Pioneer

I j Football at Merthyr. BIC IMPROVEMENT IN HOME DEFENCE. I CHIVERS' CREAT DISPLAY AT CENTRE- HALF. The three goal to nil! victory that Merthyr Tow n recorded on Penydarren Park against New- port County on Saturday last, was unquestion- ably a victory of merit. Just how much the- home. superiority is ascribable to the drastic re- slitifflifig that the visiting lines had to undergo, at the last moment it would require a longer and closer acquaintance than I possess of Newport to say, but this at all events it is possible tü: predicate, without reflecting It .III upon the Mertliyr defence last Saturday, that the weak- est set of forwards that have appeared on the- home ground this year was that which came from Newport last Saturday. The same cannot truth- fully he said about the back lines. Both Oollins and Griffin were hard-working and steady in the- back-line, and Cooper, despite one or two weak- nesses of play, including that shocking bloomer that left Nock with an absolutely open goal, eight minutes from tiie end, was not at all bad between the props. Hut probably the best line- Newport has is its half line, and the only reason that it did not get the praise it deserved was, that its work was merely steady and good, and not flambuoyant and showy as well. Nobody seemed to think over much of the line, yet a re- membrance of the many times that play was held for minutes at once just inside Newport territory was the* finest testimonial to the half hues' efficiency that it could have had. Of the visiting forwards, a poor lot, Kilson and Mann were easily best, and with Hindmarsh thex- opened two or three movements that could have developed into something useful if other support had been forthcoming. As it was they merelv presented Chamberlain with opportunities to. shine. But that brings me to a consideration of our own display. A display of mixed moments, ot brilliant sections, and bad. wofully bad moments,, that we should have heard much more about had. it not been for the three goals that were forth- coming.. Our defence was stronger than it has. ever been. Chamberlain played like a master., and Edwards was over-shone by his backs" sparkle and vim, and there was just enough* pepper in Kilson and Mann to give us a. chance- to admire Chamberlain improved form without ever bringing real danger to the home goal. And it was just as well. For la.st Saturday's display by Gibbon was not of the quality that he has led me to expect from hiin. He was too ready tc. run out for foolish distances. I was never one who could look tolerantly on a goalie who was- not quite sure where his position began and ended. I have seen disaster on that policy too. often. I like to iset, a custodian always within. reach of the posts that mark his charge, and when a keeper starts to wander up the field, as Gibbon did on Saturday, I begin to wish that f. had a voice on the selection committee, that I might give him a. short holiday to cool down 1 robert tind Yarwood were easilv masters of the visiting ri.ght wing, and the consequence was a paralysis of that side of the visiting line that was complete. But the best item in the defence was Olivers, who was out for the first time in a premier match, at centre-half. That has been our weak spot and consequently my eyes, a.t all events, looked anxiously there for some time.. and after that they dwelt there from sheer pleasure in watching the player and his play. Chi vers was as fast as a. Powderhall ehampintL in his sprints, as tricky in defence as he was subtle in attack, he was eel-like in threading for- ward, and when lie passed out for the final effort, it was the marksmanship of a Bislev prizeman that was his. In manv wavs lie re- minded me of Joe McCall last Saturday, and that's about the best praise I know. Saturday was generally a day of transmuted values, In. the front line the interest had switched from Turner and Nicholas, because of the weakness in particular of the inside man's play—a weak- ness that was glaringly in contradiction to his former exhibition.. On the contrary Davies and Brown came out of their shells with a jump, and their play, particularly during the second half, after they had given Merthyr the lead, was all that oould be desired. I was glad for that first goal, for it followed a slip of Davies that was not at all consistent with his play, and since he was the prime mover of the smart play that enabled Brown to score4 the crowd forgave him generously his mistake of a minute before. From then on Merthyr were streets ahead of the- visitors, and the game became a long tussle in front of Cooper, who was down when Browns made the score two, and out of goal, as I have before said, when Nock walked the third over with eight minutes still to go. And a fast eight minutes it was. A corner and two narrow es- capes for Cooper were amongst the exciting last moments of a match, that. with all the weak- nesses that were generously forgotten in the decisive victory, showed the steady building up. of Merthyr into a team as distinct from a mass- of football players. A.P.Y.

The Theatre Royal The visit of, dare I say, our Comrade? George Bernard Shaw's play" Pygmalion" to the Royal next week, touches. in my opinion, the highest mark so far of -Nre. Stephen's management. Everyone remembers how the world stood, ex- pectantly a-tip-toe speculating as to the particu- lar bad-language that Eliza used in the play, and how all society tloeke-d to see the sparkling: brilliance of the experiment by which Shaw proved that Eliza. Doolittle and .society's cream, were the .same skin, and even the cream could' be put on by a little, patient attention to educa- tional finish. Of all Shaw's plays this, his ro- mance is best to my way of thinking and more than one Merthyr playgoer will unconsciously- plagarise the play next week if asked to miss the show by retorting Not, bloody, likely." With- the eleganee of the term I am no more concerned than is Eliza in the play; but its potency as are, emphasis I know and value. I agree that it would be the most foolish folly, with a good company, such as Charles Maodona brings on Monday, playing "Pygmalion" to allow any- thing short of a contagious disease or a. broken leg to stand in the way of a visit to the Royal next week. Nor will next week suffer from the current plav The House of Peri)." that is intent with  dramatic life, and is as strong in literary treat- Ij ment as even Shaw's plays are. It is a great 1! play, greatly conceived and executed by a mas- ter playwright in Horace Annes-ley Vadhell. The caste is worthy of any London platform" and the whole produces an entertainment which holds and enthralls. I am 'old-fashioned enough to prefer sweet endings, but I cannot but ad- mire the art that has cut The House of Peril abruptly ghort on a fine moment. PLAYGOER. Printed and Published by the National Labour Press, Ltd., at the Labour Pioneer Preu. Williams' Square, Merthyr Tydfil.

Merthyr Notes Tuneral of Will Harris. The interment of our late Comrade Wm. Har- ris took place quietly at Cefn Cemetery on Mon- day morning. In respect to his own wishes none but the family, and his boyhood, college, and professional life friend, Mr. T. Thomas, attended as mourners. There were numerous wreaths:, including. appropriate ones from the I.L. P., tin- Trades Council and the N.U.T. A sorrowful knot of trades unionists and Socialists watched the last -,ad rites from a distance, and after- wards, knowing Will's love of wild flowers, laid garlands of them upon the earth that held his remains. In Salute. The audience at the I.L.P. meeting in Bent- lev's Hall on Sunday afternoon paid its last sad tribute to our dead Comrade Mr. William Har- ris, by standing bareheaded. Condolences. t Merthyr I.L.P. on Tuesday preceded its busi- ness by passing in silence a vote of condolence with the widow and family of the late W. Har- ris. Mr. Barr, from the chair, expresse-d the Party's sense of irreparable loss in the untimely passing of William Harris, a man who was outstanding beyond all the men that he had known; a man who J)y force of character, and intellect and genius for organisation naturally came to the leadership of any movement with which he was associated." I.L.P. Class. The members' dancing class in connection with the Merthyr I.L. P. re-opens for the season at Bentley's Hall, to-night (Friday). The class is confined solely to members of the Party, and pro- duction of t'he membership card is essential to admission.. More About Our Unemployed. The Labour members or the Corporation gave instances at Monday's meeting of the Merthyr Public Works Committee of acute poverty in Dowlais in consequence of the continued strike of the sfceelworkers. Mr. D. Parry talked of a "respectable family" compelled to sell their furniture and household effects for sustenance. It was full time, he said, the corporation tackled the situation by providing employment on pub- lic works. Under such a scheme the ratepayers would receive a labour return for their money whilst, now poor-rlaw out-relief was being paid to an increa.sing number ot unemployed kept idle through no fault of their own. Mr. L. H. Francis remarked that there were people abso- lutely starving." Steelworkers though they tramped all over the neighbouring counties failed to obtain employment directly they men- tioned that they were from the Dowlais works. Mr. J. S. Biddle (deputy-town-clerk) reported that a resolution of the town council would be necessary before the Loca l Government Board could be approached for the additional t26,000 loan required to construct the £ 40,000 sewer be- tween Aberfan ajid Troedyrhiw. As the sewer scheme would provide work for a large number of hands, the committee agreed to recommend the Corporation to put it into operation at once and to effect a move in the preparation of the necessary new surveys. It was also agreed to take up street improvements. A Labour Leader Bereaved. The sympathy of the trades union movement in South Wales goes out to Mr. W. Hopkins, Sunnybank House, Merthyr. general secretary of the South Wales and Monmouthshire Colliery Enginemen, Stokers' and Craftsmen's Associa- tion, upon the death of his son, Lieutenant Trevor Hopkins, Welsh Regiment, which took place on Saturday. Aged 25, Lieutenant Hop- kins was a school teacher by profession, and on his enlistment in 1915 was a member of the staff at Twynyrodyn Elementary School, Merthyr. He was educa-ted at the Pontypridd County School and at the Dudley Training College. He served in 1916-17 with the 23rd Welsh Pioneer Regiment, and after gaining a commission he was transferred to France early in 1918 with the 10th Batt. Welsh Regiment. While in charge of C Company, 2nd Welsh Regiment, in the operations around Arras in September, 1918, Lieutenant Hopkins was badly wounded. Merthyr A.F.C.'s Finances. Lrr. Alexander Duncan presided over the an- nual meeting of the shareholders of the Merthyr rlu,%l meeting of t l ie,sl i, Town Association Football Club at the Town Hall, Merthyr, on Friday. Total assets of t2,465 were shown on the balance-sheet for the period April 30th, 1916, to April 30th, 1919.— The Chairman having explained that the ac- counts had reference to the old club, the report and balance-sheet were passed. Dr. Duncan added that the amount spent on building the team was £ 850, and the renovating of the play- ing ground had cost well over £ 1,000. At pre- sent the club was in a solvent condition, with about t400 to the good." Mr. T. Rowlands (secretary) stated that to date entertainment tax paid by the club totalled £133 .5s. 7d. Manager Hadley was optimistic as to the fu- ture and looked forward to his team topping the Southern League table next year. He thought, too, that Peuvdarren Park could house an International match. Of his Welsh boys he also spoke well and gave a hint of the pros- pective inclusion of a. few of them in the senior eleven. The new directors appointed were: Dr. A. Duncan, Rev. E. R. Davies, Capt. J. Grif- fiths, Police-Sergt. C. Hunter, Messrs. J. E. Biddle, Aneuryn Jones, J. H. Jones, Mat De Lacey, Jack Lewis, Evan Morgan, Lewis Mills, E. W. G. Richards, Chas. Seymour, George Scott, and W. Surridge.

Llantrisant and District Notes. Tramways. General interest has been aroused by the an- nouncement of the District Council's intention to promote a Tramway's Bill. It will be inter- esting to 'see whether the proposed Bill will se- cure public ownership of the tramways or whether is is merely another proposal for the benefit of the Rhondda Tramway Company. It is only proper to ask what is the Company's in- terest ? and are we to have a repetition of the 1913 Bill promoted by the Rhondda Tramway's Company ? The 1913 Bill. For many years the need for transit facilities between Gilfach Gocli, Tony retail and the Rhondda was apparent to everyone, except the District Council, who ignored the need until with the sinking of the Cwmbrian Pit at Gilfach Goch the need for transit facilities was forced upon the Council by the promotion of a Parlia- mentary Bill by the Rhondda Tramway Com- pany, to secure power for the running of a sys- tem of rail-less trolley vehicles along the Gil- fach, Tonyrefail and Penygraig road. The Com- pany's proposal meant a heavy extra expendi- ture for the District Council, so the Council, un- f -J- prepared to tackle the question of providing some means of locomotion between Gilfach Goch and the rest of the district, opposed the Com- pany's bill. The Engineer's Evidence. Giving evidence before the House of Lords' Committee'which dealt with the Bill in 1913, the Council's engineer stated that the extra expen- diture which the running of the rail-less vehicles would throw on the District Council for widen- ing and adapting the road to a 17ft. roadway would be £ 8,075. Tfcis, he said, at a 30 years' loan repayable capital and interest at 3f per cent. in yearly instalments would mean an an- nual expenditure Is. 10d., while the net annual extra cost of maintaining the road due to the cars he estimated at £ 384 13s. 4d. Thus the District Council had thrown upon it a total annual extra expenditure of £ 838 15s. 2d. for a 17ft. roadway due to the running of the Com- pany's cars. It was something very much like a subsidy out of the rates to the Rhondda Tram- way's Company for running cars for their, own profit. The Result of Opposition. As a result of the Council's .opposition to the Company's Bill a provision was inserted securing the payment by the Company to the District Council of one-third of the increased cost of widening the roadway to a 17ft. roadway, pro- vided it did not exceed £ 1,333, and one-third of the extra cost of maintaining the road provided it did not exceed three-eights of a penny per car mile. To secure one-third of the cost of widen- ing the road, the District Council must execute the work within three years of the passing of the Act. As the Company's Act was passed in 1913, and as owing to the war nothing has been done to the road, and this time-limit fixed by the Company's Act has expired, apparently the Company need now make no contribution to the cost of widening the road for the running of their cars. The number of car mil es estimated in 1913 was 145,000, as the company's contribu- tion towards the extra cost of maintaining the road is limited to three-eights of a penny per car mile they cannot be called upon to contri- bute more than £ 228 per annum towards the extra cost which the running of their cars will throw on the ratepayers. The War's Influence. Without going into any elaborate calculations it is now apparent that the expenditure of the District Council in connection with this roadway would he very greatly increased, thanks to the war. The engineer's figures were based upon 1913 prices and rates of interest, and they were figures for a 17ft. roadway which is not quite good enough for a heavy traffic road. Having regard to the tender of Messrs. Barnes Chaplin for the completion of the waterworks suspended in 1913 and to other considerations one would be pretty safe in trebling the Engineer's figures. Thus the ratepayers, if the Rhondda Company runs its cars and the council widens the road, will have to find an annual sum of something like £2,000 to £ 2,500, towards which the Rhondda Company will not he forced to contri- bute more than £ 228. This is the position ap- parently as things stand. Is it to be modified by the Coiincills Blll'e If so, in which direction, and how ? are questions to which answers should be given. The Council's Blunder. It must not be forgotten that the people pri- marily responsible for this waste of public money, this subsidising of a. private company, is the late District Council, and they are respon- sible for it beca tse of their prejudice against collective ownership and their desire to keep op- portunities for profit-making in the hands of private individuals. Had they faced the needs of the District squarely and promoted their own Parliamentary Bill to secure power and run their own trams over their own roads, this gross waste of public money, this subsidising of a private company would not he contemplated to-day. It is very important to remember that when the I Rhondda Company's Bill was before Parliament witnesses stated for the company that it was the oogjpany's intention to seek power over the Ely Valley Road. Do the ratepayers want to subsi- dise this company on the Ely Valley road again ? or do they not consider it wiser that the Council should obtain the power and the profits and run its own cars in the Ely Valley? Meanwhile, what are the proposals of the new Bill?

Swansea Valley Notes. Morgan Jones in the Valley. The speaker for the Swansea "alley 1.1.1. P. Federation last week-end was Comrade Morgan Jones (Bargoed), who immediately after his re- lease from the miUtary has commenced his work as Or??i'?? Secretary for the Welsh Divisional Council. Needless to say, the Swan- sea Valley comrades have been eagerly looking forward to a visit from Morgan for a long time, and his four day's tour was very successful and satisfactory. At Ystradgynlais. r. Un Friday night he spoke on t'he bquare, -vniais, tnd the large audience listened attentively till the shades of evening Had fal- len" a.nd was greatly impressed by the speaker's clear and outspoken "enunciation of "The Mes- sage of the I.L.P." A good collection was taken. After the a bovey-a meeting of the Branch was held at the T.L.P. Hall, when a large number of members attended. The organisation of the branch was discussed, and it is confidently ex- pected that increased activity and membership will result. Ystalyfera's Contribution. On Sunday afternoon another open-air meet- ing was held on the Common, Ystalyfera. Oon- sidering the coldness of the weather, there was a good muster of people present, and they greatly appreciated the remarks of Comrade Morgan Jones. A Soldier's Protest. At question time a discharged soldier in the audience stated that he had heard that the I.L.P. had failed to get the Central Hall to hold their meeting owing to the action of the E.C. of the D.D. and S.S. Federation. If this were so lie protested in the name of his com- rades against isuch action. I have served for four years and nine months and have lost my health," he said, and I'm not going to allow such things to be done in my name. We need unity in the workers' ranks, lie also said, .1 and we must not lallowollrseives to be split into sections by our common enemy." No, my friend, we must not allow it. The common enemy still realises the significance of Cæser's motto, "Divide and Conquer," so beware of the good chap who chucks" a cheque into your sports fund in order that he may be allowed to manipulate your affairs in his own sweet way and split us up." Let's hope we'll witness more Widnesses. Clydach-All Attention. Another successful meeting was held at the Labour Centre, Clydach. Morgan Jonef; spok,, at length on our responsibilities as Socialists and upon the problems that we will have to tackle immediately. The meeting was a. fine kick-off" for the Clydach Branch, and judg- ing by the large attendance and enthusiasm manifested, it augers well for a successful winter session. The chairman was Comrade Dai Morris. Pontardawe for Socialism. there was also a good attendance at the Public Institute, Pontardawe, when Morgan was found in his best form on Monday night. He very ably analysed Copitalism, hoth nationally and internationally, and explained its develop- ment into huge trusts, etc. He demonstrated how financiers manipulated home and foreign policies and intrigued for territorial conquests, and showed how the rich and privileged people got into the Foreign Office and conducted the affairs of the country along lines which inevit- ably led to war. He appealed on behalf of the I.L.P. for .support to a Socialist programme, which would do away with Competition and establish society on lines of Co-operation as be- tween individuals ;,And nations. The speech. which lasted for an hour and a half, was a per- fect masterpiece. The arguments were most crushing the appeal an inspiring one and the Socialist case put in an unassailable manner. For its winning persuasiveness and masterful elo- quence I do not think a better .appeal has been made to a Pontardawe audience (and this says a great deal). At the close of Morgan's speech an old istalwarb of Labour in the audience got up and paid a glowing tribute to him and made a strong appeal in Welsh for the I.L.P. So you see we -are getting on. even in Pontardawe! A good collection ii-.is and a quantity of literature sold. Comrade Tom Evans presided. A Rally. At the I.L.P. Hall, Ystalyfera, next Saturday a grand social will be held in order to give a send-off to Comrade Tom Samuels, who is about to leave for Australia. A good time is antici-. pa tod. Educational Side. Economics and Industrial History Classes are being arranged in Ystalyfera, Cwmtwrch, Ystradgynlais and Abercrave, for the winter. The lectures will be Mr. Jack Thomas, B.A. (Checkweigher, Diamond Colliery). The success of the classes is assured when such an able and popular lecturer as lie takes them in hand. MEUDW.

Pontypridd Notes. Labour's Contribution. The Pontypridd Traces and Labour Council is increasing in numbers. At the Ia.st meeting an application from the National League of Blind was received and was unanimously agreed to. County Councillors May and Tristram gave re- ports of the meetings they had attended recent- ly. Thank goodness! they are real live men. Between them and supported, of course, by the other Labour members on the County Council, they 'have raised the fee of witnesses at inquests from 7/6 to a guinea. But they tell us that D.O.R.A. is far from dead yet. as it appears that owing to a war arrangement, coronei-s can still hold inquests without juries. This must be protested against. Our members have also done other good deeds. Sully wanted a Parish Coun- cil and it has been granted one. Pyle wanted increased representation, and their members on the Parish Council have been increased from 11 to 14. Llandilo-Talybont wanted an additional £ 670 to complete their recreation ground, and thanks to the Labour members, they had only to ask to receive. Bravo! County Councillors May and Tristram. Bravo! Treforest. The Treforest Labour Party is up and doing. A strong committee has been formed to make preparations for a tea and social Oil Xmas Day, and it is going to be carried out in style. They intend holding open-air meetings in Rhydfelen next Monday, 22nd inst., when two Indian speakers are expected. They are proud of their two local councillors there. D. L. Davis and John Howells are two of the best, and conse- quently this ward is being looked upon as one of the most progressive in the district. The party has an ideal chairman in Mr. Barber, and it is hoped that before long, he will be looking after the interests of the ward in the Council Chamber. Mardy Jones on Nationalisation. I Mr. T. I. Mardy Jones' address on "The Nationalisation of the Mines given in the Market Square last Wednesday was a decided success. He certainly opened the eyes of the crowd, who listened niost, atttentively to \him. Trallwn Too. 1 The Labour Party at Trallwn Ward requires very little waking up. They are all there, as our American cousins say. They see that the grievances of their ward are attended to and remedied and the inhabitants of the ward, what- ever their political creed may be, owe them a debt of gratitude. Their lady members are par- ticularly active. The Women's Cuild. The Co-operative Women s Guild has through the Pontypridd Trades and Labour Council, managed to get two of their members, Mrs. Ware, of Treforest, and Mrs. Lewis, of Hop. kinstown, co-opted on the Child's Welfare and Maternity Centre about to be established here.

Gorseinon Notes. The Economics Class. The I.L.P. is embarking upon a new project in the form of an Economics Class. We have al- ready intimated in these columns that lectures dealing with the economics of Socialism have proved very acceptable during our open-air cam- paign this summer. The new departure is ,Iai-gelv a fruition of these meetings. We have been fortunate in our lecturer, Comrade Stan. Rees ,of Ruskin and the C.L.C., and those of us who have heard him deal with Economics have learnt how absorbing a topic he can make the dismal science." Tlic, first meeting takes place on Wednesday and we are expecting a mighty crowd. The Competitive Concert. From a competitive point of view, the concert held here last Saturday iin aid of the War Memorial Fund was disappointing. The prizes were attractive and the, conditions regulating the competitions were alluring, but they failed to draw. It had been arranged that the winners of the specified solos for soprano, contralto, tenor and -ba,ss were to meet in an open compe- tition for s ix guineas and that the winner of the latter was to have the option of singing in- a dramatic recital on the following evening. The outstanding feature of the event was the singing of our local vocalist, Mr. Harry Roberts, who carried off the prize for the baritone and the champion, the adjudicator expressing the opinion that the music-lover might go to Covent Garden and fare worse. We offer our congratulations to Miss Carrie Hagedorn, who won the open solo. She is the daughter of Mr. Dd. Hagedorn, one of our staunchest supporters.

I Getting Ready in Aberdare I ABERYCYNON TRADES UNIONISTS AND MR. JOSEPH KEATINC. I ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT OF CANDIDATURE. Under the auspices of the Abercynon Lodge, S.W.M.F., a mass meeting of all trades union- ists was held at the Lesser Hall, September 11, when Mr. Joseph Keating delivered an address on "The Labour Position To-day." Mr. W. R. Evans presided, supported hy Councillor Chas. Maddox and other prominent representatives of trade unionism. The chairman announced that Mr. Keating had been nominated 1u" his colleagues of the U.I.L. to contest the Aberdare Division in the interests of Labour, subject to the approval of of the Miners' Federation and the other trade union lodges in the district, and the meeting had been called to give all concerned an opportunity of hearing Mr. Keating's views so that a decision might be formed a,s to his qualifications as a candidate at the next parliamentary election in the division. Mr. Keating, who was cordially received, said that the Labour position was one of approach- ing triumph. The resolution which had just been jtassed at the Trade Union Congress, ca ll- ing upon the government to keep faith with its pledge to adopt the majority report of the San- key commission was the most significant step ever taken by Labour. It affirmed the solidar- ity of Labour in the just demands of any one of the various organisations. The workers were now prepared to claim a deciding voice in all matters affecting their industrial conditions. When Labour showed such unity of purpose, its power was irresistible. It represented the wishes of twenty-five million citizens, more than half the population of Great Britain. Any gov- ernment that refused to keep its promises, in the face of such an overwhelming demand for jus- tice must fall, (Applause.) THE ONE TOPIC. Mr. Kea ting attributed most of the unrest in the country to the high prices of all commodi- ties. Every woman was eojnplaining, and family conversation had become nothing but a dialogue on the troubles of keeping the children fed, and clothed and the shop book clear of debt. (]Ei (? The women were the real agitators. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Keating advocated the i-epeii of the Rent Act. and declared that the income tax 011 wages was an iniquitous tax on a workman's health and strength. Health and strength were the workers' capital, and the government had put a tax on it, while at the same time it re- fused to tax the capital of landowners and em- ployers. Dealing with the Miners' Compensa- tion Act, Mr. Keating pointed out that £300 I was the value set not upon the life of a miner, but upon the lives of all depending upon him. That was the price of a miner, his widow and all her children. The only adequate compensa- tion was the miner's full earning capacity at the time of his being killed, and that amount should be paid to his family until the children would earn a living for themselves. Why asked Mr. Keating, should the widow and children of a worker be made to suffer by the death of the breadwinner. (Hear, hear.) He demanded iije abolition of conscription, the withdrawal of the troops from Russia and Ireland, and declared that the cause of Labour was an international matter. Mr. Keating concluded by stating that the only remedy for all the grievances of the workers was a Labour Government. (Applause ) THE AFTERMATH. An unusual number of questions were put to the speaker dealing with education, direct action, compensation to injured miners, and tllf: difference between taxing the workers' wages and taxing the workers' food. At the close of the prolonged questioning, a vote of thanks to Mr. Keating was proposed ¡¡y Mr. A. G. Parry, who said that lie wished to express his warmest appreciation of the abilities revealed by the speaker, both in the spdendid address he had delivered, and in replying to the many searching questions. It was a pleasure, said the proposer, to note the difference between Mr. Keating and the present representative of the division. The sitting member .had been elected on sentiment, and had nevor shown any sign of possessing brains. But in Mr. Keating they saw unusual ability and a practical know- ledge of what the workers wanted, and he (Mr. Parry) would give him his enthusiastic support in the fullest confidence that Mr. Kea-tMjjj would be a most valuable representative for a mining district. (Applause.) Mr. Dan Palmer seconded, and told his hearers that he did so with unqualified pleasure, as he had been doom- ing with Mr. Keating in the Navigation, and was proud to see that he was true to Labour. He (Mr. Palmer) would support Mr. Keating with the greatest entlmsiasm. (Cheers.) COUNCILLOR MADDOX'S SUPPORT. Councillor Charles Maddox asked perm i ssion to support the resolution. He said that lie and all his family had been reading a hook called "My Struggle for Life," in which Mr. Keating had told the history of a poor boy from the Welsh Mines. It was, said the Councillor, Mr. Keating's life-story, and the writing would touch the heart. He (Councillor Maddox) was very glad indeed to have that opportunity of saying a .word on behalf of Mr. Keating, who, declared the councillor, was inspired by a pas- sion for the welfare of ithe miners. Councillor Maddox concluded hy wishing Mr. Keating every success, and stating that lie would be pleased to do what he could towards that end. (Loud applause.) Mr. IVatts (N.U.R.) rose to support t'he reso- lution on behalf of the railway workers. The able address which they had just heard and the straightforward replies to the questions, con- vinced him (Mr. Watts) that Mr. Keating was out for the emancipation of the workers. (Hear, hear). He assured Mr. Keating of his fullest sympathy and support, and would do all in his power to help him. (Cheers.) The resolution was carried unanimously amid enthusiastic applause. Mr. Keating, replying briefly, thanked the meeting for the kind way in which he had been received. He said that his appeal for their support was based on the fact that he was really one of themselves. He was a native of the dis- trict, had worked in the mines there, and had studied the political and industrial needs of the community in order to be qualified, as far as lay within his power, to grapple successfully with the oppressors of the poor. (Applause.)