Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

18 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

FRIDAY, J A N U A RY 1 Oih^…

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

FRIDAY, J A N U A RY 1 Oih^ 1903. Some interesting facts were given at the annual dinner of tho Oddfellows of the Bridg- end district on tho strength and importance of the Manchester Cnny and the iervicts it is rendering to the working clar-es in all parti of the world. There are over a million members, with capital funds amounting to 134 mlib011s. and. owing to the care exercised in the control of the finances, the Society is actually able to give moii4 in benefit than ix receives in -contributions. Like other sub- stantial benefit societies such as the Fores- ters, Hearts of Oak, and Bath and West of England, the Oddfellows has j;roved of incal- culable benefit to thorn,;uid> during "rainy days." It is a pity that the Bridgend dis- trict is not making more rapid .strides in membership; it is even doubtful whether it is increasingin proportion to the population. But there is no doubt that Bridgend is having only tho same experience as many other districts in the country. Young men are not ao keen en joining registered friendly societies as wore their fathers. One of the reasons is the unfair competition of dividing societies or slate clubs. The slate club i.> >an admirable society fov a working-man to join as an additional help in time of -ickncEs when a man feels that his allowance from his per- manent society would be insufficient for his needs. Members of the.se societies secure for a few weeks fairly substantial allowances in cases of sickness for a comparatively modest contribution, and at the end of the year the money not absorbed in sick and funeral pay- ments is divided between the members. This is .system appeals to a number of men. who .re- fuse to consider the possibility of long or per- man-ent illness, ill which, cases these clubs would be of no assistance. We should hesi- tate before designating slate clubs improvi- dent; they have justifed their existence in the great financial help given to their mem- bers in time of need. But the benefits which the slate clubs confer or > temporary only, and such clubs cannot be "egarded in the same light as permanent societies whose substantial c.a.pitals make them able to aid their members during long periods iu vhich tliey are unable to follow their employment. Many men who ¡ have joined these societies without taking the forethought to also spek the brotherhood of the permanent societies, have, during a period of storm and .stress found- that they had been living in a fool's paradise. The Garw A alley .seems doomed to Inve experiences of a tragic character. The pa^t year will be- remembered as Black 1907. Fcr the first few inoirtns fatal accidents occurred in the collieries to the extent of one every fortnight, almost at regular in terra]. and these culminated in the drift disaster in which two men lost their lives. In the latter part of the year there were pen-fions at which the valley—'and, indeed, the v. 'eie dis- t,.ict-tocd aghast. Painful revelations at an inquest on a young woman were p-nrt'v re- sponsible for the inauguration of a moral it v crusade to endeavour to counteract the vice I which, it was known, was going on in the valley. Then came the sen<ation-ii matricide the terrioie and sordid cireninstances of which are still fresh in the public niemorv. It was hoped that when Black 1907 had breathed its last, the Garw wouid experienr- a peaceful^and more plea-ant period. But the Nen Year was only four davs old when the vaiioy va; shocked by yet another ser^ I tion. This incident js. fortunatelv, of a I miHi'.T character than some of those with which the valley has rung in the last twelve months, and the results are not likeiy LO be of a vor-v serious character—though this seem., to be no fault of the porp<trator of the ciurage. On Saturday night a brutal jttaek Was mac: on a deicivceiess womnii ie lie-- own bouse by a man, who was euvered with a white sheet. Whither the s'.( ei wa, u to prevent identification or whether The in- to prevent identification or whether The in- truder hoped to frighten the v.-omau into un- consciousness is not known, but ir is probable that the object of his visit To the house- vas burglary. L, this object the man was de- fcate'j, and lie lend to make a hasty retreat from the 110use by a back way. Unfortun- ately the culprit made good his escape umlrv tho cover of darkness without being reeog- ui.,ed, leaving only a slender clue in thedian.- of a poker, which has up to the mv'e.nt fabccl to be cf any service in tracing him. Particulars of what the new Territorial Army is to be like are gradually beeomie.e kno^n. but the details w;!l remain for the OLII Assetiations in t-oiptve of formation to aiiange. Glamorgan tvdi be required under the scheme to supply 210 officers and I 0./C6 n0n-commissioned officers and men. or ¡ 111 other ivords, a little more tluiri one-fifth of the Welsh division, which will reprint' ad arms in the service. The Yeomanrv, it ia assumed, will remain undisturl>cd. but a con- assumed, will remain undisturl>cd. hut a con- siderable alteration will be made in the other branches of the service. There will h-.> lesv infantry, more artillery, and vari-jcs br-.nches of the service which do rot :it. nresen1, exist in the county will be raisr-d. It would appear 'I from particulars already to hand that* the corps in Bridseml, Maesteg, and. the V^ie of Glamorgan will be considc-ably affected bv the rew airnngc-mcuit. So far as the 2"d Glamorgan R.G.A. is concerned, it is j li.n'ouied that the battalion wtll be reduced to -companies in the Cardiff district, and in this case the Bridseixl Companv will pr<v babiy be transformed into some other kind of I artillc-ry. The three infantry battalions are to be vaned to two ordinary and one cyclist I battalions, .and it is suggested that thrv 2nd V.B. Welsh, w hich includes conm-enies with heac-quarte-ns at Bridgend. Maesteg, and Llantwit Major, will be disbanded, and that its place will be taken by a cyclist battalion with headquarters probably at Bridgend. Of course, the re-arrangement is still in its em- bryonic stage, and what may eventually be settled is not certain. Tlia-t any re-ar- rangement such as that put forward would detrimentally affect the Volunteer movement in the district for some time to come there can be no doubt. Probably Bridgend would have little difficulty in raising a company of cyclists, because until recently half a com- pany had its headquarters here, but "whether companies of the kind could be raised at Maesteg and Llantwit Major—at any rate for some time to come—is doubtful. They would have to be composed. in a great meas- ure. of recruits, as many of the older Volun- tee," would not be prepared to undertake the h am rug of new drills and manoeuvres pecu- har tc- this branch. With l"cgard to the con- ditions of service under the new scheme, it does 1:0t appear to "a.ry very considerably from what was required under the old I scheme. A fortnight's camp will be held in plaee of a week's encampment, but it will not be compulsory in the strict sense of the term. The only difference in this respect is that AVH"reas the old Volunteer had to state whether he WOULD go to camp, the Territorial so-luier w ul have to state that he WILL NOT go to camp, and give some reasons for declining. In other respects, too, there will be ve-rv little material difference in the conditions of ser- vice. A correspondent calls attention to an inci- dent whiCii he has witnessed in connection w it-it the management- or the Bnd-gend Free Libiary. Some gentleman, unnamed but apparpn-dy authorised, elected from the building on tiiday five or six men whom he ■alleged were tramps. Our correspondent questions whether the gentleman referred to y as within his legal rights, and infers- that it was a cruel proceeding to turn these men out into the eold of Friday last. Upon the legal asppct of the question we are not quali- fied to give an opinion, and the cruelty or not of the proceedings on a frosty day depends i I'(,*v upon the question of whether the men had sufficient copper- to cam an en- trance to the common lodging-house. But we think there can be no two c-oinioiis about the- wisdom of keeping public institutions of the kind free from Tired- Tims and Weary Wiines. The greatest argument used against the adoption of the Free Libraries 1 Act in Bridgend was the statement that it would only be a refuse for tramps. Free Library authorities all over the country have experienced trouble with these undesirables, who frequent the buildings, if allowed, net for the purpose of reading, but for sleeping, eating, or idling away their ill-spent time. We refer, of course, to the Won't Works, not the genuine Out-of-Works, because the latter seldom get into such a disre mi table state as to be confused with professional beggars. To keep these people from the b-uildtng as much. I ■as possible is not only desirable, but essential 111 the interests cf general readers. The ap- pearance of tramps in the building frightens II: people away on sanitary grounds.

LOCAL N h w S, --

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FIRE AT LLANGEWYBD ROAD.

IBRIDGEND PUBLIC LIBRARY.

!BRIDGEND CROUP OF SCHOOLS.

Advertising

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Re»Lighting Colfiers' Lamps.