Llais Llafur

Brief Labour Notes from Many Lands. I INTERESTING CONFLICT IN AUSTRALIA. I The lesson learnt from the great strike I in New Zealand and on the Australian continent has given a new impetus to the attempts which are being made to estab- lish an inter-state federation of Labour. Several conferencesy at which almost all the great unions were represented, ex- pressed themselves in favour of some such plan, especially as the present state of affairs is continually leading to collis- ions, small and important groups often taking action which involves the whole Movement. A similar proj ect was set in motion during the past year by the trades councils of the capitals of the various states, nnd it is only to be hoped that both plans might be combined in order to establish a consolidated Australasian Federation of Labour. An interesting conflict between the Labour Party and the Labour Govern- ment is reported from Neu South Wales. The abolition of the Upper House is the first demand of the Labour Party. Upon the Government falling into the hands of thims party, they demanded that their menders should appoint such a number of LabouT Members to the Upper House as would enable them to abolish this house themselves. The Government is prepared to do this, but very decidedly refuses to meet their other demand, that the Government send the members pro- posed by themselves to the Upper House. ACTION AGAINST BELGIAN SEA-I MEN'S LEADERS. A great legal action against 58 "strike leaders" of seamen, was begun on June 23rd in Antwerp, in connection with al- leged attacks upon personal liberty. Not only has it required two years to pre- pare the charges, but also witnesses and complainants have had to be sought by means of pla-cards in order to obtain sufficient material upon which to proceed against the leaders of the Seamen's Federation, There was naturally a great number of strike breakers who felt them- selves to have been molested when the seamen were fighting the Organisation of the Belgian Ship owners for practical re- presentation on the labour exchange. They had entered into an agreement with the English shipping owners accord- ing to which the latter may draw their supply of labour through the office of the organisation, and then only organised men, whilst the Belgian shipowners had decided to establish their own exchange in ordeT to overthrow the organisation of the seamen. In the charge it is stated that the organisaton applied "terroristic" tactics, and have supported special strike pickets for the purposes of annoying the strike-breakers. EMPRESS OF IRELAND'S CREW. I The Empress of Ireland which recently sank carrying over a 1,000 souls to their gra.ves was manned by a crew organised throughout. The trades unions concerned have decided not only to grant the usual benefit to those left behind but also to provide for the widows and orphans. DUTCH TRADES UNION CONGRESS I The 7th Congress of the Dutch Trades Union Federation will take place in Amsterdam on July 20-22. The agenda contains the following points: Insurance against unemployment, invalidity and old age provision, etc. The development of the affiliated organisations is most satis- factory. On April 1st of the present year there were 87,734 members in 1,084 sections as compared with 79,327 on Oc- tober 1st, 1912. The greatest unions are those of the diamond workers with 9,917 members, the njumiaipal workters with 6,991, the cigar makers with 6,211, the carpenters with 5,930 and the metal workers with 5,799. ITALIAN STRIKE RECORDS. I In the year 1912, 914 strikes involving 144,124 workers were conducted in in- dustrial concerns, as compared with 1,107 strikes with 252,853 participants in the previous year. Of the strikers 13.100 are engaged in t'ne buildir.g trades 11,150 in shipbuilding 4.300 in th" brick-making; I 5,100 in the pel vera ohic tr.\d.>? 1,600 in the silk 11,500 in navigation; 11,500 in the tranv way service 9.400 in mechanical engineer- I ing, and 7,300 in State works. 15.5 per cent. of all strikers resume.d wOlk v ith oomplete success, 18.5 with 95,841 par- ticipants in agriculture as compared with 140 strikes with 132,738 partV puit-s in the year 1911. 20 per cent, oi the strikers emerged with full succ.s-, whilst 26.8 per cent. compromised.

Complaint Against Mines Inspector. i ——— I BRYNCOCH WORKMEN'S MEET- | ING. A m- etinrr of the Brvrx-och Colliejy workmen was held at the Main Royal Tips, on Saturday afternoon, Mr G. Ge-crg." presiding. The deputation f-p- j pointed the previous evening gave their wo,7 t jie, pro l,,re,,3o?t h at had been n),i.,Ie report, of the progress that had been ma.,1e in -uiiice repajrs of the, upcast shaft, after the fire on Wednesday last. On the recommendation of the committee it was decided to resume work oit Mondav. A protest was made against the mines in- spector, who, it is alleged, had net yet been at the colliery, a-ftar being sent for by the men. The secretary was directed to forward the same to Mr T. Richards, M.P., general secretary.

NOTES and COMMENTS. Mr. John Foster Fraser, the well- known Parliamentary sketch-writer, in his weekly column, Peeps in Parlia- ment/' say^s:—- Last week-end every legislator with a gambling instinct was betting that one of the millionaires. Sir Alfred Mond, would be made a peer. He remains simple Sir Alfred still'. He is supposed to be so wealthy that he could buy up all the other million- aires in the House and still have sufficiency. He is constantly beinsf chaffed on a desire to join England's nobility, wher?p-s I believe, in fact. his ambrHon doos not run that way at all. He would like to sit on the Treasury bench, even 88 a mjnOT" Under-Secretary. EvorvW.y knows he belongs to a distinguished Hebrew scient,ific family, and- his German- educational has left a guttural accent on this tongue. He sits for Swansea and his opponents refer to him as a bulwark of Welsh Nonconformity,. If Mr. Foster Fraser knew Swansea as well as some of us. he would know that Sir Alfred Mond's supporters a&- well as his opponents regard him as a bulwark of Welsh Nonconformity. And if the member for Swansea was sent to the Lords they are quite oon- fident that he would prove himself a better Welshman in everything (but accent) than the Bishop of St. Davids. We believe that Sir Alfred Moritz Mond once publicly reproved Mr. Ver- non Hartshorn for his infidelity to Welsh Nationalism! The chosen poo- ple have always been rich in humour- ists. One of the most interested listeners to the Rev. George Neighbour's elo- quent appeal on behalf of "The Daily Citizen." at Ystalyfera, on Monday evening was an individual whose ap- pearance suggested that he was of the tramping fraternity. The speaker said it was the duty of everv Trade Unionist to support The Citizen," whereupon the tramp" pn 1Jed a oopv of the paper from his pocket and re- marked, I bin; it every dav, guv'nor, and when I've finished with it I pive it away. Now you've told us aJl about The Citizen,' give us some And the tramp's companion, who migfei have been a Yankee utilliom iro,- —but was not—echoed the same senti- ment. It is certainly most encouraging to those interested in the Wekh National Drama Movement that it has the offi- cial support of the Mayor and Corpora- tions of the various municipalities in_ South ales, but at the same time we believe that before a movement of this character will be as successful as it should be, it must command the sup- port of the masses. In this respect it is interesting to* recall the excellent performance of "Change" given by the Ystalyfera Ama- teurs, and the crowded audiences from far and near which came to hear them each evening. The contrast between the- support shown in the large towns to the Welsh plays and that accorded at Ystalyfera was most marked. MY FOLKS. 1 think my folks are very queoer You'd be surprised at things I hear. Sometimes it seems I'm very araall, And then again I'm big and tall. At night I tease to stay up late. But mother says: No," no, it's eight. Go right upstairs; and hurry, too. lmdeed--a little boy like you!" At six next morning, from the haM, She wakes me with this funnv call: Come, come, get up; and hurry, too. For shame—a great big boy like you I When through the night I grow so fast, How very strapge it doesn't lost! I shrink and shrink till eight, and then I'm just a little boy again. —Anne Porter Johnson, in Harper's Magazine" for July.

UNIVERSAL ESPERANTO CONGRESS. The Tenth Universal Congress of Esperanto will take place this year in Paris, from August 2nd to Augu-t 10th. Already more than 3.000 persons, na ing from "every nation under heaven. have purchased ticket* for the Con- gre,c.Moro than double the nur. I < r proseht a.t the Antwerp Con^r.-ss of 1911, which has hitherto he'd tie it- cord. It i- interesting to find that l.t names and address in the Congress list- he10ng to South Wales. During the Congress week, one «''lojty day is- set. ,-)-,irt for the meet m .is of sectional Esperanto societies, eg., + doctors, lawyers, postal offi- cials, Socialists, Cathol ics, Free- thinkers, etc. Part of the Congress i&- reserved for the meetings of the Uni- versal Esperanto Association, whose headquarters are at Geneva. Ques- tions such as International Amitv and Arbitration, Universal Penny Postage. Standardisation of Money. Weights and Weights and Measures, etc., are down for discussion. In connection with the Congress the French railway companies have con- sen.ted to grant an individual rebate of 50 per cent. In addition to this, such firms as Thos. Cook and Son, Dean and Dawson, etc., are making special ar- rangements for parties. Persons desirions of further informa- tion should communicate with the deles^ites. Mr. H. Jctias, I.R. St. f Alban's Road, Fiwingea, or Rev. W. H. Harris, Yatradgynioia-

ENDORSED BY GREAT DEMONSTRATION. HOW LIBERALS "DIDDLE" LABOUR. Seventeen Trade Unions, with a mem- bership of over 10,000—the strongest con- tingent being that of the miners—took part in a great trade and Labour demon- stration at Wigan on Saturday. The procession, which included repret- sentatives of the League of the Blind and a strong contingent of the Federation of Women Workers, was formoo in the Mar- ket Place, and with many bands and banners made its way through the crotwdteidj streets to this W\e»twood Grounds where among those -who spoke were Mr. Stephen Walsh, M.P., Mr. T. Richardson, M.P., Mr. R. Smillie (presi- aent of Miners' Federation), Mr. Harry Twist (prospective Labour candidate for Wigan),Mr. W. C. Robertson, Miss Mary Macartur, and Mr. J. T. Bain. The great audiences were of a most enthusiastic character, and carried the following comprehensive resolution with ringing cheers :— That this mass meeting of organised workers hereby expresses their satis- faction at the growing power of La- bour as shown by the increased mem- bership of Trade Unions and) the greater solidarity of the workers in- dustriaflly tamd politically throughout the country. We call upon the unorganised workers to join their respective Trade Unions, and thus help to strengthen the hands of Labour and redress the wrong that I press them down. LABOUR PARTY THANKED. I We also thank the Labour Party in Parliament for the way they have fought the workers' battle during the past two sessions, and we urge them to press upon the Government the re- solutions carried by organised Labour I bodies, declaring war against poverty, demanding legislation to secure to every person a national minimum of » civilised life by measures providing for a legal minimum wage in all indus- tries, the reduction of the hours of Labour to 48 per week, complete pro- vision against sickness, the prevention of unemployment, the building of healthy houses for all, more adequate j compensation, for the injured worker; the guarantee of a national minimum of child nurture, and amendment of. the Old Age Pensions Act, reducing the age and raising the amount to 10s. per week. We call upon all workers to unite at the ballot box to increase Labour re- presentation in Parliament and. on all local governing bodies, and thus give effect to the workers' cause. Mr. Stephen Walsh, M.P., who pre- 8ided at No. 1 platform, said, amid; cheers, that the workers denied the right -of any person, whether landowner or cap- italist, to sit upon the shoulders of La- -bour. The idle rich had no title, neither moral nor legal, to. do so. That which had been established by law could be overturned. by law. Such a determination on the part of the La-I tourParty was only quite, consistent) with the well-being of the whole State. PROVISION FOR THE WIDOWED I AND FATHERLESS. In the past, said Mr. Walsh, the Tories had persuaded the working man that they were the friends of the people, and the Tories had been put in power. Then the Liberal flag was waved, and the mass of people were diddled once more. Lau.ghter and cheers). The Labour Party the other night did not vote against the Government, be-I cause they did not intend to play the Tory game—they did not vote with the! 'Government, because they were dissatis- fied with their action, and they abstained from voting altogether; Mr. Robert Smillie, who was loudly I cheered, raid that Lloyd George was go- ing to provide nursing homes in various localities. But nursing homes for what? Why, nursing homes where working-class mothers, who had to go out to daily employment, could leave their children to be cared for. That was a beautiful reform which told them that while wealth waig growing at a pht-i),rne,ial rate the Government was about to erect nurseries where work- ing-class mothers could place their chil- I dren to be looked after while they them- selves were at work. (Laughter). The party to which he and those who were listening to him belonged believed that the place for the mother was her home—that the husband ought to be as- sured of sufficient wages to enable him: to keep his wife at home and his children well fed and well clad. (Cheers). We say, further, if a mother is left without thA breadwinner through death it is thö, duty of tb,, Statm to provide for '-the widow and the fatherless."

£20.000 FOR CHARITY. I FROM SALE OF ROSES. Alexandra Day in London last week proved to be even more successful this year than laH. It is announced bv Sir T. Vansittarrt Bowater. the Lord Mayor, who lis chairman of the adminis trative committee for Rose Day, that over :220,000 wam collected. Last year the London collections amounted to 218.391. We are greatly indebted," adds the Lord Mayor, "to the London City and Midland Bank, Ltd., for the rapid counting of the money, and also express our thanks to the mayors of the boroughs for theitr splendid co-operation in makinig this collection such a great success." We are equally grateful to Miss C. May Beeman, the hardworking organis- ing secretary.. The accounts a.re in the cf Messrs. WhirriAv. who will. in n ««ee!te, Lane an audi fed bular-w-shixt."

REDUCING NON UNIONISM I IN THE GARW I MORAL COERCION TACTICS. —— • A mass meeting of miners employed at the Ffaldau, Nanthir, and Interna- tiomal Collieries on strike on the non- Unionist question resolved on Tuesday night to resume work. The Ocean and Coytrahen Park men having returned on Tuesday, this will leave only the i 1,000 men employed at AberbaJden, Kenfig Hill, stili on strike. At Coytrahen Park Mr. Frank Hodges, the agent, and pickets were stationed outside the colliery, and pre- vented those descending who did not present fully paid-up cards, and this course will be followed at the collieries at the top of the Garw Valley. A very strong feeling prevailed in the Garw on Tuesday regarding the > action of the Ocean men in returning to work. So far as the four collieries at the top of the valley are concerned, the strike has been' worked by a joint committee, and the decision of the mass meeting on Monday night was to the effect that all the men remain out until the books are clear. It is con- tended that, as this resolution bound all the workmen, the lodge had no right to act on its own initiative. At a meeting held on Tuesday even- ing reports were presented showing that the number of men in arrears, without transfers, or non-Unionists were 18 at the Ffaldau, 43 at the International, and 17 at the Nanthir. The report of the joint strike com- mittee for these collieries, together with the Ocean, all being situated at the top of the Garw Vallev, recom- mended that the lodges be empowered to withdraw notices and to apooint men to picket the colliery mouths at the commencement of every shift this week, sending back all who did not produce a card showing him to be a fully paid-up member. Mr. Albert Day, president of. the district, said there was no representa- tive of the Ocean present to give a report, but it was stated on Monday that the colliery was clear. It ap- peared that a small section of the Ocean men were anxious to work, and a meeting of 150 out of 600 men em- ployed passed a resolution on the pre- vious night to withdraw the notices. Only 200 men had gone to work, so that two-thirds were loyal to the deci- sion of the mass meeting on Monday. (Applause). It was a shame, said Mr. Day, that 3,000 men should be idle and deputa- tions have to trudge backwards and forwards from door to door asking men to pay up their contributions. If the carrying out of the recommendation of the joint committee meant going to Cardiff for fourteen days, he would rather have that than see the collieries stopped and members laughed at by non-U nion/ists. Mr. Frank Hodges said the scheme proposed by the joint committee could be made an absolute success if they were prepared to shift the battleground from the street corner to the pit-top. The Coytrahen Park Colliery workmen had that morning carried out the scheme with absolute success. In that. colliery they had a sufficient sense of unity, co-operation, and determination to say they would not go to any man's house and ask him to pay, the Federa- tion. The officials sat in the lodgeroom until the defaulters came and reduced the number out of compliance from 120 to 20. With the remaining twenty they thought they could manage. He (Mr. Hodges) was up that morning at the unusual hour, for a miners' agent, of five o'clock, and at the colliery. Some of the defaulters turned up, but none were allowed to go to work.' Those who brought contributions were told that they must go to the lodge- room that night and pay in clean clothes, as money would not be accep- ted at the top of the pit. If the scheme could be carried out in one col- liery successfully it could be carried out in every coliiery. Should anYI man be sent to gaol for trespassing, there was sufficient backbone in the district to see that his wife and children would not suffer. It was proposed to carry out the show card system every two months, and he believed it better to I start now while the men were en- thusiastic on the matter. If they suc- ceeded this morning they would suc- ceed on future occasions. The number out of compliance had been reduced to a manageable quantity. The resolution to return to work was then put to the meeting and car- ri ed. ————— —————

"We have had good results. from advertising in Labour + Voice"-Swansea Trades- man. Name on application. Do you want good results 7 ♦ ♦ ♦ — + ♦ If so, Advertise in ♦ "LLAIS LLAFUR." ♦

PRISON FOR A DOCTOR. I P'RTS?ON FOR A ]DOCTOR. I Dr. Ramsay Scibba-ld was sent to prison for a month in the second divi- k sion, without the option of a fine, at ) iverpool on Friday, on a charge of < drunkenness while in charge of a motor car. Counsel pleaded that, the accused was overworked and was very much affected lay liquor, of which he had had very little. The Stipendiary said he could not differentiate between the accused and ordinary taxi-drivers. An educated T".a-n was ,.ven less worthy of considera- TV,-rras suspended 1fiw months.

Mr. Philip Snowden and the Government. MISHANDLING OF THE ULSTER REBELLION. Speaking at the fourth annual demon- stration of the Blackburn Labour Party, at which over 50,000 Trade Unionists were represented, at Blackburn on Satur- day, Mr. Philip Snowden, M.P., said that for something like 30 years Home Rule had blocked the way of other legis- lative measures, and the people of this country had made up their minds that this cause of irritation to British politics and this hindrance to the treatment of other questions by Parliament was going to be removed. Referring to the Ulster crisis, Mr. Snowden said he was certain no organi- sation of Trade Unions would be given the same liberty that Sir Edward Carson and his party had enjoyed in Ulster. Both the Liberal and Unionist parties were piling up for themselves a very serious heritage for the future by corn- doning as they had done rebellion against properly enacted law and authority. If it were right that people in Ulster might be permitted to arm themselves against the law of which they did not approve, where would they draw the line? It meant the negation of all law and the abrogation of all authority. It meant striking at the very foundation of civilisation and sacrificing the rights and principles of constitutional law won Ly those who had gone before them. Dealing with the Labour Party, Mr. Snowden said the party was a combin- ation of Trade Unions and of Socialists. The workers should1 organise im their Unions, but they also should recognise that Trade Unionism would never alone bring about the economic and social eman- cipation of the working classes. They were only yet a comparatively new party, and the votes they were polling showed that in industrial centres they had any- where from 25 to 30 per cent. of the total electorate supporters of the Labour cause. They had every reason to be full of hope for the future of Labour. (Ap- plause). A COLLEAGUE'S TRIBUTE. Mr. J. R. Clynes, M.P., paid a tribute to the work of Mr. Snowden and said he was no slavish follower of any one body. His criticism had always a stimulating effect on his colleagues and it helped to guide them into better paths. They were proud that so gifted and influential a public man was serving the country and the cause of Labour in the counsels of Parliament and in the forces of pro- gress. They had no fear of Mr. Snowden continuing to serve in the House of Com- momns, and they could only hope that the local party would so grow that in time to come they would be in a position to send a second man with him to West- minster to assist the Labour cause. The meeting placed upon record their thanks to the Parliamentary Labour Party and to the Labour groups on local authorities for their work on behalf of the working classes. The meeting pledged themselves to work for the orga-nisation of the working classes so as to enable them to take their true place in the nation and also their fair share of the wealth they produce.

Desecrating the Sabbath. A LABOUR LEADER S PROTEST. I j Local readers who are protesting npainst the growing secularisat ion of the I Welsh Sabbath inilil be interested to know tha.t speaking at Leicester On Saturday, Mr. J. R. MacDonald. M.P., appealed to religious institutions to see tha.t Sunday was not secularised. He thought th-.t i Sunday ought to remain what some people called "dull." People talked a lot of nonsense about the Scottish SaMHlth. and did not know; what they were talking about. If they were only trained to appreciate the Scot- tish Sabbath it would take same amount of training—they would not be sorrv if thev had it. All the talk about turning Sunday into a day of recreation was humbug and dan-, gerous. In trying to do it they were be- ginning at the wrong end> of the stick. They should not sacrifice the blessings they got. He looked forward to the time when everybody would have-sufficient time for recreation during the secular dava of the week. An enlihtenAd democracy should value a day of spiritual rest po much that their ha.nds would be Jifted up against any man or movement that de sired to secularise the Sundav. He aleo c,iin d ay. I-To a l ,?, o appealed to p.'1 rent. to introduce bet ter class literature to their children.

Revolutionary in London I MALATESTA'S ESCAPE FROM I ITALY. Enrico Malatesta, the Italian revdlu- tionary, atrived in London on Saturday He has oome to England to find: a home during his period of exile from Italy, fol- lowing the recent revolutionary strike. Just a year ago Malatesta left London for Ancona, in Italy, during a period of com- parative political freedom, to edit a vv= paper in that town. Malatesta says he esca.ped with little difficulty from Ancona disguised as a. peasant, and later boairded a train bound for the Swiss frontiee. On foot he crossed into Switzer- land near Ponteciasso, and then proceeded London. "During the period of my resi- dence in Ancona I was constantly. watched by two detectives," he said. "When events made it necessary for me to leave, after the issue, of a warrant for my ar- rest. I escaped. It simple—the Italian police are so stupid.

GENERAL ELECTION NEXT MONTH? MR. W. BRACE OPENS CAMPAIGN. Mr. William Brace. M.P., opening his campaign in West Monmouth at Blaina on Monday, explained the rea- son on which he came to the conclusion not to fight the South Glamorgan seat. He said he could not i ke the respon- sibility to spend £ 9' n K) to £ 2,500 of the miners' montn- the miners' money snowing full well that he would not succeed under the circumstances. He had more than one offer to supply the necessary money, but he did not feel like severing his connection with those with whom he had been brought up. With regard to the talk of bringing forward a Radical candidate for West Monmouth, he said it would be any- thing but a kindly act to Labour to take away the people's money knowing that a Liberal candidate had less chances of winning than he had in South Glamorgan. He asked those who wanted to bring forward a Liberal candidate to question him in a public meeting to see whether he could not stand for their views. He had sup- ported Home Rule in all its stages, and also the Welsh Disestablishment Bill. Speaking of the reason why the Lab- our Partv had desisted from casting a vote on the, Opposition Budget amendment, he said that the Govern- ment had made a grave mistake in al- lowing itself to be dominated by the wealthy men of its party. Discussing the date of the next Gen- eral Election, he said he would not be surprised to see it coming next month. It all turned on the Irish question, al- though he hoped and trusted it would not come till a man's vote depended on his brains. ————- ————

GOVERNMENT BY CHEO-UE. I MR. CECIL CHESTERTON ON PARTY BRIBERY. Cecil Ohef-1.. ««v. & d on Saturday- a meeting of t::e Clean Govern- ment League at the Imperial Club, Lex- ham Gardens, which was presided over by Mr. Rowland Hunt, M.P. No honest man, Mr. Chesterton said, wanted government to bs by cheque, and no honest man wished to be able to walk into polities and buy a policy with money He contended that because members w-.re, with a few exceptions, elected by an organisation run by the party funds, the country was governed not by the I people they elected but by the Ministers who could withdraw that financial sup- port w hen they liked. The pa.rty funds were, broadly speak- ing, spent on corrupting Parhamemt. Men were bribed before they could ?et I into the House, and except in a few cases they prevented a man getting into the House before he waa bribed. Forms of bribery practised) by the principal parties in the House were the sale of politics. In the latter class he included the Insurance Act, which he declared had beeai bought by the big industrial concerns at the expense of the friendly concetns at th-o expey)se of the friendly Mr. Chesterton spoke at length on the purchase of Marconi shares by Ministeri;, and said that the state of things was intolerable. It was the worst and filial development of the evil of the govern- ment by which power ultimately went to I the man who could write the largest cheque.

CARDIFF COLLEGE ROMANCE. PROFESSOR AND STUDENT BECOME I ENGAGED. I RESULT OF AN INTERVIEW. I An interesting romance is exercising the minds of a considerable circle of students of Cardiff University College —as well (as the story will show) of the professional staff. Miss Maud Evelyn Barfoot, second daughter Of Mrs. Barfoot and the late Mr. Charles L. Barfoot, of Queen's Hill, Newport, who had been a student I at Cardiff University College for three years, recently sat for her B.Sc. de- I gree, the result of which has not yet been published. About a fortnight ago she wrote to one of the staff, Dr. Sibley, D.Sc., the professor of geology, for a reference or recommendation. Upon his request she went to Cardiff and had a personal interview with him. The interview (which took place on Misa Barfoot's twenty-first birthday) was a momentous one for both parties, for Dr. Siblejj proposed to her, and was accepted, and Miss Barfoot's mother having approved the match, they are now engaged. The marriage is not likely to take place for some little while. Miss Barfoot is being almost em- barrassed with congratulations from ,her personal and college friends, and Dr. Sibley (who is about nine years her senior) is being similarly felicit- ated. Miss Barfoot is a sprightly, vicacious ladv. and her oolWe course has been singularly successful.

I MEIWE ENGLAND! HOW FARM LABOURERS ARE SWEATED. The abominable conditions under which many farm labourers and agricultural workers have to exist are beiing revealed by the strikes which are taking place in various parts of the country. In the Saffron Walden district the la- bourers are as determined as they were at the opening of the dispute to remain out of employment until they gain their demands. The farmers are unable to understand the new spirit which animates their work- men. They attribute their misfortunes to -'the agitator," forgetful of the schoolmaster, the Press, and the club. The employers are losing a golden oppor- tunity for settlement, for the demands of the labourers will probably be strengthened and not weakened, with ihe lapse of time. What is required is the putting aside of the prejudice that is inevitably mixed up with labour dis- putes in sparsely-populated districts. It must not be forgotten in connection with the Essex farm men's dispute that the labourers' wages amounted to no more On an average than 13s. weekly, and that their hours of employment were from 6 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Until rumours of unrest were floated their wages amounted to about lis. The loss to the nation must not be lost. sight of. The men who are now employed are wanted on the. countryside, and it is the business of their fellows to inaugurate such conditions that their services 8,re retained on the soil.

 SPEECHLESS WORKMAN. I WIFE'S EXTRAORDINARY LIP I READING. An extraordinary exhibition of lip reading by a wife was given in the Bow County Court during the hearing of an application for an award under the Workmen's Compensation Act by Alfred Brenchley, of Millwall. When a boy he met with an accident which left him mentally deficient and prac- tically speechless, with the exception of a few gurgling noises. Mr. Abinger, for the applicant, said he understood that the man would answer "Yes, yes," or "No, no," just as the spirit moved him. He was mar- ried, however, and by making a. con- stant study of him his wife had at- tained a pitch of lip reading that. would enable her to interpret otherwise un- intelligible sounds. The man was then put into the box, but was not sworn. Mr. Abinger: What is your name?— Brench. What is your Christian name?—No answer, only a vacant stare at the judge. How old are you ?—Witness made a movement of the lips and a slight whistle. The wife was called and sworn to interpret her husband's evidence. When asked which leg he hurt he touched his little finger. He was next asked why he did not keep at the light work he was given after the accident, and he gurgled a replvi, which the wife said was Couldn't do it." Counsel asked many other questions, and the wife read the lips of her hus- band and give his replies.

TROUBLE OF TEMPERAMENT. If it were given to men—ajid na- tions-to chose their temperaments, a great deal of friction could be avoided. Musical and artistic' temperaments would go begging. Few people, we imagine, would voluntarily assume for life the temperaments that lately pro- duced the graceless squabble about the respective merits of the Llajieily choir and a choir from Bristol, or those that caused litigation between rival composers respecting the authorship of a hymn tUDO. It is surprising how .ifted persons find cause for quarrel over matters tha,t would not make commoner men to turn a lvair, and it is equally surprising how vindictive they can be in their quarrelling. Nor is the passionate, mercurial Celt more remarkable in this respect than other people. There never has been a more lamentable exhibition of public spleen than in the libel action brought by Whistler against Ruskin. Flinging a pot of paint in the face of the pub- lie," was Ruskin's unkind gibe at one of Whistler's pictiires; "Mr. Ruskin, I believe." said Whistler, "is ac- counted a great art critic among poli- tical economists, and a great political economist among art critics." Henley flung an epithet at Robert Louis Ste- venson, that the most scurrilous of Swansea corner-boys would hesitate to use against his worst enemy. Sivin- burne spoke as disrespectfully of Tenny- son as the average Salvation Army of- ficer does of the devil. In "Bishop Blougram's Apology," Browning gib- betted for ever something that he found unloveable in Cardinal Wiseman. One of our leading poets recently at- tacked lady well-known in higher political circles with a poem ascribing to her a serpent's tongue, and more re- cently another poet replied to an un- genial criticism of his work by a liter- ary colleague with a poem lamenting that hia work had become "a poet that: Passing dogs defile." These little pleasantries ought to make average i man thankful to the kind Providenoo that endowed them with Philistine tem- peraments. and commorp'ace imso' ?tMa?

The work of the Welsh Industries' Association in fostering the peculiar and quaint crafts for which the Princi- pality, has been famous was highly praised by Sir David Brynmor Jones, M.P., at the sixteenth annual meet- ing heM at,S3, Eauui Square on Wed-I aeeday afterapon.