Pioneer

EDUCATION: What Sort Do We Need ? By MARK STARR. 1: SEE PAGE 3

Hirwain Peace Mee-ing. REV. NICHOLAS' FINE SPEECH. A public Peace meeting was held at the Vic- toria Hall. Hirwain. on Friday last, the speaker for the occasion being the Rev. T. E. Nicholas, late Glais. The chair was occupied by Mr Gwilym Richards, Minimum Wage Agent, who, in his opening remarks, said that Mr Nicholas would, when history will be recalled. rank as the foremost evangel of Wales,, because of the stand lie has made against this colossal calam- ity of war. He helped to get a clear vision of real patriot-ism and to get a true idea of a Bri- tisher indeed. The Master said, "Not eve-i-y one that saith uato Me Lord. Lord." shall enter '■ into the Kingdom of Heaven." And so it is not everyone that shouts" Britisher" enters into the realm of true Britishism. There are many people to-day posing as Britishers who spend a great deal of time trampling upon the characters of our women folk. Mr Nicholas opened with a few words in Eng- lish—the greatest part of his speech being de- livered in Welsh. He said it was immoral to kill; the law of the land said it was wrong to kill, If it was wrong to kill one. man, could such acts be justified simply by a multiplica- tion? Jesus Christ taught us to love even our enemies, but the people we were fighting in Europe were not our enemies. The workers of all nationalities belong to the same class, and that class has been exploited throughout the centuries by the rulers of the different nationa- lities. There was a. period when the workers had no voice in the selection of rulers and Par- liaments. Now they had power to select by their vote, but the workers, owing to their apa- thy. had voted for the same class to rule. They have allowed theanelves to be fooled by political tricksters. He was glad that at last the Liberal and Tory parties had joined together: the issue would be so much clearer. On grea.t important reforms to the workers they were always to- gether. When there was a necessity to send soldiers to VaneIly, Dublhj, South Africa and elsewhere to shoot workers fighting for their rights, the Liberals and Tories always joined hands. The workers have been fighting their class fights -for less hours of toil, higher wages, 'better conditions, better houses, etc.. and now the rulers wanted them to stop that fight and join in the rulers' fight on the Continent. The official religious movement gave its blessing to th is bloodshed. When Socialists were active in th fight for better conditions for the workers, they were accused by these religious pious persons with being materialistic, and here they, in their support of. this war, was concerned in th*. iiiost materialistic movement the wori(i Ila, ever seen. A great deal has been made of the destruction of cathedrals. People were saying that the temples of God were being damaged. He (the speaker) said that they were not the temples of God; they were the temples where Mammon and Moloch were worshipped. God's temples were human beings, and when a human being was destroyed, it was then the Temple of the Living God was damaged. In our churches a.&d chapels on Sunday next thou- sands of prayers would be offered to God to "scatter the people that delight in war," but they opposed us who try and do it. God was not going to do that in a miraculous way. He wa.s going to do it through the instrumental- ity of human beings, and if the churches were really m earnest—when they pray to stop the war and the bringing about of a lasting Pea,ca-thev would at once join the Peace Movement and do a little bit to help God in that direction. The Peace Movement seems oc- casionally as if it were overwhelmed by the op- posing forces, but it will and must survive. There has been a time in our country when the wolf held sway, but he has had to go to make place for the prancing lamb. The eagle also has made place for the dove. So will the Peace Movement, in the natural trend of things, outlive the brutal militarist spirit. It was a, fine meeting—the speaker and audi- ence being in perfect harmony. The applause showed that a strong feeling prevails for Peace. The Chairman, in asking for questions, said: We are children of the Light, and had nothing to hide or fear. Criticism was welcomed from any quarter." The police were present,^ but they did not ask any questions. The audience seemed also satisfied, for they were eager to express theirheartiest thanks to Mr Nicholas, which was done by a prolonged applause.

Decision Against Corporation. INTERESTING EDUCATION POINT AT I MERTHYR. Judgment for plaintiff was given by Judge Bryn Roberts at the Merthyr County Court .last Thursday in the case of J. E. Jones, of Cefn Coed. v. the Merthyr Corporation. Mr F. S. Simons was solicitor for plaintiff, and Mr D. Rowland Thomas (instructed by Mr T. Anettryn Rees, Town Clerk) appeared for defendants. Plaintiff claimed the right to send his son to the Cyfarthfa Secondary Schools. The Mer- thyr Corporation refused plaintiff the privilege on the ground that. he was not a. ratepayer in the Merthyr Borough; and the boy, at the close of the Mid-Summer Term, 19l5, was told that he could no longer remain in the school. His Honour said there* being no facts in dis- pute. the only questioi/ was the legal effect of the facts. The claim of the plaintiff was that he was the beneficial owner of property in Mer- thyr. held in trust for himself and another. The trustees paid the rates and half the net profit was then paid to plaintiff. Consequently he (Judge Roberts) thought plaintiff a ratepayer as he was the person who ultimately paid the rates. With regard to the revised regulations between the Merthyr Education Authority and the Board of Education admitting only pupils resident in the borough to the schools it was un- necessary for him to consider them for the simple reason that they did not cover this action, which was anterior to their being drawn up.Plaintiff was awarded P.10 damages and costs. Leave of appeal was granted.

I Ynysybwl and District Notes. A mass meeting of Lady Windsor Colliery workmen, held on Tuesday week, decided upon the method of electing the Workmen's Hall Committee and officers when the building is transferred over. Each section concerned, viz. the officials, the craftsmen and the workmen, will be entitled to represestation upon the com- mittee in proportion to their numbers. The officers, however, will be elected in a joint gen- eral meeting, at which the nominations by each section will be voted upon. Remedied. By the way, the last occasion on which we askeda question in this column was in respect to the need of a railing in the pumproom of the Lady Windsor shaft, when, to give point to the query, we quoted some punrpsrncn's yarns, which evoked a lively interest in circles other than working class. We are glad to say that this grievance has now been remedied — the district mines examiners (Messrs. W. H. May and D. L. Davies) having called the at- tention of the manager to it. Not only that, but they have pointed out to him that accord- ing to Clause 59 of the Mines Regulation Act (lall), it is incumbent upon him to provide another means of egress from the pumproom, which means, in this case, that a hard heading will have to be driven a distance, of 50 yards or so from one shaft to the other. Without this second outlet, the pumps man w:mld, in the case of an explosion or a fire in y the pit, be caught like a rat in a trap. i A House Coal Dispute. A dispute which should be of great interest to the whole coalfield has just been settled at the Mynachdy Colliery. The company refused to supply a fatherless boy in their employment with the monthly load of coal on the ground that he was not an householder. The Lodge Secretary (Mr. Ellis Lewis) advised him to pur- chase coal, and afterwards claim from the com- pany the difference between the amount paid by him, and the price charged to the colliers. This was done. The company at first prepared to fight the matter, but ultimatelv they admit- ted their liability and paid the bill, Another lad, who had lost his father, and whose older brothers were fighting abroad, was also claiming this privilege of house coal, and the compaiBy gave way in this-without a murmur Ynysybwl Lodges and Soldiers' Pensions. I On Wednesday, the 19th instant, a mass meet- ing of Ynvsybwl lodges was held at the Work- j nen's Hall, when Mr P. JL Mil-ford .vJu-T»;J Surveyor) attended to explain the working of the new Act as it affected workmen. Mr David Smith followed with a report of the Mountain Ash Statutory Committee on War Pensions- in the course of which lie informed the meet- ing that the constitution of the ward sub-com- mittees had been left to the local members of the former body. On the motion of Mr J. E. Morgan it was resolved to call a ward meeting in order to obtain as full information as possible from the local Councillors and Mr Smith as to the powers of the sub-committee; and, if thought desirable, to bring such influence to bear in the selection of its members as would ensure a full and effective Labour representa- en,ui,,e a.full an d effective L?hour representa- No Charity Talnr. I On one point the feeling of the meeting was emphatic—there was to be no taint of charity in connection with the pensions. This feeling was intensified by a statement made by the Chairman, Mr. Lewis, who reminded his hearers of the local auxiliary committee, which had been formed for the purpose of assisting the large number of soldiers' wives and children who re-y ceived no grant from the colliery office. At first this fund was maintained partly 'by concerts, but mainly by door-to-door collections; and in the first ffush" of war enthusiasm, was fairly suc- cessful. Gradually, however, it dwindled, which forced the committee to approach the miners, who generously agreed to levy them- selves Id. per week, on the understanding that the collections from outsiders should be contin- ued. Lately, however, "acting'on information received," Mr Lewis was deputed to wait upon the committee secretary, the result of his inqui- ries showing that during the last three months the miners of Ynysbwl had contributed towards this fund t56 16s 4d, whilst outsiders had yiven £1 6s 3d! The latter amount included the contribution of the local municipal employees and teachers! So much for the patriotism of certain shopkeepers and petty magnates! It bodes ill for the future of our disabled heroes if I their future depends on such charity as this,! Ynysybwl Soldier Killed. I We regret to report that anotner xnysyowi bov has laid down his life during the recent big offensive in France. Private Owen Hughes was the youngest son of Mr and Mrs Edward Hug- hes, Rock Terrace, and was formerly employed at the Ladv Windsor Colliery. His brother, Teddy Hughes, and a cousin. David Williams, were also wounded in the same action. These are I now in this country, and are, we are glad to know, progressing favourably.

D.C.M. for Merthyr Man. I | BOMBED GERMANS AND RESCUED I WOUNDED. The latest Merthyr man to win the Disting- uished Conduct Medal is Private Simon Mur- phy, Royal Irish Rifles. He has been awarded it "for bombing Germans out of trenches and carying two wounded soldiers off the field under heavy ifre." For gallantry during the same operations one of the officers. Captain Wallace, was award- ed the Victoria Cross. Private Murphy, who lives at Iron Lane, Georgetown Merthyr, is a native of Kinsale, Ireland, and has been in the Army 17 years. On the expiration of his time he returned home, but a short time later rejoined his re- giment, and is now a hospital orderly in County Down.

I Navvy Pat's Views. The Turberville taproom was a pretty fair miniature in a mild form of the various war centres, plenty of noise and furious contests (vocal), of claims of victory (logical), but no- thing that a reporter could make head, tail or mane of. There never is till Pat comes. On his arrival Sandy McPherson collared him. What d'ye think o' the attested mar- ried men wantin' ail the youngsters fresh frae school as ye may say, tae be sent tae the tren- ches before sen din' married men?" What about our holidays, Pat p" broke in Josie. "They're go in' to put 'em off .again, an' some mum honers are gettin' time and a half for workin' 'em, an' London drapers are offerin' double pay." Tinker Frank shouted "See them owdacipus meddlers goin' round gettin' signa- tures for the Government to close all bfrewe- ries an' distilleries an' publics an' no 'toxicants to be made or sold or consumed till 6 months after the war. I'll be dead, with a throat like a fresh-emptied limekiln by that time." "What about the women on the tramoarsP" asked a conductor off duty. "And how are we going to get shut of the Military Service Act?" came from one of the men waiting to be fetched." A tatoo on tlie table by Pat's shillelagh produced silence. Aisv a bit, bhoys! Afore I begin wid ye I want ye to join wid me in a hearty heart wai-iii n' hand shake to the Rev. W. Rees, of Llechryd, who sticks up for our Editor an' the -Pioneer agin the Rev. Dockeray. I glory in a minister of the Gospel who can so publicly do justice to dead an' gone as well as living un- believers, and who recognises the vital impor- tance ov material as well as spiritual regene- ration to human conditions. "Ye've given me more than I cud get throo in a. month, an' I've been ovc" it all wid ye already. The Military Service Act has many grand men opposin' it an' givin' up home an' liberty an' risking life itself for conscience sake, an' though I believe they's mistaken, I'd dam their persecutors. The wimmen will claim a diffrent station to what they've been used to, an' ye'll be fools or worse if ye oppose 'em; a r,the Teimperance faddists will have to give in to the maj ority. Yer holidays wud have been all right, or properly paid for, if ye'd larnt how to pick the right men for ParlÜnent an' the Consillyation Board, an' the married man shud not be taken from home while single young men are knockin' about; but—fresh from school, that wud be sarious. "But tell me, bhoys. why can't ye have opinions ov yef own on then) Whin ye cusirji to me, it's my opinion ye've got, not yer own, unless ye raison it out wid yerselves ,an, see whether it's right. Swallow the best idea in the Pioneer widout raisonin' it out, and it's no good to yel. The most useless wea- pons to carry into the battle of life are bor- rowed opinions. I set out to, put the world right, an' you boys that I'm always wid don't wan ov ye show signs of bein' any nearer right than whin I started. I'm worse than the Crown Prince be- fore Verdun, an' me heart's bruck entirely. What are ye driving at, Pat P I I asked Sandy. Wait an' see, me boy ye've dodged yer schoolmasters, boys, an' ye're lettin' yer childer do the same; an' ye work as long an' as hard as ye can to make a big pay, and off to the pubs and pictures to spend it. Roughly, that's your idea ov life, an' yer childer copies it. An' ye left school as soon as ever the law allowed, an' ye get yer ehilder away as early as ye can to set them earnin' an' you an' them is at the mercy ov the bosses becos ye can't howld yer own wid them at bargainin' An' ye haven't had a chance ov larnin' anything ov a higher standard ov life than hard work, pubs, pieters foot- ball, rac-in', boxin' an' back to work again for another big pay." We have the W.D.E.L. an' the Plebs League an' the C.L.C." said Sandy. "Yes, an' it's big progress; but don't ye think it's beginnm' yer chimney at the top an' building down? Not wan in a thousand can get to the C.L.C. an' them that I've talk- ed to after they came back left one with the impression that Karl Marx was the principal studv there. I haven't read Marx; only a few pamphlets wid extracts; and I've seen lots in him that wud help a big Soshalist in preparin' his speeches, but nothin' to help the workman in meeting his manager on measurin' day. Mebbee if I read the book I might see differ- ent. And thin I've noticed that some ov them as comes back has lost touch wid their workmates an' look as if they were turnin' into experimental philosophers, an' they quar- ret wid other experimentals because their ex- periments clash. But mebbee I'm takin' too glum a view because them things hurt me, an' they may stop me from givin' full value to the splendid work bein' done by other C.L.C. time expired men who are as yet out-numbered and out-voted by the old fakers. "Tramping the Western Valleys I got a chance ov sittin.' wan evenin' in a C.L.C. class under the local C.L.C. teacher, an' he fair muddled me wid his description ov constant an' variable capital, an' land an' buildings an' masheenery an' hard cash all in wan under ta- kin' an' how there was big profits on sum of the capital an' none on the rest, an' my head was so thick that I cudn't see throo it, an' can't yet—for it was all in wan business an' a big profit on the lot. When the class had fin- ished, an' we were havin' a glass an' a smoke, I came across a penny magazine wid an arithmetical puzzle in it—to find the speed ov some bike riders from a lot of different handi- caps It was a simple affair, though it looked an awful muddle, an' I saw the solution wid- out using my pencil. I handed it to the tea- cher, an' he covered a square foot ov paper wid calculations, an' then towld us there wasn't enuff information to lead to a solushun, an' whin I got into argyment wid him he turned natty an' left in a huff; he calculated some of 'em must have travelled 40 miles an hour, an' whin I showed the solution to the company they wud hardly Relieve me—but rule ov thumb conkered whe.re tv!arx's theories failed. P'raps after a century or two ov Socialism Marx may help antiquarians to compare past and present. Now, boys, give yer kids more schooling two years to begin wid shiftin' them to the higher schools as soon as the elementary is done wid 'em; an' then, if they have brains for more larnin', let them go on till they finish in the C.L.C. That wud be beginnin' at the foun- dation an' buildin' up." "We cudn't afford it under present conditions," s houted Sandy. "No, me boy, we're pay in' for the edication ov the royal family an' ivry family above us down to the family ov Jones the grocer. We pay their school and college fees, an' the hand- some allowances they get while there. We pay their expenses at foreign institutions an' all their expenses if they get a couple ov years' foreign travel to finish off before they settle down. There is not a penny ov value existin' but has been created by' labour an' taken from him by force or fraud." "Then by heavens it's time we stopped foolin' an' started grabbin' our own property whoever has it," said Sandy. "Can't be done yet," says Pat; "the first step is the two years' extra schooling. An' the tea- chin' must be altered. There's no use teaching childer the history ov all the kings an' heroes .an' settin' them to calkeiate the relationship between Henry VIII. and Blue Beard. Teach them the history ov the people, an' how they came into their present muddle, an' how to get out of it, and how to preserve perfect health an' perfectly healthy surroundings, an have all edication free. "To get all this we must learn to act like one man. sink all our differences and be like the Allies in France in the big offensive. Per- fect Soshalistic Union alone can do it. The Churches have caught this idea, an' we hear ov a union to be formed ov them all from the Church ov England down to the Shakers, and we're to have wan religious body wid all their quarrels ended joining lovingly in every needful good work." Aw hae ma doots," said Sandy McPherson.

Merthyr Man's Bombs. I WHAT HAPPENED IN A SHELL HOLE., I Incidents in the British advance are mention- ed in a letter from a Merthyr soldier with a Welsh Regiment. He was the carrier for a bombing party, and managed to do a little "souveneering." The first was an automatic German revolver, which, I am sorry to say, I sold for five francs to buy grub. Much below the price I would have got behind the line if I had waited," he adds, ruefully. I also got a stunner of a helmet, but I was too fagged to carry it. The mud was cruel. I fell into a shefi-uuie—up to my waist in soft mud. I had to carry on, but my box of bombs went to the .bottom of the crater—lost. "I have only one souvenir now," he goes on, almost apologetically, "and that is a little mirror with the Kaiser's photograph on the back. German dug-outs," he says. are great. The majority have a flight of steps leading down to them. The ground is floored with wood. and the walls planked, too. Leading from the trenches to the interior are speaking tubes. There are alarm bells, too. to give warnings of attacks. One above the other along the walls are sleeping bunks. Altogther decent 'doss hous- k,ks" is the writer's appreciative remark "Our R.A.M.C. are using these dug-outs now for first aid posts—quite safe from shell fire. A batch of 900 Hun prisoners were being brought in. Just as one of them was passing along a trench he said. almost gleefully, III good English. 'Now. I'm right for Bonnie. ScotlandT'

Colliery Enginemen's Quarterly I Meeting. ENCOURAGING REPORTS rtj CARDIFF I CONFERENCE. The 106th quarterly meeting of the above Society was held at the Cardiff Y.M.C.A. Buildings last Saturday, Mr H. H. Biggs, Tre- herhert, presiding. There were also present Messrs. E. H Faull (vice-president); W. Hop- kins (general secretary); W. Bosley (general treasurer) and D. B. Jones (agent). The General Secretary reported upon the excellent progress made by the organisation and stated that the membership had now reached 1 6,492.—The Auditor's report was given by Mr. John Thomas (Dowlais) who stated that he con- sidered the financial position was highly sat- isfactory, and complimented the General Secre- tary and Treasurer for the manner in which the accounts of the organisation were kept. The Conference, after deciding upon the fun- damental principles arising from the proposed revision of rules, resolved that the Executive Council appoint a Drafting Committee, and, in conjunction with their solicitors, re-frame the rules. Later on in the meeting it was reported that a Joint Board meeting between the Coalowners and the Executive Council would be held on' Friday next to deal with the cases in dispute. The President and General Secretary were appointed delegates to attend the forthcoming Trade Union Congress.

Bedlinog Raid. I POLICE MUST ALLOW DOCUMENTS TO I BE INSPECTED. John Mercldyn Williams, Bedlinog was char- ged at Merthyr on Friday with infringements of the regulations of the Defence of the Realm Act by being in possession of pamphlets detrim- ental to recruiting. Mr. E. Roberts, defendant's solicitor, ex- plained that he had written to the police for copies of the documents seized, but facilities for their examination had not been granted. Mr. R. A. Griffith (Stipendiary): You are at liberty to get copies of these documents for the defence. The case is adjourned for 3 weeks. Mr Roberts: Then I can go to the Treharris Police Station and inspect the documents? The Stipendiary: Yes, certainly.

I "Big Dan to Hang. I DOWLAIS MURDERER SENTENCED AT GLAMORGAN ASSIZES. MR. JUSTICE RIDLEY'S EXHORTATION. Mr Justice Ridley conducted the trial at Glamorgan Assizes on Saturday of Daniel Sul- livan (36), a coker, who was arraigned for the murder of his wife, Catherine, at Merthyr on July 8. Mr Lovat .Eraser (instructed by Messrs. Srnythe and Daniels) prosecuted, and Mr St. John Francis-Williams (instructed by Mr J. W. Lewis) defended. Mr Lovat-Fraser, having lucidly outlined the tragedy, called Bridgett Corbett step-daughter of the accused, who gave her evidence standing by the judge. She said she heard her father say when he came home at night drunk "There will be a corpse leaving this house to-night." She followed her father into the bedroom and there saw him drag her mother from her bed. Then he began to kick her. Cross-examined, witness said accused was. sober when he first came home to tea, but when he came home again at 9.30 lie was drunk. Frederick John Corbett (13) step-son of the accused, stated that he saw his fathed kicking his mother. He went for help, and subsequent- ly went for the police. When witness got back the first time his mother was still being kicked. The second time he returned she was still on the floor, covered with blood. In answer to Mr St. John Francis-Williams, witness said they were all friends at tea time. A Juryman asked whether the boy had seen assaults before. Mr Justice Ridley: We had better not go into this at the moment. Hannah Grant, sister of the deceased who was with the latter at her death, said the couple did not live happily, and when Sullivan was sober he was not good-tempered. Her sister never recovered consciosuness after the injury. A little drink would overcome her. Mary Ryan, widow, a neighbour, said that at tea time the couple were sober and quite friendly. She was called to the house at 9-30, and saw the deceased lying on the floor by the bedroom door unconscious. P.S. Thomas Davies, Dowlais. said he found the woman lying on her back. She was bleed- ing Sullivan, when questioned, said "My wife is alway drunk." Cross-examined, witness said that prisoner had been drinking. Both were addicted to drink Inspector Lamb deposed that when he saw (leccasf 'l hpr face and head were covered with blood and coal dust. There was a quantity of blood between the bedroom and kitchen doors, and on the table was a bottle half full of rum. Cross-examined, witness said that the rum had been bought by prisoner before going into the house. P S. Bevan said he found prisoner in the fowl house, and he became violent. P,risone said. "I would not have done it if I had not been in drink." In reply to the charge Sullivan said. "I have nothing at all. to say." Dr. Francis Williams said that he was called at midnight. Deceased, who was small and frail, was almost pulseless. On making a post- mortem examination later on the following af- ternoon he found a scalp wound and numerous bruisas covering the body. Five ribs were bro- ken--two in two places. Death resulted from shock, due to the injuries, which witness des- cribed in detail. This concluded the case for the prosecution. For the defence. Mr St. John Francis-Will- iamis said the jury would have to consider whether the accused, in drink, was capable of forming an idea of murdering the woman, and whether, while in that condition, he was cap- able of realising the serious consequences that would atecrue from his action. He was provoked, and the brutal assault indicated that the man was not in his proper senses. Mr Justice Ridley said it was one of the most brutal assaults lie had ever heard of. Drink was no excuse whatever. If the accused did not know what he was doling, and incapable, as a beast or brute would be. of forming any intention, then he would be guilty of manslaughter; otherwise he must lose his life for the life he had shed. His Lordship said that the accused's state- ment that a corpse would leave the house that night did not suggest lie was maddened 1),evond knowing what he was doing. The jury retired at 12-30, and were absent until a little after one o clock. Then the ac- cused was brought into the dock and stood facing the judge, while the jury announced their verdict Guilty," Prisoner, when called upon afterwards, stood up apparently unmoved. His Lordship, addressing the prisoner, said: You have been found guilty of wilful murder. Prisoner: I am not guilty. His Lordship: I think it is a proper verdict, and I recommend you, in the small portion of time remaining to you, to endeavour to obtain pardon of Almighty God. Who alone can give you pardon for the crime which you have com- mitted. His lordship then sentenced nnsoner to death Prisoner: Can I appeal? No answer was given. The Clerk of Assize: Take him below. THE CHILDREN'S FUTURE. The future of "Big Dan's children has been the theme of much conversation in Dow- lai. It has been practically arranged that the condemned man's two children—Mary (a little girl of 4) and Dan (a babv of 6 months) — will go to their grandmother, who has a small fa.rm at Glengariff. Ireland. Bridget Oolbert (9), the step-daughter, it is proposed to place in a Catholic home and Frederick. aged 13, is to live with an aunt. It was hoped that the cost of taking the children to Cork where they would be met by their aunt, who lives with Sullivan's mother would be defrayed by a pub- lic subscription, but it appears that the money is not now forthcoming, and the children will accordingly remain in the Merthyr Workhouse Infirmary for some time. i