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I Gardening Notes. I

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I Coquetting with Tariff I…

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I Coquetting with Tariff I Reform. II LABOUR COUNCILLORS' HARD BUT SUC- CESSFUL FIGHT. I THE NEW MOTOR SERVICE AND THE I CORPORATION. The Mertliyr Corporation were on Monday asked by the Manchester. City Council to give their support to a dastardly attempt to forward the proposal for an Allied Zollverin by adopting a resolution preventing the placing of fmture contracts with fiFri-ti, of German origin, or firms financed by Teuton capital. Had it not been for the strong stand taken by Labour, the project would have been carried, and the sub- tle argument for the setting up of the Tariff barriers had been supplied to the Lanacshire Council to further their scheme at Westminster. An objection was taken to the easy terms on which the new motor omnibus service com- pany had obtained their agreement. The matter was introduced by Aid. Lewie, who asked what the effect was of those cars running over our roads. The Surveyor (Mr. Marshall) said they would make the roads bad in a short time. Aid. Lewis pointed out that the company were not ratepayers, and he was told that it would cost £ 1,000 a year to repair the roads. They were making ruts in the roads 6 inches deep, and lie thought the vehicles were dan- gerous. The Clerk (Mr. T. Aneuryn Ilees) said in addition to a hackney carriage licence the com- pany paid the Corporation £ 100 a. year. Aid. Lewis thought it was unfair and iniqui- tous to the ratepayers. He did not know if they were justified in granting a. licence to a company like that outside the district. The Corporation derived no benefit from them. He moved that the matter be referred back to the Public Works Committee. Aid. Thomas thought that the £ 100 a year that the Company had been called upon to pay was a paltry sum. He was creditably in- formed that the repairs to that portion of the roads over which they would travel would amount to between and £ 2,000. No one really said more than he did that these ve- hicles were a great convenience, but if they were using the roads of the authority they must pay adequately for them. On these grounds he seconded that the matter should be referred back for further enquiry. Conn. Wilson did not agree with what had been said. These vehicles were a great public convenience, and he only wished that they had been running years ago. Everyone must admit that since the war broke out the train service^ had been in a most deplorable state, and there- fore it was pleasing that these 'busses had come along, and the people were able to travel from place to place. The manner in which they were patronised s howed how much the publie appreciated them. We had had cars much heavier than these travelling over the roads for years, and nothing had been said about them yet directly these people brought along omnibuses that were a. great convenience to the public these objections were raised. He took it that if the 'buses proved a financial success these people would establish a garage in Merthyr and would thereby become rate- payers-, for it was a fact that their present garage was inconvenient, and necessitated the running of a special ear "With the workpeople and supplies. His one regret was that the Corporation had not ydars ago itself decided to run these vehicles, for he believed that a good reliable service would have proved one of the most paying concerns which they could have en gaged in. He was opposed to the placing of any obstacles in the way of the Company, but at the same time agreed that they should be made to pay a, fair contribution towards the maintenance of the roads. The Corporation had made an agreement with the Company for the paymeat of tIOO for the first year. Why not allow it to stand, and then at the end of the year they would be able to see whether the service was a success financially, and if it was they could then revise the figure ? Coiin. Parry asked whether in the event of the Company developing a good trade and the Corporation deciding to run their own vehicles the Company could claim any compensation P The Town Clerk No, sir, they cannot, and we cannot run motor services without an Act of Parliament. Aid. Thomas agreed with every word that Coun. Wl isoi) had uttered, but contended that the Watch Committee or whoever were respon- sible for the setting of the £ 100 were altogether too generous, and that it should go back for further consideration. Coun. Parry asked whether in the event of this service being successful, the Company would be asked to consider their promise to open a service between Merthyr and Heolgerrig. He was told that this would be attended to, and on being put to the meeting it was decided to refer the minute back to the responsible Committee for further consideration. Coun. Francis protested against the extension of a cuh ert in the vicinity of the new school at Penydarren. There were something like 200 people living in the immediate vicinity who would have to pass this culvert, and the tipping was within a. few yards of it. This extension would bring the tipping within 50 feet of the nearest dwelling house. They had had enough tipping in the Peny- dairren Ward, and the parents of the children who attended the school. which had been re- cently built at a cost of £ 20,000, objected strongly to their children having to pass this tipping. He moved that the resolution authori- sing the extension be deleted. C'oun. J. Davies also entered a protest, and Aid. Griffiths, who regretted being in opposi- tion to his colleagues in this matter, pointed out that the tipping was only for the purpose of arching a spot at present dangerous to the children, and carrying it further along. The tipping provided was next to nothing, and would not provide for a month. Upon a vote being taken, 7 voted for the amendment put forward by Coun. Francis, and the original motion was carried. A motion, moved by Coun. Francis, that the minute previously appointing the Health Com- mittee to supervise the scavenging be rescinded, and that the work be turned over to the Public Works Department; the Sanitary In- spectors to report any neglect of work on the part of the contractors, to the Borough Sur- veyor, was seconded by the Chairman of the Health. Committee (Coun. Lloyd) and carried without discussion. Coun. Davies protested against the nuisance of the advertisements on the car windows, and asked the Corporation to send a request to the Traction Company to provide a better service between Merthyr and Cefn.—The Council ag- reed to this. The C,,ouncil.iinanimoiisl,, a,-reM to subscribe towards a great memorial that is to be pre- sented to the Government asking it to repay all damage done bv aircraft, and to refund the premiums of all private persons who had iu- sured against air-raid damage. ,I The resolution of the Manchester City Coun- cil wax. then read to the effect that no contract should be entered into with any person of German or Austrian nationality, or any Com- pany whose sublScrihed capital whether by btrtit or control was held to the extent of one- third by persons of German or Austrian birth. Coun. Hankey pointed out that the Australian Premier had advis- ed us to remove the canker of German trade'. Coun. John Davies opposed the motion, not because he was a pro-German, but because he was a Free Trader all through and because when this war was over he aid not want to have any kind of revenge on the Germans. Aid. Lewis: Nonsense. Coun Davies: I am opposed to it on principle.. Aid. Lewis: Yes, we have had a lot of that. Coun. Davies: Some people do not know what principle, is. (Hear, hear.) Proceeding, the Councillor described this at- tempt as the thin edge of the wedge, and most unfair tactics, for trying to secure tariff iveform—(hear, hear)—at the present moment, when iNk, were in the midst of a crisis such as the war had brought about. It was not fair it was not what was usually considered British. "We always boast that we are fair to our opponents. Let us be fair in this mat- ter. Let us bury. the hatchet of disagreement in thin crisis, and let us work as one party to achieve oj-ir objects. When the war is over I am prepared to go on the platform an-d defend rn" position." Coun. Lloyd, in moving the resolution, declared that he was as good a. Democrat as any one in that hall. and also as much in- clined to Free Trade, but he thought that at the present time they ought to remember that self-preservation was the first law of nature, and at the present time it was necessary to exclucle German goods to protect our own in- terests. The great Free Trade School of Man- chester was simply doing what was a nationaJ service in moving this at a time like the present Coun..Francis also entered a forcible protest against this attempt to introduce a covert mea- sure 01 hrrift Reform.—In reply to Coun. Haiv- key. fie declared that our Colonies were only supportii-tg the move for their own ends as they had previously done. He believed that the proper course was to buv the best. and it was significant that 9 out of every 10 razors supplied to the troops were of German manufac- ture. If the Germans made a. better article than us, should not seek to exclude them bv an artificial barrier, but should aim to pro- duce a, better article ourselves He seconded Coun Davies' motion that the resolution lie on the table. On being put to the meeting 10 were in fav- our of the resolution, and 12 supported the motion that it lie on the table. The Mayor and Town Clerk were, by the casting vote of the Mayor, elected to represent the Corporation at the forthcoming meeting of the Municipal Corporations Associations at the Guildhall. London.

I Child Labour in Merthyr.

I Our Draughts Column.

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