Papurau Newydd Cymru
Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru
11 erthygl ar y dudalen hon
Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau
11 erthygl ar y dudalen hon
Advertising
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7-, feg^ffi^T ¥ ~JFiW JOTT w$0^ I PORTION OF W C] i f *W r I BIRMINGHAM Ijeweller's Jffc f l#T BE CLBABBD |T /f/inOf^- I REGARDLESS COST r BE SURE AND CALL TO-DAY I STOCKTAKING CLEARANCE SALE JN B a. portion of a. Birmingham Jeweller's stock, secured on advantage- r B SEIZE THIS GREAT CHANCE TO-DAY! \\f W 7/T% H.SAM»L» SK ?lTCSvJE,LTLUErRpY'rnPnL;iE' CUTLE"Y I /nJS "ACME" I on y 3/6. [ Everything quite new and up-to-date. H SILVER LEVER, AN EARLY CALL IS ADVISED! COME IK NOW. H J 25/- MONTH'S U SAMUEL I 1 *ey'e" »me I TRI L 11b VnlWlV&Hhi USUAL. I prIce. i 'aten,e^ 119, HIGH STREET. MERTHYR. I HR^l\|l 7 yrs. Warranty. If unable to call, ivrile for biz tree catalogue to Head Office— H SiLVcft ALBERT H. SA MUEL, 105 ifarkri Sirret, Mallchuter. FREE.. -1" &'CASOn jfcimous Jr lO BOOTS tJ., IfATS 1 The boot you want is the boot that will I Ml be comfortable, that will wear well, that \M I Ml will look smart, and that will keep its shape. \S 1 That is a "Jackson boot. These boots are jp ta only to be obtained from Jacksons Branches, IM' W and they cost 10/6. There is no other price. iM JACKSON'S 3/9 Felts are the Best in Head Wear. Jjjljj r ==^ii 59, HIGH ST., MERTHYR TYDFIL, j <f> >CYCL £ S^ THE WORLD'S BEST. — I The product of the oldest in years, but most modern in equipment, | I factory in the world. Many models at prices and on terms 0 | suit all. J Prices from £ 6-10-O or on E.P. Terms from f | 10/- per month § 1 Obtain list to-day either from the undermentioned or direct from | I THE SWIFT CYCLE CO., Ltd., COVENTRY. | f J. LEWIS, 354, High-street, Penvdarren, § MERTHYR TYDFIL l 15-16, Holborn Viaduct. Telegrapbio Addren-Boulton, Merthyr. Nat. Telephone, No. 1M Dead & Disabled Horses & Cattle PROMPTLY REMOVED jjP>* J. Bonlton S Sons, LICMSED Horse Slaughterers, TREBEDDAU FARM, MOUNTAIN HARE, MERTHYR. BRANCHES AT Sirhowy Inn Stables, Sirhowy, AND Castle Inn Stables, Aberaman. TURKISH BATHS Hot and Cold Water Baths- SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS have been made for an experienced trained Nurse to be in "ttendamce on Tuesdays (ladies' day). k". JOHN POBTBR has had over 20 years practica! experience at some of the best establishments JQ the country, and is making arrangements for *he Naupein Treatment, in addition to Sulphur Pine, Sulphur Vapour, Pine Vapour and Plain Vapour Baths at) reasonable charges. LADIES' DAY, TUESDAYS Please Note Address— Below Parish Church. READ THIS J* will interest you. Do yon suffer from pains in •he back? Is the urine cloudy or gravelly? These ^fe the symptoms of Kidney complaint. Be wise •tt time and attend to your trouble. It is MOST IMPORTANT that you should take some medicine, and one that ?»1 cure you. Don't delay. Send to-day for a Dottle of DONOVAN'S KIDNEY DROPS. A, sure cure for Backache, Congestion of the, *Mdueyf> and all disorders arising from Kidney J-Hseaae. Sent post free on receipt of price, 1/1 j, OV the Sole Proprietor— ALFRED DONOVAN, 14. Mervyn Street, Abeifan, South Wales. I
IFLOODS AT MERTHYR. > ,-',
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I FLOODS AT MERTHYR. > TRADESMEN APPEAL TO THE I CORPORATION. I At a meeting of the General Purpose Com- mittee of the Corporation on Tuesday night, Coun. Isaao Edwards presiding, a deputation of tradesmen, headed by Mr. D. C. Harris, provision merchant, attended and appealed to the Committee to do something to prevent the Hooding of their premises Mr. Harris said the ing of their premises after heavy rain caused serious inconvenience, and it was a menace to health. The run water was not carried away by the pipes; oellars were flooded, and in some of the private houses at the bottom of the town, the water rose to such a depth that the furniture floated about. At 145, High-street, on Sunday week, the water came through the cellar, and when it subsided left behind a thick deposit of nasty smelling matter* Mr. Pollit would tell the Committee how the water also came into his premises. This had gone on for years, and it got worse instead of better. Mr. J. Prag agreed with what Mr. Harris had said. Years ago, he said, it needed a very heavy and continuous rainfall to cause their premises to be flooded, but now, after the slightest storm, their cellars and shops were flooded as the pipes, he supposed, were not large enough to take the water off. The water came up through a grating in his yard as from a fountain, rushed into the oellar, and when it subsided left behind sediment composed of sewerage matter. 'The people at Pendwranfach suffered terribly; their tables and chairs floated about. At the Star, the flood water was so high in the parlour that it ran out through the front door, and after a storm hte landlord had to bail the water out through the win- dow. Last time the water in the parlour was two or three feet high. The Chairman said the Committee sympath- ised with those who suffered. The omoers of the Council had reported upon this matter from time to time.. Coun. Hankey: Has this gone on regularly for years?—Mr. Harris; Yes, for many years. Councillor Dan Thomas said that over fifty years ago the water ran through some of the cottages. Mr. Prag said their premises were flooded in this way three or four times a year. Last Sunday week one cellar had three feet of water in it. Coun. F, S. Simons: Have complaints been made to the Corporation ev.ery year?—Mr. Harris: Yes. Councillor Dan Thomas: Mr. Prag threat- ened us with damages opoe.—Mr. Prag: Yes, 20 years ago. A* that time there was timber over the manhole instead of grating. Water came into my shop and destroyed 210 worth of boots. I claimed damages and the Council wrote to say that it was a. visitation of the Almighty and they were not respon- sible (laughter). That ended the matter (re- newed laughter).—The Chairman You went to the wrong court. Ald. Jones: The Almighty sends clean water, but this was very dirty (laughter). The Surveyor said the cause of the flood- ing was that the sewer was too high. The only possible way to deal with the question would be put a long length of main sewer at a very great depth. Coun. D. Phillips: Is there not an old sewer running through Court-street? The Surveyor: Yes. It is too high for the cellars. Water comes down from all parts, and gets into the trap. It was agreed that Mr. Harvey should draw up a report upon the matter. Coun. Dan Thomas asked whethr it would not be possible to have a subsidiary drain going down the tramroad to carry the sur- face water from Twynyrodyn, and deliver it down Mardy way.—The Surveyor said be would take that into consideration. To MOTHERS-—Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup has been used over fifty years by millions of mothers for their children while teetiiinjr, with per- fect success. It will relieve the poor sufferer imme- diately. It is pleasing to taste; it produces natural quiet sleep by relieving the child from pain, and the little cherub awakes "as bright as a button." Of all chemists, Is. lid. per bottle. |
VpONTSARN DROWNING MYSTERY.
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VpONTSARN DROWNING MYSTERY. MAN'S BODY FOUND IN THE TAF-FECHAN RIVER. DIFFICULTY OF IDENTIFICATION. A WOMAN'S SUSPICION. On Sunday afternoon, Pol ice-cone table Bevan, of the Cyfart-hfa Works Staff, and Mr. William Lewis, gamekeeper to Messrru Crawshay Bros., discovered the body of a man ;'1 the T.^f-fechan river, between Pontsarn and Ceen. The polioe were communicated with, but up to Tuesday the body had not been identified. The police, therefore, issued the following description:— Age between 40 and 45, height, 6ft. dark hair, 'heavy dark moustache; wearing heavy cloth I coai, torn biack veefc; blue striped trousers; Welsh flannel shirt; striped cotton pants; brown socks, a nd heavy nailed boots. On the body .was a brass ch-eck of the Aberdare branch of "the Miners' Federation, which had the letter "G" upon it. IJt. Jones (coroner for Breconshire) held an inquest upon the body at the Aberglais Inn, Pontsarn, on Tuesday afternoon, when some extraordinary evidence was given, and the in- quiry was adjourned. upt. Hands, deputy chief constable for Breornshire, watched the in- quiry on behalf of the police. The Rev. J. Hathren Davies was foreman of the jury. Police-constable James Bevan gave evidence of finding the body at 4.15 p.m. on Sunday, while in company with William Lewis, game- keeper on the Cyfarthfa Estate. Upon search- ing the body, he found upon it a pair of Locket scissors, a Locket kii.fe, a watch-key, a piece of brass forming th.' letter "G" with the words "Aberdare Miners Federation." The coat was torn from the hetV-v to the collar, straight up the back, and th -••.(- outside pockets and the inside pocket '.tfrvd inside out. The Coroner- nt"- give any indication as to the weight?- WH.ness: I sir. Can you give any idea of his age ?—I should say he .v: s man from 40 to 50. What oocuu!tr o-i touid you take him to have been?—Of tho 'aL«ou.nng class, from his appear- ance. The Coroner, ••dd-essing P.S. Davies, Cefn, said he suppoo had tried in every way to establish ident.;f>t!ou.-—The offioer replied in the affirmative P.S. Davies "ientioned that besides the ar- ticles enumerated ov Bevan, there was on the body a paper bag with the words "Metropolitan Bank, Aberdare Branch," printed thereon. William Lewis corroborated the evident P.C. Bevan as to the discovery of the body and said it was not there on the day previous The Coroner (to the jury): The onlY verdict you are justified in t.r:"k1"ing is an open verdict, Superintendent (interr>^sing) said the>re was a Mrs. Rees pr?se-nt and Mr step-daughter, and Mrs. Rees and Miss Rees seemed to think j that the body was very similar to that of a man who had stayeo at their house. But tber* were some doubts bout the identity. The t: of the man whom Mrs. Rees supposed hixo to I bo, and a brnthe** and brother-in-law had seen the body, and they had declared that be was not the person. Perhaps the Coroner would like to hear what Mrc. Rees had to say, because Mr-r evidence might be useful for tho future They had had a very serious outrage at Cmr. Cemetery, and up to the present time bac. failed to disoover the culprit. I The Coroner: If you think it is of any use to call her, let her be called. The Foreman: Is she positive as to the identity? Supt. Hands: Very nearly positive. I have had information from another source that the person she thinks him to be is in London, but whether that is so or not, I can't say. Elizabeth Ann Ree, was then sworn. She said she was the wife of Evan John Rees, and lived at the Adam and Eve Inn, Pondside, Merthyr. The Coroner: You have seen the body?— Witness: Yes. Do you know the body?—Y-c, only that it is so decomposed. It is som?-li'ng similar to that of a man who was staying a4 our house. When did the man stay with you? — Five weeks to-day he was there last: but that man has been seen in Merthyr since. The little girl saw him passing our door a week after. He was seen about a fortnight ago coming down Brecon-road by a friend of mine. Has he been seen since?—Not to my know- ledge. I knew the man in better circumstances and I gave him food. Who was he?—Henry Williams, hay and corn merchant, Treherbert, and he was a nephew of Sir William Thomas Lewis. Do you know when he was last seen 1-1 was up in a friend's house a fortnight to-morrow night, and she told me she had seen him pass- ing. She said, "You are very foolish to en- courage that man at your place, because I think he will always be on your back if you don't torn and tell him to go." That was Tuesday week—the Tuesday before this bother about Lady Lewis's vault. The Foreman csked Mrs. Rees if any of the articles of clothing on the deceased correspond- ed with those worn by Williams. Mrs. Rees: The boots were very heavy; but. of course, he used to shine them himself. The Coroner remarked that the boots on the deceased looked quite new. and as if they had not been blackened at all. Mrs. Rees, proceeding, said the shirt on the deceased was similar to that worn by Williams, who had a very heavy brown coat. "That coat," she add-ed. "is not here. If I saw that coat, it would 00 plain enough." Williams, she went on to say, had long curly hair, and the ha.ir of the deceased was long. The teeth were good. At this stage the witness, William Lewis, who had known Henry Williams, went out to view the body, &nd upon his return he said, in reply to the Coroner, that there was a similar- ity between the deoeased and Williams, but he could not take his oath that they were one and the same, because the face of the corpse was so swollen. The Coroner (to Mrs. Rees): You say be was related to Sir William Thomas Lewis?—Mrs. Ree3: Yes, sir. Had he been in a good position ?—Yes, sir. that was the reason of his downfall. Had he been in a good position?—Yse, sir. Sir William put lum in a good many good posi- tions. He had been down in the docks with him in Cardiff. He came from Cardiff to see I Colonel Lewis's funeral, and I don't think he had been back since. He told me that he was I foreman of the cleaners in Cardiff, and stayed I at Cathays-terrace. I used to live at Cathays- terraoe myself, and that was how I was so in- terested in him. He had one son, who is in the Co-operative Stores at Cwmparo. P.S. Davies said that after the outrage at Cefn Cemetery, Mrs Res communicated with the police, and they had been trying since to trace Williams, but they had failed to get any trance up to tho time of the finding of the body. Replying to the Foreman, Supt. Hands said he could not find anybody who had seen Wil. liams at Cefn, and he could not say that Wil- liams was in any way connected with the out- rage at the cemetery. The Coronertaid it was very important to get clear evidence of identification in a case of this kind if they possibly could do so, and also to I have a. post-mortem examination; and the in" quest was adjourned for a fortnignt. THE POST-MORTEM. I Up to the time of going to press, the body of the man had not been identified. Drs. Webster and Flood, acting upon instruo tions given at the inquest on Tuesday, held a po3t-morfcem examination on Wednesday, with a view of ascertaining how long the body had been in the water, and they came to the con- clusion that it had been in the river nine or ten days, which coincides with the period at which the outrages in the Cefn Cemetery were committed. The doctors found that deceased was a healthy man, and was not addicted to drink. At the inquest on Tuesday, Mrs. Rees, of the Adam and Eve Public-house, Merthyr, said that deoeased had a resemblance to a man whom she knew, and who, she said, claimed to be a distant relative of Sir William Thomas Lewis. Therelatives of the man in question, however, who have seen the body, say that it is not that of the man mentioned by Mrs. Rees. In this opinion they are supported by Mr. Dan Thomas, of the Plymouth Arms, and Mr. H. Mansel, of the Owen Glyndwr, Mer- thyr, both of whom knew the man well, and who on Wednesday viewed the body.
[No title]
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The present pastor of the Congregational Churches of Troedrhiwdalar, Beulah. and Olan- tfydd, is Rev. D. E. Griffith, who has held it for 44 years; his predecessor was the veteran pa- triarch Rev. D. Williams, who died at 95, after occupying the pastorate of these churches for 63 years; his predecessor, Rev. D. Morgan, held it for 50 years; and his predeoessor, Rev. Thomas Price, for 60 years. There have only been four pastors of the Congregational Churches at Troedrhiwdalar for 217 years, and the average length of the tenure of office has been 54 years.
Burglars ! !
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Burglars Pain and discomfort in the stomach or abdomen is a burglar alarm warning you that burglars are at work in your body. it is an indication of the presence of dyspepsia and its confederates, which are robbing your bodily dwelling of the nourishment that is necessary for its support. A safe method of ejecting these undesirable visitors is to take a Page Woodcock Pill or two after a mid-dav meal and at night time. You cannot afford to stand idly by and see your body robbed of its most valuable possession. Page Woodcock's Pills will drive out Dyspepsia, Flatulence, Constipation, Biliousness, Heartburn, Acidity, Sick Headache, and all other evil assistants of indigestion. Of all chemists, at Is. lid. and 2s. 9d., and you should always I keep them in your family medicine cupboard for your own safety and that of your family. They are a non-mineral, ail-vegetable prepar- ation, and can be used safely by the YOÛng, the middle-aged and the old. Renowned for sixty years. Have cured millions—will cuie 1 you, ——— J
fReport of the Royal Commission…
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f Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws. MANIFESTO BY THE ASSOCIATION OF POOR LAW UNIONS IN ENGLAND AND WALES. The following manifesto has been published by the above-named Association :— In view of the activity of those who are agitating for the abolition of Boards of Guard- ians, the Council of the Association of Poor Law Unions desire to submit the following statement as to the principal proposals of the above-mentioned report, and the objections of the Council to such proposals. Of the 643 Boards of Guardians in England and Wales, 501 belong to the Association, such Boards representing a population of over 28 millions out of a total population of 32 millions, so that the Association can claim to be the mouthpiece of Poor Law administrators. The Royal Commission issued two reports— a majority report signed by 14 out of the 18 Commissioners (but subject to reservations by some of them) and a minority report signed by the remaining four Commissioners. Both reports propose the abolition of. Boards of Guardians, the existing areas of administra- tion, and the General Workhouse, but differ as to the new bodies who are to have the caro of t poor. I PROPOSALS OF THE MAJORITY REPORT. The Majority Report proposes that the area should be the County or County Borough, and that there should be set up in each of such areas a local authority for central administration and control to be known as the Public Assistance Authority, and local committees for dealing with applications fer relief, to be knowp as Public Assistance Committees. The Public Assistance Authority is, outside London, to consist, as to one-half of its mem- bers, of persons appointed by the County or County Borough Council, such persons not being necessarily members of such Council, and as to the other half, of persons nominated by the Council, to be experienced in the local ad. ministration of public assistance or cognate work. In London the authority is to consist, as to one-half of its members, of persons nomin- ated by the London County Council from its own members, and as to the remaining quarter of persons nominated by the Local Government Board. Although such authority is to be a Statutory Committee of the County or County Borough Council, that Council is not to have any control over its expenditure notwithstand- ing that such expendiure is to be wholly paid for out of the County or County Borough funds. The Public Assistance Committees arc to be appointed by the Public Assistance Authority and are to consist of a certain proportion of members nominated, outside London, by the local Urban and Rural District Councils, and in London by the Metropolitan Borough Councils, such persons not necessarily being members of such Councils, and of a oertain proportion of members of a Voluntary Aid Committee, when established, such nominated persons to be ex- perienoed in the local administration of public | assistance or other cognate work. There are also to be in each locality a Medi- ;?J Assistance Committee to consist of members trf the Public Assistance Committee, the Health '.ommittee of the County or County Borough, the local branches of the British Medical Association, with oo-ppted members of local j "So-pi tale, Nursing Associations, and Friendly Societies, and a Voluntary Aid Committee, con- sisiing of representatives of local charities and societies, and of persons nominated by the Pub- lic Assistance Authority In l:eu of the general workhouse, there are to be seven separate specialised Institutions for (1) children. (2) aged and infirm, (3) the sick, (4) atJ^bodied men, (5) able-bodied women' (6) variants, and (7) the feeble-minded and epileptics respectively^ PROPOSALS OF THE MINORITY j REPORT. The Minority Report proposes that the ser- vices now adrrcr.xtered by Boards of Guardians !<ui i* j. D ''hose connected with vagrants and able-oodled) shou d be transferred to the differ- lent Committees cf the County or County Bor- I ough Councils, children of school age being taken care of by the Educ&npn Authority, the sick (including maternity cases), infants under school age, and the aged needing institutional I care, by the Health Committee, the mentally defective by the Asylums Committee, and the aged not needing institutional care, by the Pensions ^Committee, and that the several com- mittees apould provide for the persons commit- ted to their charge whatever treatment they deem most appropriate either in institutions or at home. There are to be appointed in each County and County Borough by the Council of such County or Borough one or more officers to be known as Regsitraj-s of Public Assistance, whose duties are, amongst other things, to be to con- sider all grants of home aliment (otherwise outdoor relief) recommended by the committees ti *° whether such aliment shall or shall not be granted. It is, however, suggested in the body of the Report that any committee whose grant is not sanctioned by the registrar shall have a right of appeal to a Central De- partment. In the separate report as to Scotland, which was issued after the report as to England and Wales, these proposals were enlarged, and it was then recommended that not only should the several committees provide for the classes before mentioned, but, that the Education Com- mittee should be required to search out all chil- dren of school age within its district who are destitute of proper, nurture, and secure to them a fitting upbringing; that the Health Committee should be required to search out all sick per- sons within its district who are destitute of medical attendance,, and all infants who are destitute of proper nurture, .and all infirm per- sons who need medical attendance and nursing, and apply the appropriate treatment, either in their own homes or in suitable institutions, that the Lunacy Committee should be required to SoMrch out all feeble minded and mentally de- fective persons who are destitute of proper care and control, within its district, and make ap- propriate provision for them, and that the Pen- sions Committee should be required to search out all persons within its district who are des- titute from old age, and provide old age pen- sions for such of them as are ablo and willing to live deoently thereon. OBJECTIONS TO THESE PROPOSALS. (A) TO THE PROPOSALS OF THE MAJORITY REPORT. The Council are in entire ag-reemen with the objections of Dr. Ðownee-the chief Poor Law Medical Inspector of the Local Government Board, and one of the Commissioners, who has great experience of Poor Law administration— to the proposals of the Majority Report as to the new areas. In a memorandum appended to the Majority Report, which report he stated he signed because he desired to support the principle that public relief in every form I should be administered and oontrolled by one iocal authority in each area—he pointed out the vast amount of readjustment which would be involved if the area were the, County or County Borough, and he referred to and endorsed the flowing remarks of the Right Hon. Charts Booth, another of the Commissioners, but who retired owing, to ill health before the issue of the report. "There would have to be no less than 225 adjustments of existing properties and liabili- ties involving much time, trouble, and expense, and without finality being secured. Urban districts grow into populous places and may be organised as boroughs. Boroughs increase in importance, and will claim to rank as County Boroughs. Each change will necessitate fur. ther adjustments and the more complete the institutional service provided by the adminis- trative county from which the population would pass the more difficult the rearrangement would become. With what confidence could institu- tions be established for so uncertain a popula- tion?" As Dr. Downes further pointed out, the scheme is "inconsistent with the object of self- contained classification on which it is chiefly based. There are even cases in which the ami would be reduced. The Union of West Ham, with a population in 1901 of more than half-a- million, would be replaced by a County Bor- ough of only half the population of the dis- solved Union, while the remnant would be in- congruously grouped for relief purposes with the spansely-people marshes of the coast." As a Conuty or Couhty Borough Council is not to be obliged to appoint on the Public As- sistance Authority any of the members of such Council, it might happen that such an< a.uthör- ity might be constituted without having among its members a single directly elected person, whilst such authority would have the power to incur an unlimited expenditure. To do away with all directly elected repre- sentation is—as Dr. Downes points out—"so contrary to the national instinct and our estab- lished principles and so fraugh* with contin- gent dangers as to demand the most rigid proof of its neo4gsity." and-in the opinion of the Council not such proof has been or can be given. (B) TO THE PROPOSALS OF THE MINORITY REPORT. The proposals of the Minority Report, would tend to the municipaJisation of the Teiief of the poor and to increased officialism. The County and County Borough Councils and their com- mittees are, admittedly, already overburdened with the work they have to do, and, conse- quently, any further work which was cast on them must be relegated to officials. An enor- mous number of inspectors would be required to enforce the proposed scheme; in fact, a family would rarely be free from an inspector in the house. To search out and tltrtw relief upon all those whose needs may not come up to that standard which each committee may consider to be necessary or desirable would tend to increase the number of those receiving relief at the public expense. (c) TO THE PROPOSALS OF BOTH REPORTS. The adoption of the proposals of either of the eports wduld entail an enormous expense, II particularly by the n^csssity of many ci the existing worknouses having to be remodelled to tuaj^e into fancied socialised ia stitutions, by many new institutions, hospitals, 1 etc., having to be provided, and by the increase in the salaries of officials which would be neces- sary. The specialised institutions would, as the i Majority Report points out, require superin- tendents qualified by knowledge and experience, and the salaries of such officers must be such I as "to attract men not merely of organising power but having the moral qualities necessary to develop the capacities of those under their charge," and also "highly trained officers will be required in what are now regarded as less important posts such as that of labour master, i with naturally higher salaries than those now paid. And this expense, which will fall on the rate- payers, many of whom can now oniy with diffi. culty keep themselves off the relief lists, will not, in the opinion of the Council, result in greater efficiency or better results being ob- tained. A further result would be, the breaking up of, families owing to the different individuals of one family being placed either in different in- stitutions, as proposed by the Majority, or un- der different committees, as proposed by the Minority. C Classification in separate institutions, if in- sisted upon everywhere, would, moreover, result in rural districts in poor persons being in many cases separated by great distances from their friends and relations, involving tedious and ex- pensive journeys when their friends and rela- tions desired to visit or to be visited by the in- mates. The Council agree with Dr. Downes "that there may be danger of classification being car- ried too far to verge of hardship or even tyranny. The breaking up of families, the removal of old folk from their associates and rat.' friends may outweigh many administrative ad- i vantages. Classification run to an ideal entails many practical difficulties and even evils." ALLEGED INCREASE IN PAUPERISM AND COST OF RELIEF. It is 'alleged that the ratio of pauperism and the cost of relief has increased and is increasing. Statistics recently published by the Local Government Board show conclusive- ly that this is not true as to the alleged, increase, as' the following figures will show:— Lady- Lady- Day, Day, 1850. 1908. Proportion per 1,000 of popula- tion of average daily number I of paupers (excluding casuals and insane 56.5 22.1 Ditto of persons in receipt of outdoor relief 50.0 15.3 1 Jan., 1 Jan., 1849. 1908. Proportion per 1,000 of popula- tion of aged and infirm adult6 relieved 22.7 12.7 Ditto of adults ordinarily able- bodied 13.5 3.5 Ditto of childr-en 25.7 6.7 Indoor Relief has. it is true, increased be- tween 1850 and 1908, but only from 6.5 per 1,000 population in 1850 to 6.8 in 1908 and the cost from Is. lid. to ls. 9. This increase 4 in cost is practicaly entirely due to (1) the improved treatment of the sick and infirm in special wards or institutions—for instance the number of paid nurses increased from 1,406 in 1872 to 6^094 in 1906 and the medical officers in institutions from 741 to 1,010—and (2 the provision for accommodation for child- ren in separate institutions. There was raised in England and Wales by rates, in 1905, 39 million pounds more than in 1874, but of such amount only 3i addi- tional millions were raised for purely poor law County and Municipal Authorities, 15i millions purposes, whereas 7A millions were raised for for Sanitary Authorities in London and Urban Districts, li millions for the similar Author- ities and Highway Authorities in Rural Dis- tricts, and 9 millions for Elementary Educa- tion Authorities THE GENERAL WORKHOUSE. It is alleged that in a majority of the Unions the Guardians insist upon retaining in the Mixed or General Workhouse all sec- tions of the poor. This is misleading, for provision has been made, as to the bulk of the pauper population, by the establishment of modem and well-equipped Infirmaries for the sick poor, and Workhouse Inmates have in the majority of cases for years past been classified much on the lines suggested by the Majonty Report Children's Homes and Schools have been established, many children have been boarded out, and children and youths have been placed in Certified Training and IndustriaJ Schools, Ships, and Workshops, and Asylums for the Dumb, Deaf, and Blind. For the indoor poor (exclusive of lunatics in Asylums or vagrants), more than 38 per oen t.-i.D London more than 50 per cent.- were in 1908 already provided for in specialised Institutions apart from the Workhouse, whioh percentage would be increased if the large number of indoor poor accommodated in Separate Homes for the Aged (which homes are at present included in statistics as Work- houses) and housed in voluntary Institutions, were included. The Local Government Board states that about 48 per oent, of the children of hool age maintained in Poor Law establishments on anuary 1st, 1908, were sent to Public Elementary Schools, whilst a further 35 per cent, were being educated in "Separate" or J^'skrict'' schools and that practically no children now receive their education in Work- houses, except infants under school age and special classes who from infirmity or other oause cannot be dealt with otherwise. ALLEGED FAILURE OF BOARDS OF GUARDIANS. The Majority Report attribute* the alleged failure to maladministration arising to a great extent from the present system of popu- lar election failing to secure suitable persons as Guardians. Even assuming that this is so—which is not admitted—why tho new As- sistanoe Authorities appointed by the County or Borough Councils and Assistance Com- mittees nominated by and probably consisting partly of members of District Councils and Metropolitian Borough Councils should en- sure better administrators than those now secured by direct election it is difficult to see. It is stated that many eligible men and women will not now stand for election and their services are thus lost to the public. But on the other hand it is possible that the ser- vices of many eligible men and women which are now secured by open election may be lost owing to such persons being overlooked by the appointing bodies or being for some reason or another not in favour with the per- sonnel of such bodies. The Commissioners who signed the Minority Report attribute the alleged failure, not to any personal shortcomings of the individual Boards of Guardians, adding that they had been "impressed by the vast amount of zealous and devoted service unremunerated and unrecognised that is being rendered in all parts of the Poor Law administration by men and women of humanity and experience. They attribute the failure to the fact that Boards of Guardians can only deal with per- sons when they become destitute, and that their powers being limited to destitution, the effect must b? deterrent upon those requiring relief. But as Mr. J H. Nunn, one of the Commissioners, pointed out in a separate Memorandum, the Commission "found all over England that hardly any Board confine their help to cases of destitution." And as re- gards the second point, it must be evident that, if all deterrent effect is abolished, the result must be to lead persons to rely more and more upon public assistance. OPINION OF COUNCIL. The Council do not contend that all the pre- sent Boards have reached an equally high standard of administration. The same may be said of all other public authorities. But such Boards as are below the general standard could be brought up to efficiency by order of the Local Government Board, either for combina- tion or other purpose, as all Boards are sub- ject to the orders and regulations of the Local Government Board. As Dr. Downes says in his memorandum there is not one of the changes advocated by the Majority that "can- not be mei; and better met by a revision. strengthening, and an extension of existing powers on lines already established." And such remark equally applies in the opinion of the Council to the changes advocated by the Minority Report. In the opinion of the Council, the existing Boards and the areas for which they act (alter- ed or adjusted as may be considered desirable) should continue, and the powers now given to Boards should be revised and should be ex- tended. eo as to include all classes of persons maintained at the expense of the ratepayers by whom such Boards are elected, the Council agreeing with the Majority Report that it should be "a fundamental principle of the sys- tem of public assistance that the responsibility for the due and effective assistance of all neces- sitous persons at the publio expense shall be in the hands of one and only one authority." The Council are issuing this manifesto at the present time as they consider it desirable in the public interest that they should do so. But it must not be assumed that it contains all their criticisms of the proposals of the reports, nor everything that can be urged in favour of the retention of the present Boards and ad. ministrative areas.
East Glamorgan Election Expenses
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East Glamorgan Election Expenses The election expense of the candidates for East Glamorgan wer i as follow :-Sir Alfred Thomas (the old and present member), £1,107 7s.; Mr. Frank Hill Gaskell (Unionist), £1,9821 9s. 9d.
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HORTON'S BENEDICT PILLS FREE TO LADIES. in a tew days correct all irregularities and remove all obstructions; also cure Anaemia, and cause no in- jury; to the married or single are invaluable By post, under cover, for Is. lid. or 2s. 9d„ from Horton and Co. Chemists (late Chief Dispenser from Birmingham lying-in Hospital), 29 Aept., Aston Manor, Tiirtnincham. Sold over 40 years. SUPPLIED DIRECT ONLY. Sample Box of rills sent post free for-renny Stamp to cover postage.
The Dark Side of Convict Life.1
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The Dark Side of Convict Life. 1 [Being the Account of the Career of HARRY I WILLIAMS, a Merthyr Man.] CHAPTER VII. I suppose many of my readers can -well re- member the great miners' strike in 1898, when men. women. and little children were carried to their graves dying every day of starvation; a crime committed in those days was certainly excusable. It was for taking part in a jewel- lery robbery that I was tried, and sentenced to penal servitude for nine years. I was af- terwards transferred to Exeter Prison to serve six months' probation. I made no attempt to escape this time. as I was too carefully watch- ed, for the authorities had not forgotten the last event. I had no trouble there this time, by my troubles were to come. After serving rmv probation I was transferred to Portland Convict Prison, this being a first-class labour station, and it was here that I composed the "Convict's -Reflectici&s," which I will give for the bonefi4; readers of the "Merthyr Express": THE CONVICT'S REFLECTIONS. One eve as I sat in my cell, sad and lonely- The prison all quiet, and the warders away— I thought of the parents I had left far behind me And prayed that again I might see them some day. When all of a sudden, outside my cell window, I beard a bird chirping-it seemed full of glee. So just pay attention, old friends, while I mention What that little bird told through the bars unto me. It brought to my mind the bright home of my childhood It brought to my mind the bright home of my childhood It spoke of the grief and the many sad tears That my own darling sister had shed in the wild wood When she heard I was sentenced to nine long years. It said that at night time, when that fair one was sleeping, She would dream of the time when her brother was free, And even in her slumbers G'er me she would be weeping— The b'ird whispered this through the bars unto me. It spoke of two honest, hardworking brothers— It spoke of two honest, hardworking brothers- It is here, hardened nature, succumbed and tears flowed. I bad seen them, their children, like all jealous lovers, Remove from the taint of their own flesh and blood. Oh, sin, thou alluring and fair-faced deceiver, When, when, shall frail man thy unmasked features see? When your mates from the tomb hesitate to receive you- The bird whispered this, through the bars, unto me. It told me of one who had died broken-hearted When she heard of the sentence they passed on her lad. Oh, how she did weep on the day that we parted— When I think of my mother it makes my heart sad How little she thought, on the day that she bore me That the pride of her breast a poor convict would be For' she prayed that the angels above would watch o'er me- The bird whispered this, through the bars, unto me. It spoke of my father, whose days were fast closing, That the battle of life he himself had to brave, 11 And it said that he longed to be calmly repos- ing By the side of his love in the peace of the grave. Oh, how well I remember the way be would caress me And tell me fine tales as I sat on his knee. But no more in this world shall those fond parents bless me- The bird whispered this, through the ban, unto me. And lastly it told me of one I loved dearly- It oost me a pang when from her I'd to part For it said that she oft-times wished she was ft t* nea.r me; Though a convict, I had still the first place in her heart. The little bird chirped a good-night, and de- parted, But told me to hope for bright days yet to see And often I think when rm feeling down- hearted What that little birld told through the ban unto me. I am not going to worry my readers with an account of the journey from Exeter. On my arrival at Portland Prison I was hurried again to the place called the separate cells, and just as I was entering the gates I happened to turn my eyes aside when I saw a rather tall, slight- ly-built convict, a-nd upon his arm be wore the letter L, which, of course, indicated a life sen- tence. Shortly after the very same man brought me another suit of khaki, and pointing to the figure nine upon the sleeve of my jacket, he said, "I wish that was my sentence, sonny." He then said, "You tried to escape on your last lagging (sentence), did you not?"—"Yes," I replied, "but how did you get to know that?" He then told me everything be had heard passed between the offioers of Exeter and the Portland officers. They, in turn, passed it from one to the other, and I was closely watched. Now the life sentence man, who told me all this, was a man who had a great history, and when I first knew him he had served over four- teen years of his life sentence. Our conversation ripened into deep friendship, and before I had known him a month I had learned all his history from the first time he entered the ser- vice of Mrs. Keyse, the murdered lady, to the first time I saw him at Portland, for I am speaking of none other than Jack Lee, the they failed to hang, though they made three attempts, at Exeter Prison in the month of February, 1885. Jack Lee was a typical con- vict. and quite a different chap in every re- spect to other convicts, and a man who was well liked by every one he came in contact with. He was not like some of those who make it their business to inform against their fellows in misfortune in order to curry favour with an officer. During the whole time I was at Port- land, and I was there over five years. not once did I hear a convict say that Jack Lee was a copper (informer). He was not a chap who had much to do or say with anyone, but if he ] could do no one any good he would do them no harm. This was the man who suffered over twenty-three years in prison, to say nothing of the sensation he must have gone through when placed upon the gallows face to face with death. People may form their own opinion in regard to the case, but I firmly believe the man to be perfectly innocent of the crime, and the curious part of the case was that the dav fixed for his execution he awoke and told the ward- ers that he was not to be hanged that day, and the very same gallows who failed to hang Lee had hanged many a man before him. Tbua, I believe that the hand of God was in it alL (To be continued.)
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Some large Hogarth pictures in Bristol are coming into the market. The tunnel on the Great Western Railway which connects the South Wales main line with the Monmouthshire Western Valleys branch of the system has at length been pierced. The first person to walk through it, apart from the railway offioials, was the Mayor of Newport (Councillor W. M. Blackburn).
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The particular and important feature of Bengees Food is that it can be prepared to suit any degree of digestive power. It contains in itself the natural digestive prin- ciples which act during the cooling process just before it is finally heated for serv- ing. As the weak stomach of babe or invalid begins to strengthen by the assimilation of the Food, a gradually increasing amount of digestive work can be left to it, thus giving the advantage of a regulated exercise of the digestive functions. 'V T Retained when all other foods are rejected." The Chance of a Lifetime TO BUY Underclothing, Pinafores, & Baby Linen. D. Phillips & Co. CLOTH HALL, I Beg to announce that they have PURCHASED the OLD-ESTABLISHED BUSINESS oi Mrs. V. REES, 131, High Street, Merthyr, Commonly known as the BABY I SHOP," and will make a SPECIAL 7 DAYS' SALE OF THE t 4! STOCK WHICH AMOUNTS TO NEARLY. £1,000, at C05T PRICES And which they have Purchased at a BIG DISCOUNT OFF COST PRICES, which they intend their Customers to have the Benefit of in prices by a SPECIAL CLEARANCE SALE FOR 7 DAYS ONLY. For the convenience of their numerous Customers the Stock will be divided into their 3 Shops Cloth Hall, Merthyr; Cloth Hall, Union-street. Dowlais; & 131, High.street, Merthyr (Known as the "BABY SHOP.") Baby Linen & Pinafores at unheard of Prices. LADIES' & CHILDREN'S UNDER- CLOTHING OF ALL SORTS TO CLEAR CHEAP. ALL SOILED GOODS and ODD- MENTS MARKED AT VERY LOW PRICES TO EFFECT A SPEEDY CLEARANCE. SALE TO COMMENCE Saturday Next MARCH Sth, for 7 Days only. AT THE 3 SHOPS Cloth Hall, Merthyr; Cloth Hall, Union-street, Dowlais; & the BABY SHOP" 131, HIGH-STREET, MERTHYR. D. P. & Co. also wish to announce that their new Shop, 131, High-street, Mer- thyr, known as the "BABY SHOP," will be re-opened after the Sale with a Choice and Well Assorted Stock of BABY LINEN, PINAFORES, LADIES' and CHILDREN'S UNDERCLOTHING and MIl- LINERY at POPULAR PRICES. Experienced youn a Lady as MANAGERESS and young Ladies ONLY kept to attend to Customers. Hoping to have the favour of your patronage and inspec- tion. D. PHILLIPS Co.