Papurau Newydd Cymru
Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru
10 erthygl ar y dudalen hon
Advertising
I I LOVE or FEAR? I. THE TWO ways OF LIFE. The Hon. Bertrand Russell's Mer- thyr Address. SEE PAGE 4
Advertising
WHAT The I PIONEER' STANDS FOR! BY THE EDITOR. SEE PAGE 3
I,I'Drinking in Private Houses
I, I Drinking in Private Houses fil STRONG OPINION OF MERTHYR CHIEF CONSTABLE. fc J DIFFERENCE OF OPINION WITH WATCH ? COMMITTEE CHAtRMAN In his report to the Watch Committee last Friday, the Chief Constable (Mr J. A. Wilson) makes some personal observations on the effect of the new Restriction Orders (Defence of the Realm—Liquor Control Board), which have moire than a local significance. He says: — from my personal observation there are in- [ dications of increased drinking during the hours allowed for sale in licensed premises, and there is also an increase m the amount conveyed from I licensed premises for home consumption. The weekly ifgures of proceedings for drunkenness i from April 1. 1915. to June 30. 1915, are as [ foilows — I 3 6 5 4 8 9 8 7 3 3 6 7 5—males 56, females 18; total 74 11 74 And from April 1, 1916. to June 30, 1916: 4 4 0 2 4 5 3 3 8 9 2 4 3—maies i 40. females 12; total 52 It will be observed that the figures for pro- ceedings lor drunkenness show an increase du- ring the 8 weeks the Order has been in force, and analyses of the cases prove that over 75 per cent. are persons who habitually appear at the Police Court and are not employed on munitions. It is regrettable to note that of women convicted—4—are persons either the wives of soldiers or drawing dependants' al- lowance. The days on wh ich offenees for drunkenness occurred during the past quarter are shown by the following tables- Monday 7; Tuesday 8; Wdnesdav 6: Thurs- day I Friday 3; Saturday 27; Sunday 0 — total 52. ;?" The increased drunkenness is due, in my opinion, to quicker drinking on licensed prem- ises, and to an increased amount of drinking in private houses. The amount of flagon trade done in the bo- rough has been considerably reduced owing to the Order rogaVding canvassing, credit and mode of "payment: hut there has been an in- creased snip in bulk from licensed premises and the impetus given to drinking in private aruongst wi>m n, Kts led to an in-di-ease in prosecutions far indecent language, wilful damage and 4 cases of un- re an d 4 cases of un- lawful wounding arid 3 of brothel keeping are traceable as being directly consequent to the consumption of intoxicants in private housas. No licensees have been detected for per- rnitting drunkenness upon their licensed pre- mises or supplying to drunken persons, and it has been noticed that some men who have been apparently .sober when seen by my offi- cers on licensed premises have shortly after leaving; been found drunk My personal knowledge of the frquenters of i the public houses at Merthyr between 6 a.m. and noon leaves me with no doubt that mineral waters are not their usual beverages, and that m the oases where these persons are regular customers the Order is contravened in spite of the effective police supervision, 'be- cause the illegal trade is done only to known customers, and not in the presence of any st Dangers. In my opinion there is but little demand for xht) opening of licensed houses for the sale of non-intoxicants between the hours of 5.30 A.m. and 12 noon, and in a mining and in- dustrial centre where the population is largely a. resident one, a prohibition to open between 9 p.m. until 12 o'clock mid-day and between 2.30 and 6 p.m. would be an advantage to police supervision and would remove a grave temptation from licensees. Mare than 80 per cent. of the licensees open only the 5! hours per day allowed for the sale of intoxi- cants. and from my enquiries their attitude in not opening to supply non-intoxicants is because of the small demand for mineral waters and food, and the risk involved on behalf of themselves and servants in supply- ing intoxicants contrary to the Board of Control Order. The unification of the Order nas had a bene- ficial effect as regards Sunday drunkenness, and it is satisfactory to record that since the Order has been in operation, oases of drun- kenness coming from Monmouthshire on Sun- days have ceased. Having regard to all phases of the operatitn of the OrdeT diirino- the past two months, I am of opinion that the figures for drunken- ness prior to the Order are not likely to be further reduced, that the greatest effects of the restrictions imposed are felt by tradesmen and the better class of working men and the licensee who caters for their class of trade. Further, I believe that excessive drinking is not likely to be reduced—(1) 111 the cases of persons who figure regularly at- the Police Court under any circumstances other than total prohibition; and (2) until mora effective steps can be taken in reducing the number of small ale and beer-houses in redundant areas m which the tenant is not sufficiently inter- ested to ensure his taking all precautions in with the Licensing Laws, and until licensed houses carry on a volume of trade sufficiently profitable to ensure the licensee a living without following any other occupa- tion. In reply to the Chairman (Coun. D. W. Jones) the Chief of Police said the report had been prepared because the Central Control Liquor Traffic Board had asked for the observations of Chief Constables on the working of the Order. The Chairman: "If we are responsible for this frankly I do not at all agree with it." The Chief Constable seemed to be down on the New Order. For instance, he said an in- crease in prosecutions for indecent language, wilful damage, and 4 cases of brothel keeping are traceable as being directly consequent to the consumption of intoxicants in private hous- es. It seemed to him (the Chairman) that all this was being put to the door of the Central Control Board, and personally he did not feel inclined to endorse that. since he did not think that they had had sufficient time yet to come to any mature judgment upon the effect of the shortening of hours. He knew many em ployers of labour considered it had been most beneficial in this borough and they would rather like to see it extended. Aid. John agreed with the report. It was per- fectly correct. In Sunny Bank. Bank Street, and the neigh bourhood only the previous week the scenes had been awful. Chairman All this sort of general crime is bad enough, I know; but are you going to put it down to the closing of the public houses? A Id. John: It is because they take so much out about 2.30 and 7.30 in large jacks and carry it home. The Chairman: So you say you would rather see the public houses open. Aid. John: Yes. Coun. Lloyd also considered that the Chief Constable was right. Ald. Dan Thomas had told them that the publicans could not supply cus- tomers: there was such a rush, and not suffi- cient time. The Chairman thought that these opinions were not borne out by the statistics, which showed 74 cases for last year and only 52 this. I < Oil! Lloyd then argued on the concurrent 'offences directly traceable" to drinking in private houses. Brothels had been stamped out to a great extent during the past two years, yet here they had three cases directly trace- able to drinking in private houses. There must be some reason for that. The Chairman If your view is that the Li- quor Control Board is wrono- you have the right to say so. (Coun. Lloyd: I do not say that.) This report simply condemns the working of the whole thing. You put down all these offences to the Control of Liquor! I know that the Chief Constable, in his evidence at Swansea, did not support the curtailing of hours, and his report now goes to support the view he took then. I do not blame him at all. I say that he is en- titled to his opinion; all I say is that it is not my view as Chairman of the Watch Committee. Coun. Lloyd I do not take the view that this report is against the Liquor Control Board. We have removed certain women from the riverside district into better surroundings, but these women had again become shaky owing to other women taking drink to thvrti- Chairman: Is it your view tiat vou s'hould a, sk for the re-opening of the public houses dur- ing the prohibited hours Coun. Uovd: No! We simply desire that the Chief of Police should give his report as he finds things. The Chairman: You think we should go further. Will you move that the Liquor Con- trol Board go much further than they are doing in order to cope with the evil? Your remarks would naturally support that. Goun. Lloyd: I move that this report be submitted to them. Coun. Phillips said there was no doubt that there was a great deal of drink carried out amongst a certain class of people, including many soldiers' wives. It was also stated that 80 per cent of the licensed houses in town did not open until mid- day, and the opinion expressed that the re- maining 20 per cent. should follow suit. The Town Clerk pointed out that a new Order was coming in allowing beer of not more than 2 per cent, alcoholic strength to be sold from 5 a.m to 9 p.m., and he asked how the Chief of Police was supposed to distinguish between thi- and beer of a higher gravity. Coun. Fenwick said that people who desired mineral waters could ebtain them in oafes and inwany other shops. The motion that the report should he sub- mitted to the Liquor Control Board as the ex- pression of the Chief Constable's own views was accepted. «
Scene at Merthyr.I
Scene at Merthyr. I A MINIATURE DONNYBROOK. I AMUSING NARRATIVE. I There were amusing interludes during the hearing of an assault case at Merthyr last Fri- day. Three women—Johanna Donovan, Kate Fitzmaurice, and Mary Legge-were alleged to have assaulted a knife-grinder, John Murphy, and his wife, Mary Murphy. Defendants were represented by Mr J. W. Lewis. Chief Constable Wilson explained that the affair was a drunken melee at a private house in Quarry Row, in which pokers and bricks figured prominently-in fact, a miniature Don- nybrook Fair. (Laughter.) Mary Murphy said that Mrs. Legge struck her on the head with a poker as she sat on the doorstp. "Then," she added plaintively, I was dragged on the stones and bashed by five of them." Her injuries, which led to her being taken to the Merthyr Infirmaty. amounted to two holes in the head." Regarding her hus- band's injuries, she said, "He was more like a red man than a white man—he was covered with blood." (Laughter.) Julia, Murphy, daughter of the Murphys, said Mrs. Fitzmaurice hit her mother on the head with a stone. We have got the stone up at the hdTise—full of blood," she added (Laughter.) John Murphy said that Mrs. Fitzmaurice knocked him down with a poker, and Mary Legge held a poker over him. John Murphy was charged with assaulting Mary Legge, who said he struck her on the head with a brick. The three women were fined 20/- each, and John Murphy was also fined 20/
Advertising
OUR PRINTING IS, GOOD. OUR TERMS ARE MODERATE. OUR STAFF IS TRADES-UNIONIST, And we give a euaranteed tmdertaking to DELIVER I-N TIME. A SERIES OF PEACE MEETINGS Under the auspices of the Merthyr and District Peace Council, will be Addressed by THE REV. T. E. NICHOLAS GLAIS — At the uudermentioned Times and Places Tuesday Next at Horeb Hall, Peny- darren. Chair to be taken at 7.30 p.m. by Mr. Lewis Jones, i hoiiad Wednesday Next at Abercanaid. Chair to be taken at 7 o'clock by Councillor L. M. Jones. Thursday Next at Dowlais. Chair to be taken at 7 o clock by Mr. D. J. Morgan. Admission Free. Collections to defray expenses For further particulars see handbills.
Gorseinon Notes.I
Gorseinon Notes. I I Bip, Bap Bip, Bap i I Last Saturday the No-Conscription .Fellowship* took heir outing by open motor-bus to Llan- wrtvd Wells. The drive was magnificent. Dur- ing the day sport of many kinds was indulged in, best of all being the sculling competition for the men, in which the first prize was awarded to Tom Thomas (Tylydu). coxwain, the V (car of Gorseinon; 2nd prize, John Griffiths, coxwain, Mcs. Grenfell; 3rd prize, Abraham Rees. coxwain Mrs. Willie Evans. Judges — Messrs. Win. Rees, Thomas, Macgiiness and Borthwick. Tea. was provided at the Carlton, after which excellent speeches were made by Fellows Stanley Rees, Mansel Grenfell, and Macginess and a, most encouraging speech by the Vicar (Rev. Richard Jones). He said that success must inevitably follow the Fellowship; possibly they could not agree in some things, but that we were as one, handed together to save humanity. Many thanks are due for such an enjoyable day to Herbert Rees and Mansel Grenfell. When the Boys Come Home. Yes. what r&joicing! Ah! What weeping there will be, too. I shall be looking for Dick, my brother. and others. I shall look for Andrew Jones, but he is not among them. What a gloom lies over Gorseinon at the news of An- drew's death in France. He was wounded in the abdomen, and died shortly afterwards. I know that Andrew was not a Church-goer, but was there ever a young man who believed in the brotherhood of man more than Andrew? It was not in Andrew to. gay "No" if tickets or a collection were about. How well I recollect the happy shifts we have worked together. Many a fatigued mill man has he carried through the shift with his singing and happy face. I shall never forget the day when Andrew and myself acted as guides for 24 young ladies who desired to see the siqphts of London. I venture to say that my readers will extend to Mis. Jones, Bessie and Evan, our deepest sympathy in their loss. I. L.P. Meeting. A I-, 1'1l1lJ\)IJ successrui meeting was rteld on KingsbridgeCommon last Sunday, when Com- rade Stanley Rees (of Glasgow) addressed a huge audience. Stanley feared nothing of what was to happen to him in thelnes,r future. The speaker was so sincere that man- a tear was wiped away during some of his remarks. He dealt with many things pertaining to the present crii-is and itsafter-effects; the problems of wo- man labour; of education and commodities of life These problems could easily be remedied if the workers were united. He implored the audience to get rid of the apathy amongst them. No item for the emancipation of the wor kers could be carried to success unless this indifference was put aside. Comrade Willie Roberts presided, and he agreed to the hilt with Stanley's remarks. I must confass that a better report of this meeting should be made. The t; Pioneer man had copies on hand, and he, being anxious to sell out, disturbed my notes. Next Sunday the Hon. Bertrand Rus- sell will speak. Comrades from Swansea or Llaneily send a card, and you can have a cup of tea—" Chum," 4 Prospect Place. Labour Association. I ThiE meeting was held at the Insttitute.. A I good muster of delegates attended. The ohief item was a report of the Labour Council at Cardiff by Coun. Wm. Evans. The report was excellent, brim full of present obstacles to edu- cation that must and can be done away with. The delegate to the Cardiff Council is asked to publish his paper on Education" in the "Pioneer." Coun. Evans gave a brief report of this delegate's paper, and which the Associ- ation believed it would be a good thing to print in pamphlet form. We have received to-day (Wednesday) lengohy replies to his Clritic" Mr. W. Evans and Mr. Ed- wards. from Jones, Seion." We regret that {M-essure prohibits their publication this week, but they will appear in our next issue.
Advertising
ARE WE DOING YOUR PRINTING ? We have the most modern equipment, and good work is quickly turned out by Trade Unionists at reasonable rates. NOTE THE ADDRESS THE LABOUR PIONEER PRESS Williams' Square) Merthyr Tydfil,
Tonyrefail Notes.
Tonyrefail Notes. Septuagenarian's Sad Accident. A sad. accident occurred at Tonyrefail last Monday to Mr George Goddard, Penrhiwfer Road. Mr Goddard is 72 years of age, and one of the oldeafc and most respected residents of the district. He was for 15 years a faithful servant of the local District Council, and was one of the old men whom the wiseacres of the L.R.D.C. discharged after 15 years' ser- vice, on a false plea of economy. Being deprived of a suitable occupation for a man of his ad- vanced age, our old friend was compelled to accept work which no man of 72 could be expected to accomplish. Whilst working on the face of a quarry, at the top of Pritchard St., he was knocked down by a fall of rock, and sustained a fractured leg, and very narrowly escaped losing his life, as the ledge on which he was working was only about 18in. wide, and had he fallen to the bottom of the quarry he must have been drowned in the Dond. What makes this incident more sad and painful is the fact that Mrs. Goddard is totally blind and, therefore, unable to nurse her husband. Great sympathy is expressed for the aged couple, and we bope. if help is required, that it will not be deficient. Toy Guns On a recent Sunday a drum-head service for Boy Scouts" was held in a field with all the panoply and show militarism, and on the following Thursday a boy was fined tl f or carrying a toy gun without a licence. We do not agree with the action of some parents who give their boys toy guns and swords, and other things, which foster a desire for militarism and its attendant evils in the young mind, but at the same time we think it is somewhat anomalous to train boys to be soldiers in Boy Scouts and Rifle Brigades, and then, when the lad, acting ul),on this teaching, prevails upon his parents to purchase a toy gun with which to play soldiers, he is fined £ 1 by the magistrates for doing so. Doctor's Question. A mass meeting was held at the Church Hall, Gilfach Gock, to consider the appeal of the Doctor ior the increase of Id. in the C. You wil! remember that I reported about a month ago on a mass meeting being held to consider the appeal of the Doctor. There were a, lot of to the appeal for an increase in that meeting, which failed to come to any decision. The later gathering was therefore more of an adjourned meeting to deal with the same question. The doctor is ba,sing his appeal on grounds of increased expenditure; an assistant doctor cost him J6200 before the war, and now costs 2400 a year, also drugs, which cost before the war £150, now cost t320 a year; his conveyance. which cost him before the war L150, now costs L250 a year. His appeal was considered by the joint lodges of the S.W.M.F. of the valley, and in the end a. deoislon was come to to recommend to the workmen that we should increase the pound- age by Id., and that we should hand over td. totht:1 doctor and keep the other |d., and to form a fund and utilise it to the best advan- tage also to inform the doctor that we draw up a scheme, or rather an agreement, between him and the workmen, so that in future we should have a better understanding between the doctor and the workmen. The Chairman (Mr Robert Roberts), in opening the meeting, made a few i-emark-6 aboi nn?lli g the meeting, ma d e a few remarks about the last meeting, and hoped that all would try and keep themselves cool" I include myself, for I do admit I was at fault." After those few remarks he called upon Artis Hopkins to put the recommen- dations of the Joint Lodges before the meeting, and after a lot of questions were put and an- 8weæd, it was decided to put it to a vote for ,,4were,d,, in this meeting. An amendment was mo- ved that we should take a ballot on the Joint Lodges' recommendation. It carried by 37 to 21 against a ballot. Now, a word or two to those who aro inclined to think about those who advocate other systems or schemes, that they are enemies of the doctor. Nothing is further from the point, for it is the system by which we pay our doctor that is wrong, and not the doctor, for the qualifications of our doctor are well known, without comments in our report. Another Arrest. On July 5 Harry Wargan, pianist in the Globe Cinema, Gilfach Goch, was arrested at his home and taken to the Polise Station for the night, as an absentee under the Military Service Act. Wargan, who is a Conscientious Objector, was taken to Porth on Thursday, July 6, and browght before the Stipendiary, who said he was sorry that he did not come under his jurisdiction, and tha.t he could not do anything for him only to hand him over to the military authorities as an absentee, see- ing that he did not possess an exemption certi- ficate. The Stipendiary did not fine him. It is no fault of Wargan's that he did not possess an exemption. He appealed in a oonstitution- M method, believing that the provisions of the Military Service Act would meet his claim, but those who were appointed to administer the Act were undoubtedly biassed and prejudiced ag- ainst. all Conscientious Objectors, and they re- fused him, as in thousands of other cases. The result is that Wargan is in clink." ser- ving the Ration no useful purpose; whereas if he was let alone producing coal he would be serving the country. Wargan is a miner, and only went out of the mine, for personal reasons, since October, 1914. He has worked 13 years in the mines. Since his dismissal from the Cin- ema he has returned to the mine, awaiting his arrest He would prefer to do some useful work rather than being in idleness. Wargan has stood practically alone in Gilfach true to his unpopular views and conviction, and, for the cause, he has worked uneeasinglv agai. nst odds. His stand for his convictions should prove to those of his persecutors the stuff and character he is made of. He based his claims on the grounds of intellectual convictions, and his reasons were—that this war was caused by the l • aggravating nature of the foreign policies of each belligerent country. Our ambassadorial service is not democratic, and both this and our foreign policies should be subject to a par- iiamentary discussion, and finally receive the sanction of Parliament. He believed that it was outrageous that the fate of a nation should be in the hands of three men. who made the secret commitments which involved us in a terrible war. Cisely Meeting. A lneethe Cilely workmen was held at the New Cinema on Sunday afternoon last. Mr F. Russell presiding. It was decided to revise the rates paid to the house coal haulage cont- ractor, and a sub-committee was appointed to go into the question. Air William John. miners' agent, addressed the meeting on the question of Income-Tax He said it was an unusual tliing for a miners' agent to address a. meeting on such a matter, as their work was to get an increase in wages and not to take awav wages already earned. It was resolved to form a committee of three to work this Act as it affected the workmen. The meeting was badlv attended. Undoubtedly the cause is a lack of proper announcement. Two out of every three workmen complained that they did not see any notioes. and that they were in ignorance of the meeting. It seems peculiar that this should be common both in Cbed Ely and Cilely whenever an important meeting is held. What is the use of the chairman making oonaplaint-s about workmen not attending when next to no publicity is given to the meetings? Posters should lie got for the purpose with only a blank spac-ú for place and date, and put in conspicu- ous places where men can see them. Surely this does not niean much to improve the attendance. Coed Ely. We hear a lot of talk about the joint Coed Ell- and Tylcha Facli meeting on the coal ques- tion. It was understood that a joint deputation should interview the manager on this question. W orkmen want to know the reason why only one lodge was represented on the deputation that interviewed the management, and whose fault it is.
Cwmavon and Pert Talbot Notes.…
Cwmavon and Pert Talbot Notes. r Bertrand Russell Reported. 1\ Last Tuesday evening, the Hon. Bertrand Russell adtM^. i a large and appreciative au- dience at a spot near the Cwmavon Police Station. Present were seven police officers and a shorthand reporter. The reporter was appar- ently acting on behalf of the police. The Chair- man (Mr Henry Da vies) was in his usual fonn. Dismissed. Mr Evan Jones, a member of the I.L.P. amd N C.P., appeared at the Aberavon Tribunal for exemption from military service on Oon- scientious gTolmd, Questioned as to whether he would accept work of national importance, appellant replied that he would only work for Peace. The Tribunal dismissed the appeal. C.O.'s Taken. Daniel Edwards, school teacher, and John Woolcocfe. coal merchant, both Conscientious Objectors and members of the I.L.P. and N.C.F. were arrested early on Monday morning and taken before the Magistrates of the Port Talbot County Police Court. Both were fined 40/ and ordered to await an escort. They were ife- ken, probably to Cardiff, by a mid-day train from Port Talbot. A large number of com- rades saw the.m off, and they appeared quite cheerful and contented. Undergoing Sentence. A number of Conscientious Objectors from the district, who are undergoing penalties of 4 months' hard labour at Cardiff, are doing well. Letters received from them manifest indomitable spirits. Dicky Wanted bv Police. Mr R. C. Walhead, who was supposed te have spoken at Taibach on Sunday, was unable to fulfil his engagement owing to his being wanted by the police. No Longer Required. Dan Morris has been notified by the Post- master-General that his services are no longer required. A short time before he was incar- cerated in the edulcorative and edifying at- mosphere of Swansea Gaol, he ieceiveh injuries to his foot while following his employment; consequently, he was unable to work for a per- iod of 16 days. His claim for compensation has apparently received but scant attention by the postal authorities, and he is now being offered the prodigious amount equivalent to one day's compensation! But as his notification of dis- missal was not given to him until he re-started work, his claim holds good. The Postmen's Federation is now fighting the case. To all appearances, he and Tal Mainwaring are doing well. Mayor Mentioned in Parliament. The Mayor of Aberavon's name was men- tioned in Parliament last week, and we can as- sure this individual that it was not mentioned in a complimentary manner. So Say We All 1 Miss Kate Morns, the daughter of Mr John Morris, Cwmavon, and a member of the Wo- men's Labour League, was married last Satur- day. Good luck to her! AFANEER.
Advertising
11 PROPAGANDA, NOT PROFIT," is the motto of the Pioneer Press." If you are aiive to the tremendous social improve- ments that the Party the "Pioneer" represents stands for, then it is your doty to all that all your Trades Union, Oo-cweirative, and General Printing comes to WiOiams. Square, Merthyr the Home of the Pionftr."