deal with.

Aberdare and District Air Rifle League. CUP MATCH. ABERAMAN NEW HOTEL V. CWMAMAN INSTITUTE. This match was fired on April 2nd. Scores:— Aberaman New Hotel: F Bishop, 33; H. Adams, 30; S. Jones, 31; S. Davies, 20; D. Jenkins, 2S S. Slade, 29, T. Howells, 30; J. J. Jones, 28; S. Rees, 30; G. Stephens, 28; J. Thomas, 31; H. Broom, 29; total, 358. Cwmaman Institute: Wilson, 31; C. Moslev, 32 T. Isa.a, 30; E- Saunders. 30 J. Ray. 32; E. Morse, 31; A. 0. Hughes, 29 W Thomas, 31; J. Thomas, 30, H. Edwards, 30 0. Owen, 30; J. Williams, 30 total, 366.

ABERDARE. WHEN in Aberdare yon want dinner or tea try MILKS'S RESTAURANT. Canon-street, for quality and Comfurt. NEW AND Goon SFEDS.-The Season having ap- proached when every Garden should be attended to, and a supply of New and Good Seeds srould be sown, in order to secure large and pood crops every gardener who wishes to be repaid for his labour, by securing healthy and plenteous crops, should see that his seeds are New and Good. as many dealers palm off on their customers seeds which are of no value whatever. Therefore, all people interested in gardening are invited to inspect Tudor Williams's larce and well-selected stock of New Seeds, which are guaranteed to be of the very finest quality, and have just arrived from the hes seed growers in the country. Choose early. Varieties of Broad Beans, Peas, Onions, Lettuce. Cabbage, and Parsnips. The following are a few varieties of the season's potatoes True Beauty of Hebron American Rose, Royal Kidney, Rivers Ashleaf. Sir John Llewellyn, British Queen. Snow- drop, King Edward, Midlothian Kidney. Evergood, I'p-to-date. Northern Star. — Genuine only at TUDOR WILLIAMS'S. Wholesale and Retail Seed Merchant. Medical Hall, Aberdare. BAZAAR.—As will be seen by an advertise- ment in another column, a bazaar, in connection with Tabernacle Church is to be held on Thurs- day, April 22nd. THE FAIR.—As will be seen by an adver- tisement in another column, the Aberdare Cattle, Pleasure and Flannel Fare promises to eclipse all others, and the chief flannel manu- facturers in South Wales have already engaged ground for their vaitous stalls. I WILL.—Mr. David Davies, of 19, Elizabelh- street, Aberdare, who died on the 15th Decem- ber last, named no executor of his will, and ad- ministration o? his estate has accordingly been granted to Mr. John Davies, picture framer, and Mr. Gwilym Davies, foreman mason, the and Mr. Gwilym Davies, foreman mason, the residuary legatees, who have valued the testa- tor's estate at £ 936 6s. 8d. gross, and at L902 net. THE LATE MR. HOSGOOD.On Tuesday the funeral of the late Mr. Thomas Hopkins Hosgood, who died on the 3rd inst., at Swansea, took place at the St. Fagan's churchyard, Aberdare. Mr. Hosgood was at one time a resident of Aberdare, and he also lived at Pentrebach, Merthyr. He was for many years general manager under the lato Mr. Richard Fothergill, of the Abernant and Plymouth Ironworks. Afterwards he was for some time in business at Aberdare and he owned the first cab which plied for hire in the place. He was 82 years of age. Doc SHow.-Tlie canine fraternity will have a treat if they pay a visit. to the Market Hall on I

Royal Antedeluvian Order of Buffaloes. PRESENTATIONS AT ABERDARE. An emergency meeting was held at the Castle Hotel, Aberdare, last Thursday afternoon of the "Prince of Wales" Lodge, tor the purpose of presenting jewels to Bros. A. Smith, C.P., C.Sec., and D. W. Mills, as a mark of appreci- ation of the valuable services rendered by them to the lodge and the Order. Bro. W, H. Beswick C.P., presided in tho royal chair, over a large and distinguished gathering of the brethren.— Bro. G. V. Jones, P.G.P., K.O.M., K.G.H.. etc., who was received with cheers, in making the presentation to Bro. A. Smith, in a happy and felicitous speech, said it was the desire of the brethren to take advantage of that occasion to offer him a mark of their respect and esteem for the conspicuous services rendered by him to the Order, and thir lodge in particular. H;s conduct secretary of the lodge had won for him the admiration, gratitude, and goodwill of the whole of the brethren. He (the speaker) also desired to bear testimony to the unfailing courtesy he had always received at his hands. No stronger evidence could be adduced to prove the high esteem in whicb their secretary was held, than the spontaneous and remarkable re- sponse made to the present testimonial. He hoped that his life might long bs spared to en- able him to wear the jewel, and continue those valuable services he had so ungrudgingly given to the cause of Buffaloism.—The presentation to Bro. D W. Mills was made by Bro. Harold Knight. K.O.M., P.G.A.B., in similar terms.— Both brethren suitably responded, remarking that the jewels would be handed down to the members of their families who came after them, and looked upon as monuments of what the brethren thought of them, and they hoped they would be an inspiration to them to do their duty also. — The initiation of Mr. Leonard Crouch, of the Full Moon Hotel, Aberdare. into the mysteries of the Royal and Ancient Order was then performed by Bro. W. H. Bes. wick. C.P., S.P. Afterwards songs and recita- tions were given by Bros. Fred Haggar, Mea- dows, Lloyd, Fruger. Vaughan, Williams. Ab- salom. Harold Knight, and Miss Thomas, standing orders being temporarily suspended to enable this promising young lady artiste to give her rendering The meeting temrnated in the usual Buffalo form. anù with the singing of 1 the National Anthem.,

DISASTROUS FIRE AT BLAENNANT. J GREAT DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. THE FIREMAN SUFFOCATED. On Monday morning a disastrous fire broke out under the shaft at the Biaen-aant Pit, the properly ot the Marquess of Bute, at Abernant. Hapi/dy, i OOCUrf2(( between shifts, otherwise a very yreat calamity would probably have re, suited. The 1:31aennant Pit, wlÙch 1.'5 sitllated within a quarter of a milo of the top of the mountain eparating Aberdilro from \Iecthyc, and almost directly below the Pleasant View, leads up past the liaif-Way House on the turnpike road uoni Aberdare to Merthyr. It is at present the only one of the old Aber- nant Collieries at work. Many of. the em- ploye-es live at i'en'rheolgerrig. ou the Mcr- ihyr side of the hid, wh.le others live at Aber- nant and Cwmbach. About a quarter past six on Monday morn- ing-, soon alter th3 night men had left, and while the da.y men w.re commoncing to tic- scend. J unes Butler, of 3, Agents'-row, wlu; was in charge of an electric pumping eneine, !"1.1ddenly discovered that the framework avounci was on tire, a spark, it is supposed, from t 11, motor having caused the are By this t'me a few of the day men working at the pt had descended, and before they had gone far to wards their working places, theJ ióund a 111,,& of smoke being driven in from the direction of the shaft. They at once returned to the "haft. and they and the young man Butler were quickly brought up to the surface. The officials took step; to cope with the fire, which was momentarily gaining ground, being fanned by the ventilating current into the interior of the pit. The officials and the daymen poured doT n water on the raging fire, but their efforts pi> ived utterly unavailing, and a telephone me age was dispatched to the Police Station for the Aberdare Fire Brigade. The signal bells were quickly sjt» in motion. and in a. short time the "Motor Fire Bri- gade wee got ready, and Capt. R. L. Berry and Lieut. John Davies and a nuab-r of the members of the Brigade, accompanied by In spector Nolt, wore en route to the pit. Police officers at Aberdare were also soon on the spot to assit P.C. Panniers, who was cary on the ground. As the motor fire engine was going up the hill in the direction of tho Blaennant P.t. one of the members—Mr. Thomas, the i-on of Mr. T. W. Thomas, newsagent, Cardiff-street -slipped off, and the wheel went over his foot. The young man, however, pluckity, fcrambled back on to the engine, and in spite of the pain which he wa., undergoing, ho stuck to his post ail day. On the arrival of the Fire Eriagde at Aber- nant, they at once placed themselves at the dis- posal of Mr. W. Iiughe;, the general manager of the collieries, and a number of pipes were obtained whereby water got from tho ad- joining pond and pumped down on to tho now seething mass in a continuous stream. Some of tho members passed down the shaft in order to direct the stream of water on the fire around th-3 motor, where it originally staried. a few feet from the bottom of the shaft. The heat at this point wae intense, and the difficulty the firemen and the officials of the colliery, who < were assisting them, had to contend with was very great, but they all worked with a will; wlvle Inspector Noft and the police assisted in maintaining order on the surface. Meanwhile a thorough search of the lamps, etc.. was made with the object of arcertaining whether all the night men had come up, and also whether all the day-men, who had started to go down, had returned. It was discovered that all the lamps, etc.. were in except that of Mr. Da.vid Jones, of 124, Craig y Gilfach, Pen- heolgerrig. a day fireman, who had gone down to examine his district in the Bute Vein pnior to the day men going down. A message was at once sent to the Rescue Station recently opened at Aberaman. which is maintained by the Powell Duffrvn Company, the Cwmaman Coal Co., the BwUfa and Merthyr Dap Coal Co., and Mc;sr;3, Nixon's, Ltd., and which is the first of its kind organized in the South j Wale- coalfield. Mr. Henry Morris, the In- structor at the rescue station, together with Mr. James Woosman, of Merthyr Vale, and Mr. James Williams, of Mountain Ash two of the officials of Messrs. Nixon, who had come there for the purpose of practice, at once proceeded to Blaennant. equipping themselves before go ing with a life-saving apparatus, each with the necessary oxygen cylinders, etc. Having mpt the officials of the colliery on the pit top, they were soon afterwards lowered to the bottom of the shaft. Here Mr. Hughes (manager) met them, and they were shown the plans of the working, and the position of the Bute Vein war pointed out to them, and also the district David Jones would probably be examining when the fire broke out. The three men pluckilv pu-hed forward oracticaliy through the deadly fumes, and made their way into the interior of the mine, in order, if possible, to bring bcck the missing fireman. Unfortunately, however, t,heir mission was not crowned with the ■success that was hop?d for. for they found the de,ad body of the missing man in the lamp-locking station. The deceased had, as fa.r as could be ascertained, died of suffocationt although his lamp was still burning. During this time the members of the Fire Brigade were still fi—btiriT th. flames Wow, and soon after mid-day they brought up the welcome news that they were getting the bet- ter of the fire and were keeping it well under control. The roof surrounding the engine had given way. and hurre falls had taken sub- merging the machinery, etc.. underneath, and it was impossible to say to what extent th" fire might still be smouldering under t,hoe hug-e falls. No efforts were spared, and the men kept playing on the smouldering was-. At that time there was quite three feet of watir at the bottom of the shaft in which the men had to work. It was well-nigh an hour later when the res- cue party returned with the sad news of discovery of the dead body of Jones, and as it was at that moment impossible to bring the body out, no further efforts wero made to pene- trate into the interior until later in the after- noon, it having already been discovered that twenty-five horses in the stables had been uffo- cated. At tliia time, Mr. Gray. H.M. Inspector of Mines, a-s well as Mr. A. P. Jones of Flor- ence Villa, the agent of the Marquess of Bute, had arrived, and both gentlemen rendered all possible ass.stanco in superintending the work. In view of the great heat, which proved that a considerable amount of fire was smoul- dering under the falls, water was kept pouring on it all the afternoon, and while the fire was by no means got under, it was discovered by six o'clock that the volume of smoke ar.d fumes carried into the interior of the workings had much diminished, and that tho air inside was comparatively pure. It was, therefore, ar, ranged to send a party to the lamp-'ocking sta- tion to bring out the dead body of the fireman. At seven o'clock, the body wa.s brought to the top of the shaft, and was then reverently borne on the shoulders of his fellow-workmen over the mountain to H-eolgerrig. Deceased, who was very hiehlv esteemed by all who came in contact with him. leaves a widow and several grown-up and married sons and daughters. All night the members of the Aberdare Fire Brigade were engaged in pouring water on the burning maes below, and it was eight o'clock on Tuesday morning before the whol* of the fire was extinguished, and the Fire Brigade left for Aberdare, having been engaged for over 24 hours on the tnot. THE INQUEST. At half-past eleven on Tuesday morning, an inquest on the body of David Jones was opened by Mr. R. J. Rhys (coroner for North Glamor- gan) at the Aberdare Police Station. Thomas Jones, 141, Craig y Gilfach, Heol- gerrig, said he wai the brother of the deceased, whose body he had seen and identified. His brother livd at 124. Crairr y Gilfach. He was 56 years of age on the 7th of December last, He was a fireman at the Blaennant Colliery, and worked by day. Witness was a collier at. the same colliery, and worked in the Gellvdeg seam, but deceased was the fireman in the Bute vein. Deceased left a widow, but no small chil- dren. The Coroner said that was as far a-s he pur- p03ed to carry the enquire at prp.<;ent. He knew nothing of the circumstances beyond the fact that a fire had taken place at the Blaennant Colliery, and there had only been one death. > As, however, it was possible that the fire wa* caused bv certain electric machinery, the Home Office hd now Ilppointed :1. special electric ex, nert to inquire into this kind of accident, and it was neceSSary thltt 11' should receive notice of the inquest. He would, therefore, adjourn the inouoC1<t in order to trive that "tr>ert. an 01'). nortunitv of attending the same, if he thought ;t necessary. He had intended adjourning it for a fortnight bur t.oe.et the convenience of Mr. Gray. H.M. Insp<x:tor of Mine*, it would have to be adiourned cither to Thursday or Friday fortnight. Th" lury. aft.->r a brief consultation, decided thnt Fridav. 23rd inst., would he most conven- ient and the inquest was acco-dingly adjourned to that date. THE WORK OF THE FIRE BRIGADE. The magnificent work of the Aberdare Fire Brigade during the fire deserves special recog- nition. Soon after eight o'clock on Tuesday morning, the Brigade were on the spot, and the officers, including Capt. R. L. Berry and Lieut, J Davies. deserve special mention for th3 manner in which they canied the pipe- down the shaft 300 yards deep, making each section fast to the down pipe so as to bear firm- ly the extra pressure of the water coming down from such a height. This done, Capt. Berry and Lieut. Davies w-ent down to the bottom of the shaft, and worked incessantly for some six hours until 3 p.m., playing on the burning mass, and crawling over heavy falls to the rear of the engine, where they were able to use the water with the best effect on the burning mass. and thus get behind it, preventing it from passing from thetintrior of the mine. It was this action of theirs, it is admitted, that saved the situation. At 3 o'clock, Capt. Berry came up. and having got into clean clothe, again went down, the water being now some three feet He and his officers and men pluck- ily stuck on till 8 o'clock on Tuesday morn- ing. when the last remnant of the fire was got under. Aberdare is to be congratulated on having such an excellent Volunteer Fire Bri- gade, and the Council on possessing such a magnificent motor engine. Account Books in Great Variety, Size, Ruling, and Rindinz to Suit every Purchaser.—"Express" Office, tlcbeland-street. Merthyr.

Aberdare Cymrodorion Society. ALES IN THE STONE AGE. The fortnightly meeting of the Aberdarft Cymrodorion Soc.ety was held on Friday even- ing in the Higher Standard School, Ga.dlys, ".IIh'l1 there was a crowded attencLnce of mem- bers and others. The Rev. J. Morgan, Bryn- sion, the president of tho Society, occupied the chair. Miss Morfydd Davies, heaamistre&s of the Abernant Girls' School, read a fhort paper in extreme.y choice Welsh on "Mfss Marv Mason (Creirwy)," a young Aberdare poetess. Miss Davies having referred to the fiict that Mis* Mason parsed a vav thirty-two years ago, said she was born in Monmouthshire on. May 8th, ICoO, the family removing to Aberdare when she was very young. Brought up in a r.i;iou3 home—her father being one of the apostles of (tmp:J¡-I.nc- ill At: 2rda. antIt h2 publisher of the first number of the "Gwladgarwr," ohe first came to notice as a reciter. She took the plat- form at the various literary meetings, and at the local Eisteddfodau became a. formidable competitor. It was said Hat on one cccasion her rendering of one of 'Telynog's" poems at the Temperance Hall. Aberdare, when the poet himself was present, led him to r-ay that ho never thought that he had composed o effective a poem as the one Miss Mason had rendered. Subsequently she came into prominence as a pcetes', and she Mood high among the Welsh poetesses. In addition, she was an able musio ;.n, and un player on tin piano. Mhs Davie-, after read ng the poetical tributes mid to Miss :\1:1son bv Nathan Wvn nr.d Twynog Jeffrey;?, gave; a. list of her composi- tions. several of which .vere successful at var- ious Eisteddfoclau, including "Yr Ailtud." which won the prize at the nh) Eisteddfod, TOUll. tain Aeh, in 1870; "Gsrud Eden." at an Aber- dare Eisteddfod; and "G wareidd.ud" at too Birkenhead Eisteddfod. J<71, tho two latter bsinsr "prycl¿e;:ta.u" of great merit. Other Welsh poems included Nac wylwch. mam." "Gynt." "Y Bywyd-fad," "Purdeb," etc Among her English compojit-ons wa one on partmg with a. friend, "The Scene from Garth Moun- hi" which won the prize at the Ma^stenr E:s- feddfed. and woe nnb'i-hed in 'Y Berllan" with tlie oher prize production of that successful Eisteddfod. A faw .-pecimens of the poetry of Miss Mason, who died March 14th, 1877, brr;J<:<:1t this interesting paper to II. close. Profo-sor Anwyl. of Aberystwyth, then deliv- ered an excellent address on "The Earliest In habitant? of Wales." Ho paid a tribute to the Cymrodorion in Aberdare for their excellent meetings, [Ird nho paid a crracefuJ tribute to Morfydd 1 hi vies for the very fine short pnner she had given them. The language, ho Mid. choice and the picture of the young poetess she had drawn was very realistic. Pro- ceedinc, he said that thousands of years had passed avay since man firt inhabited the British I-les. The early inhabitants, a'though thev had left no written rcco-ds behind them. had left their mark on the face of the country in their weapons and cromlech", etc. Thê stan of thf people of Wales was one of continued erowth, ind as their descendants they ought to he proud. There werø two R:r"at tendencies in the past and present centurv—the desire to lock forward 1111(1 the r1 e;re to look backward- not only back throuph the written records, but be- hind th. -records. That way patriotism lay, and while there were some who were inchned to decry p^tr.ot'm, and clfmed that they lov- ed not. nations b:if mankind. true patriot, he true nat:onal ir, was a'so the best philan- thrope (loud app'au?/e). Welshmen, through ♦ heir love 0f th0ir own nation, wee learning a wider love for other ria^ions. The history of o'vilisntion was divided roughly into two great eras—the. stone age before metal was in pnd the bronze and iron ages after man had discovered the use of metals of various Th stone was I\ITa,in in its turn sub- divided into the older and newer stone age. Tn Southern and Western Europe there wero marv traces of man in th" -tone aee to be still found. He had left behind him weapons made of store wnorl. bone, hom. etc" showing that, man Hved before the discovery of the use of minerals was made. There were some reasons to beVeve that men lived in Western Europe bernr<A the crreat ice age, and as Great Britain and Ireland were then connected with the con- tinent of Europe, and that oontinent in it5 turn connected with the northern portion of Africa, the same peop'e ha.d probably penetrated into Great Britain, and even into Wales. That per- iod wa" s a very warm one, a tropical age. when man could live in wild forests, and weapons of the primitive man in Western and Southern Europe were found side by side with extinct tropical animals. Later on. a cooler age cams, and at that time the mammoth, now extinct. Inhabited this part of the world. One proof of tho co-existence of man and mammoth, at least, in France wa3 a picture found in a cave of a mammoth drawn on a bone by tho pRmitiw man. showing that man even in that primitive stage was a bit of an artist. He then gave an interesting lis: of the districts where caves exist. ed in Wales. These included the basin of the River Clwvd, Pembrokeshire, portions of Car- rnarihenehire and Herefordshire, on th3 banks of the Wye. In tho new stone ago, man left his mark clearly in the Principality in the var- ious cromlechs and "meini liirion," the former being old graves at one time covered with soil, which in the course of time had been washed away. He pointed out how these cromlcchs had been widely distributed over Europe and por- tions of Asia. In this age the foundation of agriculture was lw:d, the inhabitants living on tho hillside: the valleys being probably too marshv and over-flooded. Their cottages were orieinaliy mere holes dug out of the ground and covered with rude thatch. Subsequently, walls wero erected around these holes and above them, and at last the hole was aban- doned, and a hut properly so called was crected. covered with rude thatch made of rushes and clay, some of which still remained fallen down inside the ancient hut. In that ancient period —the newer stone age—man dressed partly in sklr.—but he had also learnt to weave both wool and flax, ard his ve-sels of day partly baked in the sun and partly burnt still existed, showing he had reached a somewhat high stage of civil- isation. The secret of how primitive man got the top stone of his cromlech to its position was one hitherto undiscovered. The speaker then traced the story of man in Wales during tho older and newer bronze age, exhibiting bronze hatchets found in the valley of the Cynon of both ages. He pointed out, too., that at that time, a considerable trade in tina metal which was so necessary to temper copper for uoo 89 vreapons-took place between Great Britain and the Continent, and he said that the older bronze age began about 1500 roughly, ard tho newer bronze age about sca B.C. Probab'y the oldest Celtic language came into this island about the former date. He pointed out that the Celtic language was cognate with and Greek, and other languages, and suggested an interesting study in that direction. At the close of the address, Mr. John Daviax asked whether the growth of civilisation among all nations ran on similar lines, or was the hi&- torv of 50me nations what they were tausrht to believe, according to Genesis, a fall from a higher civilisation?—Revs. J. Tudor, R. Wil, liams, J. Grawvs Jones, J. R. Wil'iams. and Mr. J. Griffiths aIm spoke.—Miss Griffiths proposed ä voto of thnb to Mis 1\forfyeld Davie- for her paper, and Mrs. D. M. Richards, in secondinc, referred to the fact that she had the privilege of co-operating with the late Mis* Mason in 1873 and 1874. as offic-rs of the North Glamorgan District of Good Templars.—The vd was unanimou.3!V cnrried.-On the motion of the R°v. J. Morgan Jones, seconded by Mr. Timohy Lewis. of Cwm::I11.:tn. a similar compli- ment was paid Professor Anwyl, who, in reply, said that the lines of civilisation in different nations did not run on parallel lines.—A vote of thanks to tho Chairman brought the meet- iirg to a close.

_<. Operatives Trade Association. The quarterly meeting of the Aberdare, Mer- thyr, and Rhymney Valleys District Committee of the Bristol West of England, and South Wales Operatives Trade and Provident :0- ciety was held on Monday at the Ca-stle Hote!. Aberaman. Amongst the officers present were Bro. E Meyrick, Merthyr, chairman; vice- chairman, J. R. Jones, Mountain Ash Coun. A. Duke, Cwmaman, treasurer; Bro. David Abraham, Cwmaman, secretary The number of lodges represented was 49. The auditor for the district, (Mr. Evan Jones, Aberdare) said he had visited the whole of the lodges affiliated in the district, and had examined the books and vouchers, and had found all correct.—Mr. Wm. Williams (general councillor), district account auditor, said that the credit balanco of the district in 1908 was £41 Is. 8d. fines, 8s. in- terest, £ 1 Os. 6d. and in treasurer's hands. £5 17s. lOd; 4s. 7d. The amount paid out in grants to deserving cases was JC58 IDs. — The report was adopted.—Appeals were considered, and grants made in all cases.—The amount of levies was JE54 Os. 3d. Permission was granted Ynysyboeth Lodge to remove their lodge-room to the Methodist Chapel from Ynysyboeth Hotel.—It was decided that the next district meeting be held at the Napier's Hotel, Mountain Ash.

TRECYNON. HEN Dy CWRDD-A meeting of the C.E. Society of this church was held on Monday evening, when Mr. Richard Davie;, Llewelyn- street, read a paper on "Robert Spears." the well-known preacher. The chair was occupied by Mr. David Jones. ST. FAGAS'S CHURCH.—Services in connection with the re-opening of this church were con- tinued on Thursday, when, at 8 am. a cele- bration of the Holy Communion was held the celebrant being the Rev. T. W. Long. In the evening, the Rev. W. Thomas, Vicar of Portio, preached. On Friday morning, another early celebration was held, when the Vicar. Rev. Richard Jones, officiated, and ai the evening ssqrvice, the Rev. John Williams, Ilhymney, preached. On Saturday morning, the Rev. T. W. Long officiated at a celebration of the Holy Communion. The pulpit in the evenin- wa* occupied by the Rev. J. Sinnett Je- 's, Vicar of Mountain Ash. There were two early c bra. tions on Sunday morning, the celebrant-- being the Rev. T. W. Long and Rev R. Jones. At 10 a.m.. the Litany was read, and a se-mon was preached by the Vicar of Aberdare, Rev. C. A. H. Green. In the afternoon a children's service was held, when the scholars from the other three churches' in the parish were ad- dressed by the Rev. T. Harris, vice-principal cf York Training College, and Rov. R. Jones. In the evening the Rev. D. Fisher, Vicar of All Saints. Cardiff, preached. The collections were in aid of 3Fe Restoration Fund.

Easter Monday, where the largest collection of dogs ever seen in Aberdare will be on view. | Several champions will be benched, and all the' cream of Wales and a greater part of England cream of Wales and a greater part of England will be there. Over 200 dogs are entered, and everything has been done to make the show a success. Many valuable special prizes will be awarded in addition to the prize money. A cup for the best Irish terrier is now at the shop of Mr. Morgan Isaac, Victoria-square, given by Mr. John MacCormach. This has to be won iwjce before becoming the property of the exhibitor. "TOWN MORALS."—On Sunday evening at the J.L.P. Inpf tutc. Mr. C. W. Miles, the son of Mr. R. II. Miles, gave a trenchant address on this subject, Mr. Matt. Lewis presiding. Mr. Miles rsfomd to the the press and the platform as the three chief factors in moulding the morals of the town. After criticising severely the preaoiiu)?; that on" heard from many ot our pulpits, and condemning the hypocrisy that prevailed in to-Called religious houses, Mr. Miles dealt with the, press. He h lcl that the newspaper press was sinking, and its power waning, because it oftentimes taught morality and practised the antithesis of it, and bccaus it had no definite policy except the attainmeno of business ends. Mr. Miles then proceeded t denounce, the local press in very scathing terms. Touching upon economic matter?, the speaker held that differences of class would alway. exiwt. Too much emphasis was laid on the rights of the workers and too little on their dut'es. It. was duty that would purify town li oral-—Questions were put b? "ouncilior E. Stoneiake, Messrs. J. Phillips, and others. .St'COAS-IPUR, S)CIAX —T.\BKUN*VCLK Y.P.S.— all Thursday evening last a very successful social tea and entertainment were got up byt the young people of this Church. The tea was given by the young people themselves, and the proceeds will be devoted towaids paying for the hall for the forthcoming bazaar, to be held during the latter part of til's month, in con- 1 ncctlon with the Church. The arrangements for the; tea were in the hands of Mrs. (Rev). J. M. Jones, who earned them out. A new feature in the forthcoming sale of work will he a chip-carving stall, the aititles having been carved by the members of the carving class in I connection with the Y.P.S. These weie all exhibited during the evening and seemed to be greatly appreciated by all present. Later on in the evening a humorous farce, entitled Is he married was given which also passed off very satisfactorily. Vocal and instrumental selections were also given.