The Welsh Coast Pioneer and Review for North Cambria

TO CORRESPONDENTS. Will Mr E. T- Wilson Jones kindly forward his address and the date of the letter to which he refers. R.W. — Your communication, owing to pressure upon our space, was crowded out this week. It shall appear next week.

THE NAVAL PERIL. Positive as&uri.inees have been given once more by momlSers of the Government thiat the British Navy was never m a stronger position than it is now, and that in sine and readiness our fleet Ls such that even the most apprehensive British taxpayers may sleep oomfoirtably in their beds. In spite of these assurances, the fact remains that for many years past Germans, from the Kaiser down- ward, have preached the gospel of sea supre- macy, and have openly avowed that it is the only means whereby the Teuton can hnd out- lets for hie surplus energy and new fields for h.is swiftly-growing population. Not marry years ago Germany was incapable of building even a crack Atlantic liner, and her chief orders were given to Great Britain, one of the last being a contract for the "Norman- Ilia." To-day Germany can produce colossal steamships which for speed a.nd luxury are rivalled only by the "Mauretania' and the "Lusitania," and she can rapidly turn out a super--Dreadnought, while her g-iig antic Krupp works compel the p.diniration of the whole lll. dustrial world. Only twenty years ago Ger- many was almost a. nonentity amongst mari- time nations; to-day she possesses the largest shipping concern in the world, considered as a sing'le company. Germany has an extensive sea-borne trade, amd for its protection she requires a sufficient and efficient Navy. Let that be granted, but to-day her fleet, is out of all proportion to the, raze of her mercantile marine, and the inoon- sidearab!e coast-!ine• she has to protcct. To enable her to carry out her purjKHse of Col- onial and home e-xpajision she mtud, have com- mand of the sea, or, at the very least, a Navy that be strong enough to enable heir to dictate terms to her most powerful rival—Great, Britain. It is misleading, mon- strous, and dangerous, at the beginning of year 1910 far amy responsible statesman to say deil.iberaf,e!y in public that, there is no danger to be feared from Germanv, because Gflrnuus themselves have so often told us tJie reverse, and their actions show that they are in earnest. The raison d'etre of the growing German Navy is to crush tlie mavaJ might of Britain. Our long and bloody wars with the Dutch two and a half centuries ago a,roe>e out of trade rivalry a.nd maritime jealousy—the two main factors in ur.ould big Gen nan public opinion t.o-doy—and the Dutchman tempor- arily triumphed because the Englishman had bofn fooled into j. sense of security bv the statesmen of the time. Lord Roberts and Lord Charl es Bares ford, speaking far the Army and Navy which they know so well, have declared that both are unready and un- fit for a great war, and the Duke of Welting- ki.ngton, speaking fro.m his own vast experi- ence of the. horrors of war, and of the prob- ability of an invasion, said, "Them indeed would commence a.n indescribably costly con- test; then would his Majesty's subjects dis. cover what are the miseries of war, of which, by the blessing of God, they have hitherto had no knowledge." Let it be rciuejabererl that the onishing of the British Navy would mean an invasion of England, a.nd that Lom- dorn would witness horrors unparallelled in war's history.

A .ViALIQNED CLASS. These islands of ours are a.t the head of the world in the excellence of their stock. Our best horses are sought the world over, OUT pure breeds of eattle are in every civilised oountry, and we have populated continents with our sheep. It is the same, too, with pigs. So it is amusing to read of a De- velopment Grant to improve our stock. The nation owes debt that cannot be estimated to the men) who have made Great Britai<n a.nd Irefland famous i.n this way, and these are the meT. that are being daily slandered ori every Radical platform. British farming is the best im the world to-day, a.nd that it is so is due to the large Landowaors It i.q to the landowner's interest, that his farms should be well kept, a.nd it is toO the tan<a%Ve in- terest that he should keep them weU. To do this be needs good labour a.nd a constant supply of it. Hence, there is a community of interests a if, on c/ the three—owner, tenant, workman. This do not and rennet obtain TO the case of land owned by the State as a corporate body. There is no personal touch; the feasant earn get nothing done withccut a lot of wd tape, and he is not encouraged. Beyond aJJ this, the landowners of this country have devoted time, money, and labour in profusion to improve our breeds of stock, and this has been so much the case that we have the best in the world. One man has sunk a fortune in raising a. stud of pedigree shire horses; another has made a splendid hobby of shorthorn cattle; another has developed a wonderful raoc of sheep; and so on. The world comes to huv, and those animals that remain, remain to" make our farmers' stock the best in the world. The importance of this lies in tlie fa-el that for years now the farmer has not bom a,ble to grow crops to sell. He grows thorn to produce meat. and dairy produce. But for the splendid help he has liad from the land- owners and the risk run when he made a hobby of pedigree stock the British farmer would have "gone under" long ago. Now our pedigree stock goes all over the worfd to improve the herds a.nd flocks from which the food of the people comes into England in mountains weekly. It was a Duke of Bedford who began the Smithfield Club a.nd Show. and it is well this should be remembered. With the Smith- field, a.s with the Roya.] Agricultural Society, the highest a.nd noblest in the land have been associated, a.nd all imbued with the desire of benefitting agriculture. Their efforts have immensely increased our outputs of meat. Cattle are now rarely fed up to more than thirty months old, and sheep are mutton now at twelve months old. The great breeders amd feeders have shown the way how to grow two pounds of meat, in the time one used to be produced. In a speech in 1800 at the Christmas Show the then Duke of Bedford, as president of the Smith-field Club, pointed out its objects, and what it must ''not" da. The "new" politicians might" read this. He said they must certainly not associate to raise prices; secondly, they must "pursue no measure which would have even the appearance of raising prices." He added, "The only true object of the farmer is to profit not by high prices, but by great products. The increase of quantity, not price, should be his aim. This we have m IIrUr power."

Hounds and Farmert. Speaking at the rent audit dinner of the Bodrhyddan Estate, last week, Mr W. Conwy Boll, the estate agent, said that he believed one ot the causes for tlie improvement in stock was the introduction of pedigree buUs into the dis- trict by the Flint and Denbigh Hunt. These bulls were leirt free of charge to the teaiAnt farmers over whose land the hounds hunted. The result was that yearlings in the dris- dietriot were to-day worth. from .£2 to .£3 more per head than before the pedigree hunt bulls were introduced. Mr Lewis, a large farmer in the Cwm district, endorsed tho agent's views, adding that he htal seen stock increase in value to the extent of £5 per head since the pedigree bulls were brought into the district. He envied the farmers over whose land the hounds ran, and wished that they would pay his district a visit, so tha.t he, too, could have the benefit of the pedigree stock. The hounds had undoubted- 1y helped the farmers.

ELECTION NOTES. Growing desperate at the great strides made by Tariff Reform in the rural districts the Radical Sosaalistic party are busily engaged in the resurrection of the old "eviction" fables. Letter after letter appears in the Radical press giving pathetic instances of the shocking hardships Walsh farmers and their families were alleged to have suffered a.t the hands of unprincipled landlords duritng and after the famous 1S68 election. They are published solely with the object of stirring up bitterness amongst the farmers and oountry residents generally, against the land- lords; otherwise there could be no object in publishing them, for there is»ccirtiu.nly not a word of truth in the allegations. At tihe Welsh La.nd Commission herculean attempts were made to bring home rases of eviction against certain landlords, but ail in vain. If it was i/mpossnble to prove anything said to have occurred in the days of "open" voting, is it not impossible that anything of the kind could take place to-day? < £

Our contemporary, the "Weekly News," published last week an article entitled "Frightening the Farmer," and it commenced with the following paragraph:—- "There are rural districts in Wales where the whole of the farms are owned by Con- servative landlords, and these landlords arc so bigo-ted that tenants dare not confess their Li be rail ism, lest they should be turned neck and crop out of the-ir holdings." should be glad if our contemporary would indicate who the bigoted landlords are. In these days of agriculture depression landlords a.nd tema.nts cannot afford to be anything but friendly. They stand or fail together. Why, therefore, try to prejudice the present issue by introducing absolutely incorrect statements. We wiilf proceed to show what reliance can be placed in these sensational fabrications.

Last week the annual rent aludit on the Bodrhyddan Estate Cvlr Rowley ConwYJ took place, a.nd during the evening Mr Lewis, in responding for agriculture, said tenants on the Bcdrhvdd'an Estate felt security in their farms, and could spend their money with every hope of return. Confidence in the landlords was the best security against foreign competitiom.

Another tenant (Mr Llew Uoyd) said: During the time he had farmed on the K'.dnhvddan Estate he had always received every encouragement, and that was the happy lot of the tenants on the estate." A third tenant said he was glad that they had a gentleman like Mr Conwy Bell as 1 agent, while under Mrs Rowley Conwy's rule the tenants fait free. -u.

W e have every reason to bdiieve that the te n a,nits on the Ccln, Krltnmel, Bod elwyddan, Good CoCh. Gwrych, Bodnant, Mostyn, and other local estates are in the same happy and comfortable position as the tenants on the Bodrhyddan Estate. Further comment on the action of our contemporary in publish- ing an article with sosch a heading as Fri gikteaum g the F-airmex'' is quite un- necessary.

Now they have disci.vered another mare's nest. 'They assort that a local election com- mittee "have beetn simply staggered by this evidence of the terrorism which stiil pre- vails in some of the oountry places," otc., etc. The evidence whioh worked our esteemed contemporary imto such a. state of excitement is an "urgent message" alleged to have been received from a rurail parish im the con- stituency—-the latter not indicated, by the way—to this effrot. "We implore yo.u no.t to send any canvassers or hold a public meeting here, because of the landlord." What toe "local election committee" did in their frightened condition we arc not uniformed, but one may bo enJigihteued later on.

With the exception of that at LLanfaiirtaJ- haJarn, whore a number of youths areatcd considerable disorder, the meetings adda'essed by Mj Sam Thompson in the rural d'^tr cts during the past few days have becm very wcll attended, enthusiastic, and impressed by the I force of the Unionist candidate's arguments. Even his opponents acknowledge that his criticism of the land rfauscs of the Budget is fair a.nd convincing. Mr Thompson's oonkn- I tion is that if Liberals complain that biriid- ing land in the vicinity of populous centres is dear at present the taxes of the Budget caoi- not possibly conduce to ma.ke it cheaper. At several meetings he has also effectively J emphasised the point that the small land owner will be taxed in common with the large property owner, and that the erection of buuidings must be retarded. His eleor stimpie Welfh and sound knowledge of the question^ before the electorate almost in- variably ensure for him an intelligent and orderly hearing, and where this has not been ic ca-se the interrupters have been of the juvenile class. —■

On Sunday Mr Thompson was the guest of Cologne)) Bonner at Brvn-y-Gvalia, Hanged- wyn. He Tcd work aguin on Monday, w en, in addition tc parcsanaj canvassing, he sipoke at L.an rh ai adr y n -Om-m erch (Co1 one! Wynne Edwards in the chair), and at Lian- Wynne Edwards in the chair), and at Lian- dyrnog. where the chair was occupicd by Colonel Mesham. N crt day he was can- vassing in the morning at Ruthin fair, wthdie in the evening he was speaking at Llanfair- DyfTryn-ClwVd, where he was assisted by Mr Rouw. Yesterday evening he delivered ad- drosses a.t Llandegla and Biyneglwvs. To day (Thursday) he and the Hon. Ormsby Gore, the popular Unionist candidate for the Denbigh boroughs, will be engaged a.t a joint I' demonstration at Ruthin, Colonel West pre- siding. The me citings originally arranged at Ge.Uifor and Rhewl, on Saturday next, have — -< £ > been postponed.

As will be seen from our advertising columns Mr Thompson has issued his address. Believing that the unassailable supremacy of the British Navy is the most vital matter foT the coin.sjideration of the country, he ap- propriately give first place to that question. The need for a powerful navy was never greater than now. "Other nations are straining every nerve to supersede us in the command of the sea — a matter in which we can- not afford to run any ri6b. An all- powerful British Navy is the best guarantee for the peaco of Europe and the world." There will be none to challenge the soundness and vital importance of that view. The o.ld age pensions scheme has tlie Unionist cand date's "heartiest approval," and "it might well be improved so as to secure the greater comfort and happiness of our aged poor." Here again Liberal as wdJ as Con- servative voters cannot but agree with Mr Thompson. Time and again the candidate has appealed on the public platform foi a better understanding between all relig: bodks, and he once more emphasises the fact that "it is full tune that all Christian people should unite to face the enemies A the Christian faith." Having said so much he proceeds: "1 am firmly convinced that this laudable object cannot be attained by the dusestaMishmeat and disendow merit of the old Welsh Church. I regard all the endowments givesn to the Mother Church and to the many Nonconformist bodies as being alike con- secrated to the service of God. I, therefore feel it is my bounden duty to strenuously oppose any attempt to divert to secular pur- poses the legal endowments of our religious bodice. I

Dealing with the question of education Mr Thompson strikes a more essentially personal note. "Having struggled very hard," he says, "in common with many other Welsh boys and girls, to obtain my education, I shall always extend my whole-hearted support to any scheme which wi-1'1 afford greater and better facilities for the youth of Wales to equip themselves for the battle of life. With regard to the fiscal scheme, which he has advocated so warmly and cleverly, the candidate says: "I am an advocate of suah a reform in our one-sided Free Trade system as will (1) Lighten the burden on the necessaries of life; (2) create greater security in the home market for our manufacturers, farmers, and all other producers, amd pro- vide fuller and better-paid employment for the tailing masses of our country, particular- ly those who are now suffering so severoly from the evils of unfair and ruinous foreign competition (3) give us more freedom in foreign markets; and (4) bring about closer commercial unity between all pa.rts of the British Eimpire. I advocate Tariff Reform as the only alternative to the present Bud- get. The present Budget imposes burdens on land, income, industry, and the luxuries and savings of the poor. It must increase house rents, diminish employment and wages, and generally add to the hardships and miseries of the poor."

A firm believer in small ownership in land, M-r Tlioimpswi desires to "increase the num- ber of small farmers, and enable all of them to become the owners of the land they culti- vate, and not tenants of the County Council, as is the case under the present all Hold- ings Act." As he explained a.t one of his meetings in the Conway VaJley a few days ago the candidate advocates a system of land banks which could advance loans to small holders at a low ra.te of interest so as to enable tihem to purchase their own farms. "While I believe in the-necessity for a Second Chamber," proceeds Mr Thompson with refer- ence to the power of the peers, "I am anxious to see the present House of Lords amended in such a manner as to make it more rc- presenifative." Altogether it is a model ad- dress, and copies will be circulated through- out the division in the course of a day or two. On.e of the moat effective posters circulated 0

by the Unionists in AVast Denoighsliire is entitled "Dyma'r dyn i ni" ("This is the man for us"). The centre is occupied by an oval-shaped, and almost life-size, pevtrait of Mr Thompson. Printed around it Yeatly are such phrases as "Mab y Wcrin" ("Son pf the People"), "Cyfaill y Gweithiwr" The Work- ingman's Friend"), and "Sa.m Thompson fin Byth," etc. There is no dearth of fostcs or election literature on either side, and during the next few days electors ma v ex- pect an abundance of reading matter free of cost. <J> —

It is report.d that one of the -hapei authori- ties at Croeseingan, a little hamlet near Tro- farth, refused the me of their premises for one of Sir Herbert, Roberts' meetings. Ap- plication was then made for the local Chureli Schoolroom, and the request was promptly granted by the managers—-a little example of broadmkidedncss and forbearance that might well be emulated by both parties. -4

The Radical plan to prevent London polling before the provinces has suceedcd. Satur- day is an inconvenient day for an election in most of the London boroughs, and it has been found necessary to postpone the polling ;11 about half of the Metropolitan divisions till the second possible day, Monday, the 17th in at. In the provinces it has been pro- visionally arranged by the returning officers to have forty-seven scats fought for on Saturday, the 15th. O-even I^ondon divisions will poll on the same day, only one of which —Norwood—is at present represented by a Unionist. In the provinces there are fifteen Unionists and thirty-two Radrical scats to be contested on the opening day. Lt is obvious, therefore, that the Radical wire- pullers are striving might and main to show a majority on the first day's polls. w::m they succeed? To equaJ their opponents Unionists have to win thirteen &:ats. This is not believed to be beyond their powers', and even if they do not quite achieve that re- suit it is believed that they will at any rate show some remarkable wins to giive a lead to the rest of the country. -<

GERMAN AND BRITISH WORKMEN. BUNKUM. He (the Tariff Re- form Advocate) can- not deny that,thanks to our "so-c-aUed Free Trade," Eng- land is the richest country in the world. He cannot deny that, thanks to our "so- oaJled Free Trade," we axe the foremast commercial nation in the world. He can- not deny that, under our system of "so- cailkd Free Trade," our aggregate an nual income is in- creasing by leaps and by bounds. He can- not deny that our workmen, thanks to "so callcd Free Trade," work shorter hours and under healthier conditioeis find for bettor pay than is the case in Germany, where thev enjoy the "bWesLn ga" of the most scientific system of Protection ever devised. From the "Weekly News." FACTS. A writer i.n the January issue of "The World's Work" says:- "Bread is dearer in Germany than in this country, hut fruit, vegetables, eggs, tea, and malny other articles not forgetting beer and toL,a,(,eo are all Cheaper. And there is this further point: the German working classes get most of their food in prime condition home- grown and fresh. No wonder the Birming- deputation declared that in Germany they saw 'no case of un- derfed children. and that the people were unmistakably better nourished' than those in Eng- land I 'The general physique of the people was diratin-ctty a grade higher than one sees at ho,ne,' is the verdiict of this de- putation of practical men. Six En glish workmen who visited Germany in 190G re- port-(se.c 'Life and Labour in Gexmtnv) —that 'the German workman is in a de- cidedly better posi- tion than the work- men in our country.' As a matter of fact, the average German workman of to-day, both in work and out of work, ie fbetter off than the average English workman."

PERSONAL. His Honour Judge Bryn Roberts arrived 8J Bangor on Tuesday night from South Wales.

The Earl of Dundynald is a-ddressing a meet- ing to-night at Rotherliam- -s

The Duke of Westminster has been at Nice. He is reported to have taken a villa at Cimiez. <o

Lord Penrhvn will addirese several moet- ings in South Carnarvonshire next w-eek on be- half of Mr Priestley's candidature. <-r>

The Hon. G H. Do-ta glue- P m-ria nt attended a. meet of the Quorn Hounds at Old Dalbv Hall on Monday. <s> 1

The Duchess cf Westryi-imster haa been staying with her sister, the Princess of Pless, at Fur- stenstc-in Castle, near BresJau.

The German Crown Prince will pay the Prince and Princess of Pless a visit at Furstenstein early this month, when there will be a lArjo shooting party. cJ>

Mr A. J. Walton, who has been manager of the Bettisfield Colliery, Bagi'llt, for five years, is leaving to take up an appointment in South Africa. — ■■

Mr Issard Davies has been unanimouslv elected chairman of th-a Carnarvon Harbour Trust in' succession to the Jate Mr Harry Cltegg, and Sir W. H. Preece has been elected vice-chairman. 1;

A good deal of sympathy has been expressed with Colonel Platt, C.B., who was unable to at- tend Mr Vincent's meeting at CarnarvoTi last week. as he was away in London attending the funeral of his brother's widow, Mrs John Piatt. 1 < £ >

MR CHAMSERLAIN'S PROPHECY. Mr Chamberlain, in a, letter to Colonel Pryce- Jone?, the Unioniiit candidate for the Montgo- mery Boroughs, rays :— « "Tariff R'SLorxn luas made grc-at progress, and I ii-n confident ihait lit will win at this election, and will shew thait the constituencies will no longer endure the paerent system, whion was £ ,niiilted to oorjirtionn of sixty years aGo., but which is not now adapted to our needs." -1>

MRS LLOYD GEORGE CHALLENGED. Mrs LJovd; George hoa been challenged by Mr A. B. Deane, t.he secretary of tba Licensed Vic- tuaileis' Piotcction Society, oonCCtinhJg a the wajs re^iortod by the "Standard" to have made, to the effect that "m Ix?n'don free drinks will be given to induce customers to figiiut ag'iinot the Budget." Mr Deane requested Mrs LIe. d George to give the names and addresses of the public houees to which she referred, and in reply sho stated that the statement pubei.ihc-d did not correejliy set out whait g'1( said. No reply wes received to a aateequent leotor, in w,hsich Mr D-curo askod Mrs Lloyd George ■what tilic had itated, and a furcher lottor wan a bo unar.i-wcred. Mr De-me wrote agajJl on Monday, tiher. eifore, and pointed out, that a re- port in the "North Wales Choriaclo" corrobora- too that of the "Standard."

IF THE RIGHT SIDE WINS. FOUR MORE FACTORIES FOR THE MIDLANDS A concrete example of the way in which Tarifi Rürcnn will benefit the British workmen ccimes from Coventry. Mr F. W. Price, of Mes :r> Eail and Price, a well-known firm of auctioneers and es.tate cgemts, has been approached by ijon cion agents who have been comimissicned tc secure for foreign manufacturers two factories ;n Coventry, each capable of aocommodatimg' 60C workmen. The leasing of the factories, Mr Price iis forrned, is conftingeiiit Cill the return to Pariia meint of the Tariff Reform parti, It was de finitely and ernphatacally staited by the a.gxmt- reipTefentaiive, by whcin he was interviewed that the factories will not be required if the present Government is re-clepted. The edition to lease- factories remains open until the* end < f Janua-i-y. If a Unionist Govern merit is returned to power it is possible thtat the manufacture of goods hitherto imported from abroa-d will be begun in the factories concerned by the end ill Ma.roh. The agents' rcpreremta- tsve also in;formoo Mr Price that after leaviiig Coventry he intended bo visit Birmingham ni order to secure two feetoiies 011 similar terms. $;

MR LLOYD GEORGE AND UNEMPLOYMENT. Mr J. P. Holland, Ekihain-road. Kensington, writing to t,he Editor of the "DaUj Express." says :—I had thought the limit of absurdity had bee-n reached by Mr John Burns at Battersea wihen he described the £ 14,000,000 we pay Gar- many for goods as so much "profit" to thh- country. But it seems I was mistaken- Mi Lloyd George has gone one hotter. His statement that there were thirty work- ment unemnloyed in the cr'ty of New Ycrk as compared witih ecven in England is one tha.t even a fanatical Free Trader can hardily be ex- pected to swallow. I have lived in the United States for a quar- ter cJ a century. I have seen some of the worst financial panics and periods of depreseion. I was in Chicago atftcr the World's Fair, when hundiedli of unen plot ed had been left, stranded in the big weoiern clitv. As a journalist I have teen actively en'jaig'ed in gathering nows of big rlrikes at the Chriago stock yards and the great rolliirig mills cf Piii'.L.burg. But during the whole twenty-five years o' active jouini.-iintn in the United States I failed to see such epcotacles of unemployed as I have witnoxod during the four years in Loudon. If Dtatisfccn, however, gathered, say otherwi.-e. then I have no besitotion in saying tha.t statis- tics lie. The only ocuntry in the world where unem- ployment is a profco i'ori is thas count-it., of ours, beggared by half a century of Free Trade. -0--

FOOD WILL NOT BE TAXED. PRICES WILL NOT BE RAISED. BUT MAY BE LOWERED. Leaflet (No. 49), issued by the Budget League, makes the following statement: — "Tariff Reform means the ta.xat-wra of food. Its. great author, Mr Chamberlain, has said so." This statement is untrue. What Mr Cham- berlain said was that if we are to adopt pre- ference it will be necessary to rearrange the existing duties on imported foodstuffs. At the present time we raise more tihan ten mil- lions sterling every year by means of import duties on articles of food not produced in any of the soli'-goveming Colonies, and with re- spect to which, therefore, preferential duties would be of no value. Mr Chamberlain pro- posed, therefore, tha.t we should replace these duties by others upon corn, etc.,—which are produced in the self-governing States—-in order that by preferential rates of duty the development of the Empire might be advan- tageously stimulated. There is not the smallest po^ei^e prosp-ect that as a result of the rearrangement of these food duties the taxation of food consnmc-d by the working-classes will bl} increased; it is more then probable that in coinsecjuence of the development of cheaper oupplie-s within the Empire the price of nccessarics will be lowered instead of raised and the jiolicy of remissions of food duties, which was part of Mr Chamberlain's original scheme, and which in principle has been twice publicly endorsed and approved bv Mr Balfour, will result in appreciable reduction in the coot of re- venue. ,1;-

DUMPED INTO ENGLAND. The fol'owin.g manufactured gxwfo were dumped into London in one day, December 30th. Their total value is:- JS6 7,6 7 7. These goods all came from foreign countries, • nothing from the Colonies being included in tlie total. Goods- £ Air Zuns 197 Anparei 740 Guns, etc 49 Dress ewords 27 Baskets 201 B'la-eiking 38 Boots and slices 378 Brushes 463 Buttons 195 Rubber manufac- tures 535 Carpets 156 Carriages, etc 624 China, etc 604 Vii-ocks and parts. 71 Watches 595 Rope and twine 424 Cotton manufac- tures 7569 Outtery 37 ,c Electrical goods. 1161 Embroidery 3506 Fancy goods 290 Gas mantles. 172 Glass bottles 551 Glass manufac- tures 1965 Glovea 4274 Ghie 660 Hardware 554 Hats 116 Hosiery 3392 Goods- £ Implements, etc. 34 Scientiifc intru- merit's 1530 I 461) Lamps 392 Linen rnanufac. tures 2640 Machinery 3179 j Matches 1386 I Metal manuIac- t u res 3636 t Motor cars and parts 4727 ;Motor dh&nsds 2350 Motor cycle parts 186 Picture frames 76 Musical instru- ments 1010 Silk manufac- tures 3778 Skin and fur manufactures 298 Sopp 101 Stationery 1817 Toys 844 t7 m b as 119 Furniture 139 Wocd manufac- tures 749 Woollen manu. 8763 TOTAL FOR ONE DAY, 267,677. Among the manufactured goods dumped from Gexmnany were £5883 worth of woollen manufac- tures, L4078 worth of gloves, amd 2324.3 worth of hosiery. Free Trade givep this benefit, to lJe foreign workman. Tariff Reform would give thia work to the British workman .1 "1

COLWYN BAY NEW YEAR'S DAY EISTEDDFOD. REVIVAL OF OLD WELSH COMPETI- TIONS. PENMAENMAWR MALE CHOIR COM- PLIMENTED. ENGLISH BANDSMEN VICTORIOUS. The annual Eisteddfod promo-ted by the Congregationalists of Old Colwyn was heild in the Pier Pavilion, Colwyn Bay, on New Year's Day. In some respects the proceed- ings were not altogether so success!'uil as cm previous occasions; for instance, the attend- ance did not appeal' to be up to the average, particularly a.t the afternoon session, and the competition in some of the events was neither so keen nor of the standard hitherto attained. There were no competitors for the guinea offered for the contralto solo; itn the soprano contest the singing was only moderate; in the solo tenor event it was fair; in the tchor and boss duet no bett.er, while in the juv-ende choir competition only one party—which was, however, an excellent one—appeared. Other- wise, however, the two meetings reached a high level of excellence. In the afternoon Sir J. Herbert Roberts, M.P., Lady Roberts, and party, as well as Mr Wiildiam Jones, M.P., were in attendance, and as they entered the assembly cheered heartily, speeches being called from both the Parliameintary representatives. The chief item was the brass band contest on William Rammer's "Old Favourites" for first and second prizes of .£1 and £5 respectively. Three bands, Tort Sunlight, Penmaenmawr, and Old Colwyn, came under the adjudication of Mr H. Muddiman, and much interest centred in their work. Earlier in the after- noon they had competed in a march con- tost Oil the Pier Head. The adjudicator characterised theilT playing as "very good for bands of this class," but remarked that in all three cases the tuning had been at fault. It did not need Mr Muddima.n to tell the a-udience that the Englishmen were the best in both events; their victory appeared to be something of a foregone conclusion, and in- deed they rendered an excellent account of themselves. Penmaenmawr were awarded second place for the march, but they wore obliged to give way to Old Colwyn for the second prize in the selection contest — a decision that called forth a certain amount of opposition from the rear of the house. A feature of the afternoon programme was the delightful interpretation given by the Rhyl cJiildren, under Mr Wadsworth, of "Poor Alaw's" charming little chorus, "Awn i uhwareu yn vr cira" ("In the snow now let us gather"). Mr Glvndwr Richards, the well-known South Waiian, who adjudicated, was unstinted in his praise of their singing, remarking that, much though he regretted the absence of competing choirs, it would have been most difficult to give a better per- formance, their work being well worth twice the offered as a prize, a sentiment that cheercd to the ccho. There were two parties of over 10 in num- ber for the glee competition on Isalaw's "Y Soron Unig," that led by Mr T. Roberts, of Penmaenmawr, being declared easy victors over the Arvo-nic Glee Party. The latter went out of tune in the fourth bar, and they never quite recovered afterwards. Mr Glyn- dwr Richards said that while giving the prize to the other party he felt they could have dome much better with I so law's com- position. The Executive Committee had, courageous- ly, perhaps, introduced two items into their subject list—the harp and penilliooi singing competitions—which, if not new, were so re- freshing in their revival, and so popular with the audience that other Eisteddfod promoters rhould bear in mind. There were few things so thoroughly enjoyable at cither meeting as the peniliion singing of the five competitors in the evening, and nothing was so vociferous- ly cheorcd as the work of the two wee children from Birkenhead, who, though they were de- barred from the contest because they did not use the specified air ("Serch Hudol"), sang with a precision and artistry that were posi- tively surprising in such young performers. The successful competitors, the brothers Francis, of Nantlle, proved (if indeed it were necessary) what an excellent source of enter- tainment good peniliion singing 1A. This fact was, of course, abundantly emphasised by the renderings of the master-artiste, "Eos who, happily enough, was the "specialist" and adjudicator in this department for the day. The veteran "Eos" has lost nothing in voice or phrasing since he has developed "silvery streaks" tfi hair and beard, and he wa.s on Saturday, as he was at the National Gorsedd ccnccrt a few months ago, easily the most applauded man throughout the day. His efforts were splendidly seconded by the harp accompaniment of "Ap Eos y Berth," who also played a few solos with excellent skill and feeling. Of the competitive events in the evening, the male voice choir contest on Saint is' "Ramparts" chorus, produced the best sing- ing, if not the keenest struggle. Two of the four choirs which had entered did not stage, and the fight lay between Ffvnnon- groew and Pemmaenm-awr. The latter," under the skilled eonductoriship of Mr Christmas Jotnes, fang most crcditably and won by a corn dcira.b'le margin of points. From the detailed adjudication given befow it will bo seen that Mr Glyndwr Richards, one of the first authorities in the country on mal voice choir work, paid the partv a glowing tribute THE OFFICIALS. The adjudicators were: Mr T. Glyndwr Richards, vocal; Mr H. Muddiiman, instru- mental; "Llew Tegid" (who also conducted in his inimitable manner), recitation "Eos Dar" and Ap Eos y Berth," harp and pemiillion smgmg. Mr Bryan Warhurst, A.R.C.M.. L.R.A.M., accompanied throughout.and on two occasions Mr Glyndwr Richards went out of his way to compliment him upon his masterly work at the pianoforte. THE AFTERNOON MEETING. The Mayor of Conway (Mr John Williams, J.P.) presided over the afternoon meeting, and in the course of a commendably brief address he said he regretted there wa.s some cause to fear that the rising generation were devoting more attention to sports than to the mte ee-ctual and moral advancement associated with such institutions as the Eis- teddfod. The detailed results were :—- Juv anile choir competition on "Awn i ohwareu yn yr eira" ("Pcd-r Alaw"), prize £ o\ Rhvl Juvenile Choir (Mr Wadsworth conductor). No other choir competed. Harp solo competition ("Meroh Mrgan"); Freda Holland, Birkhenhend, Glee party (not under 16 in number), "Y Scren Unig," prize .£2 2s: Mr T. Roberts, 1 enmaenmawr, and party. Soprano solo. "Olwen" (Bryceson Tre- uearne): Mrs J. Kerry, Llanrwst. Four competitors. Brass band, "Old Favourites" (W. Rim- me-r): 1 (£12\, Port Sunlight Silver Band (led by Mr Miller, of Liverpool, formerly conductor of the Royal Oakley Band); 2 (£5), Old Cohyn Silver Band (led by Mr Hezekiah Jones). In awarding the prizes, Mr Muddiman said that for bands of that class the competition had he a very good one. In no case had the tuning been perfect, either in that or the march contest. In the march competition he gave first place to the first band that payed (Port Sunlight) and second to the wr? £ 11 at Pla.ved (Penmaenmawr). With regard to the selection the first prize went to the second band that appeared (Port Sun lightly-(cheers-- and the second to the first band that played (indications of dis- approval). SPEECHES BY SIR .T, HERBERT ROBERTS M.P., AND MR WM- JONES. M P During tho interval there were oalJs for flom Sir J. Herbert Roberts and Mr Wrn. Jones. Sir Herbert said there was no mention on the programme of a, speech by him and he had not anticipated making' one. However, it was a very real pleasure to have an opportunity to attttend an Eisteddfod at Colwyn which was by thifi time a well known uno (hear, hear). Throughout his public life he had been a sup- porter of the Eisteddfod1; he believed thoroughly in it an institution (cheers). He did not in any spirit of boastfulness want to talk of his own country, but he had a right to be proud of tho fact, that there wes such a thing as the Eisteddlfod in the hktory of Wales, and that it occupied eo important a place in their life as a nation (applause). It was an interesting- fact to met? that the County of Denbigh be ei,finally honoured as to havo the National Eis- tcddifcd within its boundaries on the two sucees- etive occasions it could be held in North W al Llangollen during the year before Ias.v and a.t O&ltvyn Bay this jear (applause). He hoped they were that day preparing to welcome the "national" next JuJy (bear, hear). The Eistedd- fod had two very important parts to play in their national history and development One was to keep alive their grand old language (cheers); and he thought' it would be a if the rising generation failed i.n any degree to foster the use of their mother tongue a.nd help to enrich its tavnasune house of literature appiause). Its second great aim was to develop their musical taiento. Thanks to their natural talexut Wetih had attained a fairly high position in regard to singing', but they had not yet reached the top of the hddl—(hear, hear)—and one way in which they cou.ldi do much to gain that position was by giving greater attention to instrumental music (hear, hear). He .was very pleaded to see that much importance was at- tached to instrumental work at the Eisteddfod (hear, hear). When they carat their eyes over the sea towards Germany let them not look for signs of war—(hear, h.e-dr)-wha.t was notably worth observing in that Land was the large share which instrumental miwde had in. the home- life of its pooqjle. Hundreds and thousands of German families spent everumgs,—-farther, mother, and children—playing various musical instruments (hear, hear)- That- at any rate, was a good thing- in which they could follow the ex- amples of Germany (laughter and hear, hear). One of tho chief factors in the influence of the Bit-iiedd'fod to-dtily was its txnver to unite the people. On its platform t-foy forgot aJI a.bout creed, sect and party—(oheers)—in their one aim at hdigher_ and noble.r ideals, a.nd! 'he ventured to prophesy that whatever ohainige took place in respect to education or anything else the Eis- teddfod would remain an important factor in the life of "Oyrniru fydd-" From the bottom of my ■heart and in the warmest manner possible, said Si.r Herbert in conclusion, I wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year uoud applause). "Llew Tog-id'' remarked that at one t-im« the harp occupied its place on every Welsh hertn aind ho hoped there was a. day coming when they would revert to their old1 :oye in that res- peclt. At "How's" request the audience jrave S.ir Herbert, Lady Roberta, and their two little sons, who accompanied Sir Herbert on the platform dircie hearty cheers. "Llmv Teigid" added that with regard to the National Eisteddfod at Oohw-n Bay this year marked the centenary of the birth of "Twm o'r Nant," and as the Eitted-difod was to be held in the county which gave birth to the old celebrity it was earnestly to be hoped tha,t some stops would be taken to mark the event in a fitting manner (hear, hear). Mr WTO. Jones, M.P., who was unable to ful- fil his promise to preside in the evening, also de- livered an intere-sting little speech in the course of which he dwelt upon the richness of the Wetah vocabulary. THE CLOSING "MEETING PENMAENMAWR MALE CHOIR COM- PLIMENTED. Thø awards in the evening were :— I Baritone solo, "The Good Shepherd" (T. 0 borne Roberts-) Frank Nicholson, Gweepyr. Five competitors. Duets "Y Ddau Arwr" (Wm. Davies): F. Nicholson and friend. Recitation, "Y ddau ddarn ohwech" (Alafon): J. D. Owen, Pisgah. Penilllion singing1, with harp accomjuaniment, air, "Serch Hudol," after the North Wales style: G. W. and O. Francos, Namtlle. A special prize was awarded by the committee at the sug- t on of Eos Dar, to Freda and1 ,-Ceridwen 1 ioiland, of Birenihead. Tenor eolo, "Morfydd" (Wni. Davies): David Jones, Old Colwyn- Three com,netitors MALE VOICE CHOIRS. The male voioe choir competition was the last item on tho programme. The two choirs in compelttion were the Ffynongroew and' Pen- maenmawr parties, which appeared in this order on the platform. Mr Glyndwr Richards gave a long, detailed ad judication, iry the course of wlu-ch 110 said the competition been a. good one though tliore were only two choirs- With to tho first ohür that had appeared (Ffynongroew), the first tenors were faarlji gcofl in voice but they were not in urikon. Sc-mo of the second tenors wou ld have rendered tlhoa'r ccllaagues a. service bv not ranging' a.t all in the loud passages —^laughter)—one or two being very, very thick. The first and second basses were gir.od, but thev did not unite. The balancing d the various parts war, fairly well don.e and co was the blend with t'he exceptions mentioned- Tho reading WlaS very commendable; the 104 movement w<!s a shade fast. The intension was good. Referriiug to the ex prascioUi, he said the choir shonid have produced a braver, more martial effect: the'y did not altogether understand the rctardando mark. The recitat-ivo was fairly well managed and en wa, t.he reply. The buimmiriy should hnve been done with clcfiing the teoih together. The serenade was oold and teo leud. The last march was fairly suing. Speaking' of the second (Penmaenmawr) choir, Mr Richards sa,id' t'he first tenors here again were very good, but the seoend tenors were not so good. He urged the conductors not to act as though "am rhimg would do in the middle parts-" E,,?.r()re true harmony could be secured all four parts must be good (hear, hear). Both bass parts were well the voioee being excellent. The balance was good a.nd so was tho reading. The tempos were a little fast, particularly in the 104 movement- The in/tonatioii was good The bags commenced in a braved spirit than thoee of the first choir, but they were too ta.borious lbe echo was "simply beautiful," and the choir understood exactly whet retardnado" meant (cheers). The recitative and reply were good- In the forte passage the time was a shade to fast. The march wias bra veil v rendered and tlie piano isaseages "very piettaly indeed." Notes were abruptly ctu/t too often. The humming piansage was "sweet, and simply beautiful. Th-e men understood their work. and I was much umpre-tsed bt. them wliilo they were serenading me there (laughter and hear, hear). I have written down he-re in my notes. is hard to be beaten (cheers). You mart really have exceedingly good singing to beat this choir in the rerenading passage. I compliment- the second tenors for their work a,t this point. They were wise enough to tone downt much in the serenading so that I lost of that quality that belonged to them, and they made this beau- tiful duct possible- The rnaiT.h again, except for the feeond tenors in the uppe-r notes had been well rendered. I have no doubt. as to which is the best choir, said the adjudicator in conclusion^ rot- a3 to which gave tho best rendering and tha.t. was number 2 (loud applause). The proceeding's closed with the Welsh National Anthem. Mr F. Nicholson, of Gwes- pyr, taking the eolo.

NEW FORM OF OATJ, KISSING THE BOOK DONE AWAY WITH. On Saturday the new form of oath for courts of carne into operation, and the "de- light" of kissing the thumb in preference to a dilapidated and often dirty Testament comes to an end. In all police-courts the following oath will be tajv'cn — I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. For assizes and quarter sessions the form of oath will be as under:— I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give to the court aaicl jury sworn be- tween our Sovereign Lord the Xing and prisoner the ba.r shall be the truith, the whole truth, and nothing but tihe truth-

CONVERTT^^ARil^~REFdRM. RADICAL MANUPACTUR-ER'S BELIEF. Mr G- M. Royle. for 34 years adirector of Maws Thotmap Adtoms and Co., face .manufac- turers and merchants, of Ncbam, re- signed his meiriberahip of the Liberal Club., be- cause, he sayB, "I am now Tariff Rcformer."

MUSICAL NOTES. By Peter Edwards, Mus. Bac. (Pedr A law COLWYN BAY NEW .YEAR'S DAY EISTEDDFOD. I was present at t!ho afternoon meeting of this Eist.edd£c,d. and regretted to 000 such a poor attendance; but what it lacked1 in numbers it made up for in good suggestions- I allude to one or two remarks which fell from the I ins of Sir Herbert Roberts, M.P., and Mr Wilhamt Jones. M.P. in reference to Welsh music. Tho former impressed unOr1 his hearers the importance and absolute necessity of studyng and practising instrumental music more than is done in Wa.ioC3-rhoe land of song. The Germans as he pointed out, are much in advance of us in this respect. They play various instruments in the home, so that uistrume.ntal music becomes part and parcel of their daily life, and the world's best music adds to the measu.re of their joy from youth to old age. We, on the other hand, practise vocal music to such an extent that we overlook, and even ignore, the richer stores of instrumental music. (al- though Sir Herbert did not say so) it is implied- and rightly so—-that we arc musicians only to a certain degree: a. very small one, I A fact should be mentioned in connection with the Germans which helps their mus.cal progress, namely, the encouragement, they give to opera. In Wales a verv numiber of people believe that to patronise theatrical representations means ultimate consignment to a certain place; where foreigners believe the theatre is an educational force, and that the grand opera supplies them with the world's finest both voc-al and instrumental. Until we have grand opera, how- ever. it would he wise to encourage the study and practice of the various orchestral instru- ments. Eisteddfod committees should see that prizes a.re offered for playing solos uipon, say, the flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, 'ce-llo^ cornet, French horn, trombone, euphonium, saxophone There are plenty of instru- mental duetts, trios, quartettes, etc., that can be played for money or other prizes. Of oou.rse, t.here is the danger of a failing off in competitors in instrumental as compared with vocaj pieces, but such danger must be faced, and the sooner the better. It will not last long- Once our music-lovuiig people are impressed with the beauty of instrumental music it will become the rage. Mr William Jones mentioned that—thanks to our ancestors' love a.nd practice of music-we often thought musically. The word "herwydd" 60 often used by us in da-iy life is derived from "erwy-dd"—the five lines used in mcdern music, designated the "stave" in English. Mr Jones and L!ew Tegid pointed out that our ancestors found pleasure in the llcrformanoe of vocal and instrumental music in the home, around the fireside. It is not so nowadays, when in most cases the pianoforte only is played in the par- lour. The Eisteddfod should be a gathering place for all musicians, and should encourage the all-round study of music and other arts. Know- ledge is advancing, and the Eisteddfod must adla.pt itself to the needs of the times,, so that it may be continued to be looked upon to as of o]d. OPERA AT LLANDRILLO YN-RHOS. The Vicar kindi'y invited me to witness the performance of a Dutch operetta in tihe Churdh Room to-day (Thursday) or to-morrow. I am net sure at the moment of writing whether .iit will be poslSibe to attend, but, in any cate, the Vicar and those who help him to produce tlie juvenile work have my heartiest good wishes for the success of the undertaking, a.nd it is to bo hoped the performances will be well attended. I am sure it will give great pleas lire to the village children to act in the piece, and doubtlesa they will give much innocent enjoyment to chil. d'ren and others who witness the performances. it MADAM HUGHES THOMAS' CHOIR. Tho Ladies' Choir has just returned from a tour in Canada, wheN" thy have ziH-n over one •hundred concerts. Madam Thomas speaks well of the reception given her choir, and of the musical abilities of the Canadians. Dr, Bridge and Dr. Mackenzie tclld us long since that musicail knowledge was developing fast and on broad lines in the Dominion. « ISALAW'S "SEREN UNIG." The singing of this pretty glee at Colwyn Bay Eisteddfod was rather poor—much too poor for a good twentieth century Eisteddfod. Even the winning party, although producing good tone, etc., lacked finish. In the contralto solo conn- petition not one came forward, and even in the sopTano competition the singing lacked distinc- tion. The treatment of the song "Oliwen" was not delicate and dainty enough, and it certainly would have h-ei'ped the competitors if they had learnt t'h so by heart, 60 M to try. thus un- fettered. to enter more into the ppirit of their work. The Rhyl Juvenile Choir sang the chorus "In the Snow" very well indeed- As the adjudicator said, however, they lingered too long over the various "endings," thus to a certain extent marring the unity of the piece. I venture to hope this dhoir will enter for the National Eis- teddfod 1910. In that case it must be consider- ably stren:ct1:Jenod in altos, and the other puts can be added to proportionately. The last movement mig-ht. I consider, be taken a.t a quicker pace, wrtJi advantage- Seldom have I heard a better tone tha.n was produced by thia choir both at. Rhvl and Colwvn Bay. A wc.rd a.bo.ut brass band contest at Col- wyn Bay. The Weiih bamde played woD—re- markably so for working men—but they wouki have done still better had they been less ag- grressive. The cornets in some instances were not free from harshness, and especially so the trombones- The Port Sunlight Ba.nd gave a cleaner, better toned, more finished performance than ita riva.1 RHYL EISTEDDFOD ADJUDICATIONS. (Continued). Quartette Competition.—"HarmeJ's" Party; piece, "Music all powerful" (Walmisley): Good voCocs.. :1oIto especially 60. Well ba,lanced a good broad style of singing. Words perfectly- clear, and xl taste shown throughout. The alto is a.n exceltlcin.t artiste. Bass not quite in tune on last page, first three bars. A musicianly rendering. "Four Friends:" Good voices, but lacking somewhat, in blend and it was a serious to have the part-song accompanied. Base rather timid on the C flat in his little solo. This was a clear and compact rendering. Prize went to No 1 party. JUVENILE CHorn COMPETITION, "In the Snow." Choir No. 1: Early in the opening movement some raw voices were detected. This affected the purity of tone- The intonation was unsatis- factory up to the pause, bar 31, page 3. staff notation. It was only at the middle" of page 4 and up to page 6 that this choir gave us a taste of what it could do. Here the singing Wail better; the tone and blend far more satisfactory. Indeed, the same may be said of thi-3 choir's work from here to the end. Clearly the vouing singers went astray in the earlier part of the piece through over-anxiety. A most nraise- worthy effort. Choir No. 2: Better tone displayed; voices on the whole more mellow- Good blend al-o good balance, save that tho altos were not full enough on lowest n-otes. Intonation at bar 31 a shade flat, otherwise it was good throughout. At bar 36 a rala. introduced, but not really necc.<;6a.ry, At bars 65-76 the pace too fast. In the last movement, at bars 99-100, the voices were not well together, otherwise it was most agreeable in aU rcspects- This choir was kept welll in hand throughout. It kept a good doai of its power in reserve—to the advantage of good pitch, etc. A very nice, pleasing rendering. Prize. BASS SLO. "Wilfred" possesses a good voice, but tempo too slow, and not sufficiently rhythmical in feel- mg. The lcrig note a shade flat sometimes. Words clear. Loud verse rather too ow: more spirit wanted- There was much tenderness in this rendering, but it was too long-drawn-out, and the singer's intonation was uncertain. Llew: A good voice, but much too veiled in production, th us the vowels were ijecu-iiar. Better tempo. The loud voire was rather harsh and toneless. He had a good idea cf the inter. pretation. His principal "fault was production- Far.man: A fine voice, but rather too veiled in the soft passages, still a tender, sympathetic voice. Tempo too slow. Voice very resonant in the loud verse- The fpirit appropriately defiant and bold at the close. On the whoea good rendering. Prize. MALE CHOIRS: Pieces, (a) "Y Milwr Rhufeintg:" (b) "The Village Blacksmith." No. 1 Ffvnnongroew Choir: (a) A fine tone and good balance. A feeling of martial pride in tho singers. At bar 52 the ITirst basses were slightly sharp, and the andante ,j1.S somewhat uncertain as to intonation. A mo; impressive and inspir- ing rendering on the nolo- (b) Impressive entry harmonies very r; ,1 and rich. but at bars 21-24 they were not qitc so effective. The second bass we.ro espce'! good in this choir. Tenor solo tastefully Last page; the first line should be alU forte tending good except the last chord, which was (lightly out of tune Total marks 140 (maximum 160). No. 2 Ruthin Choir: (a) Good voices, but bal- ance not quite perfect, the inner bars not being full enough. Thero was too mild and timid a feeling about this rendering- It struck one as being the song of Pilgrims rather than warrior*. Nevertlhteiess, the intonation and harmonies were remarkably true, and the ren- dering exceedingly musicail. (b) Th.3 harmonies sounded somewhat thin in this piece they lacked the fulness of those of the other choir. Pianissimo effects excellent, especially at bars 34-36. The humming was distinctly gocd. The choir's best work was in the tender portions. There was. a lack of boldness in the loudeT parts. Total marks 136. An excellent and keen competition- Prize to choir No. 1. TENOR SOLO: "Like stars above." 1. Sims: A very pretty voice, but ten notee rather too open- Words remarkably olear. Tender feeling; but the treatment lacked some- what in variety. 2. T M.i A good, sympathetic voice. He should be careful of his words.. He inti-oduced the "h" int.) tho word love. making it "I-hove;" aJso into "make"—im-hake, etc. There was more variety in this rendering. Top note at the end not. comfortably. Very pleasing ex- pression. 3 Harold: An agreeable voice. Fault V words again here, e.g., "ruggied" for "rugg<d, for "shine." A little too much strail apparent in' this rendering, a.nd lacking in gracefulness. Intonation not ctuite safe, but tt. singer had warnnth.- Prize to No. 2. I (To be continued next week).

Lord Kenyon, with Mr Oakley, Captain Parker Leighton, and Mr Reginald Corbet, shot over the Grediington estate on Friday. In tlie evening Lard Kenyon gave a ffunoy dress ball at Gred- ington. On Saturday his lordship attended the meet of Sir W. W. Wynn's Hounds at Broug- bail.

H ~—; ^———— Th« High Sheriff of Denbighshire (Mr Alfred Ashworth, Horsley Hall, Gresforil) leaves th-is week, together with Mr and Mrs P. H. Ash- worth, for Cannes, where his medical advisers have recommended him to stay for several months- The ex-High Sheriff (Mr G. H. F. Ro- bertson) wild act as returning officer at t'he Par- liamentary elections-

Mr Eldon Bankes, K.C., giving evidence be- fore the Joint Select Committee on the High ^Court of JtMtioe (King's Bench Division), whose minutes of evidence have been issued as a Blue Book, deah in some detail with the work in Lon- don, expressing the strong opinion that an m- crease in the number of judges was necessary to dispose of arreartf, and. to create. a satisfactory system which should possess some reserve of judicial atreagtl*. r-

THE ARVON ELECTION. MR ARTHUR HUGHES' ENGAGEMENTS. Mr Arthur E. Hughes, the Unionist candidate for Arvon, A-ill address p-ablic meetings in the constituency as follows: — Thursday, January &th, at Llan,faij-fechan. Frjdlajy, January 7th, l enrhynsitie. Saturday, January 8th. Penmaenmawr at 3, and Bei'shesda at 8 o'clock. Tuesday, January 11th, LJandinorwic- Wednicsdiay, January 12th, workmen's meet- inigtj at 01.1 Colwyn and Llysfaen. from 12 to 1 o'clock. In the evening public meeting at Old Oolw)j Tl, Thursday, January 13th, Trofriw. Friday, January 14-th, Bettwsyceod. Saturday, January 15th. Llaisbe-ris. Wednesday, January 19th, Llandudno Junction Frkllay, January 21st, Uartdtudno. Saturday, January 22nd, Tregarth. Other engagements are pending.

MR WILLIAM JONES' ENGAGEMENTS. V Mr William Jones, the Liberal candadiate for the Arfon Division, is announced to address meetings as follows:— 10th irifit., DcnWgihaihJre. 11th, Llanrwst- 12th, (Jape! Ourig and Eettwsycccd. 13uh, Dolwyddelen- 14th, Ncvin and Pwllheli. 15th, Llanhcris. 17th, Llartbens Distriot 18th and 19th, Conway District.

I WELSH POLLING DAYS. I Denbigh Boroughs Wednesday, Jan. l&th. Flint Boroughs Wednesday, Jan. 19th. Weat1 Denbighshire Friday, Jan. 21 it. Fllinft (County) Sait u rday, Jan. 22nd. Merioneiholiire Saturday, Jan. 22nd. Carnarvon Boroughs Saturday, Jan. 22nd. Garnarvonsh'ire (Arvcn,) Tuesday, Jan. 25th. Carnarvonshire (Euhon) Thursday, Jon. 27th.

THE WELSH CHURCH. TRENCHANT MESSAGE FROM THE OF ST. ASAPH. To the Churchmen of the Diocese of St. Asaph, the Bishop h'as addressed the follow- ing letter — I fed it to be my duty to by before you in no light or common language certain thoughts upon the position of the Church in Wales at this time, lest, lulled into a. falSIe sense of security by so many postponements of the measure for disestablishing and dis- endowing the Church, you fail to appreciate cither the importance of the crisis or the grave nature of the responsibility laid upon you. The. declaration of the Prime Minister on December 10th has made the danger abund- antly clear. Tlie whole situation has beem so altered by recent events that if the present Government are returned to power it is cer- tain, humanly speaking, that the Prime Minister's words will lie carried into effect. The- attention of all is particularly directed to this fad. The measure, unless it be more favourable than the two BilLs previously introduced bv the Prime Minister (which is not to be ex- pected), have the following effort: (1) It will violently rend asunder Church and State, which for so many centuries have grown together. (2) It will separate the Church in W'a,les from the -Church of England and destroy their present organic unity by putting a.n end to the representation of Wales i.n the Con- vocation of Canterbury. (3) It. will take from the Chuch in Wales property amounting to nearly a quarter of a million a year (£244,680), This sum, the fruit of the piety of our forefathers, which falls short, large as it is, of the working needs of the Church in our day, the Bill will divert to purely secular and non-religious objects, leaving to the Chuirch only £19,882 a year. The injustice no less than the far- reaching consequences of such a precedent cannot be overlooked by the most careless. An act of spoliation so gigantic must crippflc for generations to come ou.r Mother Ohurcij, the bulwark of religion and the widest, as it is the most ancient, influence tor good in Wales, hallowed bv a thousand memories and by the dead that lie about her wails. Even the churchyards would be taken irorn us and vested in a v secular body. In view of the irretrievable harm which such an Act will inflict not only upon the Chunh, xrj, nPOTI the religious life of the people of Wales 1 have thought it my duty as Bishop t oad/J.reiss you. This thing once dlone ca.n never be undone. Very few, I find, at a i ea-i.se that the disestablishment proposals would strip the Church bare and wreck her waik for years. WheB the proposals are earned out it will be too late to sav that "we did not understand the issue." Now is the mom en t for thought and decision. I there- tore now commend the matter to vour conscience, A. G. ASAPH.

At Pau, on Tuesday, M. DelagTange, th* WCE-knowm aviator, was killed. He fell from a great height, and was terribly injured.