The Merthyr Express

J" 1 Rhymney Valley Echoes. IBs '-ftKCOHDEfi."] The Geilygaer gewage scheme v. the Bedwellty teheme was a subject of animated discussion at the meeting of the Bedwellty Council last week, and Alderman Phillips made a strong case out in favour of united action and one scheme for the valley. The ratepayers will surely appre- ciate the interest he took in the matter with a view to saving their pockets. He twitted the Council with the undue haste they had shown in receiving a report one day and voting for it the next dav, although it meant a matter of fIIO,Wû. For months Bedwellty were communicated with by Geilygaer, without getting anything from them-they neither did anything them- selves nor helped anyone else. Gellygaer had been oRDTrEt) to prepare a scheme for the whole valley, after they hH1 prepared one for Gellygaer alone. It was a, costly matter. When the plans had progressed Bedwellty were invited to a conference on the subject. They attended. The thing W¡j, discussed. The main hitch was that a board had not been formed at the outset. That would have been before the Urban District Council came into power. The Rector tried hard, but unsuccessfully, to get a board formed on the basis of accepting the Geilygaer scheme in principle. But Bedwellty stood out because It wanted the whole thing started afreeh. The Gellygaer representatives unanimously agreed that this could not be after the expense and time already incurred by them, and so, in the end, Bedwellty decided to get an engineer's report on the Geily-aer scheme. « The report gave them practically the answer they desired, and receiving the report on Sunday they adopted it on Monday. This was very different from the way they had treated the question at the eutset. They allowed months to roll by whilst they kept Gellygaer waiting the result of their Council's discussion but when they got a scheme for their own district, meaning an expenditure of £ 100,000, they passed it in a few hours—nay, after a few minutes' discussion. Alderman Phillips had good reason to take the Btaad he aid. « And what about the Rector of Gellygaer's attitude ? Alderman Phillips and he sje in the sania boat. Both have earnestly appealed for unity of action. But the Geilygaer scheme having been ordered, and prepared at great expense, it surely stands to reason that it should not again be allowed to be indefinitely postponed for the sake of an authority which has ahown such great reluctance to have anything to do with it. Bedwellty was not instructed to prepare a scheme; GeHygaer was, an so Bedwellty has its hands free to oppose Gellygaer's scheme at the Local Government Board inquiry, When, of course, it is quite possible it may be squashed or amended. But Geilygaer simply obeyed orders in preparing an efficient scheme. If the scheme is squashed then it will have to bo Btarted afresh, and then an opportunity would be offered onee again for Bedwellty to join in a. sewage board. But the worst of it is that Bedwellty's haste in making application to loin the Western Valleys Board might prevent her from any further dabbling in sewage matters, with the result that this narrow valley will have two sewerage systems running through it instead of one, and the ratepayers on both sides will have to pay virtually double what they would nave had to p- y if prudent and unselfish counsels h<id prevailed. The ratepayers ought to know this on both sides of the valley. I am seeking to' make the public acquainted with the atf-iirs which concern them, and to show their-, too, what men of character and personality they need to ensure the wise conduct of these affairs. Alderman Phillips took a toM and business-like stand. The Rector of Gellveaer tried his utmost to brine; about the harmony desired by Alderman PhjJJip. But the time would not permit of the fresh start desired ly Bedwellty, and these schemes are, in themselves, too expensive for Iroeh starts being often made. « No one knows that the Geilygaer scheme will be satisfactory, but that is entirely out of the rerion of debate. It will, doubtless, be opposed, and then, it will be for jthe L<?ca £ G^vfroment Board to decida. And it is to be hoped that if a larger and more expensive scheme is con- idrcd necessary means may be found for making future generations pay their share. Why should it all be dene for them ? If the present feneration takes it to Bcdwas, and the next generation should want it to go to the sea, let the cext generation take it there. What about the election ? It is coming hye-and-bye. I hoep it will be a good poll, and that the men with the best polls will be at the top of all polls. All things do not go by uterit in these day?. Whims and fancies play a larr:e part in all things. No one can tell what Y>IU happen, but I believe that the heavens do rule," and although they are tolerant. of atueh foolishness in cQujtseUqnr y«t they jai&e I the people suffer for it in the long run, and are sympathetic and kindly towards the "rejected of men," if those rejected ones are the heave*a own choice.

Bedwellty District Council. The monthly meeting of the Bedwellty District Council was held at the Offices, New Tredegar, last Thursday afternoon. There were present:—Mr. H. Pope (in the chair), Messrs. J. Jones, S. Godwin, Moigan Thomas, W. Bufton, N. Phinips Albert Thomas, J. P. Williams; with the Cle; k (Mr. T. J. Thomas), the Surveyor (Mr. Lewis), and other officials. The Collector repoited that since the last meeting he had collected £ 812 17F. Id., and there was still about £200 outstanding. The Surveyor laid before the Council a newspaper cuttin?, respecting the culvert at the Abcrtysswg boundary of the New Tredegar district and a letter from Messrs. Bassett and Walker thereon. The cutting was a report of the last meeting of the Rhymney District Council in which that body decided that the culvert they were asked to subscribe one-half the cogt of was no concern of their?. The Surveyor stated tha.t the co: t was only a matter of JE7 10s. for each Council to pay. A similar culvert had been found necessary at the Mynyddislwyn boundary at Fleur-de-Lis, and the Mynyddislwyn Council were sharing the cost. He (the Sur- veyor) had met Mr. John Evans and Mr. Lloyd Marks, of the Rhymney Council, on the spot, and it was then decided that he should prepare the plans and carry the work out. The Sur- veyor submitted a. letter from Messrs. Bassett and Walker in which they exp ess d the opinion that the construction of the culvert should be a joint matter. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr. J Jones, to send a copy of this letter to the Rhymney Council, pointing out that Rhymney had not been kept in the dark on this subject, as the report stated they complained they had been. In considering tenders for street-watering attention was drawn to the fact that tankage was about three times dearer in New Trsdegar than anywhere else in, the district. The Surveyor s'tid that this was due to the fact that there was very little opposition, and so they had Lo pay up to the hilt for everything. A copy of Mr. Lowe's report on the sanitary state of the Bedwellty area was submitted, but, at Alderman Phillip's suggestion, it was resolved to await the issue of the dispute in tho coalfield before making any resolution upon the matters recommended in the report. A report from Mr. Edwin Jones, captain of the Fire Brigade, was submitted, respecting the hayrick fire which occurred at Pengam, on the 16th of March. This tire was reported in the Merthyr Express." at the time. The report stated that 16 tons of hay were entirely destroyed and that the fire originated, presumably, from the sparks of any engine. The ricks were not insured. The firemen who attended complained that all their clothes were spoilt, and that they had not yet received their uniforms.—The Surveyor: If they hod had their uniforms they would have been spoilt, too. Plans were submitted showing the proposed recreation ground for Pengam and Fleur-de-Lis. The site of the ground, it was explained, is close to the Vicarage. The Clerk said he had asked for a list of names of ratepayers who were willing to indemnify the Council for outgoing legal expenses in connection with the acquisition of the land, and it was agreed, on the motion of Alderman Phillips, that provided the necessary securities for the expenditure are obtained the negotiations for the land should be proceeded with. The Surveyor recommended the rolling cf Pias-road, and the widened portion of Com- mercial-street, Pengam.—This was agreed to. The following plans were approved :—Four houses on the north-east side cf Warne-street, ur-de-Li*, for Air. Martin, builder. Fleur-de- Lis; ai o two new streets and back lanes on the w st side of Warne-street, F leur-de-Lis, for Mr. F. W. Warne, 23, Charles-street, Bradfordi

f Try Hot Cora ""1 I Flour and Prunes for I B thi- children's dinner— 8 1 It is capital J n W # The com flour as a hot baked | A pudding—the prunes stewed V I and cooled. The hot and cold n P go well together. The Corn | Flour of course must be I Brown 8 Poison s 1 I 'Patent' J

p_4 h I THE SANITARY STATE OF BEDWELLTY. ¡ DR. SPENCER LOWE'S REPORT. Mr. T. Spencer Lo'.ve, who a few months ago visited the Bedwellty district and-spent a number of days in going over the area under an order of the Local Government Board tc make inquiries into the sanitary condition and circumstances of the whole of the Boavellty district, has issued his report. It contains some .i-artling information, and below we give the foiiowing summary :— The uodweJlty Uvban District has an area. of 7,267 acres. To the north of the area. lie the Khymney and Tredejrar Urban Districts; to tlie south tho Mynyddislwyn Urban District; to the west the river Rhymney and the Geiii- jraer Urban District in the county of Glam- I. organ; to the east the Sirhowy river and the Ebbw Vale, Aberearn, and Mynyddislwyn Ur- ban Districts. The district consists of chains of colliery villages in two valleys, with scattered farms and other houses on the hills. The bulk of the population is engaged in coal mining; an iron foundry and quarrying- occupy 100 to 200 men; the remaining population is engaged in agricultural pursuits. The width of the dis- trict varies from 1 to nearly 3 miles; it is between 6 and 7 miles in length. Geologically the soil consists of -and and gravel overlying boulder ciay containing- fragments of old red sandstone; beneath is Pennant rock and the lower coal measures of the South Wales coal- field. The census population in 1891, 6,743, had increased to 9,988 in 1201; in 1909 it is esti- mated at 18,759. The number of inhabited houses at these three à.tte was 1,265, 1.900, and 3.751 respectively. In April, 1909, the books of the collector of rates showed that 6,726 houses were inhabited. On the present estimated pop- ulation and number of houses the number of persons per inhabited house is fire; at the) last census it was 5.5, when that for England and Wales (urban districts) was 5.4 The rate- able and aseessable values are L74,790 and £ 68,612 respectively. The blmoes of outstanc!- ing loans for sanitary purposes is £ 3,476. A penny rate produce; nearly £ 286. The poor rate has increased from 3s. 8d. in the £ in 1907 to 5s. 8d. in 19C9. In the same period the general district rate increased from 3s. to 8s. 6d. in the 2. Then length of county roads, which are in a satisfactory state, is 3b miles; that of secondary roads is 38 miles. Some of the private streets have not yet been made up. SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES. Smce 1901, when the number of houses was 1,900, 1.819 others have been built, so that nearly one-half of the present houses in the dis- trict are of recent construction. The number of houses erected in the eeveral wards of the district between June 30th, 1903, and 30th. 1909. is as follows:— 1904. 1905. 1906. "1907 J 908. 90S New Tredegar 4 13.. 12 63 17c Cwmsyfiog 57 7 30 10 Absrbargoed 104 .169 ..124 • 2 Pengam 72 66 84 65 6 A Argoed ii 10.. 0 8 11 Blackwood 33 47 61 32 11 ■ Since built or under construction (October. 1909) New Tredegar, 1; Cwmryfiog, Aberbargoed, 18 Pengam, 29; Argoed, 10 Blackwood, 124 f The newer houses are nsualiy constructed ot stone, with slate roofa; they contain three rooms upstairs and three downstairs; some. though not a large proprtion, are fitted with baths. They are rented as highly as 25s. to 30s. a month, with the result that from motives of economy more than oho family frequently occupy the same house. The older houses usu ally contain two rooms downstairs and two up- stairs. They are commonly built of stone, and are rented at 16s. to 20s. a month. LACK OF SMALL TENEMENTS. There is a lack of small tenements for newly married people, who, in consequence, share larger houses with other families. Even at the present time there is hardly a sufficiency of housing accommodation in the district, and to this, in part at least, is due the not infrequent occurrence of overcrowding in individual houses. The evil is likely to become more in- tensified when the new Oakdale Collierys, near Blackwood, are opened, unless a large'increase is made in the number of houses in that neigh- bourhood.. As matters stand at present the District Council have a choice of evils, either to allow persons to occupy houses unfit fz,7 habitation, or on the other hand to close pre- mises with the effect Oif leading to an increase of overcrowding. Some of the cellar dwell- ings in Upper-road, Cwmsyfiog, are still unfit for habitation. The old Queen's, a disused public-house in this neighbourhood, is in a very dirty and rat-infested condition, and is quite un- fir for human habitation.. In a number of instances persons occupying houses substanti- ally built and otherwise sanitary, do not keep thern in a cleanly state. what fault them is to find is due not, to the owners, but to the slovenly habits of the tenants. The water works of the Tredegar Council directly or indirectly supply much of the dis- trict.. At the time of my visit the Bed- wellty district was receiving only a tweivv. hours' supply per day for Tredegar, and mud; inconvenience was being experienced in tilt higher parts, of the district. The cau% of this shortage appears to have been the failure of thj Georgetown supply. a contributory cause is the insufficient d-,anietor of some pf the water mains in the Bedwellty district, in one instance & 3 inch pipe is supposed to supply over 1,000 houses. The public water sup- ply to some parts of the district is insufficient in quantity, while the particulars given sug- gest that the supply as a whole is of doubtful quality." POLLUTING RIVERS. Dealing with the sewerage, the report states —"The rivers Rhymney and Sirhowy are extei. sively polluted, the sewage of almost the whole district entering in a crude state. When tho trunk sewer of the Western Valleys (Mox* Sewerage Board now being laid is in operation, sewer pollution in tho Sirhowy Valley will be prevented, but at present there is no scheme for the Rhymney Valley. The Gellygaer Urban District Council are considering the provision of a sewer down the valley to &Wage works beyond the lower border of their district at Ystradmynach. The Bedwellty Council have not decided whether they should connect the sewerage system of their district with this pro- posed sewer or lay down one of their own to servo their side of the valley and to connect with the Western Valleys sewer by tunnelling through the mountain. The Bedwellty Coun- cil sought tho Board's sanction in 1906 to a loan for £ 35,000, but the Board advised the Council to join the Western Valleys' trunk scheme for the Sirhowy portion of their district (which has been done) and to arrange with the Gelly- gaer Council for a joint trunk sewer for the Rhymney Valley. At the time of my visit crude sewage, or insufficiently purified effluents, were being turned into the Rhymney River from the sewage works, which (consists of bacterial beds at Abertysswg (Rhymney District Council), New Tredegar (Bedwellty District Council), Tirphil, Brifhdir, and Gilfach (Gelligaer District Coun- cil), all of which beds were overworked, or were otherwise in a stat-a of inefficiency. Ar- rangements exist at all these sewage works which enable the whole of the dry weather flow of sewage to be passed into the liver with- out treatment. At one of these work? I Was in- formed by the man in charge that this was his common practice at night time." The report then deals at length with house drainage of the district, and condemns the cesspool system which prevails in some parts of the area. The house refuse was removed daily from parts of Now Tredegar, Elliotitown, and Davidstown, and was delivered to the Powell Duffryn Com- pany's rubbish bunker, and disposed of on a colliery waste tip at a cost of 6d. per load. From 200 to 240 loads were dumped here monthly. In 1907 £ 63, and in 1903 £ 57 10s. were paid to the company for the use of their tip-" Having detailed his visits to the common lodging-houses, Dr. Lowe says, "I visited the farms of fifteen of the registered cowkeepers, and found considerable evidence of recent im- provement. Most, of the premises, however, are old. and the roofs are very low. Some of the sheds were in a state of filth, and were in much need of being whitewashed internally. In some instances, particularly upon a large estate in the district, no attention has been paid to no- tices calling for structural alterations served three months before my visit." Referring to the appointment of Dr. H. T. Evans in, 1897 at a salary of £ 40 per annum, one half of which is paid by the County Coun- cil. Dr. Lowe mentions the several positions held by Dr. Evans, and adds, "But he is main- ly occupisl in a private practice as a colliery surgeon. DEFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION. In a number of the districts in these Mon- mouthshire Valleys, publio health administra- tion is defective in many respects infantile mortality is high, infectious dsease is exceed- ingly prevalent, either constantly or at frequent intervals; measures taken to cope with the outbreaks of infectious diseases are commonly inefficient, housing conditions are bad, and nuisances are extremely numerous. These con- ditions call for the appointment pf a Medical Officer to devote his whole timo to public health work. The necessary personal supervision of the routine work in the health department of a populous district cannot, as a rule, be con- ducted effectively by a Medical Officer of health in a private practice. Prior to the ap- pointment of the County Medical Officer in ilza, an opinion was held in Monmouthshire that the existence of such an offioer mifrhf ob- viate the need of whole time Medical Officers of Health for a combination of districts. This view can hardly now be held as the reports of the Board's Medical Inspectors and the Coun- ty Medicat Officer himself plainly show. Dealing with the work of the Sanitary In- spector the report says. "It is impossible for one inspector of nuisances without assistance to perform all the duties which should be under- taken in an area occupied by nearly 19,000 per- sons." He (Dr. Lowe) points out the difficul- ties of effective isolation in the private houses, and adds that the present isolation hospital should be inoreased to accommodate 20 beds. RECOMMENDATIONS. lu conclusion, he makes the foijovyiur TC- commendations: 1. Tho Bedwellty Urban District Council siwafcl Jak .jfews-JB. .1I" whole time Medical Officer of Health in com- bination with neighbouring districts 2 The high infant mortality in the district should re- ceive the early attention of the Council, and with a view to aiding- in its reduction the Noti- fication of Births' Act, 1907, should bo adopted, and an appropriate system of administration on the lines set out on page 11 should be initi- ated. 3. A fully-equipped isolation hospital ihould be provided, adequate for the needs of district, in combination, if necessary, with oihor authorities; persons not properly isolated at home should be removed to hospital. 4. A steam disinfector should be provided. 5. More attention should be paid to the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases,. and the steps merr&on&d 'Oh pag'i 10 should fee carried -out'w" limit their spread. 6. The water supply of the district should be improved. 7. The Dis- trict Council should provide a trunk sewer for the Rhymney Valley portion of their district, in conjunction with the Councils of other dis- tricts in that valley. When the Sirhowy Valley trunk sewer is completed localities at. present in- adequately drained and sewered should receive prompt attention. 8. The nuisa-nees occasioned by hand flushed water-closets should be abat- ed, privies should be abolished, and wherever practicable water-closets substituted for pail- closets. 9. The Urban District Council should consider the advisability of taking steps under the Housing Acts with a view to securing the efficiency of housing accommodation for the population in their district. Insanitary house property should either be put into habitable condition or closed as the crcumstances of each case require. 10. Special attention should be pain to the condition of cowsheds in the dis- trict.

LLANBRADACH EISTEDDFOD. INTERESTING COMPETITIONS. Llanbradaeh's annual Eisteddfod was held on Tuesday af th-s Coedybrain Council Schools. The weather was exceptionally favourable for holding this event in a marquee in one of the many attractive fields at present to be found at Llanbraaach, but with the uncertainty of our climate, .the committee were, perhaps, wiser in keeping to the old placi of meeting.. As th day wore on, the attendance increased. and the closing events were attended by a ul' large concourse of people. The Eisteddfod turned out to be one of exceptional merit. The arrangements were admirably, made and carried out; the competitions were of high merit and well sustained throughput; and the courtesy ol the officials towards the Press left, nothing to b desired—good places and accommodation were provided, and ail information most readily driven. The Rev J. Edwards (Vicar of Llaii- brsdach) presided in the afternoon. The music contests were ably adjudicated upon by Mr. T. Gabriel, F.T.S.C., Bargoed, and Mr D. Chubb, Llacrwjfc Vardre. The Rev. C Tawelfiyn Tho- mas, Groeswen, proved himself an able con- ductor and literary adjudicator. The accom- pKJinn^ri's were: Mr. W. J. R Davies, A.R..C.O., Treharris, and Mr. W. G. Davies, I •-ariosrisea. j AWARDS. ^Adults' Recitation, "Dream of Pilate's Wife."—There were four competitors. The ad- j jud-.cator (Rev. Tawelfryn Thotnas) divided the prize between Miss Bessio 'j^ing, Cardiff, and < Mrs. Emily rid,ord, Penarth. Diz-tt, "jflow, Gently, Deva."—Mr. Chubb, ll adjudicating upon this competition, said that in duetts the- first essential was that the two voices should bo equal, as far as possible, in power and quality, and this was the secret of ih-a party who would rcceive the prize. No. 1 ¡ Party obtained 18 marks out of a possibe LO; the others obtained marks as follow: No'. 2, 13; No. 3. 12; No. 4, 15: No. 5, 16. Tho winners were Messrs. D. G. Williams and D. G. Lewis, Cardiff. Double Quartette. "HuddersSekl," English or Welsh ("LIawiyfr Moliant"); prize, JE.2 10s.— The prize was divided between Mr. William Williams and party, Caerphil!y, and Mrs. Moses and party, Llanbradach. Four parties compet- ed, and the adjudicator warmly commended the committee for selecting a tune of this kind for competition. Contralto Soio, "O Rest in the Lord" (fr<$m I "Elijah").—The adjudicator said that in a piece of this kind, the best judgment should come I from the heart; the singer who touched the heart in such a piece was undoubtedly the best (applause). It had been a most excellent competition, and the three ladies who had com- pated were each deserving of a better prize than ibtit offered (applause). Each had sung well. o. 2 had, in the middle passages, touched his ^.nd her voice was certainly the best j natural voice of the-three; but No. 1 had sung j witii real pathos and deep religious fervour, which warmed the heart throughout. The prize would therefore be given to No. 1 (Mrs. Daniel Jervis, Llanbradach). Male Voice Contest, "Lead Kindly Light" {Adams);. prize, £ 20.—This was,. the adiudi- cator declared, decidedly the best competition the day. (> £ tho four parties which took part in the that of Bargoed possessed the rwst body of voice1;. Their opening Inovement i WM very beautiful the balance of the parts -yao excellent; and there was only one small blemish (on 4) which in any "gay marred rise performauea Tho Aborcfcra and Ponty- pool parties had each nearly the tame defects and the salmo eaceh'e.noes ct the other. The Abercairn Party wa. especially good in basses, Their first movement, was hot BO dignified and finished a.? that of Barjrced, and the top tones j of the tenors was cloudy, stfitf their "con animo" movement might hav<5 been more effective.— The Caerphilly Pasty (Mr William Williams) had not such mature and ripe voices as the other choirs, but the conductor deserved to be complimented for his good oontrol of the party. i His idea throughout was a good one, and it w#6 olear that he wished his choir to do oertain tilings, but thay were net able to do what his I baton demanded of them. The prize would be given to Bargoed, with 75 marks out of a pos- en bio 86; Abea-cam and pontypcol were given 73 marks each; and Caerphilly, 68. Mr. T. R. W. Lewis was the conductor of the Bargoed i Male Voice Party. 1 Bass Solo, "It is Enough" ("Elijah").—There I were three competitors in this very excellent contest. MT. T. Gabriel, who adjudicated, j awarded the rrriz-j to Mr. D. G. Lewis, Cardiff. I Juvenile Choir (not more than twelve adults I allowed), "Sweet and Low" (Barnby); prize, I £ .—The prize in this contest, the adjudicator I said, without hesitation, to Fochriw (conductor, Mr. D. J. Thomas). This choir was said to hate beautiful voices, and parts were even- I iy balanced. i Girls' Solo (under 15 ycaTs), "Why not?" I (Sankey).—Prize divided between Doris May Powell and Iris May Turner, both of Caer- philly. Pianoforte Solo (under 15), "Dance des Fakirs."—Prize divided. between Miss Hilda Turner, Llanbradach, and Miss Ethel Crates, Llanbradach (both pupils of Madame T. Moses). > Soprano Solo, "Hear ye,. Israel" (Mendel- ssobn). 'Prize divided bstween Blodwen Barnes, Cardiff, and Miss Lily datworthy, Barry. I Children's Recitation, "People will Talk."— Miss Mabel Fare, Penarth. Tenor Solo (Novices) "My Kingdom" (J. H. Adams).—Mr. Richard Griffiths, Greenfield, i Newbridge. i A GREAT RECITER. I At night the hall was crowded to excess to enjoy the competitive, concert which had been arranged, and a very meritorious competition it proved to be, both in point of number of the competitors and the merit of the contests. Mr. William Hughes, Llanbradach, presided. The -adjudicators Were the same as those already mentioned. The prizes were two siiver cups, -adjudicators Were the same as those already mentioned. The prizes were two silver cups, of the value of 22 2s. each, for the champion solo and the chajnpion recitation. These prizes wore the respective gifts of Mr. T. Turner, of the De Winton Hotel, Llanbradach, and Mr. F. Johns, of the Llanbradach Hotel. Some recita- tions of extraordinary merit were given, par- ticularly that of Miss M. Bevan, the girl preach- er, of Caerphilly, and Miss Francis, of Ystaly- fera (Swansea Valley). The latter young lady held her large audience spell-bound as she put before them, by word, and tone, and gesture, the devotion of a mother towards her prodigal boy. Certain pathetic passages in the narrative moved the whole audience to tenrs-both men and women—and at the close of her recitation Miss Francis was applauded most enthusiastic- ally; indeed, the applause was in the nature of an encore—a very rare thing in regard to recitations. There was no disputing who was ent-itled to the cup for this competition, and thoeo who followed Miss Francis must have felt beo.ten. When tbo adjudication was made, the adjudicator said that 40 marks were the maxi-. mum, but on hearing Miss Francis's recitation, they had awarded her 100 (applause). Upon re- ceiving the cup, the audience called for an- other recitation, and were again richly reward- ed by another splendid effort by Miss Francis, the piece being, "The Horrors of War." This piece again showed Miss Francis to be possess- ed of exceptional powers as a reciter. Miss Francis is still at school-at Carmarthen. A second prize for rftitin- was awarded to Mr. John Elias Hughes, of Llanelly. He expressed to our representative his great satisfaction at winning a prize in a competition of such a high order. The prize for the champion solo was gained by Mies Lizzie Jenkins, of Cardiff, "Ocean, Thou Mighty Monster." This contest was also of a high order of merit, and Madame Turner, of Caerphilly, made an excellent selection, which on that score was undoubtedly the best, "The Heavens Descended." The committee are to be congratulated on the great success of the Eisteddfod and the concert.

CURED DREADFUL BOILS. My daughter had been suffering for eleven months with awful great boils on her body. We tried everything which one could mention but nothing was any good. The boils made her very weak and ill and she had to leave her place. Ajfiter using one tablet of Cnticura Soap, one box of Cuiieara Ointment j two vials of Cuticura Pills and three bottles of Cuticara Resolvent she got quite well and has not had the boils since; I should have written to you before but have been waiting to see if she had any siga of asy coming back, but am I mmt to the Cuticura. treatment for I the cum. ?1ri!. Si lea Heather, Hillsido Rd.,

-I. (BMisxaa i J .11- & H The help of helps for all quick house work. |i Ifi the laundry it softens the water, helps the § soap, bleaches white clothes, brightens up colours II *nd saves the rubbing. aaoqiB<. |1 Carbosil the water for greasy pots and pans, H washing up dishes and cutlery. Carbosil in the fl bucket for whitening floors, scrubbing tables, Ifl shelves, etc. Carbosil waste water to cleanse and purify sinks and drains. A Carbosil is a powder containing no soap; far j J :| stronger, handier and more effective than the old- ? fashioned lump soda. rw In Id. aitd lot. Packets. SODA

I Bargoed Annual Eisteddfod. uXCELLEIT:? ONTESTS. The sixth annual Eisteddfod in connection with the Bargoed Workmen's Library was n-ald at tho New Hail on Easter Tuesday, in delight- ful weather. There was a largo attendance, but probably the aggregate numbers fell short of what they were at the previous meetings. It was anticipated that Mr. Tom Richards, M.P., would be in attendance as one of the presidents for the day, but the trouble in the coalfield necessitated a change in this respect, Mr. Richards being in London in connection with the Miners' Federation Conference. For the same reason, Mr Walter Lewis (the conductor) was also absent, and his place was filled by the Rov. D. Llew. Morris, Pengam. The adjudi- cators were:—Literary and poetry, Mr. T. J. Thomas (Sarnicol), Abertill-ery, recitations, Mr. T. J. Thomas and the R?v. T. Goshen Evans. Bargoed; handwriting and children's essay, Mr W. H. Evans, Bargoed; music, Messrs. D. Thomas, Swansea, and W J. Watkins, F.R.C.O., Dowlais; ambulance, Dr. J. Richards, Hengoed; Dr. D. J. Thomas, J.P., C. Reidv, E. R. Bowen, and J. J. Jones, Bargoed. The accompanists were Mrs. Weaver, Mr. Caradoc Davies, A.T.C.M., and Mr. W. J. Butler, Bar- goed. The secretarial work waa again carried out by Mr. William Wiliiams. He was assisted by Mr. Edmund Jones. The other officers were:—Chairman of committee, Rev. D. F Walters, Aberbargoed; vice-chairmen, Mr. W. Jones, and Mr. W. J. Kevern; treasurer, Mr. S. H. Chester, Aberbargoed. The chairmen of the respective eub-committees were:- Mr. J. Davies, A.C. literary, Rev. D. R Johns; ambulance, Mr. J. Davies; finance, MT. J. S. Parkins. THE AWARDS. Pianoforte Solo, "The Church Bells" (twelve competitors).—Miss Winnie Rees, New Tre- degar. Welsh Recitation.—Mr Walter Jones, Gilfach. Boys' Solo, "The Lifeboat" (15 competitors). —1, Master Thomas Jenkins, Cwrtvbeila, Ar- Boys' Solo, "The Lifeboat" (15 competitors). -1, Master Thomas Jenkins, Cwrtvbeila, Ax- good; 2, Master W Red, Newbridge. Open Recitation, "The SlaWs Dream" (12 competitors).—Mr. Waiter Jones, Gilfach. Juvenile Choirs, for the best rendering of "Onward"; 1st prize, L5; 2nd, £ 1.—Six entries had been received, but only three of the num- ber took the platform. The first prize was secured by Fochriw Juvenile Choir (conductor, Mr. D. J. Thomas); 2nd, Mountain Ash Young Choristers (Mr. W. Morris). The unsuccessful choir was the Tredegar Cherubims (led by Mr. D. Davies). Best Handwriting.—1, Master J. A. Rich ards, Bargoed; 2, Master Wm. Roose, Bargoed. Girls' Solo, "A Clean Heart."—1, Miss Elsie Davies, Bargoed; 2, Miss M. A. Brown, Fleur- de-lis. Pianoforte Solo, "The Mill Stream."—Miss M. A. Brown, Fleur-de-lis. Stanza (englyn), "The Budget.Oiit of 25 compositions sent in, the winner was Mr. Cos- lett Coslett, Pontypridd. Welsh Recitation, "Awdl Maes Bosworth. Winner, Mr. Edwin Parry, Gilfach Gooh. County Councillor W. B. Lloyd awarded a especial prize to Mr. Hugh Ellis Evans, Llan- llwni, North Wales. Essay, "The Influence of Welsh Poetry on the National Life."—Three papers were sent in for a prize of £ 2, the best being that of Mr* Charles Jones, Troedyrhiw. Contralto Solo, "Deep Jordan's banks I tread.Eight entries were received for a prize of one guinea. Two appeared on the platform. The adjudicator commented upon the failure of the one singer in holding her breath, and subsequently forcing her words. The prize was awarded to Mrs. Dyfnallt Ed- wards, Treharris. Mixed Choirs. Although the committee offered a prize of J315 for the best rendering of "How Groat is Thy Goodness," only one choir entered, vis., the local one of Bargoed, under the conductorship of Mr. D. Roberts. Having sung, the adjudicator said there was little diffi- culty in awarding the prize but the choir had given a. fair rendering of the piece. The balance was fairly well, but the tenors were much handicapped by having to stand m the wings on the platform. Lyric Song.—Four papers were sent in for a prize of one guinea, the winner being Mr. T. C. Davies, Memorial College, Brecon. Bass Solo, "The Patriot."—Mr. Jas. Brown, Uên. Tenor Solo, "Nant y Mynydd," for a prize of one guinea.—Mr. James John Lewis, Dowlais. Recitation, "The Bridge of Sighs. —Out of 15 competitors, Miss Beatrice Maud Rees (fold medallist), Newbridge, secured the prize. Soprano Solo, "Roses are here again"; prize, one guinea.-M-rs. Williams, Treharris. For the öd0 on "Gwenllian ab Gruffydd," three papers were sent in for the prize of two guineas and a chair. The winner was Mr. Richard Ingram, Bedlinog. The chairing song was given by Mrs. Carruthers. Tenor Solo, "Blodau Paradwys. —Mr. J. J. Lewis, Dowlais. Violin Solo, "Reverie." Mester Rees, Newbridge. Pianoforte Solo (open), "Dance yaloque. —• 1, Miss S. Griffin, Swansea; speoial second, Miss M. A. Brown, Fleur-de-lis. Ambulance Competitions.—Team Contests: 1. Abergorlcy, 79 points; 2, Penrhiwoeiber, 75 points.—In the- individual contests, Mr. D. Mor. gan, Bedlinog, secured first, and Mr. C. H. Thomas, Six Bells, second prize. a Duett, "Sibrwd vr Awel.For a prize of £1 10s., the winners were Messrs. J. Evans and J. J. Lewis, Dowlais. Quartette, "God is a Spirit prize, two guineasfc. — Winners, Mr. Evan Davies and friends, Trehajrris. MALE VOICE COMPETITION. Chief ittterest in the Eisteddfod was centred in the male voice competition for a first prize of £ 20, and a second1 of £ 5, the test pieoe being "Lead, Kindly Light." Four parties took the platform in the following order: (1) Bargoed. (conductor, Mr. T. R. W. Lewis, A.C.); 2, Abercarn (Mr. Bert Thomas); 3, Upper Cwm- bran United (Mr. J Williams); (4) P° £ typool and District (Mr. C. H. Bradbury, L.T.S.U.). In giving his adjudication, Mr. Watkins, who, in the absence of Mr. D. Thomas, Swansea, was the principal adjudicator, said that all the choirs had not sung, to his idea, in the proper strain. It was a hymn-tune, arid j J* sung accordingly, and not one which called tor a lot of chopping about. Choir No. 1 bad good voices, with the exception, perhaps, of the second tenors. The tone was fairly good on the whole. The "rallantando" was good, but still the opening part was too choppy with the first phrases. When they came to the dramatic part, this choir certainlv gave it to them. The portion, "O'er moor and fen," was ivell done. The first tenors sustained their parts very well. The second tenors rather spoiled the effect 01 this choir. The tone was, perhaps, not quite so good towards the end as one would have liked; but on the whole they had a. fairly good per- formance. Choir No. 2 was not so good. The first tenors were not so round, neither were they always dear. The bass was really too good for this choir. The expression Was rather pushed, and jumped about too spasmodic. The voices were not well balanced, and the tenors not full enough; the second tenors were too slow, and the words, "Angel voices," were done too choppy. The harmony of Choir No. 3 was not good enough. When they were humming, the voices must be kept well forward, not back. The tenors need to try to produce more tone. The chords were not in tune with this choir, and with the use of the piano, choirs should re- member that the sounding board is at the back of the instrument, and not on the Ifeys. The tenors were hopelessly out of tune throughout the greater portion of the piece. Choir No. 4 tvas & good choir, and did the humming very well. It was the best opening of the day; the only fault with them was that they were choppy. The bass had a splendid idea, but the tea** ju&jelM¥; lando" was done very well, but the choir got slightly out of tune on pagb 5. He awarded the first prize to the party who who sang first, viz., Bargoed; and the second to Pontypool and District. —4.

Abergavenny Eisteddfod. LOCAL CHOIRS SUCCESSFUL. The annual Aberg-avenny eisteddfod was held on Monday, and proved a great success. In the early morning the eisteddfod was open- ed with the picturesque Gorsedd ceremony in the beautiful grounds of the Abergavenny Castle. The Eisteddfod itself was well attended and a high ieve; of merit was attained in the majority of the competitions. Seven choirs competed in the second male voice competition, and the prize was secured by Stourbridge, the Midland Gleemen being second. Excellent singing was heard in the ladies' choral contest, in which four choirs competed, Dowlais easily securing pride of place with twenty marks more than their nearest rivals. Troedyrhiw Juvenile Choir, after a tight tussle with Canton, won the juveniles' competition. Four good choirs competed in the chief male voice choral competition, bu.t Pontypool were easy winners, the Bristol Eroica Choir being second. Despite the fact that only three choirs competed in the chief choral competition -Bristol Sine Nomine, Cardiff Harmonic, and Newport Co-operat've great interest was taken in it, and Cardiff's win by twenty-seven points was exceedingly popular Newport came second. The Rev. Crwys Williams, of Brynmawr, the successful bard, was chaired in the time-honoured way. The officials were :-PrMid?nt, Councillor Illtyd Gardiner (deputy mayor of Aberga- venny), chairman or committee, Alderman J Striker, J.P (Maer y Fenni); adjudicators, Mr. Harry Evans, F.R.C.O., Liverpool, Mr. W. M. Griffiths, Mus. Bac., Dolgelly, Revs. J J. Williams, Pentre, J. Davies, Pandy, Evan Price (Gorwydd), Ebbw Vale, B. Jones Evans, Abergavenny, and Miss D. VaLlnnco Young, Abergavenny, conductors, Rev. W. Sylvanus Jonee, Mr. T. Allen, and Mr. J. Owen. Amongst the awards were the following:- Second male voice competition (30 to 50 voioes), hymn "Before Action" (Walford Davies). Seven choirs competed.—1, Stour- bridge Institute (conductor, Mr. H. Woodali), 94 marks; 2, Midland Glemen, Birmingham (Mr. G. A. Russell), 92 marks; 3, Blaina (Mr. T. Higgins), 79 marks. Bass solo.—1, Mr. W. Lewis, Fforestfach, Swansea; 2, Mr. Tom Huggins, Blaina. Essay "Development of the Eisteddfod from an artistic point of view.—Mr David Jones, Rhymney. Ladies choirs, "From the green heart of the waters" (Coleridge Taylor).—Four choirs competed.—1, Dowlais (conductor, Mr. W. Hughes); 2, Troedyrhiw (Miss Kate Jones); 3, Helicon Ladies Choir, Bristol (Mr. R. E. Sim- mons). Juvenile choirs, "Twelve by the Clock" (C. H. Lloyd).—Four choirs competed, one of them, Romilly, being entirely composed of boys.—1, Troedyrhiw (Miss K. Jones), 82 marks; 2, Romilly Boys, Barry (Mr. W. M. Williams), 79 marks; 3, Canton (Madame Gwenllian Thomas), 76 marks. Tenor solo.—1, Mr. David James, Beaufort; 2, Mr. Gwilym Price, Cardiff. Congregational Choirs, "The Pilgrims" (Les- lie). Four choirs competed. 1, Hartlebury (conductor, Mr. R. A. Taylor), 72 marks; 2, Wesley Choir, Brynmawr (Mr. W. C. Davies), 64 marks; 3, U.M.C. Choir, Bloxwich (Mr. J. Bentley), 62 marks. Chair Prize Poem, "The Summer of Life. The Rev. J. J. Williams delivered his adjudi- cation upon the seven poems sent in, and an- nounced that the poem bearing the nom-de- pdume "Bugail y Bryniau" was the best. The successful competitor proved to be the Rev. Crwys Williams, Brynmawr, who was a]so last year's chaired bard, and he was conducted to th platfQrm by "Sarnicol" and "Ceitho," the band of the South Midland Royal Engineers playing "See the conquering hero comes." Mr. James Straker invested the winning bard. The chairing song was rendered by Madame Sylvia Hosgood. Welsh Recitation-. — Master David Edward Jones, Dowlais. Junior Pianoforte Solo. Master Victor Lewis, Abertysswg. Intermediate Pianoforte Solo. "Harry," care of Miss A. George, Tredegar. Adult iiocitation.-Mift 01 wen Morris, Beau- fort. In connection with the Eisteddfod, a brass band contest was held in the Castle. Six bands competed for the Llanover Challenge and £ 17 10s. in cash, the test piece being "Weber's Works." Tho adjudicator was Mr. R. Stead, HuddersSeld, and he awarded the firgt prize to Foden's Motor Waggon Works Band (conduc- tor, Mr. Wf Halliwell), and tjhe second prize, the Vaugftah Morgan Challenge Shie'd, to Femdale Band (conductor, Mr. S. Radcliffe). Blaina Lancaster Band (conductor, Mr. J. B. York) was awarded the third prize. The Marquis of Abergavenny's Challenge Cup for th& cornet solo was awarded to Mr. W. Cridland, Abertillery; while Mr. S. Mounfie,d was awarded the second prize.

Ijfill IHHUIHIIIIIIUHIWIIIIII ''ETHil U i 1U1 IHVUWUff B 8FL|| I LADIES SHOULD KNOW1 BlancIM's Apiol & Steel Fills I have obtained the largest gale ot «nv medicine for B* Womeu. Merit alone made thi* record possible. Eg J/ljj per box from nU Chetnish, or potl free Leslie Martyii,Ltd.34DalstOH-lane,London §

Bedwellty Council and Housing. The Surveyor reported at the meeting last Thursday, that he had visited the houses built under the Housing of the Working Classes Act, at Risca, on the 15th March. He met the Surveyor to the Risca Council, who had lent him a copy of the plans of the houses built by his Council (which he now submitted}. The members would see that the houses were well arranged. Some of them contained a front parlour, 10 by 12, a kitchen 12 by Ilk, a scullery with copper 7 by 81, a bathroom at the back fed by the copper, a pantry, coal house and w.c three bedrooms, Oft. by lift. 9in., 7ft. by 8ft. 6in and 10ft. by 13ft. The cost of these houses was £160, and the rent charged was 5s. 6d. per week. The houses wore built of brick, and on the main road north of Risca. The Council htte also built 48 houses of brick and stone with forecourts, at a cost of £ 17G each, which ilso let at 5?. 6d. per week also 50 houses with four bedrooms, which let at 6s. a week, costing E215 each. The Council were also applying for land for erecting 08 more houses on, to cost EISO per hus-, and to let at Os. a week.- Mr. Godwin pointed out that in their district there would be increased cost for hauling materials, which should be borne in mind.— The Sur". yor said that the houses on the Cefn Forest Estate, where it was proposed to erect the dwellings, had no provision for sewerage. —It was decided that the Clerk and the Sur- veyor should interview Mr. James, the agent of the estate, upon this question of sewering.- The Surveyor: You intend to build 30 houses on this spot, and I suggest building 10 in each block.—Mr. S. Godwin raised the question as to whether it would not be better to negotiate with an outside architect in view of the extra work which would otherwise fall on their Surveyor.—Mr. Bufton suggested providing the Surveyor with an assistant for six months. —The Surveyor approved of the latter course, which was proposed by Mr. Bufton and sconded by Mr. Godwin, and it was decided to advertise for an assistant.—The Council were then reminded by Mr. Godwin that sometime ago they had approved of the Surveyor erecting a temporary iron office in the ground of hiai house at Blackwood, the Council paying him £ 10 a year for it.-On the motion of Mr. CodwitW it was decided to carry this into force.

MNTYWAUN, SOCIAL.-—To celebrate tho conclusion of highly successful session, the Pantywaun. Even- ing COntitiuation Class held a social- meeting at the schools en Saturday evening. The opening proceedings took the form of a bachelors' tea, when the members of the class partook of a sumptuous repast prepared and served by the following members of the class: Messrs. Jno. Thomas, Ifor Morgan, James Davies, Tom. Richards, and D. Jones. Ample justice havings been done to this part of the programme, the chairman for the evening, Mr. Wm. Morgan. in the course of an interesting address, alluded to the very successful session experienced by tho class, and complimented the teacher (Mr. D. Jones) and the pupils on the splendid atten- dance and the great interest displayed in the work. He was proud of the fact that he was a member of the first evening claos held in the village, and was confident that good results would accrue from the efforts of the teacher! and scholars during the past winter evenings iJ in fact, a distinct improvement was already, noticeable in their midst. He prophccied many successful future sessions. An interesting draw-, ing competition was then proceeded with, when, out of twenty-four competitors the winner was: adjudged to be Mr John Richards. Mr. Joseph Richards (Ruskin College, Oxford), in, the course of his adjudication, dwelt on the advantages derived from attendance at evening classes, and exhorted the young men present to take up some branch of study during their lei-t sure hours. Mr. T. F. Jones then gave a; spirited rendering of a Welsh air, An im- promptu competition brought forward fouiv teen competitors, and Mr. J. Jones, Pontlottyn, awarded the prize to Mr. T. F. Jones. In the course of a few remarks, Mr. J Jones referred to the enthusiastic manner in which the. work of the class had been carried on. A presentation to the teacher was the next item. A number of the members of the class having testified to the great esteem in which Mr. Jones was held by all the scholars, the chairman gave an ao* count of a movement which culminated in the decision to present the teacher with a hancl-,i some framed photograph of the class. In re* sponding, Mr. Jones expressed the great plea-) sure he derived from this unexpected demon* stration of goodwill on the part of his scholars.' In reviewing the work of the session he paid; a tribute to tho members of the class for their.; regular attendance, and for the creditable worlS done at the terminal examinations. A number of Welsh verses composed for the occasion by; the chairman were then read, and these werW followed by short addresses by the members ol the class. After the customary votes of thanks the company joined in singing, "Hen Wlad fJf Nhadau," led by Mr. Richards.

Having dined and paid his bill, the customer picked up the change that the waiter had! brought and dropped it into his?v waistcoat- pocket. "You won't forget me, sit," remark- ed the waiter, in an appealing whisper. "No indeed, replied the gentleman *T11 write1* to you."

"]LIr. At least twice a day the children should have their Quaker Oats It's one of the vcry'few things which they will enjoy and benefit by. Actual experiments with school fPjfe /»1W children have proved that for in- inK creasing the vitality, and building up firm muscle, Quaker Oats has no Yet forty platefuls of Quaker Oats cost only sixpence Cook according to directions on the 228