Llais Llafur

W. A. WILLIAMS, Phrenologist, can be consulted daily at the Victoria Aroade (near ttho Market), Swansea

YSTRABfiYNLAIS POLICE COURT. I FIRST COURT OF THE NEW YEAR: ONLY ONE CASE. Tuesday, before Messrs. Morgan Price (in the chair), Rees Davies, and Baron Cederetrom. I THE LICENSING DAY. I I The Clerk said that the annual licens- II I ing sessions would be held on Feb. 8th. I TRAVELLING WITHOUT A TICKET. Ivor Evans, a collier, of Rhiwfawr, was summoned for travelling on the Midland Railway without a ticket on Nov. 27th. Defendant did not appear. Edward Morgan, a Midland police offi- cer, said that he travelled on the 6 p.m. train from Swansea on Nov. 27th, and on arrival at Gwys he saw defendant alighting from the train. Defendant then walked up the line and witness stopped him. When asked for his ticket defend- ant said he had g iven it up. Witness inereupon took ddendant to see the f stationmaster. I Daniel Edwards, stationmaster, said the defendant had not given him ? ticket that evening. II e knew defendant quite well. Detective Franzen said that a good many people ?ere taking advantage of the depleted staff on the railway. Several people had recently been fined at Pont- ardawe for the same offence. A fine of J31 was imposed. A few minutes later defendant appeared and pleaded guilty and paid the fine without, any hesitation.

■ ■ YNISMEUDWY. "CHANGE." It was mentioned some time ago in those columns that Mr. D. Gevernydd Morgan had formed a company to pro- duce "Change." The company have been busily rehearsing, and' are now ready to perform. The first performance at Pontardawe is to be devoted to start- ing a fund for the benefit of disabled soldiers, and all arrangements are in the hands of the Belgian Refugee Committee who, however, cannot arrange the per- formance until February 10th. But the company cannot remain idle until then, so they have arranged a tou. Ystaly- fera people will be glad to know that they will have the pleasure of first witnessing this company performing their popular drama. They should therefore, make a note of the dates Monday and Thursday, January 17th and 20th. In three weeks the Company will be engaged for a week in the Rhondda. Other engagements are being arranged for also. WEDDING. The marriage took place at Neath last Saturday of Mr. Reginald G. James, of Ynismudwy, and Miss Bes&ie Hacker, of Skevion. Mr. James, who is at present engaged as a munition worker at Barrow-in- Furness, is a very popular young man in the neighbourhood, and his many friends wish him and his wife a long and happy married life. The wedding was of a quiet character owing to a recent bereavement in the bride's family. The duties of best man were carried out by Mr. Tom Evans, and the bridesmaid was Miss Mary Hacker, sister of the bride. Mr. and Mrs. James will shortly leave for Barrow, where they intend making their home. T.U.E.L. SUPPER. Last Saturday evening, at the Pheasant Bush Hotel, Trebanos, an excellent sup- per was partaken of by the members of the Pontardawe Trade Union Education- al League. After supper the tables were cleared, and a splendid programme of songs and recitations was gone through. The chair was very ably filled by Mr. Nun Nicholas, Trebanos, the well-known lec- turer on Economics, Science,e etc. The opening song was given by Mr. John E. Lew ig, Smithfield, who sang "Cartref" quite effectively. Then the following per- sons took part Song, Mr. Owen Griffiths "The red, red rose"; song, "Gwalia," Mr Wnt. J. James; recitation, "Dros eich gwlad," Mr. Tom Evans; song, "The bitter cold," song (comic), Mr. Evan Griffiths; song (comic), Mr. Tr evor Wil- liams. Mr. Jack Rees sang a number of penillion composed by himself for the occasion. The discovery of a bard in the person of Mr. Rees both surprised and delighted the company, who look forward to further efforts in his new role. May I remind him that the "National" is to be held again this year. Then followed a quartette by Messrs. W. J. James, Owen4 Griffiths, Oliver Williams, and Trevor Williams. Song (comic), lr. James Day recitation, "Y Werin yn Deffro," Mr. Tom Evans; song, "Friend," Mr. W. J. James. song, "Your eyes have told me so," Mr. Tom Davies: story, Mr. John Joseph. The chairman then proposed a vote of thanks to the hostess, Mrs. Rees, for the admirable manner she had pre- pared the feast, and in seconding Mr. I George Smith extended a hearty welcome to everyone who felt desirous of joining the colours. He was sure that if the workers of the district attended the lee- tures given by Mr. Nicholas and the others they would be far better equipped to take part in the industrial movement. Mrs. Rees suitably responded. The con- cert then terminated by the singing of "H'en Wlad fy Nhadau." It is under- stood that the supper is to be a half- yearly event. The following ladies at- tended at the tab,e., Mrs. Rees (land- ¡ lady). Mrs. Lewis. Mrs. Lewis W. Rees, (Alltwcni, Mrs. P. Thomas. Miss Bessie Rees, and Mr. W. Williams, who acted as carver. ————— —————

I THE iOY AND THE WHIP. I 1 Wm. Thomas (13). near Red Lion. j Llandebie. was charged with the theft of a whip. value 2s.9d., the property of Rees Davies butcher, Ammanford. The offence took place on the 13th ult,. and the whip was found in de- fendant's possession on the 16th ult. by P.S. Morgan, to whom he said he took the whip from the trap as he was going to drive. The boy, who pleaded guilty was bound over to be of good hehaviour, and his father was also bound over to exercise control over him, and order- ed to pay costs.

William Dean, lodging at the Work- men's Rest, Ammanford, was charged at the local police court on Tuesday with stealing two bottles of rum from the Cooper's Arms, Bettws, on Jan. 3rd. He was fined £ 1 or 14 days on default.

I f Thomas Lewis S Co i ?-?*:?>? € ??":?.?? ?'? <? *@<? ? ?@.?????@? ? Thomos Lewis I Co! $ ♦% 1 ❖ GR^ EAT SALE I GEA T SALE + O F— 3 J i7 Household Linens, Blankets, 1 i Quilts, Sheetings, Flannelettes, | Lace Curtains, Tablings, &c., + i NOW PROCEEDING. 3 + ? ——————————— ? Grand Value in White Blankets at 5 ? Grand Value in White Blankets at S $ 5/h, 6/ 8 H, !0/I!, !4/H to 25/- ? v § ? Big Stock of Grey Twill Sheetings, pure and heavy, | 10fd., !/0?, and 1/3. ? ? .1 4 ♦> —————— 300 Pairs of White Twill Sheets, hemmed ready for f) use, 3/Ili, 4/11-1,6/11, 8/11. ❖ <♦ C1 ❖ Best Assortment of Quilts and Counterpanes, in ? Alhambra, Honeycomb. Carpet and Marcella, ❖S all weights and sizes, 3 | 3/1 li 4/11, 6/11 to™ « ? 2/?3/H?4/I!.6/to?r' ? 0 ? ? FLANNELETTES in White, Cream, Pink Bnd Stripes ? ? 2?d., 3?d.. 4?d., ?d.-Tip-topVa!ue. 9 2-?l-d3-ad.. 4a4 d., 6-4! -Tip-top Value. I f (j D Q ? H orrockses' Flannelettes and; Longcloths at practically q manufacturers' prices, t + 0 ❖ Lace Cu: tains in Creamliand White, best possible 9 I par terns, 1/6a4 1/lIt. 2/lIt, 4/11, 6/11, 8/11 to 21/ i @ v I. ? Clearing Line in Nap? and. Curl Cloths, in Navy, v Bown, Purple and Tan at 4/11 and 5/!i..?m. ? ❖ ? ■ ■ ■ v ? OXFORD STREET, SWANSEA. ? ?C?*:??. @ .:).(Q.G"Q. ? ??!*@??:.?

.< + .v:<£:<h":><< <> ,O(;+: + +.+.+.+.+.+.+. + ? ? NEW CINE A ca cl gy ndcp-lis Lessees • Edwards & Page. ? L.<&SS€?€?S B?ct\A/<SLrcts <&: F?SLg€?. ? <? ———— ——?—— ——. ————— ,?. —?-.— ? .——_ ——?—————? J? ? ?V!:02Srj3A."2"? T?TrS3SI3??T <Sz. ?7'?E?I33SrJESr3??"2T' ? ? ??T?TETA??? 10, 11 &r, 12. ♦ ? = | The Picture of the day! IN FIVE PARTS. The success of 1915! A great and pathetic drama written round Albert Chevalier's most famous song ?????? t t??a a N N S i?t ? TrTrj_ MM*aNNMMNNMMt ?? =MT OLD DUTCH !♦ T??r ?c'?jj? r ?as ? ? S j. S s j? ? M B a S j )) LN—-JW t ————————— ? X Y J??WwaK L .JY tL ??? ??&mM?N <JaL<? J?La? ?M? JtL ?M? ?L?i? ? — — __—  ? Edwards & Page have obtained this remarkable picture at enormous cost, and it cannot be seen elsewhere in the District. f ? MATINEE: Wednesday at 5 o'clock prompt, School children admitted at Id. TIMES AND PRICES AS USUAL. Vf ♦ o<> o <• «s> ♦> o <?' •> ❖ ❖ ♦•>♦•>♦♦>♦•>♦•>♦♦>♦ ❖❖<> *•*♦>♦♦>♦•>♦•> ❖

BRYNAMMAN- On Saturday last a, serious accident occurred to Mr D. Hill, lat-e Superin- tendent for the Brynamman District of the Britannic Assurance Company, who has recently retired to enjoy his pension, removing to Llanelly. Mr Hill was crossing the roa,(] in High street, Swansea, when he was knocked down by a motor car. He was con- veyed by ambulance to the hospital, where he was found to be suffering from internal injuries of so severe a nature, that he was detained in the institution. He was well known throughout the district, and many friends will regret to hear of his mis- hap. Brynammanites will be glad to learn of the success of Mr Ivor Wil- liams. Penygraig, now in South Africa, Mr Williams, who is employed on the staff of the state railways in South Africa, has for years been stationed at Cape Town. He has now attained 01 one of the highest positions in the Colony, and will shortly remove to Pretoria to take up his new duties. Congratulations. Things promise well for Ute new Hall and Library. During the week a cheque for £ 1,500 has been received by the trustees from the Atlas Assurance Company, through their local agent, j Mr Morgan Harris, Cwmgarw road, in settlement, of the full claim. Well done, "Atlas." Subscriptions to the new fund are also coming in satisfactorily, and we shall publish another list again next week. The collectors are doing well. Over L2,5 has been received by Mr Morgan Rees, Ardwyn road, and handed to the committee. Mr John EUis Lewis and Mr Owen Jenkins are running him closely. We know that the two latter have already promises amounting to some E20 apiece on their books. Lower Brynamman, through District Councillor W. Davies, and Mr Herbert Morgan, is responding magnificently, and threatens to swamp the upper part. Mr Richard Howells, the collector I for Gwauncaegurwen, also sends a. good report. For the present most of the collectors are concerning them- selves with promises, or payments in instalments, but immediate subscrip- tiOJlS a.re never refused. Neither is the provision of reading matter for the use of the library 1000tl sight of. A gift of eight volumes of "Modern Business Practice, a most valuable series has been received from Mr Brnley Rees, Belle VUe terr, and the "New Encyclopedia of Social Re- form" in two substantial volumes from Mr Edwin Lewis, Tinman's row. Parcels of books have also been re- ceived from Mr Tom Rees, cinemato- graph operator. Mr Gwilym Williams, Llandilo road. and Miss Isaac, school- mistress. A cosv reading room has now been set up in Station road, and judging from attendance promises to be a. sue- cess. We would remind old members that a new quarter has commenced. It is to be hoped that all will keep up their membership and will make a point of doing so at once. I SUCCESSFUL BRYNAMMAN EVENT j A successful eisteddfod -was held at Hermon Cliurch., Brynamman, on Satur- day. The adjudicators were Music, Air. J. Morgan, A.L.C.M., Garnant; literary, j Mr. Daniel Thomas, Gwauncaegurwen president, Mr. Bowen Davies. The fol- losing awards were made :—Champion solo, Mary Hannah Davies, Brynamman who also won the soprano solo prize con- tralto solo, Mary Jane Davies, Brynam- mtii solo (under 16), 1, Mary Jane Davies; 2, Margaret Jane Jones, Bryn- amman; solo (under 12), 1 Gwennie Thom::s, Gwauncaegurwen 2 Doris Jones, j Brynamman; solo (under 8), 1. Elvira I Davies 2, Gwynneth Davies, Brynarii- m'u) Mr. Rees D. Jones, Brynamman, won the stanza, and poem prizes; open recitation, Ceinwen Roberts, Glanairi- man recitation (under 16), 1 Bessie i Roderick; 2 Jemima A. Evans. Bryn- amman; under 12, 1 Bessie Wilcox; 2, Elved L eA, Is, Waunleyshon; under 8, Emlyn Evans, Garnant; 2, Elvira Wal- J ters, Brynamman.

RAILWAY MANAGER S FALL. Mr Herbert R. Price, general manager, Brecon and Merthyr Rail- way, who was blown over the railway embankment at New Tredegar during j the recent storm, is improving, but is not able to leave his room. Mr Price was inspecting the landslide at New Tredegar ca,used by the heavy j rains, when a gust of wind swept him over the bank, and he fell a distance i of 25 feet. He sustained concussion by the fall, and only regained con- sciousness after arriving at Newport by train.

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THE "LABOUR VOICE" AND RE- CRUITING. To the Editor. Sir.—Ye Gods! So it has come to this, then. That a Labour journal, deriving its main support from Trade Union sources, thinks (vide your lead- ing article last week), that it would have beeit better if the Government had gone over to Prussia before there was the wildest suggestion of a neces- sity for compulsion, and should have initiated a thorough-going scheme of conscription when the Russian defeat became obvious! Well, there is nothing I relish so much as candour, | and now w o know exactly where you stand, we can for the future judge you accordingly. But I confess that it wa.s not to you that we democrats have looked for a gigantic effort to outstrip Lord Northcliffe and his henchmen in t heir demand for compulsory service per se. I wonder whether you wore in an unusual hurry when you penned the epistle for vour pages I last week ? How otherw ise could you have ignored the essentially funda. mental fart that since the Russian episode to which you referred, volun- tary service has up to this very day given Britain as many men as Lords Kitchener and Derby and the Recruiting Bodies have asked for? How, I wonder, are you going to get over that nice little hurdle? No. There was a time when we could invariably look to your bright little journal for sane guidance'on the problems of the hour, but that time has gone by. When a paper of your past so far forgets that past as to re- fer to men (who, however you may disagree with them), honestly believe it wrong to take human life, as a "Won't Fight Gang," then indeed has the climax beon reached. The evolu- tion is complete, and were you suffic- iently important. I am sure that Mr Leo Maxse, Mr Bfumenfeld (the 71 at riot with the name of Teutonic flavour), and their kind would hail your conversion with gratitude and glee. For the future, I shall not buy the "National Review" or the "Daily Express" to see the viewpoint of the jingoes and the mud-slingers. I shall content myself with reading your paper instead, and shall obviously lose nothing in the saving effected. Again I say, Ye Gods! How are the mighty fallen! Yours, etc., DISILLUSIONED. Cardiff. January 3, 1916. (We. are-glad to learn that our "Dis- illusioned" correspondent knows exact. lv where w0 stand. We regret we. cannot say the same of him and. &o, before we reply to his little effort a.t sarcasm, wo invite him to state, brief- ly and without hedging: Is he anxiotis for this country to win the war decisively. If so. why? And who is to do the winning?—Ed.) "THE LABOUR VOICE" AND COM- PULSORY MILITARY SERVICE. To the Editor. I Sir.—May I be allowed space in your columns to express my views on your editorial of last week, liiueh a N orth- cliffian tone adopted by a. Labour paper cannot but arouse, the indignation of everyone who has anything to do with Labour politics. Although I oppose con- scription from other standpoints, I desire to take exception to your article solely on the ground that conscription in all forms, if imposed, will strike at. the root of moral and religious liberty. You plead for compulsion, but yet you do not base your plea on the ground that the volun- tary system has failed. Lord Kitchener asked for 35,000 recruits per week, and in nine weeks men enlisted to the num- ber of two-and-a-half millions. This is ample evidence that the voluntary sys- tem has had magnificent support from freedom-loving Britishers. But the conscriptionists do not want conscription merely to win the war. They want to institute this Prussianism in this country for after war purposes. They want it to suppress the rapidly growing democratic movement, and I deeply de- plore the fact that on more than one occa- sion youth have helped to popularise this demand. Conscription would only direct- ly affect about 600,000 men, but you ar- gue that a supply of men "for years" should be provided, and the number of ,,I,%ckers" would only carry on the war for ten weeks, on your own admission. In order to "fetch" this "negligible" por- tion, you are prepared to sacrifice the traditional ideals of freedom and liberty of thought, and to establish a system which is so vile and loathsome to peoples of all countries, and which will split the people of this country into two antagonis- tic camps. But as I have stated, I do not op- pose conscription on the ground -of ex- pediency, but rather on the fact that it violates the rights of conscience. Above all things I cherish the right to do as one's conscience dictates; the sacred pri- vilege of individual liberty, and for this ideal I am prepared to sacrifice all other personal liberties. I deny the right of any person or Government to say to me, You shall bear arms," and shall refuse to obey all such commands to kill, what- ever the penalties may be for refusing. I cannot understand your frame of mind when you call young men slackers because they refuse to take a brother's life. Do you regard men as slackers who I daily descend a coal mine, as I do. and face so many perils in the course of the day's work, which in itself, is often suffi- cient to daunt the spirit of the best ? Senghennydd is fresh in all persons memories, and the Tarreni flood of six years ago brought forth heroic deeds by a large number of :,he Swansea Valley slackers. I am proud to say I belong to "Clifford Allen's Won't Fight Gang, You predict a "feeble resistance" by us, but allow me to forewarn you that the shocks the conscriptionists are to receive during the next few weeks will be far from feeble. The d&y conscription will be enacted in this country will be sadly brought to memory -or many a year to follow. May we be granted the blessing of never seeing that day. You charge us with being unworthy to enjoy the privile- ges of British citizenshp. In reply I confi- dently state that we, of the No-Conscrip- tion Fellowship have done our share to advance the principles which carry such privileges, and still do, and will con- tinue to do such service, but we cannot allow such service to conflict with our belief in the brotherhood of man and in- teraational solidarity.- Yours sincerely, TOM EVANS, Dolycoed, Ynismeudwy, Swansea Valley.