Llais Llafur

RIGHT AND WRONG METHODS* OF RECRUITING. I I The attempt of some coalowners in the Anthracite district to coerce young men, by with-holding employment, into joining the colours, still continues. On behalf of the Anthracite miners "Llaas IAafur" has entered a strong protest egainat this ineffable despotism, and the protest muat be renewed. Thie form of preasure is not merely stupid and tyrannical, but it defeau the end to which it is directed. Nothing can <M more harm to the recruiting move- ment than this effort to dragoon men into the ranks by economic means. There is a vital need to keep up the stream of volunteers who are to help to hurl the hosts of the Kaiser back to Berlin, but to adopt a kind of un- official conscription, is the surest way of thinning the stream. Not even the worst enemy of the Welsh miner can Accuse him of cowardice, and where ap- parently eligible young men are hesi- -tating to recruit, it is in most cases be- cause of economic obstacles and family -ties outside the ken of the employers. In others it is a failure to realise the immensity and seriousness of tie issues at stake. There are means of overcoming these difficulties, and they are (1) more jgenerous financial treatment by the Government of those who are now de- fending the nation, and (2) an educa- tional campaign. This nation is quite wealthy enough to pay every soldier £1 a week during the war, and after t-he war to pay every widow and every disabled man a life pension of J61 a week. The rich cannot shuffle out of their responsibilities by their meagre sub- scription to the Prince of Wales's Fund, and to the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association. They muat make tip their minds to put their hands down in their pockets cheerfully, and with- out a sense of inordinate virtue, for What they must pay will not be largesse, but a necessary insurance premium for the security of their businesses and fortunes. "The working ohtsses are doing their share in this war. The rank and file of the Navy and the Army, of the Reservists, the Territorials, and the Volunteers come from working-class homes. From the mining population of South Wales a-mne ømnething like 50,000 men are at die front on preparing to go there, and we maintain that if not another man volunteers from South Wales the miners have done far more than the coal- -owners in discharge of their common 4dutv towards the State. That matter need not be pursued in Adefail--we do not wish to emulate Mr 33onar Law in pursuing sectional in- terests to the prejudice of the nation. As to the educational campaign, we are sure that that is t'he successful line of,appeal to the young Welsh miner. It is not easy for the younger members of a population engrossed in other matters than foreign polities to understand the causes of this war, nor to realise the appalling consequences of an Austro- German victory. For many rears the "Clarion" alone among the journals that have the ear of the enlightened working classes of this country has warned them of the menace of Pruss- ian militarism. The "Clarion" has used every weapon in the journalistic armoury to arouse the workers to a sense of danger, and we need now in Wales some swift and effective means of doing for the workers of Wa}ffl the same servioe thpf the "Clarion" has done for its readers. One* the workers of Wales realise the essential brutality of Prussian militarism, its sinister aims as conoeivfd bv T"e'>sribk« ond trumpeted bv von BernhnrrTi. tn"'Te will be no lack of recruit. Tb<» workers must be troo-ted Pr boings an4 not as the -:r+' v»<i of a remorse- less economic A rr-In -wM- goes into battle "h "tlp fnvw of freedom in hie eoul" is worth two con- scripts, whether the oonscribinjr I-, done by Governments or employers. It is a stupid illusion of some Irwvvl orxil- owners that they can orna-li Kiie-eiisirn in Europe by prfW-isine Kai-serism at home. Aq mem bars of the govern in ft classes they must practice justice (not te mention generosity) to th opo who are defending their proderf v. and exer- cise intelligence inappeo-linc, to t<:e whom thev would feign see strengthen- ing the defence.

LOCA Ir, CPTTjlTOY Co WOUND UP. I MINERS AS CREDITORS. In the Vacation Court on Wednes- day Mr Justice San key heard the cfr-- panies winding up petition in re Hed- ley's Collieries Company (Limited), up- on the petition of "Morgan Rees and others for a winding up order. Mr Ambrose said that there was no opposition. The petitioner's debt was for f4 6s. M. There were abont 239 creditors, representing a sum of abonit £ 265. The petitioner and the credit- ors supporting t'he petition were col- liers, and the debts were three weeks' wages in most cases. There had been considerable distress in the neighbour- hood in consequence of the position that had ari^n. His Lordship made the usual order.

"I am afraid you are too old to cailist" said the recruiting officer to an elderly Welsh collier; "what ia your "Fifty-seven I am," was the reply, "but you just put it down thirty-seven." "Oh, no, we dare not do that," said the offi- cer; "you would get two years' imprison- ment for it." "Never you mind," said the collier, doggedly; "you jest put it down thirty-seven, mister, and I will do the two years when I do come back from fighting the Jorrniams."

Dyfed, the Arohdruid, has just re- turned to Cardiff from his anual pil- grimage to Llandrindod. When asked how it was lie had not yet written anything about the war, Dyfed jocu- larly observed, "I am a man of peace. Each time I draw the sword I ask, "A oes Heddwoh ?

Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association. YSTALYFERA DISTRICT Will the wives of any Re- servists, Naval Men, Yeomanry and Territorials, please send their names and addresses to:- Mrs. F. REES, Bristol House, r.' Ystalyfera. Representative of the Soldiers' and Sailors Families Associa- tion in Ystalyfera. i THE OLD WIVES AT TEA, Mrs. JONES Indeed you must excuse me for being so long with the tea. The fire had gone low, you see, and I couldn't get the kettle to boil. Mrs. EVANS Why don't you get the gas in, Mrs. Jones; it would save you heaps of work, and be a big comfort too, with your weak eyes. Mrs. JONES: Merch fach i, I have lived to go without it, and bring up a family of tea, and I am too old now to bother about things like that. Mrs. EVANS: Yes, my dear, but you don't know how much easier it is to do your cooking, without making a mess of tbe fireplace. Mrs. THOMAS And so clean it is. Before the Tawe Gas Co. put in a stove for us, I had to clean my fireirons and fender every day, and blacklead the fireplace twice a week. Now I have only to wipe them over. It is so much nicer. j Mrs. EVANS And it is so cheap. We can cook a dinner for seven, and it only costs a penny. Mrs. THOMAS They put in a penny-in-the-slot meter for us, a stove and three lights, for nothing. The gas is much better than the messy old lamps and candles. L Mrs. JONES Will they put it in for nothing ? Mrs. EVANS Yes, merch i; just send a post-card to the I Gas Works, Pontardawe, or to the Office at Ystalyfera, and they will send a man up at once, and the stove and lights will be fixed up in no time. ? Mrs. JONES: Then indeed I think I will do it as soon as we have finished tea. Because I do believe my eyes would be better if we had gas instead of the old-fashion j lam ps. For particulars, drop a Post Card to the MANAGER, GAS WORKS, PONTARDAWE. j Why k you should use a SINGER hRr BECAUSE it will halve your labour, double «g|[ v jkj your leisure, and reduce your expenses. fig BECAUSE you can dress yourself & children ajf 10 in the latest fashions, at least expense. ) BECAUSE you can darn and mend table- j? h\ ?S? linen, stockings, curtains, etc., etc., M' better, and in a fraction of the time taken by hand. IQMMI BECAUSE, in short, you can't afford j to be without one, when they can j )? ???S????B? ? be had on our Free Trial System, |p|/ purchased from X3. up- wards, or on easy terms, and can be rented by the week or month. ^1 |AIf«M-*SINGER SEWIN :}}: CO., LTD. 1. To.

A curious coincidence of the war is] the invasion of Eastern France ly num- I bers of wild. boars from the German I forests. I The Russian War Minister, General Soukhomlinoff, is a wholehearted sup- porter of the movement to keep all pub- lic houses in Russia closed until the end of war. The Ruscian police are looking for Mdille. Rita, Gerard, the 17 year old daughter of a Russian Senator who, dis- guised as a. man, ran away from her home in Vilna and. enlisted in the army. Over 1,000 Moscow prisoners petitioned the Russian authorities to allow them go to the front. Many others offered dona- tions for the relief fund. The Russian prison authorities report a remarkable cessation of crime since the war began. An army surgeon haa discovered that a German prisoner in hospital at Troyee, having no other food, had been eating oats. Six rich Dutchntoin hare offered td Queen Wilhelmina privately one-tenth of their fortunes to pay for the present* mobilisation, which costs £ 75,500 a day.. I Members of the Boilermakers' Society have voted overwhelmingly in favour oF a levy of Is. a quarter for relief of mem. bers &nd their dependents suffering by the war, and sanctioning a grant of EZOO to the Prince of Wales's fund. Mr. Peter McBride, Agent-General for- Victoria. Australia, haa been requested by his Government to hand over to the- Belgian Relief Fund CIO,000 on behalf of the fund raised by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne. Miaa Margaret McMillan, the well- known social worker, contends that well-to-do women should nOt undertake labour that can be done by their poorer and unemployed sisters. Sewing of everv kind comes under the tan as mere- ly philanthropic work. The kilt of the Highlanders con- tinues to be a spring of comic inspira- tion for Berlin weekly newspapers.

G.W.R. EXCURSIONS FRIDAY and MONDAY NIGHTS. SEPT. 18, 21, 25, and 2-TO READING AND LONDON for short or long periods from Carmarthen, Llandovery, Llandilo, Brynamman, Ammanford, Llanelly, Swansea, Col- bren Junction, Neath, Port Talbot, etc. FRIDAY NIGHT, SEPT. 25.—To LONDON for 1. 3, 5, or 7 days. Leave Carmarthen, 10.35 p.m.; Llanelly, 11.39 p.m., Swansea, 12 night, Neath 12.38; Pont Talbot, 12.55 night. FRIDAY NIGHT (SATURDAY MORN ING) SEPTEMBER 25th.—To BIR- MINGHAM (Onion Fair) for 1,3, 5, or 7 days, leave Llanelly, 12.45 night; Swansea, 1.5, Neath, 1.41; Port Talbot, 1.58 a.m. For details of above and AUTUMN HOLIDAY EXCURSIONS, see bills and pamphlets, or send postcard to stations or offices. FRANK POTTER, General Manager.

THE KAISER'S HUNS THEIR CRUELTIES IN BELGIUM OFFICIAL REPORT Finding of Commission of Inquiry A terrible rurrative of the manner in which the Kaiser's legions have waged war on the non-combatants in Belgium has been officially issued. It is the second report of the Bel- gian Commission of Inquiry on the Violation of the Rights of Nations, and of the Laws and Customs of War. It is dated from Antwerp August 31, and is addressed to M. Carton de Wiart, the Belgian Minister of Justice. Last evening the British Official Bur- eau issued the folowing translation:— The Commission of Inquiry have the honour to make the following report on acts of which the town of Louvain, the neighbourhood and district of Malines have been the scene:- The German army entered Louvain on Wednesday, August 19, after having burnt down the villages through which it had passed. As soon as they had entered the town of Louvain the Germans requisi- tioned food and lodging for their troops. They went to all the banks of the town, and took possession of the cash in hand. German soldiers burst open the doors of houses which had been abandoned by theirinhabirtants, pillaged them, and committed other excesses. The German authorities took as hostages the mayor of the city, Senator Van de Kelen, the Vice-Rector of the Catholic University, and the Senior Priest of the city, besides certain magistrates and aldermen. All the weapons possessed by the in- habitants, even fencing swords, had already been given up to the munici- pal authorities and placed by them in the, Church of Saint Pierre. ATTACKS ON WOMEN In a neighbouring village Corbeck- Loo, on Wednesday, August 19. a young woman, aged 22, whose husband was with the army, and some of her relations were surprised by a band of German soldiers. The persons who were with her were locked up in a deserted house, while she herself was dragged into another cottage, where she was violated. In the same village, on Thursday, August 20, German soldiers fetched from their house a young girl, about .16 years old, and her parents. Then conducted them to a small deserted country house, and while some of them held back their father and mother others entered the house, and finding the cellar open forced the girl to drink. They then brought her on to the la.wn in front of the house. Finally they stabbed her in the breast with their bayonets. When this young girl had been abandoned by them after these abomin- able deeds she was brought back to her parents' house, and the following day, in view of the gravity of her con- dition, she received Extreme Unction from the parish priest, and was taken to the hospital of Louvain, as her life was despaired of. LSTABBED AND BURNT On Attgust 24 and 25 Belgian troops made a sortie from the entrenched camp of Antwerp, and attacked the German army before Malines. The Germans were thrown back on Louvain and Vilvorde. On entering the villages which had been occupied by the enemy, the Bel- gian army found them devastated. The Germans, as they retired, had pillaged and burnt the villages, taking with them the male inhabitants, whom they forced to march in front of them. Belgian soldiers entering Hofstade on August 25 found the body, of an old woman who had been killed by bayonet thrusts. She still held in her hand the needle with which she was sewing vrheji she'was killed. A woman and her 15 or 16-year-old son lay on the ground, pierced by bay- onefrs. A man had been hanged. At Sempist, a neighbouring village, were found the bodies of two men, par- tially carbonised. One of them had his legs cut off at the knees; the other had the arms and legs cut off. I THROWN INTO FLAMES A workman, whose burnt body has been seen by several witnesses, had been struck several times with, bay* on- ets, and then, while still alive, the Germans had poured petroleum over him, and thrown him into a house to which they set fire. A woman who came out of her house was killed in the same way. A witness, whose evidence has been taken by. a reliable British subject, declares that he saw on August 26, not far from Malines, during the last Bel- gian attack, an old man tied by the arms to one of the rafters in the ceil- ing of his aim. The body was com- pletely carbonised, but the head, arms, and feet were unburnt. Further on, a child of about 15 was tied up, the hands behind the back, and the body was completely torn open with bayonet wounds. Numerous eocp&ee of peasants lay on the ground in positions of supplication, their arms lifted and their hands clasped. 80 YEARS OLD PRIEST KILLED I The Belgian Consult in Uganda, who is now a volunteer in the Belgian army, reports that wherever the Germans passed the country has been devasta- ted. The few inhabitants who remain in the villages tell of the atrocities oommitted by the enemy. Thus, at Wackerzeel. seven Germans are said to have killed their woman victim. In the same village they stripped a young her;, to the waist, threatened him with death, holding, a revolver to his cbf At, pricked him with lances, and then chased him into a field and shot hur without, however, hitting him. Everywhere there is ruin and devas- tation. At Buecken many inhabitants 4 were killed, including the priest, who was over 80 years old. Between Impde and Wolverthem two wounded Belgian soldiers lay near a house which was, on fire. The Ger- mans threw these two unfortunate men into the flames. I I BURNING OF LOUVAIN I At nightfell on August 26 the Ger- man troops, repulsed by our soldiers, entered Louvain panic-struck. Several wintnesses affirm that the German garrison which occupied Louvain was erroneously informed that the enemy were entering the town. Men of the garrison immediately marched to the station, shooting haph- azard the while, and there met the Ger- man troops, who had been repulsed by the Belgians, the latter having just ceased the pursuit. Everything tends to prove that the German regiments fired on one another. At once the Germans began bombard- ing the town, pretending that civilians had fired on the troops, a suggestion which is contradicted by all the witnes- ses, and could scarcely have been possible because the inhabitants of Louvain had had to give up theirirnis to the munici- pal authorities several days before. I FIRE GRENADES USED I I The bombardment lasted till about 10 I I o'clock at night. The Germans then set fire to the town. Wherever the fire had not s pread the German soldiers entered the houses and threw fire grenades, with which some of them seem to te provided. The greater part of the town of Lou- vain w- thus a prey to the flames, par- ti.,kly the quajtera of the upper town, comprising the modern buildings, the ancient Cathedral of St. Pierre, the Uni- versity buildings, together with the Uni- versity Library, its manuscripts and col- lections, and the Municipal Theatre. The Conunission considers it its duty to insist, in the midst of all these hor- rors, on the crime committed against civilisation by the deliberate destruction of an academic library which was one of the treasures of Europe. PILES OF DEAD IN STREETS The corpses of many ci vilians encum- bered the streets ;Md squares. On the road from Tirlemant to Louvain alone a witness counted more than 50. On the doorsteps of houses could be seen car- bonised bodies of inhabitants, who, hid- ing in their cellars, were driven out by the fire, tried to escape and fell into the flames. The suburbs of Louvain suffered the same fate. We can affirm that the houses in all the districts between Lou- vain and Malines, and most of the suburbs of Louvain itself, have practi- cally been destroyed. On Wednesday morning, August 26, the GermaJis Lrought to the Station Squares of Louvain a group of more than 75 persons, including several prominent citizens of the town, amongst whom were Father Coloboet and another Spaaish priest, end also an American priest. SCREEN FOR TROOPS The men were brutally separated from their wives and children, and after hav- ing been subjected to the most abomin- able treatment by the Germans, who several times threatened to shoot them, they were forcd to march to the village of Camipenhont in front of the German troops. They were shut up in the village church, where they passed the night. About 4 o'clock the next morning a German officer told them they had bet- ter go to confession, as they would be shot half an hour later. About 4.30 they were liberated. Shortly afterwards they were again ar- rested bya. German brigade, which forced them to march before them in the direction of Malines. In reply to a question by one of the prisoners, a German officer said they were going, to give them a taste of the Belgian qUickfirers before Antwerp. They were at last re$Sascd on the Thurs- day afternoon at the gates of Malines. It appears from other witnesses that several thousand male inhabitants of Louvain, who had, ped the shooting and the fire, were sent to Germany for a purpose which is still unknown to us. WHITE FLAGS IGNORED The fire at Louvain burnt for several days. An eye-witness who left Louvain on August 30 gave the following descrip- tion of the town at that time :— "Leaving Weert St. George, he says, "I only saw burnt-down villages and half-crazy peasants, who, on meeting anyone, held up their hands as a sigu of submission. Before every house, even those burnt down, hung a white flag, tmd the burnt rage"of them could be seen among the ruins. "At Weert St. Georges I questioned the inhabitants on the causes of the Ger- man reprisals, and they affirmed most positively that no inhabitant had fired a shot, that in any case the arms had been previously collected, but that the Germans had taken vengeance on the population because a Belgian soldier be- longing to the Gendarmerie had killed a Uhlan. "The population still remaining in Louvain have taken refuge in the suburb of Heverle, where they are extremely crowded. They have been cleared out of the town by the troops and the fire. DRUNKEN SOLDIERS I he fire statted a iittle beyond the American College, and the town is en- tirely destroyed except for the Town Hall and the station. Furthermore, the fire was still burnin to-day, and the Germans, far from taking any steps to stop it, seemed to feed it with straw, an instance of which I observed in the street adjoining the Town Hall. "The Cathedral and the theatre are destroyed and have fallen in, as also the library; in short, the town has the appearance of an ancient ruined city, in the midst of which only a few drunken soldiers move about, carrying bottles of wine and Jiqeurs, while the officers them- selves, seated in armchairs round the tables, drink like their men. "In the streets swollen bodies of dead horses rot in the sun, and the small of fire and putrefaction pervades the whole place." The Commission has -not yet been able to obtain infdxtmtion about the fate of the Mayor of Louvain and of th? other nota.blœ who were tibn aa hoa? ages. FIELD WORKERS SHOT AT I The Commission is able to draw the I following conclusions from the facts which have so far been brought to its notice In this vwar, the occupation of any place is systematically accompanied and followed, sometimes even preceded by acts of violence towards the civil popu- lation, which acts are contrary both to the usages of war and to the most ele- mentary principles of humanity. The German procedure is everywhere the rme. Th-ey advance along a road shooting inoffensive passers- by-partieu- larly I icyclist&-as wall as peasants working in the fields. In the towns or villages where they atop they begin by requisitioning food and drink, which they consume till in- toxicated. Sometimes from the interior of de- serted houses they let off their rifles at random, and declare that it was the in- habitants who fired. Then the scenes of fire, murder and especially pillage begin, accompanied by acts of deliberate cruel- ty, without respect to sex or age. USING THE CHURCHES Even where they pretend to know the actual person guilty of the acts they al- lege, they do not content themselves with executing him summarily, tut they seize the opportunity to decimate the population, pillage the houses, and then set them on fire. After a preliminary attack and mas- sacre they shut up the men in the church and then order the women to return to their houses and! to leave their doors open all night. From several places the male popula- tion has been sent to Germany, there to be forced,, it appears, to work at the harvest, as in the old days of slavery. There are many cases of inhabitants being forced to act as guides, and to dig trenches and entrenchments for the Gee- mans. Numerous witnesses assert that during their marches, and even when attacking, the Germans place civilians, men and women, in their front ranks, in order to prevent our soldiers firing. The -evidence of Belgian officers and soldiers shows that German detachments do not hesitate to display either the white flag or the Red Cross flag in order to approach our troopa with im- punity. BRUTALITY TO CLERGY On the other hand, they fire on our ambulances and maltreat the ambulance men. They maltreat and even kill the wounded. The clergy seem to be parti- cularly chosen as subjects for their bru- tality. Finally, we have in our possession ex- panding bullets, which had been aban- doned by the enemy at Werchter, and we possess doctors' certificates showing tha.t wounds must have been inflicted by bullets of this kind. The documents and evidence on which these conclusions rest wiM be pullished in due course. The report was signed by the Pr«v*i- dient, Cooremsan; the members of the Commission; Count Goblet d'Alveilla, Rychmans, Strauss, and Van Cutsem; the socretaries Chevalire Ernst de Bunswych, Orta. ————— —————

Pontardawe Union Relief Fund GENEROUS SUBSCRIPTIONS TOTAL E674. The following is the list of subscribers to the Pontardawe Union relief fund for distres3, published this week at Ponta.rda.we John Player and Sons, Clydiach, £ 200; Gurnos Tinplate Company, Cwm- twrch, £ 100; Old D istress Fmid, Ystal- yfera, £100; W. Giibertson and Co., Pontardawe, £ 75; Cci. Gough, Ystaly- fera, £ 50; Mrs. C. C. Gough, Ystalyfera, £ 25; Mr. F. W. Giibertson, J.P., R25; Mr. J. E. Moore-Gwyn, £ *»; Mr. C. r. Giibertson, Abercrave, L20. Collections by Mr. G. H. Strick. JB17 lls. 6d.; Mr. Francis James (per G. H. Strick) £ 10; per Mr. Griff. Griffiths, Ystalyfera, £ 8 143. Mr. Dd. Davies, Abercrave, 24; coll-ectioits by Mr. D. 0. Williams, L2 14s. 8d. Ystalyfera Church collec- tion, £ 2 12s. lOd. Mr. Rhys Davies, Abercrave, £ 2 2s. Mr. T. J. Davies, C. F. Gilbert- A b c-rcrave, C2 2s.; son, Abercrave, £1 la. R-ev. J. G. Hughes, AbeTcr,3.ve, 21 Is. Mr. Jones, Gwaunclawdd, LI; Ystalyfera L.R.C., 10s. 6d. Mr. W. Watkins, A bercrave, 10s.; Mr. D. Williams. Abet-crave Fram, 5s. Total, J3674 4s. 6d.