The Montgomeryshire Express and Radnor Times

PAUPERISM DECLINING IN MONTGOMERYSHIRE. MUCH cheer is contained in the latest Teturns relative to pauperism in Wales, and those that concern Montgomeryshire are not the least gratifying. To old age pensions may be assigned the main credit for our decreasing pauperism, and when next year the State pension is stripped of the pauper disqualification both the number and the size of our workhouses should appear out of all proportion to the needs of the poor. Perhaps by that time Forden Workhouse will have been acquired as a county asylum, and an amalgamation of Unions effected. But these pleasing speculations apart, we are glad to note a steady decrease in the number of our indigent poor people. An analysis of the returns in their application to the four Unions in this county furnishes many interesting figures, from which various conclusions may be deduced. Taking first the tables which compare the number of people in receipt of relief in March, 1906, and March, 1910, exclusive of pauper luna- tics and vagrants, we work out the fact that during these four years the number has been reduced by 259. Here are the exact figures, which embrace both indoor and out- door paupers Reduc- 1906 1910 tion Forden 339 288 51 Llanfyllin 492 405 87 Machynlleth 377 303 74 Newtown and Llanidloes 707 660 47 Totals 1915 1656 259 The percentage decline is readily seen in the following statement 1906 1910 Forden 2.2 2.0 Llanfyllin 2.8 2.4 Machynlleth 3.4 2.7 Newtown and Llanidloes 3.3 3.1 Over all the Unions there has been a strikingly equal reduction. Forden Union takes the distinguished place at the top of the list for the lowest percentage of pauper- ism in the Principality. Llanfyllin is bracketted with three other Unions for fifth place Machynlleth ranks eighth, and New- town and Llanidloes eleventh. One may readily imagine that with 259 fewer paupers to maintain the expenditure would be pro- portionately less than in 1906. Instead, however, it is £ 275 more. With the excep- tion of Machynlleth the administrative cost has risert in all the Unions. The figures contrast thus 1906. 1910. Forden £ 2185 E2196 LIanfyllin £ 3288 Z3378 Machynlleth £ 2887 £2754 Newtown and Llanidloes £ 4565 £ 4872 £ 12925 E13200 Taken per head of paupers, the weekly cost worked out as follows during the two years under review 1906. 1910. Forden 2/11i 2/111 Llanfyllin 3/101 3/na Machynlleth 5/25 5/- Newtown and Llanidloes 4/3? 4/74- 1-" -4- The seeming extraordinary disparity between these figures is, we understand, accounted for by the difference in the cost of pro- visions. Yet under a contract system such considerable difference requires further ex- planation. Pig feeding and farming at Forden workhouse may to some extent explain the low cost per head in that Union, but why should there be nearly eightpence difference between Llanfyllin and Newtown? And what is the reason for the much higher figure at Machynlleth ? Perhaps the Mach- ynlleth Guardians will contrive to enlighten us. There are, however, Unions in other parts of Wales where the maintenance cost per head is as high as 6s 5d. There are, 4 indeed, no fewer than twenty-one Unions in which each pauper costs more than 5s. Forden not only occupies the enviable posi- tion of having the least percentage of pau- pers, but of maintaining them at the least cost. There is, in fact, no other Union in the Principality where the expenditure per head is below three shillings. This increased cost has been universal. In South Wales and Monmouthshire it has risen since 1906 from 3s llid to 4s 6id, and in North Wales from 4s 8id to 5s, so that while Forden takes quite an exceptional and unique place, Llanfyllin and Newtown are well below the average. Another interesting set of figures is formed when we come to study the statistics of out-door paupers relieved during the half- year ended Lady Day, 1910, exclusive of pauper lunatics and vagrants. Destitution caused by old age or permanent disability accounted for the following recipients of relief in the four Unions :-Fordm, 154 Llanfyllin, 260 Machynlleth, 220 Newtown and Llanidloes, 299 total, 933. Destitution caused by death, absence, or desertion of t.he husband or father was thus reflected bv numbers Forden, 51 Llanfyllin, 112; Machynlleth, 101 Newtown and Llanidloes, 244 total, 508. Destitution caused by tem- porary sickness, or want of work of the male heads of families and single men, demanded relief to this extent :Forden, 45 Llan- iyllin. 36 Machynlleth, 30 Newtown and Llanidloes, 101 total, 212. Single women in receipt of outdoor relief numbered at For- den 3, Llanfyllin 9, Machynlleth 0, Newtown and Llanidloes 16, total 28. Classifying them as a whole we get at the following various "totals of outdoor paupers during the half- year mentioned :-Forden, 253; Liarifyllin, 417 Machynlleth, 351 Newtown and Llan- idloes, 660 grand total, 1,681, as against 1,736 in the same half-year of 1909. This shows a reduction of outdoor paupers of 55. A contrast in the percentage of outdoor recipients of relief between these two periods reads thus 1910. 1909. For(len 1.7 1.8 LlanfylIin 2.5 2.6 Machynlleth 3.2 2.9 Newtown and Llanidloes 3.1 3.3 -1 ,11. ye aaaxi an look forward with interest to a I cctnparative statement of this kind twelve months hence.

DON'T BE DECEIVED." Last Words to the Electors of Welshpool. ON the eve of the municipal poll at Welsh- pool, a last word has been circulated by the trio of reactionary candidates-Messrs Rogers, Marston, and Stockton. Let us briefly analyse this wonderful manifesto, and expose some of its reckless and decep- tive assertions. It starts by assuring the people of Welshpool that an admirable and in every way suitable spot" has been found for the disposal of the town's refuse, so that the Henfaes is not required. Prior to the finding of this alleged ideal spot there was a transaction anent which these three gentlemen conveniently keep quiet. There was the proposal of the reactionaries to lease the Severn-road fields, which meant an initial capital expenditure of between £ 200 and F-300. It was not these professing economists who saved the ratepayers from that outlay, but rather the Henfaesite citi- zens who organized a town's meeting, and compelled even the Council to drop the proposal. Thereafter followed the acqusi- tion of this admirable and suitable site at the Pwllau. What is there admirable about it ? It is a blot on the landscape to the eyes of Poolonians. It is a blot on Wales to the eyes of all who travel past the town. As to its suitability. In the first place the Corporation, and ,of course, the burgesses also, are tenants of a tenant of the Earl of Powis, and a reference to the very last meet- ing of Montgomery Town Council-reported in to-day's Express '—will make clear to all save those who will not see, the advan- tages to be enjoyed by a community of being its own landlord rather than the conditional tenant of private individuals. RETIRED GENTLEMEN v. WORKING TOWNSMEN. This dumping ground, says the manifesto, will form a first rate spot for many years to come." Indeed How many years ? Three years or ten years, or how many more? In the course of a few years we can imagine what an amount of accumulation will be there. Where, afterwards, should the Coun- cil seek to obtain another suitable spot ? They could, of course, rent another field, and so improve another piece of land for the benefit of a private person, instead of improving town's land. Then we are told by this reactionary triumvirate that the present sewage sys- tem works most efficiently and effectively." It certainly is a most effective system for polluting the Severn. Those people who have observed the water of the river for some distance below the sewage pipe need not be told more of this. Indeed, if we are simple enough to believe it, the system is in every way adapted for the requirements of the town." If this were a fact, why did the anti-Henfaesites vote against permitting two firms of manufacturers to empty their effluent into the sewers ? Is it not one of the town's requirements that there should be industrial development ? Without going unnecessarily into the personal aspect of this election, it occurs to us to say that the retired gentlemen who have signed this manifesto perhaps cannot appreciate this need so keenly as working townsmen in the position of Messrs Giles, Morgan Jones, and Rowlands. A SMACK FOR MR. ROGERS. To quote again, It has been urged that the river is contaminated by the present system." Well, who doubts it ? Can it be questioned by any of these three scribes ? Are they equal to arguing that the river is purified by the sewage ? They, however, argue wrongly in the assertion that the Henfaesites contend for an immediate revo- lution of the sewage system. The point with the Henfaesites is that by acquiring these 25 acres-in itself a sound investment—the town would be ready to cope with any emer- gency. And what of the likelihood of such an emergency as the vetoing of the present system ? Councillor Rogers has assured his townsmen that they are abundantly pro- tected by the Sewers Amendment Act." Asked to pronounce upon that statement, the Local Government Board has just written The Board are not aware that the Town r'1-- 1 youucu nave any legal right, by virtue of long usage or otherwise, to discharge un- treated sewage into the River Severn. On the contrary, it appears to the Board that the discharge of untreated sewage into a stream is an infraction of the Rivers Pol- lution Prevention Acts, 1876 and 1893." Will the people of Pool be so unwise as to discard this plain pronouncement by the Local Government Board, and confide in an amateur lawyer. Mr Rogers and his friends have evidently I more respect for the Board T&crcx rrl i-rtrr nAin + n I .t-'V4J..I. which they manufacture for alarmist pur- poses. They tell us that the Board will not sanction authority to borrow money for the purchase of Henfaes unless the Council pledges itself to a definite and costly sewage scheme. On what ground is this assertion made ? Without pausing for a reply, let us proceed to ask whether the Welshpool Cor- poration has not before borrowed money for the purchase of property. Ratepayers will recollect the No 1, Hall-street" loan, effected for the extension of the market. And that extension has not yet been accom- plished. LEGAL RIGHTS AND WORKMEN'S COTTAGES. Again, it is set forth in arresting black type, that the Corporation possesses the legal right to acquire land compulsorily whenever the necessity arises. The Corpora- tion possesses many rights, but unfortu- nately it -does not exercise them for want of the progressive spirit. It possesses, for in- stance, the right to build workmen's cot- tages, to go no further. The Vicar of Welsh- pool was prepared to sell these 25 acres of f Cv°?or^=fatim,n land' to^ether with a house, for £ 2,850. Through the medium of public meetings the townspeople declared them- ronn^n ?* with ,hat prioe- and Councillor Jenkins himself on one curious occasion, would have accepted the land at The burgesses of Wekhpool have duly weighed the situation, but they have been defied in seeking to realise their wishes. These three obstructionists who seek re- election should be the last to prate about the legal right,' 'having regard to the fact that their party on the Council were respon- sible for a breach of contract with the Vicar. WILD ARITHMETIC. This reaetionary manifesto does not stop short of declaring that the sewage scheme proposed by the Henfaesites would cost £ 10,000. It is only necessary to reply that the scheme carefully surveyed by Mr Svdnev R. Lowcock, who engineered the Machyn- lleth sewage works so successfully, was esti- mated to cost not £10,000, but £ 3,878. But really, what faith can be placed in tke calculations of these three gentlemen, who are obviously unequal to a simple addition in arithmetic such as a standard two school- boy might be expeeted to master. Readers of their print will note that in the summing up of three small lines of figures they have blundered to the extent of £ 500. Besides, whence come the figures with which they juggle ? If they are reliable figures why were they not made practical use of before the eye of the poll ? Don't be deceived," starts the conclud- ing paragraph of this wild worded, scare- monger i»g sheet. We would emphasise that I warning. It is the one valuable phrase in the whole production. And we do not for a moment believe that the ratepayers of Welshpool will allow themselves to be deceived" at this vital juncture by the apologies of men who have so arrogantly thwarted communal hopes and desires, and scorned the repeated mandates of a people whom they undertook faithfully to serve.

GUARDIANS AND PAUPER PENSIONS. Certain Machynlleth Guardians have taken strong objection to Mr Lloyd George's pro- posal to place a part of the cost of removing the pension pauper disqualification upon the rates. This portion is equivalent to thE: sum by which the present expenditure of the Guardians will be relieved. While ad- mitting that the equitable adjustment of local and imperial burdens is a difficult question, we would ask the Machynlleth Guardians, and other Poor Law authorities in Montgomeryshire, to consider whether local rates do not provide a more equitable means of apportioning our financial burdens according to ability to pay than imperial taxes. Will they care to dispute that, on the whole, working people are more fairly taxed in proportion to their income by the local authorities than by the State ? If they will not gainsay that, then the transference of a burden from the local to the national treasury would not be advantageous to the average household. Let Guardians ponder this fact, and they will realise the inexpedi- ency of persisting in a short-sighted protest —a protest which endangers the unemploy- ment and invalidity insurance scheme which the Government has promised next year. E3,300 FOR ROAD IMPROVEMENTS. This sum the County Council has decided to ask as its legitimate portion of the Development Grant towards road improve- ments. Whether the claim will be conceded is another question. The major portion of this money it is proposed to devote to the straightening and widening of dangerous corners, and strengthening and widening the capacity of bridges. The urban autho- rities are primarily concerned for a mitiga- tion of the dust nuisance incident to motor traffic by means of tar-spraying, for which purpose a considerable sum will be allotted. Mr Hurlbutt would reverse this allocation, and he adduces some sound reasons for his proposal-notably the injury to health caused by clouds of germ laden dust, and the economy which would be effected in the cost of road maintenance by the tar-spray- ing process. Many people will feel disposed to agree that the dust nuisance should have prior consideration, for verily our county highways are often little else than reeking dust bins, marking the trail of the fast speeding motor, while in towns the damage caused to tradespeople by the same plague must be considerable. On the other hand, those persons who mostly traverse the rural roads on foot or in vehicles would gladly witness the removal of blind" corners, round which motor cars so frequently swing at unexpected moments. With the advent of motor cars there is a constant apprehen- sion of danger upon country roads, and while appreciating the arguments of Mr Hurlbutt, we think the County Authority is best advised to proceed first to minimise the risks of accident. THE COST OF LENIENCY. In the interests of the children's educa- tion, the Clerk to the County Education Authority was required to appear before the Llanidloes magistrates on Thursday. We regret the necessity, for no doubt it was a necessity. The leniency exercised by the Llanidloes Bench towards the parents of irregular school children has become a sub- ject of general discussion, and Mr Llewelyn Phillips was present at Thursday's Court to inform them of the condition of things for which that leniency is largely responsible. It appears that the percentage of school attendances in the Llanidloes district is the lowest in the whole county, and the loss of grant sustained in consequence has amounted to not less than E155. We sin- cerely hope that this serious fact will assist the magisterial mind to get rid of a purely sentimental discretion," and to realise that whatever the circumstances every child must be given the enjoyment of a full education. As we have repeatedly pointed out, domestic misfortune is not the care of the magis- trates. Another authority is charged with this responsibility. The magisterial duty is to help the Education Authority to keep all children within the prescribed age regularly at school. At the same Court, a defendant who admitted shooting game without either a game license or a gun license, was let off with a fine of 5s including costs. In the Llanidloes district unlicensed sportsmen have apparently little to fear. A MUCH NEEDED LESSON. Ever posing as the patriotic party on whom the country must reJy for an invincible navy, the Tories, it will be remembered, clamoured last year for eight instead of four Dread- noughts, on the strength of which they sought to inflame public feeling against Liberal indifference towards our naval supre- macy. They painted jfictures of German shipbuilding rapidly diminishing our two- power standard, and coming abreast of us in the number of Dreadnoughts, and their every platform rang with the denunciation of Liberal neglect. All this from the very men who engineered the Boer War and scandalously neglected to sufficiently equip the soldiers they thrust into it. Meanwhile the Admiralty advisers were smiling at these hysterical patriots. They not only possessed the wisdom of experience, which forbade the building of eight Dreadnoughts upon one plan, but there was something nn thoir -c., -r sleeves in the shape of a 13.5 inch gun "of unparalleled power," to be fed by a 1,205 pound shell,, which would neutralise. Ger- many's Dreadnought energy. Germany has just learnt of it, and the fact has tempo- rarily paralyzed her naval construction. Says the expert correspondent of the < Daily Telegraph' Directly the news was re- ceived in Germany, preparations for the construction of four ships was suspended It is practically certain that 1910 will close without the keel of a single armoured vessel having been laid down in any of the German shipyards. In 1913 Britain will hare 25 Dreadnoughts to Germany's 13." That incident, says this naval authority in a Tory journal, which was not the least vehement in its criticism of alleged Liberal neglect, illustrates the inherent defect of a naval law regulating construction over a term of years." Germany has just learnt the lesson our insensate jingos and alarmists ignore for mere party purposes, that the genius which develops the power of battle-/ ships has not yet reached its limit. WHAT CONSISTENCY DEMANDS. Elsewhere in to-day's Express we report the proceedings of the Montgomeryshire Temperance Association held at Llanidloes. A confessed want of aggressive activities on the part of the Association formed the sub- ject of some plain speaking, yet we believe that the very existence of such a repre- sentative body yields much good. In these days temperance is advancing, not perhaps by reason of teetotal agencies so much as by the influence of progressive education, which inspires a higher standard of conduct and a consequent dislike of drinking and drunkenness. With reference to the sug- gestion of the Rev Glyn Davies, that every schoolmaster should be a total abstainer, and that abstinence should be regarded as a qualification for scholastic appointments, a total abstinency Association quite con- sistently calls for this stipulation. But con- sistency calls for something beyond this. Mr Davies would have the school managers ask the question of all candidates, but he Tefrains from setting up such a standard of morality for the fitness of managers them- selves. He does not even declare the neces- sity for total abstinence among the clergy and ministers. If the scholastic profession is to be made compulsorily teetotal, con- sistency demands the extension of that prin- ciple to all who govern it, and all others associated with public life. But, while ardently wishful of temperance progress, we strongly deprecate this attempt to re- strict the staffing of our schools to total abstainers. It is not less reprehensible than the religious test of teachers. As we ob- served last week, no good cause is advanced by such a spirit of intolerance. Every cause suffers for its extremists. THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. Electoral interests have received an ex- ceptional stirring this year at Welshpool, Llanidloes, and Llanfyllin. The Poolonian situation we have already described in detail, and the latest developments are dealt with in to-day's leading article. Besides the four retiring councillors., five fresh candidates furnish a fine field of choice for the people of Llanidloes. It may indeed be their choice is spoilt by such a galaxy. Since neither political nor religious differences will play any part in the contest, personal popularity and public service are likely to determine the successful half-dozen. Though Messrs Hawke Dawe and H. Ellis have relinquished their seats on Llanfyllin Town Council, the electors are favoured with a selection of the necessary quartette from among eight can- didates, all of whom can command a fol- lowing. The decision of Colonel Cautley to retain his position on the Montgomery Coun- cil, and the unopposed return of Messrs H. Jones and C. B. Williams, obviate an election in the County Town, whose mayor- alty will again be conferred upon Mr Fairies- Humphreys. Twelfth time Mayor, this esteemed son of Montgomery has established what we think must be a unique record in municipal life.

— .= WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR Giles, Morgan Jones, and Rowlands. Important to Welshpool. A Straight Talk on the Eve I of the Poll. I Working-Men, Professional Men, Tradesmen, and Farmers 1 We Have Suffered." [By A WAGE-EARNING VOTER, CASTLE WARD ] There is a tide in the affairs of Welshpool, Whicu, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of its life Is bound in shallows, and in miseries. The Welshpool Town Council has been :— Wasting the ratepayers' money. Blundering over the refuse disposal. Losing opportunities. And disgracing the honour of the borough. There are three retiring councillors, who seek re-election to-morrow Guilsfield Ward, Mr W. A. Rogers. Llanerchydol Ward, Dr F. E. Marston. Castle Ward, Mr Edwin Stockton. I have only one vote, and I shall it use it against one of these. Shall I give you some of the» reasons why ? There is no need to talk now about the merits of the Henfaes. Some have" ratted" over this. But the Town at three public meetings has said that it is firm for the Henfaes. Just one ques- tion to the voter who is doubtful or has been almost persuaded to vote for Mr Rogers, Dr Marston, or Mr Stockton WHICH IS THE BETTER- TO PAY RENT, OR BE YOUR OWN LANDLORD? The majority on the Council now say- "Pay Rent." But if you get the Henfaes, the burgesses will be their own landlords, and need not ask anybody's kind permis- sion to have this or have that. Did you hear what happened at the Montgomery Town Council last Thursday ? You can see it on page 7 of this Express' that you are reading. And you can apply the moral to Welshpool. I You know that for years the townspeople have been dissatisfied with their own Town Council. There is a lot of unrest. Is our present agitation aga,inst the Council merely a desire to stir up strife Or are there solid, substantial reasons why working men, tradesmen, professional men, and farmers, should complain about the town losing this and losing that, about this going down and that going down ? Ratepayers' Money Wasted. Now on the eve of the poll I am not going to trouble you with many figures Yon I lemember, no doubt, the startling figures the Express' gave you a little while ago out of the Corporation s own accounts, a criticism which THE TOWN COUNCIL HAS NOT DARED TO ANSWER, because it was founded on facts. You have heard a lot, no doubt, from the retiring councillors and their canvassers about The Rates." Didn't one man try to frighten a hard-working woman by saying, If you've got any money to spare, keep it for your f children, Mrs Jones. Don't pay it in rates Would that man rather pay £3 3s for a coffin for his own child than pay a rate of a few shillings ? You want a healthier, a more prosperous town, and you can't get a better investment than a rate-unless it goes to pay for a lawsuit. Has the Council been careful in the past over spending our rates ? HOW MUCH DID THE COUNCIL PAY for the Heldre rifle-range-for plans, for fees, for agreements ? But the scheme was squashed. By whom ? And why ? This at any rate we know-the ratepayers' money might just as well have been thrown over Buttington Bridge. THEN THERE'S NO. 1, HALL-STREET. What did Mr Rogers, Dr Marston, and Mr Stockton tell you about that when asking for your vote ? The Town Council bought the property for E700 to extend the market. I am not discussing whether that was the best thing to do. But after buying it they spent E50 on repairs, and now they are letting it for E20 a year. Would any coun- cillor have done that if the property be- longed to himself ? It's not good business, is it ? But the ratepayers have to pay for the folly. They wobbled again over the Henfaes after they had signed and sealed an agree- ment with the Vicar to do all they could to get the Local Government Board's permis- sion. They changed their mind, and had to pay the Vicar's legal expenses— £ 20. That's not business. We expect the Coun- cil to give long and careful consideration to every important subject that comes before them. But we have a right to complain if, after making all arrangements, and prepar- ing deeds and plans and all the rest of it, they make the ratepayer pay for a change of mind on their part. And that not once, not twice, not three times. Blundering Over Refuse Disposal. Then, again, hasn't the Council shown a singular lack of business ability in manag- ing the disposal of the town refuse ? Let's go back seven or eight years TO THE BRICKFIELD. '( (That was Lord Powis's field, by the way). There was trouble there very soon. In fact, one of the most extraordinary things about our Council as refuse-disposers is that they have constantly brought us into law cases, or very near. And it has been only by a mere accident or the good-will of someone else that we haven't had more lawyers' bills to pay. The Council settled what might have been a law case at the Brickfield by paying the Gas Manager a fixed sum as cpmpensation-that came out of a private councillor's pocket, it is true. But the Council's conduct was very stupid all the same. Then there was THE ERWFELIN CASE. The more you think and know about that the more convinced you would be that the lawsuit was a mistake and a blunder. The Gungrog Hall people were very anxious to avoid a lawsuit. The Town Council left the matter to a sub-committee of three. And who were those three ? One of them, at any rate, was quite cock-sure that the Council would win. But the Council lost. And the ratepayers paid £ 1,800. You outer district people were very sore over that 18d rate, weren't you ? But now you know that, if the Henfaes is bought for sanitary purposes, .the inner district will pay. (And the town is willing to pay). But if there should be another nuisance action against the Mayor, Aldermen, and bur- gesses," you will be forced to pay again. You were bitten once. You were bitten again over that appeal to Quarter Sessions against the rate. And who were the ap- pealers ? The ratepayers of the borough paid every time. I THEY PAID TWO SETS OF LAWYERS' BILLS. (Don't you remember seeing the detailed sums in the Express some weeks ago ?) Then the Council has been sending its refuse by canal-boat to Pool Quay-a most insanitary, objectionable, and costly method. But it went on for five years. Why didn't those who are against the Henfaes find a better and cheaper tipping-place instead of paying fl20 a year more than they had done at Erwfelin? They tell us now that the Town Council has got compulsory powers to acquire land for sanitation. Why on earth then haven't they made use of those powers years and years ago ? Do you know what I think ? If it hadn't been for this proposal to buy the Henfaes, and the threat of the Llanfyllin Rural Sani- tary Authority, the Council would have been content to send the refuse by canal-boat to Pool Quay for another five years, and THROW AWAY ANOTHER E600 of the ratepayers' money. Then you remember their scheme to lease for 21 years two fields from Lord Powis off Severn-road that were held by the Royal Oak" and by Mr Stockton? The anti- Henfaesites were going to spend anything between E200 and E300 to culvert the Llyndu brook and keep it in its place. You remem- ber our last Town's Meeting smashed up that scheme, and saved the ratepayers from being tied down for a generation to improve other people's property instead of improving their own land at the Henfaes. And didn't the town know that if we had tipped the town refuse on the banks of the Llyndu brook there, that it would have let us in for more legal trouble-polluting the water that flows through the Vicar's fields ? Now they've gone to improve another field on the Powis Castle Estate. Is it a bargain to us as ratepayers ? Let us see. P-20 COMPENSATION TO MR. JAMES DAVIES, THE BUTCHER then £ 12 a ^ear rent to him for the lower poition of that field between the canal and the railway—the field with the two trees in the top hedge. £2 a year rent again to Mr Davies for the cartway alongside the hedge fcbrough the piece that he keeps for himself. Only Is rent to his Lordship for the use of the accommodation road,and the ratepayers, of course, to keep it in repair. How much has that cost already ? And, if this place will do for a year, or even for three years without causing another nuisance, what are we going to do when we can no longer tip there ? Ten years is not a very long slice in the life of a man or a woman. But in the life of a town—which lives from genera- tion to generation-it is only five minutes. If you vote to-morrow for Mr Rogers, Dr Macston, or Mr Stockton, you will regret it, whea the time comes to shift" from Mr James Davies' field. But vote for Mr Giles, Mr Morgan Jones, and Mr Rowlands, and --go on tne ttentaes, where you will be your own masters. Lost Opportunities. What's the third point of my talk with you ? Hera it is-Lost Opportunities. Take the important question of "THE MILITARY" IN WELSHPOOL, a question that the business men and the working men of the town are cfeeply con- cerned in. The military people spent their Mioiiey in weisnpooi. why have we lost the Militia? Is it owfag to Mr Haldane's Territorial Army Scheme ? Is it not a fact that the Militia for years had to go to Brecon to shoot because there was no rifle range here ? And for some years before Mr iialdane a scheme was introduced they went to Llanfyllin to train. Why ? Because-as ,one military man informed me—they COULD GET CHEAPER LAND TO TRAIN: ON THERE. And there was a rifle range there, too. The bottom fact that wants to be driven home is that Welshpool has ceased to be a military centre because it had no rifle range. The Town Council was the responsible autho- rity for looking after our interests. Was this question not on their hands for 10 or 15 years ? It is not for me now to inquire why the Town Council failed to secure a rifle range. But, looking at it from the standpoint of the working man, and of the tradesman, I say we have suffered. Our Militia Battalion was wiped out.. We have a rifle range now. But it was a lost oppor- tunity. You know the Town Council has had three applications from various manufacturing firms for facilities to use the sewerage sys- tem so that they could start business in the town. One was a tannery industry from South Wales, the other a silk manufactory from Macclesfield. When the latter were re- fused permission to come here, they went to another town. Welshpool's loss has been Bridgenorth's gain. This was an important thing for the traders unci the property owners of Welshpool, but the Town Council didn't realise that importance. The question might be asked. Is it worth while the Town Council going in for a sewage scheme to GET ONE OR TWO FACTORIES STARTED HERE ? To that I would reply- A few years ago, when it was thought to the interest of the town to promote the Llanfair Railway, some of the gentlemen who are our strongest opponents to-day, were foremost then in advocating that the town should go in for the light railway. It meant in the first place spending E301) or £ 400 on an inquiry and Light Railway Com- missioners. The Llanfair Railway Company (according to the last printed statement of the Corporation accounts) still owes the town £ 8,692 8s 7d principal. And on this the Company pays interest on only £ 5,000, whilst we-the ratepayers—are paying interest on the total sum. Again, the townspeople pri- vately subscribed some hundreds of pounds towards the railway. Mind you, I am not saying this against the Llanfair Railway. Perhaps we have all benefited by it to some extent. But my point is this—there was not a word of protest then from men who are crying out loudly now about The Rates." If it was in the interest of the town to spend that money to get the Llanfair Rail- way, why all this outcry against investing a smaller sum in buying the Henfaes estate and DEVELOPING THE TOWN ITSELF? What if we could secure one or two of the old factories to be re-opened, with 50 or 100 hands working in each ? There are many manufacturers from large centres who would like to establish a factory in Welshpool, where rents are low and where the railway facilities are excellent. The custom of the factory men, their wives and their children, would help the draper and tailor, the grocer and the baker, the doctor and the solicitor, the builder and butcher and barber, the bootmaker and poultry-seller, the iron- monger and chemist, the watchmaker and toy-seller, and the licensed victualler, to pay a small extra rate. And the more people living here the better market town it will be for the wife of the farmer, small holder, and the cottager, to come from the country to sell her butter and eggs and poultry. That is the policy Mr Giles, Mr Morgan Jones, and Mr Rowlands stand for. Read their election addresses on the front page of this 'Express.' But what do Mr Rogers, Dr Marston, and Mr Stockton say ? I say that it is worth your while to THINK OVER THIS FACT— The people who want the Council to buy the Henfaes are the same people who did their level best to get the Factory agoing once more. Disgracing the Honour of the Borough. This has been a longer talk than I expected, but I plead that it is a serious matter for us as people of Pool. My last point is this THE COUNCIL HAS DISGRACED OUR HONOUR AS A BOROUGH. And the one man of all whom the Council have treated shabbily is Our Vicar. You know the story. Do you remember what Alderman David Jones said about it at the Council meeting ? Would any of us like to be treated in the dishonourable way the Town Coun- cil has treated the Vicar over the pur- chase of the Henfaes ? I have no hesi- tation in saying-I am not a very young man—that it is one of the most dis- honourable transactions that ever I have seen in the commercial world since I have had to do with it-to make a bar- gain with the Vicar on a certain condi- tion, and try to escape from that bargain by moving that we don't have the Local Government Board inquiry. The Council promised the Vicar to do their > best to get the Local Government Board to L consent to buying the Henfaes. And then they made it impossible for the Local Government Board to hold the inquiry. It was a dirty pieefe of business a discredit and dishonour on the borough. To-morrow I am going to vote for—Mr Rowlands. For I live in the Castle Ward. Guilsfield men and women will do well to vote for Mr Giles. And Llanerchydol for Mr Morgan Jones. Have I not spoken the truth, men and women of Welslipool ? Let me remind my I fellow wage-earners in the borough of what Whittier sang about The Poor Voter on Election Dav Who serves to-day upon the list Beside the served shall stand Alike the brown and wrinkled fist, The gloved and dainty hand The rich is level with the poor, The weak is strong to-day And sleekest. broadcloth counts no more Than homespun frock of gray. To-iday let pomp and vain pretence My stubborn right abide I set a plain man's common sense Against a pedant's pride. To-day shall simple manhood try The strength of gold and land The wide world has not wealth to buy The "ewer of my right hand. While there's a grief to seek redress, Or balance to adjust, Where weighs our living manhood less Than Mammon's vilest dust,— While there's a right to need my vote, A wrong to sweep away, Up clouted knee and ragged coat f A man's a man to-day

Sad Charge against a Servant Girl. 18 years last August is the age of Amelia (" Polly ") Owen, Brynaawr. Kerry, against whom the police have laid a charge of concealment of birth for three yaars she was until recently in service at Henfrou, Llandyssil. At the Montgomery Sessions, last Thursday, Deputy-Chipf Constable Williams asked the Bench to adjourn the case for another month. She is not very well," he added. We thought to take a summons out; but, seeing it was a very serious charge, I thought it better to have a warrant. She was bound over to appear to-day. Her step- father is here." The adjournment was agreed to.

SEEN AND HEARD. Nothing extonnate. nor dot dowu aatftit 110 iualke. SlUKBSriAMU "An Unenlightened One" writes Last night I was one of a little dinner party organised in honour of a way going friend. There were thirteen of us, and our chairman remarked that it was an unlucky number. The reason why he could not explain, nor could any of us, so we agreed that the knotty question should be submitted to you. Will you kindly explain this old superstition." This superstition is usually traced back to the fact that 13 was the number at the Last Supper, Judas being the thirteenth. Beyond this, however, it is said to be ao actuarial truism, founded upon the calcu- lations of insurance offices, that out of 13 adult persons taken indiscriminately, one will probably die within a year. It is only, unlucky, says one well known writer, to dine thirteen at a table if the food be but suffi- cient for twelve. Fuller, in an anecdote, tells how a covetous courtier complained to King Edward VI. that Christ's College, Cambridge, was a superstitious foundation consisting of a master and twelve fellows, in imitation of Christ and His twelve apostles. He therefore advised the King to take away, one or two fellowships, so as to dissolve that unlucky number. Oh," replied the King, I have a better way than that to mar their conceit I will add a thirteenth- fellow to them." And he did. The superstitious dislike of the number thirteen is universal. In many hotels yott will find there are no rooms numbered 13, and it is missing in the cabin arrangements of some vessels. So disliked is it by the Turks that it is never used, and the Italians have hardly less objection to it. You will never find it in their lottery literature. Norstf mythology gives an origin for the super- stition by referring to a banquet in the Valhalla at which Loki, the God of Strife and Evil, entered unasked, making thirteen guests, and during the carouse Baldur, the God of Peace, was killed. Some anonymous scribe, who affects to be a Rational observer of the Sabbath, quar- rels with my views of Sunday golf, which he regards as arbitrary." That was about the last kind of. criticism which I expected. I am not to apologise for any apparent. ambiguity, because of such there was none in my reference to the question. My corres- pondent is either too dense in the uptake, or his intelligence, warped by prejudice, reads into my note what it does not contain. Let him peruse it again, and, failing its intelligibility, ask some friend to help him understand, It is simply nonsense to say that I would veto his individual freedom on the Sabbath, while apostles of Church and Chapel can do anything under the cloak of their religious professions." I am as jealous of the freedom of my individual con- science as any mortal could be. How man may spend his Sabbath is not my business quite. It is only when he institutionally associates me with his particular observ- ance of it that I object. "Although a Free Trader I am a Conser- vative (writes a Welshpool correspondent), and as such I have many a spirited argu- ment with my Liberal friends, some of whom dbntend that when the Tories í.aø returned to power they will stop old ag& pensions. I appeal to you as an intelligent and fair-minded man to publicly state whether or not they are right in that con- tention. I say it is a gross libel upon the leaders of the Conservative party." Obviously the Tories cannot stop old age pensions, and, to put the matter fairly, their leaders have never proposed to do anything of the kind. What, however, they would do by means of Tariff Reform is to raise the cost of food by 12J per cent. Thus the weekly five shillings of the pensioners would buy less bread, less meat, and less clothes than it does now. Besitles, when the rela- tionship of Toryism to old age pensions is mentioned in the light of a challenge, it ought not to be forgotten by those who pro- fess a, fair minded view that the Tories did not wish the Bill to become law. For its third reading 140 Tories abstained from voting, 12 supported it, and 11 voted against it. So the net Tory support for old ago. pensions was one vote. November was never a popular month. Few of our poets have a good word for it. We all think of its Chill, .surly blast upon which the cold and dreary winter months are in- troduced. Yet among my earliest recol- lections November holds a foremost place, lor the Hallowe'en festivities it always brought, when there were nuts to burn, and apples in water tubs to duck for. In an age of palnwstry, crystal gazing, and other for- tune telling, mostly foolish, probably thes\} child-like sports sound old fashioned enough- yet the country superstitions touching the "auld guid wife s weel-hordit nuts" have greater picturesqueness and poetry than all the aitiheial magic and mysteries and poses of the present day soothsayers. Those Hallowe'en pranks are realistically described by Burns in his poem of that title. Though in70ifn m+/he vernacular> the poem may be telhgentty read by aid of a glossary, and it i. well worthy the reading. Things are humming electorully at Welsh- pool, and I congratulate the burgesses upon, the splendid stand they are making in vindication of their rights as citizens. Quite well I know that the prominent asseriion of individual freedom has never been a per- sonally profitable pose in Pool, where class interests have hitherto subjugated all others, but subjection, like every other thing which cramps the conscience and takes toll of man's natural spirit of independence, has its limits. The Poolonian working man is not going to -eat humble pie any longer. His period of servility is up. He is up against a real grievance, which spells nothing short of a denial of his citizenship, and to-day he, goes to the poll to contest that challenge,, consciows in the words of Whittier that- To-day alike are great and small, The nameless and the known My palaoe is the people's hall, The ballot box my throne. A proprietory canvasser in the interests of the anti-Henfaesites is said to be warning his tenants that the acquisition of the Hen- faes will mean higher rates-for landlords, and therefore, higher rents for tenants. And this is the attitude of one who has hitherto posed as a working man's friend." But it is just a trifle late in the day to adopt such, tactics with the humble workers. Methinks they will mark down their opinions of him on ballot papers. LUKE SHARPS.