South Wales Weekly Post

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The last weeks and days of t'te Old Year ] passed awav in almost continuous riiii and drizzle, accompanied by recurring sales and tempe&ts: the N''w Tit c'?me in under the same depressing cond itions. The compara- tive abscm e of T'i. i?tomary nuisy gre.etm?s after midnight was in accord with the na- tional feeling. ?i'?dued and restrained by the oonsciousne: of a great burden and the wide reach and th'-u.-t "f in?bv?d.jal sorrow and anxiety. The. ooiivent.io.na! wish for > a I Hapny New Year" in i,iw ci-cnnMtances f?nis fo ring fa?e and hollos; t? ?"? ?'? can hope for is a year of successful collective effort in the sphere of war, W,!1t kmoviii^ that at the best a heavy price .11 c" I,- acted in human lives, each one ot which stands for ,oriie-scm, •brother, hus band. or sweetheart. It has been the fate of the present generation to become involved in the .-everest trial that can "e ijnpossd upon humanity. These arbitrary divisions 01 time, whether of months. ya-a-rs, decjides or centuries, make for reflection,; they encourage retrospective sur\ eys of events, undertakings, the results of resolutions, policies and aspirations. A year ago. our hopes took loftier Hight tbail now Iwicause the prospects s«-emed brighter. I In reality they were not wa) ly so good; the external aspects were deceptive. The rc- action produced by the battle of the Maine a. victory so imperfectly understood that pub- I lie attention was concentrated on the fighting between the Maine and the .visile, vvti>,jeas the defeat of Yon Klnck was rendered pos sible only by the French .-accesses achieved at Nancy and in the Argounc. where armies nominally commanded by the Kaiser and the Crown Prince were thrown back by Castel- 11<1.11 and Sarrail, thereby oepriving the right wing of tbo Gernwll Army niovin.; on Paris of essential support-—was still operating, and the scanty official reports had Hot permitted j the public to realise the magnitude and lero- city of the battles on the Yser and around pres and Lille, whplt, the Allies, confronted by great odd-, came, within an RCC of breaking under the str:nn brought (0 hear upon their thin lines by the • iverpo'.yei in? weight of the <Jernun .utiHeiv .?nd th( (superiority of the enemy'? man power. j II) the ÜhSClll'O jio.lli., grantt'd Ii" at t":¡t In the o b scure light, granted us at that- cntica? sta? wf w't't'e em;ourr'.??<i to believe that the German enforced retreat from 01P Manic was the prelude to an immediate and triumphant advance of the Allies through the North of France and Belgium, and that the desperate efforts of the German.* to break through to Dunkirk and Calais were virtu- any mere counter-attacks which broke down invariably. Whereas the truth ? dIe" oniy f?.D?d because f the superhuman tenaritv ? ?? ?'):(". ?'?h .t? 'h ? pa.rtiouLn'ty ?hc MarilMf ?' d ?m; i usdier brigades of lh lattpl'-held 1o their positions under the most trying conditions—and the heroic measure adopted by the Belgians of euMimg the sinices and letting the sea sub- merge the low lying lands which in peace time load been fruitful gardens and fertile fields. It was a. near call for the Allies. But the public had eyes only for the German retreat from the Manic, the consistent fail- ure of the enemy subsequently to force the improvised defensive 1 mes. and were dueed to conclude that when our soldiers j hod time to recover their second breath there would be a bound forward. It was not real- ised that the latter were numerically in Mich inferiority as to ma.ke an advance improb- able and that the enemy's superiority in guns Mid shells was overwhelming. The .situation on the Eastern front, was pquaHy deinsive. Our Russian allies had jivveDtu-er-sis tibly through Galicia, and were battering their way through the Carpath- tan Paspse?. It was only later wb?n the Austro-German "drive" began the fact, be- came known that the Russians had been con snming ammunition and using up rifles ont ol all proportion to the available supply—the latter shortened to an appreciable degree by 111., treasonable practices: of managers and foremen of German origin at the Government factories—with the result that when the long- planned attack was delivered there were no h hells for the big guns of our Allies, and two- thirds of the infantry had neither rifles nor cartridges. The wonder its that the Russian armies v.ere kept intact during successive withdrawals over a wide front for a distance to bo measured in hundreds of miles. Our hopefulness now is more .-mildly based. At no point is an Allied force in peril. The little army on the Tigris, waiting to resume the march on Bagdad, has proved its capa- city to withstand the strongest, attack that the Turks can deliver, and is being l'ejn, I forced. Meanwhile, a strong Russian force is sweeping awav all opposition offered, and J'S bkelv soon to join hands with the liritisli. „\t Salonika. the Anglo-French are su securely placed, having been granted time to fortifv a naturally strong position, that General Castelnau "eems almost to welcome an attack so disastrous is the latter likely to prove to the enemy. The Austro-Germans by thei-ii- selvas are unequal to tlx*, task the inter- position on their side of e'ther Bulgarians or Turks is practically certain to "set the heather on fire" in Greece. Even King COll. I f-tantine and his docile Ministers, pro-German or colourless, are evidently being compelled to realise that events are taking a course which may'render dangeroua a policy obnoxi- ous to national feeling. The appearance of the hereditary enemies, whether Turk or Bnlgar, on Greek soil, would probably cause u ferment beyond the power of the Govern- ruent to quell. And Greece, which stipulated for an Anglo- French force of 400.000 at Salonika a« the cmdition precedent to intervention on the Tide of the Allies, is not indifferent to the lapidlv swelling proportions of the army in IlnrJ around Salonika,. nor to the elusive and J-,aftIing fiea-powar which enables the Ajiies ? <tri!? at will ?? ?? of the bundled joints ,g?pt.]blo to ??.? ?j?? ? (x)?t flrlom DnrazM to the Cana I. The landing of a French battalion on an islaiid off Adalia— reported as an act of courtesy to the Govern- ment at Athens does Hot in;.0ive a breach of Greek neutrality. For the Island of Cast- ellorizu is a sort, of Tom Tiddler's ground • practically left derelict after the recent wars £ ith Turkey, and Ad aha Js a })8.rt of the Turkish Empire in Asia Minor. The veiiture serves as a foretaste ot ,hat a. German-led Turkish Army may expect if any serious at- tempt is made from Constantinople to attack Jypt. For the oitln- railway is Jlowhere Very far horn the sea,, dominated tiy the naval power of the Allies. It is a. [ong way fo Tipperary, aj)d e\ en iongor to perhn. but Caj?. i. abso]ut€iy remote uuder Ibe conditions that abs??ltitei y remow titider Lbø c.o.nditions that ubt.ain.. I-; the est. where the Germans most «.rdentJ> r etire to deal a. fmasliing blow he-1 <gut#'of ilic political consequences, th^v arc l safely held. The artillery of the Allies gains1 hI drength daily and has established itsj supermritv. Strategicallv an "nemy often-j sue on the grand scale would be welcomed as ending H. stalemat-e permitting of a coun- ter attack in irresistible stre.igth. British and. French alike are .stronger, not only nume!icaHy. butaJso in the quality ot the troops. The signs of deterioration in the Germans are unmistakable. Necessity may drive the, Potsdam war lords to take the plunge on this front, well knowing that the penalty of failure will be enormous. They realist: that the Allies arc relatively gaining in strength in respect of every element that counts in war. And a)s?) that Germany, in ill tila .t ('I-M.Illy, Ill haustion. i,ieii and gold, Is tii(, p-?iiit ,f ex- men up to 55 years of age, mat?rtat patpalnv •ncapable of standing the rigours of war, and bound tu flood the hospitals also s he is compelling men who, after seven medical examinations, at intervals, were pronounced incapable of military service, t.) don tlw uniform. Whilst recognising that Austro- C-ermany still constitute a formidable enemy, not to be overcome without farther strenu- oil,; efforts on our part, t hese indications of exhaustion are not to be ignored. More e;'pee?aU\ <)? the moBt ehluorate con- 'ertii)lt.iv(,cl to conceal the in tenia 1 j condition of the two empires have not sue-: eeeded in preventing suggestive facts from eceded "I pj,f,,Velltlll,.z fi-c.iii food riots in Berlin, Cologne, Dresden and other cities may be exaggerated or even partly false. Put where so much smoke is emitted it is a reasonable conclusion that I there must be some fire. Nine-tenths of the German oversea commerce has been brought to H, standstill bv the British block- ade. This imports not only a ferious eon strlctw!1 of Imperial i,e.iiu? but also wide-i spread distress. For rath ? more than a year the German and Austrian people have beencompeHed to eat unpalatable bread because potatoes, rye and maixe liave been compulsoriiy added to theeornnou). They have been subjected to meatless days, a> painfully short supply of butter, and to de- privations in respect oi ingredients which in peace times contributed to their comfort. In all exaltation of spirit inspired by a great purpose thc classes and the masses have re- j vealed amazing powers of endurance. But there has always been a time limit because of the oozing away of enthusiasm and the doubts that sooner or later chill the spirit of sacrifice. The Parisians in 1870-1 were superb up to a point.. Then they suddenly cracked up and gave the Communists their innings of mad irresponsibility. Germany, in a military sense, is still formidable—its navy only counts as a factor demanding fit, sustained watchfulness of an nrihada capable of overwiheiming it in ojwn tight—but the signs of inner weakness are unmistakable. B, has to finance not ?:?iy its?)f but ?.)s?A!)..t.in. Turkey ami lb '!■> ,-ia The money Is^'ied W'jthoWt a go'ki 0ackuurg i.s l isir^ \"l.\ the prospect of indemnities ?vacted from the enemy, ;? in 1871, is fading away. ?o loan can be floated outride, and new taxes or enlarged old taxes aire avoided to evade the certain resultant effect. Interest on ca"pital laiecl under conditions violating every Tecognised economic latw is tveing ?idontof capital. A fabric of p?per credit has reached the most astounding pro- po?.ions. Meanwhile the market value of tb" (li-itiiiin mack is steadily declining — just as its redii'-ed purchasing ]n>we- in Germany js inflating the prices of all nom-I moditie.—so that in Switzerland, which, under the present war conditions, has be- come a clearing-house for German trans- actions with the outer world, there is de- predation to the extent of between 28 and 30 per c-ent. This means an appreciated juice paid for every article imported by Germany. In this connection the fact 1,4 to be noted j that ,;)) not. one of the Allied countries has it been found necessary to fix maximum prices for food essentia Is or to j"è-ue tickets st ricHy. ] imiting their supply. And no responsible statesman or publicist has asso- ciated himself with a demand for peace. On the contrary, from Great Britain, France, Russia and Italy has come the imperative unbending requirement of no peace until the Prussian war-machine has been smashed bevond repair. The Kaiser may—.as re- portecU— tirge a Swiss statesman to work for peace—a mere truce to enable ^iennany to organise her forces for a fresh attack upon the peace of the world—or Bethmann- Hollweg seek guidance iif Vienna in con- cocting the terms of an armistice favourable to the Austro-Germans. But the Entente Powers, convinced that if German mili- tarism is not now broken it" will later overcome all opposition and establish a Ger- man mastery of the world, are determined to go the whole way and once for all relieve humanity of the Teutonic scourge.

"it is as true to-day a-s it was one hundred years ago that the storn-beateu ships of the Fleet stand between a would-be. conqueror of the world and thp freedom of mankind."— In "The Navy." the official organ of the British Navy l.ea,guc, an admirable article, from which we have quoted above, concludes with the statement of "a series of facts" about the work of the Cra-nd Fleet in the form of a brief declaration of faith which, as our contemporary suggests, de- serves to be committed to memory and re- cited upon occasion in every British house- hold. As the war progresses, the ^British people are undoubtedly progressing also to- wards a better understanding of the essential and decisive factors in this vast confliut than t-hait with which they started. We are get- ting- by degrees our seiise of proportion and perspective, and beginning to follow Mr. Bonar Law's prudent counsel in studying the broad and sure-moving tendencies rather than the superfioial incident? of the struggle.  Since the beginning of the war.?ith the exception of a fewfutitet'aid?. 'no?ritish territory in any part of the world has been violated by the enemy. Tbrougrioin, the war Britain has ljeen enabled to carry on over- | seas trade to the amount of £ 1,600,<>00,000, or practically £ 100,000.000 n month. The aea-coA«t of our gallant Ally, France, from Calais k> tlie Pyrenees has been kept immune from enemy attack. Both for Britain and for her Allies the transportation of immense quantities of munitions*, from neutral coun- t.ri? ha? been maintained without interrup- tion, and ?i?nit?c armies have at the .same time been moved ? w1l1 to and from all parts of the Empire and the various theatres of war, with a casualty list averaging, over all, less thim one man per thousand. In all the theatres of war the Navy,, as Sir Ian Hamilton aid, in a memorable phrase, has been "father and mother" 1.11 the Armies, and has ensured the sate and steady port and reinforcement of the Alliecl forces on laud. Meanwhile, the seaborne trade of the Central Empires and Turkey, normally l-eaohiing an annual value of over 1.200.000,000. has been totally swept from the seas. The enemy's comnierce-dt'fctroyers have been completely w ped out. His sub- marine menace, has been reduced to futility and fa;i- Aud all this steady and pur- poseful "rouiino"if we may so call it with- out misinterpreta/tion—has gone hand-in- hand with instant and sleepless readiness throughout tho "far-flung battle-line" to challenge and crush the enemy's fleet, when- ever, wherever, or however he might elect to risk conclusions in the. open waters. It is natural that the silence which enfolds this tremendous work that goes forward hv night and da, v without rest or pause on ail tire seas and in all kinds of weather, and the comparative frequency and definitcn^s* of the reports of the land operations, should turn our thoughts raither to the fortunes of our armies in the sodden trenches of Northern t),-e atxl Flanders and in the storm-swep-t slopes of the Gallipoli Peninsula. But Bri- tain is hot, unmindful of the heroes of the Grand Fleet that sweeps cea-selessly np and down th AN et- Triangle" and that still spares ships aud men to convoy our soldiers and our munitions and merchandise in what- soever direction they may be despatched, j As Mr Balfour said, in his eloquent speech at the Empire Theatre in London a day or two ago, it ii; the simple truth that our economic stability, no less than the Avliole conduct of our military operation* depends absolutely upon the great work wliiek the Navy has thus far triumphantly accom- plished. Not only does it guarantee the In- tiM'eommunicatic-n of the Allies ior military purposes from Archangel right round to the I Persian Gulf, but it secures to them the free importation of their suppli-s and the free exportation of their goods. The, Brit ish Na vy is literally the foundation upon which all else depends. Economically, it is the 1 buttress of the imruicR and commerce of the ?.?-and AlHan?e. ?tra?tpgicaUy, it i? the ult- I mately df)c?i\e factor in the success of th en' arms. The economic fruits of it? work are made more evid?t every day, and. Mhould I the hour :<tnke for that other test, we my ,trile fic?r tl-,?'t otil(?r te6t, we inay things unseen." "woe betide the German \avvwhcMand if tliey iace it

i —* — I d j The position iu regard to the unattested men. lrjw-r e comical. Most people have been pndmg themselves that our voluntary system ha, been a. umque demonstration of the reudiuess of the Nng- lishinan to tight, for his country of his own free will, without the pressure of legal nhll- i gtations. The collapse of the volnntaiy sys- tem that- is now pretty generally l-now- ledged finds us, however, in the predicament that a, very hu'ge body of men. mained as well as single, have definitely, bv their re- fusal to attest, expressed their unreadiness to fight. In place of affording a pre- eminent example nf a willing people, w ale as a matter of fact exhibiting a pre-eminent examplE" Of a country a great division ot whose population refuses to come forward and fieht. We do not knew what would have Iw.en the result in Continental countries ifthevhfid depended upon the same system as w did. It is worth observing in paren- thesis that, en-ell m France, wilh her legal enactments and her exalted national sp lit, there have been s hirkers, known there as < ,¡"(lI\P; But oUl system, ?uch as cit- ?, en?b?s M-ervb?dv abroad to poini !11t1 b,.ocr of derision at n? a? the nation h?Y?? the largest el."?-11111 ;lt 11-?4 t.1-LO ii.atim and the most conspicuous instance ot retusal to serve the country in its need. It accustomed to weigh the evidence and dis- count the perfewid enthusiasm and gush ot certain interested journals, tha.t the ))erhv scheme would not succeed in pioviding a sufficient total of men, available for calling up a's needed by the military au- thorities. to save the voluntary system. Cue detailed returns probably show a serioua aggregate of refusal to attest, on the part of married men as well as single. The remedy proposed j" compulsory attestation -that is, enlistmeut in the Army Reserve --foi- the •shirker? .viio But what a foolish anomaly would be created by j this restriction. It is pretty certain that some of the married groups, at all c\'eut, will have to be caHed up before the Pii(i oi? the war. But why should the married ghirker. who has refused to attest, take advantage of the patriotic readiness of the married man who has attested? Compul- sion. if it must come, should be for .named 1 as well as single, in the. name of reason and justice. The married man enjoys an in- yidious preferential treatment as it is. Thev do not draw these fine distinctions on the Continent. Siogle and married are lumped together in the same class. upon its The "olunbll'} "Y8t('.nl s vI:->ibi' UpOll Jt.s la.st It has received the credit that should Tightly have been allocated to the in- dividual volunteers themselves, and tlctiiotie other. It wa,s not a system, to begin with, for it was constituted of spasmodic impulses, yielding fitful, irregular, and undepeudablo supplies of meii of all. aRI" jUJTlbld together. as the resnit of a mixture of motives. Re- duced to its iltiplest expression, it was merely all indication that a, certain propor- tion of tho people had decided to, reo fuse to have their throats cut without mak- ing a fight for it. A man attacked by a. homicidal maniac in the, street is not called a. hero because he defends hiiasdf- There is nothing very astonishing in the spectacle of a nation, in a "similar case, defending itself; it would be despicably craven if it did not do so. The British volunteer, to b oot,, only makes the sacrifice willingly that the Continental conscript is compelled to make; in many cases he makes none at all, but Ü; financially advantaged. But he throws up in a.n evil relief that portion of the nation which ha? "-ot volunteered, and exposes it to a criticism that none can attach to the foreigner, where all alike have to do their duty in the spheres that the State thinks mot suitable. The Continental who sneered at the British regular as a mercenary — a man who had entered an honourable profession all precisely the same terms aj", the Conti- nental oiffcer or noo poinmissioned officer, gendarme, or schut!5mann "was no more unjust and stupid in hi* opinion than the British who, themselves rendering the State the Oeast service in arms of any European people, despised the Continental conscript, who was assumed to be a, poor creature, driven by the law into the ranks because too mean-spirited to emulate the tree-born noble British^; who of his own volition enrolled himser:—-as if we would have had any regular army ('veol') ]f we off tired the same pay and terms 0 f as Conti- nental nations gave their soldiers. Readi- ness to die for one's country is the supreme test: an d the Frenchman, the German, and the Russian come even better out of it than we do, for our sacrifices have so far been but a fraction of theirs. If there had been anything in the idea that the ranks of Continental armies were welded by force, and force alone, the Oernians—in whose army these defects were thought to have been expressed in the mo^t conspicuous degree—would have broken to pieces long ago. instead of standing up for seventeen months against the armies r,f half Europe.

( The ?g'hi.m? in whi:h the southern ?r'mp I of the Russian nrmi? under Ivan off iu €???- I g'?g?d extends from a point south of the Pripet ?J?T?he.s to Bessarabia on the R.n-  ma.ma.1J bo-rdei, It doe? ap'?n' to be the most considerable action upon the Russian front since the fall of Yilna in September. The Austrian and Russian communiques show that the Russians have taken the offensi ve, witJi a certain amount of success at one or two places, though we miss the usual captures of prisoners and guns. The Austrians affirm that for the most pact, tbp Russian attacks have been beaten off and the.ro is a. vet. ?n marked chaji?o in th? i., a.? yet, iifi Tire Petrograd com* mend on tb? fighting are far from illuminat- nit?litg CIT) tbo ar,, f,?i- ii i lluxrllla,t- quarters to make out that it is the enemy who is ta'irng the offer Hive. ( oct am j y, the 1 absence of any o to make an advance qti  ??dd be a sati.i? a/iory exTpJanation of a. Russian .f?UTC to nv*k« any pi'O1' worth I speaking of; hut we doubt if that is quite the case. I 1t i" in i-his quaner that- the be?t f?&u'? ar? <" be px;w-?d from,th? .Uus?ia.n. I  aTv lie re n?r.?.siYf: t?r the ?'MiiU?aT-p here s.tJ1l i? Aust?o-Hnn?tt-ta.). territory and they an' wittnn striku? di?:uce ot' ?npurt?nt. !r)ts j opposed to the britt)? ?ki?.ry of the 'Dlll1,l "Monarchy. Northwards, on the either hand, j th Russians ar? fa? ?r?m enem y tRrritory— j thev have a number '?' i'n? (,i <!?f?'('e to master, ",hi"J¡ the Germans t hemse-'ves. in the pJienitude ot their strength, found it difficult to cross, nd one Gentian line, not to speak of fofiv or five, M extremely diifi- cult to force. Russian papers think that the enemv may try a renewed offensive in Russia lit t,iio spring- The impression m this eonntry :.g tlwt, with the new forces availa-bK «Juch an otfensive should oe out of the question. One point of importance, about the HlI- sian military -systei,i is that after a sen ice with the colours tii, the case rules in FKn-ipf or Germany, the men pass into the reserve, and the Russian re- serves have never been so well organised or so regularly up for" refresher" courses as the German Landwehr and the French Territories "—the latter not to be confounded with -ty organisation in the least, resembling o U' own Territorials. The men soon become rusty, :mdtl},f' absence, of any organisation fer incorporating t'ffoctively the immense reserve nominally avaiiable ex- plains the ft-ilut-r, )f the Russians to mobilise at any given time a mass of men of any I dimension- comparable to those attributed them by fanciful journalists at Geneva, Inns- bruck. Milan or- Bukharest. Moreover, only, the smaller proportion of the men usually available for trd dug were in point, of fact actually called tq in Russia, and. in a lessei degree, this obtained also in Germanv, though in Franc for years past examples j have been at th- u' minimum and even the "denii-bons" w-ve trained, according to well known Frer.ch military wr'ters. The Germans speedily -digested their untrained reserves; but the- Russians suffered from a dearth of iustru-tors. in all pn.bability. as j well as from, the inferior development- of the intelligence of P -m" raw m-asfes of reextut?, aud their lack o education. The problem f officers again has been one of .peculiar ihtliculty foi* Russia. Iler ditY.i"Lt. from; those of the there is a noble, a mili- tarv. nj't? a bn? oicraAic caste, but the r.om- mercial and the ) ?dd)e c??.-e< who now form the backbone of he officer supply of Bribi1 France and Gei nanv, are absurdly small inj com.pa.ri?o?it' themes of the nation. Th? French, (.e-nun and Bnt?h l';mk nd file abound in n en of intelligeujje and char- acter. -from whcai officers can ha i!np;?Y'<ed to u)) the n.?in-c 'ous ga.p? cr?tec!. But !e HUSi'iap ?'my. dra,wn a.lmo'?. ex<'Jnsi\?y from a pea?H?T primitive and undc- Ye!o;?ed. yields no such reservoir, and the oUler -ouices o' supply have been depleted by colossal loss s. It is probably' a t-ftslc for Russia to offk H' her normal formations (plus a modna-te expansion), without supplying officers for the very expan- sion with which, she is now credited, as she v,l,s—.quite er- -meously then—at the he- ginning of the war. It is a matter of im- l portancie-. for rithout plenty of capable! officers, huge armies—more especially when very largely < instituted of recruits hastily rushed ttMoug t a course of training and bundled off to the front as soon as pJ:"sihk,u.. afford a thoroughly deceptive appearance of strength. j

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To Russia the glad hand," and to Belgium a.nd Serbia, a speedy and happy deliverance. The wintei sales are now in full swing. Ask pa! present can well be de- scribed as consisting of "samples." Brea d at Swansea was 5¥i. a 41b. ,;¡.af w hen the w ir broke out. N ext loudav it will be 9d. Mr. Llewelyn Williams, 1.P.. is said locally to be the slackers' champion, acaxrd- ilig to a Llaueliy paper. Favourably piaccd in the waiting queue outside a Swansea bargain talc on. Iiiday morning wa- a party of foreign seamen from the Docks, v, hn were under the impression that thoy v era right for The mere man never can understand these bargain sales. The (great drop in prices, on which such stress is laid, suggests to hllm that the sliopkeeper is risking red mill. m ♦ » • o A comjilain.s that as a devotee to cigarettes he frequently soorclres the end of has- nose in lighting a fleeting fag." and that in consequence he has obtained an undeserved reputation as a soaker." If is his own explanation T h ,c? <?-?<?<?>?-<? 1-iiA i)?-each The man who used to cxcn? his breach of ??w Year resolutions by expla.inmg that the C'ub clock Ciood at 12.2 a.m. on the 1st before he knew that he had transgressed for the whole twelvemonth, won't wash now. Between nine p.m. and midnight, we 05:t. Even the engines on the G. W.R. at Lan- doie entered into competition with tho works' liooters on Friday evening with their whistles and detonators. One locomotive in particular, it stated, expended so rnucil oi her ftearr. that. she had hardly the powiw t/i pilot a sister engine up the Cockett incihie! Samples of the 15 pounders, 4.5 and 6 i.iiCii shells are to be seen .H the local muni- j tions offices. j Invoices have been received by Swansea tradesmen weeis ago for goods that haTe, not yet arrived. t #I The freight from Swansea to Rouen is 22s. 6d. a ton, compared with a liornial price of about 4s. 9d. Tim succcsfiful Rus.-ia.ii .iriiuK !n Mesopo-- t;yriia has brougjit into promiiicnee the town*. of Kut and Kunt a,giajm.—("The Pacing S how.") The Mayoress of Swana" ■ herself to abstain in the future .rbir, | purchase of any goods of German mami- tacture. A traveller called on a Swansea trades- olhel- day t") cilek-t Lit ac Tlie goocb. however, despatched wieeks ago, had not arrived. The siM-ces.-iul year's v ork of the Swan- sea SaTOigs Bank in Hintiilie.Jd^street tes- j tifies to the j>opularit.y of this institution, and i-eflects t.he greatest credit on all con- j cerned with this, old est ablished undertalc: j J, > | which primarily caters for the workcrf-) j need.-> and conveniences. » .1;1. I-M m v Wilde has definitely signed the agreement for his 20-round contest with Pte. j Billy Rowlajtds at the Swansea Empire on Saturday. There lIeed. bp absolutely no doubt whatever a-bcut Wilde tuminc; up. for he ha3 never failed t" fulfil any engage- ment after signing articles. v Tho evening classes at Swansea must be ai costly failure, to judge by the recent confer- enoe at Sw?Uu-ea en arrangements for' the training of girl c-lei'ks. There are plenty of private facilities in the town for such pur, poses without tlk Educatic-j (jommitteo launching out into further expensive ex pea i mel1t. A member of the Mumble? .T.C. who re- cently received unitorm took it home and, together with his wife, proceeded to insoeoi it. The putties were evidently a puzzle to him, as, turning to his good lady, he re- marked, "I fiav, this is a bit of all right thev have put in some pieces for mending." —(Passed by Censor.) iit-e d not be Swan-sea's indispensable need not be perturbed in that the iesti ve g<nt?m.)r; pourtrayed as playing leaf-frog with the Rev. Dr. Aked on board of lord's ark bears a .similar name to hie own. Just imagine our Mr. Jenki.n Joiiei descending from his dai. and playing high-backs with —well, til ere ..e' When Conscription becomes a. definitely announced intention of the Government, the recent busy scenes in I mon-street will be repeated, for although Swansea has proved almost a "top-notcher" in the harvest of manhood yielded by the rnjt,>d 1\;ngùoll1 in defence of o:rr national honour, yet, there arc many who IHlY mistaken "work and wages" for "duty aud sacn^'cc. Once.") $ The- original hatchet which wa,s specially forced and perfectcd for Gladstone on his on ex- hibition ft a. certain J.andore hostcuy. The maker, sad to say, is now all inmate of the Swansea Workhouse as a pauper. He gained such renown at the time as a black- smith at the Landore Steel Works that he never did arty work afterwards, and lost jo's money and estates of which he thought So was well secure. The finished article (tht hatchet) is a .symbol in every respect cf the occasion, and has sad memories attached to v- Pickings from Punch." The Super riueus urn an.— out lis. ■ On 15th December, at — Crescent, Car- diff, to. Mr. and M.s. a daughter. For Sale by Auction."—Welsn paner. After a dam night the German artillery has bten very active "—Evening Paper. So that' s how the Germans get their shells. A Linco'Inshire paper the either day said that Earl De La Warr had been succeeded j by bc:, only sou, Lord Bucharest. Every- i one seems to be obsessed by the Balkan problem. The old lady who saw an advertisement beginning Fish for your friends at the Front," if. afraid that the trenches must bo wetter than ever, and wonders if one o.;gnt to use a net or a, rod. Three Swansea children living on the hiii, i with all ingenuity betokening innate talent. J have rigged up a modern flour mill in the bathroom. Sacks of corn—worked by a little sister and made to scale with contents iin- challenged—are hoisted from a stage by means of a crane attached to the mantelpiece. The cmne i-) k e d by c ) oc k wo!' k Arr in g The cranB is worked by clockwork. Arriving 1 aloft the sacks are transferred to a carrier which, by means of an electric switch, takes them across strings to the top of the drying cupboard on the opposite side of the room. Here they disappear through cardboard spaces with self-acting doors into the min. which i seen grinding the corn. Presently the filled flour sacks are ejected from double doors down a chute and so on to the delivel y stage. As a mechanical model the mill is a ervelation of what young chil- dren can do entirely by themselves. At a whist-drive given on N^v Year's Eve by Mrs. Gevo. Harries. North llill. on behfalf of the funds of Pare Wern Hospital, there was coHected the sum of £ 6 10s. 6d., which wa? handed over. Amot?t the coins i was noticed the unusual appearance of a I "gold teu-.shilbug piece," and someone sug- I .aest-ed that- sv^h a rarity should be put up to auction. There was something strange Biboul that piece of gold, as although to judge by the. bidding it wa-s a most coveted article, yet on being knocked down it was promptly re-offered, not once, but several times, and tlie result was that- a sum of £J8 I ia.t t .4?iiiii c- I L]8 odd was reahsed by the auction, the total  with further generous for the pwning being, with further generous gifts, £.32 3s. 6d. The thanks of the Red Cross Society," and the Pare Went Hospital in particular, are flue to Mr. and Mrs. Harries and their generous guests. At the British Astronomical Association on Wednesday, Mrs. Maunder, dealing with a. Welsh manuscript, was anxious to dis- cover when, by whom and with what object 141e Broad arrow" was a.dopt.ed as a. British Government mark. The three strokes, ua accompanied by the horizontal one shown in a- I ) p eai-e d t,, Lie of ordnance bench marks, appeared to be of ancient and probably Dnu(hc origin. Th?y were said to have repre?Hnted at (We time the ujnoc?li?d name of the d?Ity. :md to hmf had an astronomical origin. Mrs. Maunder bad reason to behev? that, this may be con- firmed by measurement o? some of the Gor- sedd ;-tone? b) this co?mt?y. and that the l th?-p? straight ?ute? repiE&cnt the directions of tlie shadows of a vertical post at sunrise, noon, aud sunset at the winter solstice when the Drnidicat yeax is said to have commenced. It hu? becg ?uege?ted tha.t Edward I. adapted the mark at [T,p conquest of Wales, thcu?i: Mr. FToU's claims to have heard that the adoption was, made by ("If Secretary foi War at the time of the American War of Ind- j pendente, "Weather" or "Wash-out" 4"A. The holidays in the Lla.nelly Schools have been extended for another week. Great joy j oi the parents Two special constables were sworn in Swansea Police Court on Friday. A good New Year's resolution. y," e ha ve actually had a disaster off the Mumbles without one reference to the cif Mumbles HeBd The eloquence of Mr. Heny tUdt. Swansea s renowned showman. I- vsally stir- -vhru sre-aking for a good cause-. The kna^hihood besr-owcci npou Ma. liieunas Beecham will be somewhat of pin to several other aspiring English j musicians. "of; f The late Mr. Daniel Edwaids wa? the first j 3.1ornston mau to be cremated. He regarded cremation as advisable from the r-cint of v:tw of sanitation. More resti lotions.This time if is the barbers, for there is in future in Swansea to be no more chin tearing "iter 10 6'c?ck on Saturday ?!s'ht?. Have you heard Swansea schcoihoyg home  ?T the Xm? hoHday? 1a ugh at the different CharPe Chaplin films? If not, make a ]>Oint oi doing so. It will cheer you up. The traffic department of the Great West- ern Railway (says the W.R. Magazine" r fiarr-bed 2,51 members nf its staff for service with his Majesty's Forces during tlie war. Koweil Lewis, the All White and Welsh; international three-quarter, now a lieuten-l ant in the Welsh Fusiliers, was given n t hearty send-off bv Swansea docksmen on S?.urday morning. Mr. i-. I.e ooulanger. in the course of his evidence at tiie recent Mumbles disaster quest, stated that he had been connected with lifeboat work for about twenty years. t And Tory honourably, too.   father is the limit for .-cn?es." r.- marked a young Swansea man to hip friend. I Mother found him on New Year's morn- rg asleep on the potato patch, and he Eaid be .g ic), the trenches." A "long hat," as an Americtn would left .an <d eertleman's lmnd near the I. plands Post Office on Sat-urrbiv. and soared upward < for about a hundred yards, and then Wmeranged hack into a soldier's hand witaout touclr. ug AI other Earth. Saturday s gale, a continuation of ibat eunng 1 he v, considerably delayed telegniph work in South Wijcs. and me- sages to Gardiganshtie and Pembrokeshire hd to be pp? by train. The read )nstm?' n.tth?'erv;<.??f? Bank Holiday vr,» more than neutralised, b' v tl? {i.'J('e'tló;. | of the gale c;, ^fardsy. ■ i ?of Ute ?ale <) ??rd?v. The port?- s;"m.'Hma? whc.. in H .Sw?n?? onema. on Saturday a't-ernoc? b??..s;.it on a ?seat t b .?.t, h ere. he,re b -? seat th?t wasn't there, hereby cx?erAtet- tht' you'? lady attendant. *1ucp he o??tted to turn down the .?t t? which he had h?u ushered. But- he desii-es h heartily strafe the small boys for tho del'ght they exhibited over the incident. I Tiip Great- sternRailway Cn. ha::c "eady •granted the "11111 of £;300 for prizes for tl- 1 be?t kept station gardens. T-, the result of Ih" 1915 -van-petition, pv.blished in thi.- | months' "C^W.R. Magazine." Have.ford- west is in the winning list. Tlie number of stations competing was 474. I I Anxious to da "his bit," ami in a char- | acteristic way. Commandant Maggs is selling reproductio; of rare pri.vt showing Swam i ?ea and the bay in 1792. The price i" ",ml;' a penny aWl the prccee?< go towards the Daily Pos'. War Prisoners' Fund. A offering ? wonderful contrast h- tween the I "T)111' Pop'uiid. ?ko, offpr;ll" ?l II)e fif tliit day ?iid t'he pre.,(,-?it t,?in(, it I Wit!.in hdJi-an-hour's arrivn? rt the bod\ of Mr. Daniel Edwards in London it was in I the crematorium at Golders irieen. The coffiil with pall was placed on a table, which glided tlirougli panel partition preparatory to undergoing the process, which took one hour and twenty mmnte.?. T"tie i,(,rei attei'wards placed in a teM?tta nrn. plaeL-ri ),I) a tet i- 1')tt,,?l III-ii. .$-.tt. in ?N,as 1)lac(-d ill "bp ;1?c.t. was a The Swansea Corporati'eis New Yesi- cardboard box full 1U the face b)own off n scavenger's ca-ut: in Oxford-street at 9.~0 )n S,tma- morning. ;?t tli,- a feai-- -n?"sou -w?tp:- was hhvwing the refuse o?.the carts as ?peedi'va.? the "happy II d.ustmen were putting it on. His opinion of local departmental management is i'!u- minating. p ?- t)f the Ie Inourwlado'ca?ibesec:?(op\-ofthe   little liecto- "Natal Newsletter"—a bright little hedo, graphed jouninl is?ncd on board the ill- fated cruiser, since blown up with a large j part of her crew. J twas sent to Swansea on X mas Eve. a week before the disaste'. itli(, contents, cheery and humorous, faith- ¡ fillix, reflect, the hearty spirit of the British tar. and sad, indeed, is it to realise that so many of its readers have passed into the --rc: t, beyond." Eveiy ticket purchased for the Daily Post" boxing tournament next Saturday means food for hungry prisoners in Ger- many. Our fund needs contihu&J aid for it costs £ 50 a week to -upply the local bovs who are. unfortunately, prisoners in the hands of the Huns, and have to depend upoll the generosity oi those at home in order to exist. Therefore we confidently a«-k the public to display their patriotism and appreciation of those men's effori.s on their behalf by patronising the tournament. Directly word was received of a, di siifle:, to the Port EYnon hffbo.jt ??i. F. ?? Boulam^vr the P,irt 3-1*fei-)o?it _,fr. T? i,t, P)Oult-ioei, for inf<?ma,ti?!). He hu-?hcr succeeded in getting a patrol boat to search tin Channel, and had arranged him.-alf to go out in a steam trawler on Sunday morning, when suddenly, at daybrea k, the lifeboat was seen labouring round the Mumbles H ad. As -lie drew near to the shore there was a resh to sijccou)- the exhausted crev;, IVIIO had been out in the hi tbo- gale with practically no food for nearly twenty hours. "niUy" Gibbs. the ill,fated cox swain of the Porteynon lifel>oat. as he was familiarly) known by thousands of visitors to the Gowerj Peninsula, was an exceedingly popular and skilful boatman. He excelled as a- fisher-! man. and, owning a sailing boat. was dur- ino the summer season in great request wit-li visitors, for mo one possessed a better know- ledge of the dangers of the coast of Gower and how to overcome them. or of the fishing; j grounds. He was ia-me. suffering from the infirmity of having than the' "titer, but this in no iuteitered with; 1 e's. a< ti-> ity afloat. j A City i;iat ;-s tc he— T <?-n Huh A (it;- 'La\. ( l"t'-To"'n Hill. The day- are lengtiienin-j.. hut not the j pub]leans' hours. The Mumbles lifeboat got ready to jro out a fifth, time on Sunday. Some of the] Ilca l boardings have been, swept, almost clean by the gale. "Man wants but little here below." This evidently refers to people'.> coal supplies. Messrs. Ben 1>1i;; and Co. ha.d a. record day last Friday. Everything pre ricusly esperienced wa" beaten hollow. < $ ;,<* '.f ,fy r 1j own J tiJI Fair, blown oft by the fettle aiiu any injiiry The manner in which the Cwm School iad* wiicn before the Building Sub-committe-; "split" OIL one another a.bont- the breaking and entering complaint was amusing but not quite British. • # 4) 4 A # A Swansea man found himself the richer man in the "vorid the other night. Ho dreamt he was turning lead into gold at thfl rate of £ 10.000 an hour. Next day he was shovelling in bunkers. ..at! JD1 notes are elusive possessions. A man is said to have iost a dozen in a book in aI drenching rain and to have had them restor- ed with the contents pei fec-tly drv. showing not tlie least trace of any wet at all. The "Western Mail" bewails the fad iha* an American communication was addressed "lardiff. Wales, Ireland. Europe." No.v. i it had fieen. "Cardiff, near Swansea." quite a lot ot trouble would have been saved. ..e.8. t l After a Imieial party had passed throug-li Fforest-ia-ch on Monday a. bunch of flowers was observed lying in the road, having dropped from the hearse. A boy Ian "fta the precession and restored it n. lis place. -r Mr. \Y. Alot-giii. the Master of the Swan- sea Workhoi^se Institution, lias beon there I 'or the iast 21 years, and has attended the annua-] entertainmetit at Sn-dt's without missing a single occasion. Vive le patron I ?-?-?-<<p-<?-?- It %N?i? an unusual sight to watch the crowd of 7 ti;omen, and children througu- out the whole of Monday on F "t Tennant Sands collecting' the wreckage sv ept up theI S3,ji ds col-tc,, till, t?le wrea-a ge S\' Ui,) the aftej,-el?eet c, f tile lit v t' 4 viay. firewood i? as ?ca'c<. at Swansea sJ fu-c.-o d iF, as c?i!cL at When a man joins the artillery he i- called a gunner, but it years to become a gunner in the Royal Navy. There, is. of course, the sea-man-gunncr, thai .gunner's-mate, and the chief gunnery in- 5tructor but the giuiner is a warrant of £ c-iJ who has risen from the lower deck. M h.- He'en -Mai who appeared at tho Grand Theatre c incert on Sunday evening lastn <* a good storv against herself. She v r.s go* ing u a supper wiLha rather dlÜl man, an<' j thinking to liven him up a bit said "Hive tA?liyeii -him ,ili T< 1))'t iil,i -'ji?tro rriv T, j replied, "I hope so" "»■« *> ♦ "Sir Johi n T. D. Llewelyn cicscoves ihe (thanks of the poor, fur granting them this; year again his gifts of coal. He still cakes an interest in us and visits us at Christmas- tune. The parish (St. MarkY) almost owes its existence as a separate parish to this generosity in the pa?t."—?''Ss?am"? l'aii-a Magazine.) .Magaxu;e.j ? X ea BfaT jacket, iunic iiorn .h!1 Ct?nJ Fk for few JU\ dMcrih<? t-ha i weather in the North Sea as terril-lc. He adds But. our boy, zire itsaci to it. If the Germans came out after their long contme- mM)t the majority would be sea-gick. whilst. I we have our sea. legs and can work oilr guns and tor]*edor-s hke Hashes, and Ion;; for a scrap. o(.¡ood 4 | Instead of the usual 10s. Christmas box, a Swan-sea salesman was given a turkey by his employer, as he had recently wed. Now the viiiiii_)- Nvife roasted the bud for Christ- mas Day, boiled it on Boxing Day, curried it the day after, then made it into a hash and wound rip by having turkey soup. All you have to say to him is Turkey. and fts hke saviijg .liriI i'I,]! to a German. ■> a » t » ► 11'. Trevor C. WignaJl (formerly "The Watchman" of the "Daily Post") and who now earning a high reputation as a short writer in the Metropolis, is home at Swansea or- a holiday. Strangely enough Mr. Bert Thomas, the ex-cartoonist of the "Post." and who is earning falllC in the black and white line, has never come across Mr. Wiguall. although both have been look- ing for each other ever sjnee they arnveu in the Metropolis. Success is not all honey. There are fli. in the ointment, as Deputy Chief Constable •I. Evans, of Llandilo, who was the central figure in the historic Sunday trading case at Ammanford, can testify. The fining of a. customer and the upholding of the decision in the High Court are matters known to all and sundry, and the flutter has not yet quite pa-ssed away. S ince, communications rang- ing from the febcitous and the amusing to the traaic have reached the Deputy Chioef Con.table. m the latter d?cription w?s one bearing the po?tm?rk of Nelson. It one I)ea-r.'rig t.b(? of a cntt)ng from John Bull had be?n p'?tcd. and the terse expression, Go to — con- tributed by the sender. 1 1915. Into the darkness of the night wnence issued thee. Hence go, thou black and hideous year. Put in thy wallet all the tnil of Tnise_ The anxious father's dread, the mother's heartfelt fear. Take all the sadness uf the broken groan; Ta.ke all the widow's grief and helpless orphan' s tears. Carry the deep dejection o( the refugee? who moan. Thou who reyelled in destruction of all that love endears. Down the long ages through the centuries to come. The thought of thee by Man shall bs abhorred As who glorified with glec the deep, alarming drear, And who put the flower of mankind to the word Thou broughtest with thee Molodi. our happiness to slay. And bade hclih- revels loosen at j be shameless Kaiser s But ere yen leave to-night, remind tile butchers of to-day. There's one eternal changeless truth:' Vengeance is mine." So let thy sombre record intu the bb ckne^ go, Give way unto a year of hopeful light That the world may quickly finish with it* load of piteous woe And Victory's JauveL jv-t- on < b-v-ho battled lor tlie b:gh'. Swansea. 1, T R,"