South Wales Weekly Post

 1 | CAMBRIAN. I j PRINTINC WORKS, | I 211, HIGH ST., ? M I SW^JUSXl^ J !PO.TER:HANDBILLS' I ? ?AMD SALE BILLS, i £ x lno- XXV."3=XNX

Mr. James W instone, who, though ue had i a dozen powerful organisations at his back, was crushtnglv defeated Merthyr by Mr. C, B. Stanton, fighting him sungJe-handed, and Mr. J. H. Thomas. Secretary of the R.ailwavmen s Cuion, .< t the present time doing vor k for v Inch the enemy is grateful. Both realise that the democracy, if given the, chance to deei.de. would vote over- whelmingly fr.T llw scheme for rounding-up the single able-bodied men slackers who want to stay with the squaws at home," protected by the manlier lads who are risk- ing 'ife iJlll health, and in tho cheeriest .spirit enduring hardships and privations so that. British liberty and British civilisation should not be extinguished by the modern Him, and. that the homes of the people of those countries should be made safe against the ravagers of Belgium, Serora., and the north of France- Neither Ma James W 'iiitdone. nor M). J. H. Thomas knbws more than the average man. Both of them are in a position to in- fluence great bodies of men whose; services :lilt,t,) the State. III cfiWt. imply .-am,; threat. If they cannot make their ••v.Jl prevail—even though it is opposed by tiie great bod A* ol both the classes and the ma-sses- an endeavour will be made to use i,bi, t-rades union organisations to stop the supply of ,'r,)<l.l to the British Navy, by whose tireless vigil the food supply of the country is maintained, and bring t.he railways to a standstill. In sburl. inflict a mortal wound for the benefit of (let-many. Ar.- the working men oi this country capable of endorsing this suicidal and UI- patriotie policy? The voluntary system of euiisL'uent had reached the point of ex- haustion—the Wel«h battalions at'the front. f -r < xampl e. wei:• 8,003 men short of their f-trfiigih. and the necessary drafts could i", got for them—when LoTd Derby s heme launched, under the most fa' ourahl.; c< oditioiis, to obtain all the pos- j t-iole result.* oi \olnntaryism. The nett I #•F .'T WHS the disclosure that over a million j Vo;u men shirked their obvious duty, They enjoyed liberty, but b*>rig unprepared 1,. iiu-ht for it deserved to be slaves. 1" i ir these. the kinrt worthy elements in 'he national life, that Mr. das. Wirostone ;1; .h, .1. II. Thomas ,,1" usuhg their official positions to protect, liotwirhstandiiu.' the fact that., if fhi-v succeed, not t.he i iyv< I'M 'mint oi this credited. oi.o- Allies discoursed and the cle ered, but all our men in !i!' lint's will consider themselves '\i?i..ft. !'?" th? .L:pnly ?fre?nfo??e- ment.- «i• i be cut off. and it i& only by send- lutu move an d s- u l more io •- T e < >'•»' tnfl k w s' t ■■■ !t "n i. T r s, • ••1.. « TnP1"1j it every man who intends to he ;>1, next j :id; s men nig at the Swansea Klvsium t t .» f-ivi.»«tly to r- wiiat the endorse-; rnent of Mr. ■ H. llumas's pernicious and "jn \ie.vs :1).'11,. he will resolve not t) J .•^id in ibr 1'1 ::ghtin; heroica-llv ft a Mi o in ij!;oii jir!.i*b i< Mr. I ? H. Th''? !?tn('r))sri')).)b?Y picn<!):]? f't'. ?'jfr I. Ue; b-' .? II(c:n'L- ;¡ millinu f mar. ied n: n • e.v- attested in lrinr ..f ih iinitc pledge thal LilLY would not be caiiet! c.p to, aat:onal service bef<>re tiie; v. -in, >i:en. And lb- bulk of thei single m":i •anic forward the willing la ds '< imr already guiio -o.i,ly under the iu- Huejiee of the belief that if they kept back • tVv wi-rdil 1.' ieteiied. The voluntary :->vtem \va • a.b'ta iy bankrupt. Franee, T? A\ and Ibi-si i ha-A c alrea<ly thrown into the scale the;)- eiitbv manhood. Now we have doctrinaires putting their limited knowledge .-i,cnailers, pint-wig their limite.d knowledge c^aii.u-i that of L')rn Kitchener, and the ether recogni'-ec' aoi ho'iti.es, to defeat the arrtngeni.-io.- for bringing about success over ( ho many. i- 't t t'sa; men who have given sons, brothers, and friends t< sccure victory in this most terrible war, v!U listen Udermt'y to Mr. ,1. H. Thomas t'wi be talk-. :i« ihe Kaiser would have man tal;c iu this eouutry, in order to ensure such a \utory as 'would make every BritUJu-r a i ierman henchman? If evervoue who is afr t he hlysium on Sumbiv next realises 1 h;>t he is being asked to dishearten and \Inrl the men in the fighting lines and encourage the (iermans to |»rolong t'ite ivar and add to ,.»ur 'osses. there will be scant support for Mr. -7. H. Thomas.

ount (jKuma. in an interview with a r-i.resentative of the "Japan Advert-;?er," stated that thef Geiman (Government, fwl- m.g acutely its tiiiancial diiffcultie«, had made overtures to Russia and Japadi for a, separate peace. The overtures were rejected, for both liussia and Japan wero determined t.- continue the war to the end. Count Okuma was the Preuncr of Japan in 1914, and is H statesman of the foremost rank. He- speaks as one who know. Intimately eon- nect-ed with his statement is the report on Fi-idav fi-oll, York of a further fall in the market value of the German mark and the Austrian crown, bringing the former 28 p. r cent, and the latter 43 per cent, below the face value. For the Central Powers this is a sinister omen of an approaching financial crash, tierman 'war bonds offered in neutral -untr, e- security have been evei-ywhere rpfused bv bankers, and a competent judge ^p»erts> t?.jt "houhi the depreciation of th? merman mark reach 40 or 50 ?r cent. national and state hankrunky and run unist follow." In this we may perceive tho deadly effect- iveness ot sea-power. Germany and Austria unable to deliyej. and. therefore, to sell the goods b\ which iu normal conditions they live- I"eten<ce at evading the GO.n0- roiejices of the sea-blockade is kept up by flooding both t orintries with paper money, nnbacked by the only token or genuine A'nJue. Tin- pap4,1 nv°uey, which can be produced in sheaves by the printer a.t, small litei- -i t -nia U cost, is of worth or worthless, acoordir.g to the capacity of,the issuing authority to re- Ieem it it) good yellow metal. The slump mi the pnrclu1."ing power of the mark and crown indicates diminishing f;1}f;h of neutral countries in Austi-o-(ierman ability to seoure the ultimate vielorv. More than that. ;t suggests a growing doubt regnrcling the sol- vency of the Ceaiti al Powers at the end of the war. It has been said with considerable truth | tliat no country has failed iii wai- from want] of money- A striking ex-ample of the limited j power of goldis suppose 0 to have been fur- nished by the ^oalkan States when they over- came Turkey, though all the Jewish nnd other financial magnate*? were backing the <Eorks. But the Serbians. Bulgariaus and Greeks, except for guns and munitions, drew their resources from the native soil and made war under conditions almost mediaeval in their tlimplicity. A population mainly agricultural, threw into the national granary their crops and surplus sbock of cattle and horses. Thus the national re- venne became altogether available for tho purchase of n?ential goods which had to l?, obtained abroad. Thr case, ot Germany and Austria is very diifp,<n!. \Ve have here, roughly, about 115 millions of people who. in peace time, de- pended for their existence upon tho sale to the outside world of goods to the value of many hundreds of rnilliom; pounds sterling. This oversea trade has been cut off for more than a year. The two countries are re- duced to the condition of a. grocer without customer:- who, with his family, lives on by eating the goods he had expected to sell- In Germany an d Austria- the prices of food have risen and are. rising, not only be- cause the suppi), falls short of the demand, but, aJso because the paper money offered for the articles is of doubtful value. The vendor, when he is asked to accept a fifty or hundred mark note. is not certain that when the -paper taken is finally nego- tiated it will command its face value. Hence the reduced purchasing value cf the paper-money expressed in inflated prices for commodities, and the slump abroad in the market, quotations for the German mark and the Austrian crown. Austro-Geniian financial difficulties will hatell the end of the war. They are more j potent than the shortage of food, respon- sible for riots in Berlin, Cologne and other German and Austrian cities. Tho deadly grip of naval power tells with increasing efficacy day bv day. Germany and Austria are, for at) practical purposes, reduced to the state of besieged cities which have to take oount of their food reserves periodically. Their responsible at-atesmen make the best possible show of the national resources, but in the end have to admit shortages in essen- t;al, people are asked to accept bul- letins of victory in substitution of the food thev need. There must be, and is, a limit to this artificial feeding. To make nure of the ultimate victory, the economical pressure on Austro-Germany must be supplemented by military pressure on every front. In France aiiii, Flanders this is as-ured, and the steady trickling through of German deserters tells a suggestive tale. But for the risks of slaughter; from their own side these war worn and weary combatants would be more numerous. They itc!(-(-Pt de,rK-rate, chances in making for our lines. Their ell- terprise is indicative of the spirit that pre- vails in the ranks of the enemy. In France and Flanders we hold the Germans fast—two- thirds of their forms are on this frOJJt-and at the selected moment can get though their lines. An attack on their side, designed to win through to Paris or Calais, would be vwl- >».med. so convinced are the Anglo-Froncb- • ^b.ic art/ib. r ihey occupj lines im- pugnable to tbe enemy. f a And in ^alomka. the Anglo-Trench armies j 'are by this time so strongly entrenched that j an attack, whether by Austro-Germaus or ) with these reinforced by Bulgarians, would e be helpful as affording a chance of demon- v strating the impotence of the Central Powers in the Balkans despite the treason of 13111- 'gari.i. Constantino, fit Athens, is making a note of the waxing strength of the Anglo- French in Macedonia- —conscious that the bulk n of bis people, are for war on the side of the Kntente Powers- and of the restlessness of It Rumania, which appreciates the significance cf e the. Russian success!ul offensive in the liuko- e wiua. On the whole the outlook for the Ell 's tente Powers is decidedly improving.

Tbe Suvla' Bay despatch of Sir lan Hamilton is a document of thrilling and dramatic interest, wliich describes, perhaps, the greatest military tragedy in our annals. It is a story of the climax of an enterprise, in itself of almost insuperable difficulty, whoso arduousness was enhanced by the m iser Jculation and indecision that was exhibited from first to last by the responsi- ble authorities at homo, and which failed ultimately because that indecision was re- flected in thiree of the generals til),on the —General Stop ford, in general com- itiand ot tlw SnYla Bay sector, one of his divisional commanders, and that appears to have been communicated to Sil" Van points out with pertinence: It seems to us that Sir Ian Hamilton cannot escape some share of the criticism he quite rightly applies to others. His own version of what happened is sufficiently extraordinary. He went to Suvla Bay oil the afternoon of August 8, a.nd found that nothing was being done. A furuber attack had been planned for next morning. He want-ed an attack at once, and was met by excuses. He admits that, had the 11th Division sta.rt.ed out to attack a.t 10 p.m. that night, or even at 4 I.M. next' morning, the coveted heights might have been won, and the aspect of the operations possibly changed. The inexplic- a.hlp thing is that, although he points out what, the Corps a.nd Divisional commanders ought to have do He, be made no succe^ful attempt to compel them to act. He tells us that he urged various unanswerable con- siderations. and pointed out that the men Avere rested, fed. and watered but with aigument he stopped, and nothing effectual wa.s begun." Tlli one fatal moment excepted. Sir lan Hamilton and his staff, and the other com- manders, a,ppea,r to have done all that could have been done in the circumstances that prevailed, and they were nevertheless within an ace of victory. They had to labour under a weighty, almost cm siting, handicap. The country wa-s immensely difficult. It was unknown, and columns frequently lost their way. Their troops were inadequate in num- bers, and many of them inexperienced and unacolima-ti sed ■erani}>ed by a protracted voyage on shipboard, easy prey to the indescribable thirst of this waterless and burning land of hare parched diffs and dry I scrub. Their a.mmmution supply and their I artillery were far from what was needed, '['he enemy wa.s more numerous, dogged. and skilfully led. There was uo provision to fill up promptly the! itiioii of battle* in which but- bl otted out—one heroic! New ATmv Division, the 13th, JŒt 6.000 men ol I t ofI Yet, MYe fo) that one fa,t.a moment of in'pso)uHon, which found but flesh and blood where blood and iron were den?nd?d, a Hind en burg an ruthless 1'e80-\1 lution, anccM-s wou?d probabiy have been achieved, for oth?erwi?e the leading was brilliant, the vital naval work of transpor- tation and disembarkation masterly, and the fighting of the. men superlatively heroic, j though plainly unequal in certain cases. Long after ttit, and political j consequences of the failure at the Dardan-1 elies have exhausted themselves, generations1 to come will read With honour a nd reverence for the valour of the dead the epic inci- dents of this mighty -ti-iiggle. Pridt) rf place ■we will be proud to give to the shining glory that was won by the men from A. I' tmlia and New Zealand, whose people have accepted the bitter knowledge of the sterility of such gallantry with a dignity arid resignation that a Y,t- memorable ;i ii(i pra iseworthy. Yet these men were veterans before the ci'inax of their exertions in August at Sari Bair, and they would themselves be the most unstinted in their recognition of the deeds of the Tenitorials and the New Army men who were their comrades. For the ordeal of the latter was even greater they were unaccustomed to the torturing, prostrating thirst, the scorch-1 ing sun, and they were thrown fresh from "cool, well-watered England" into the fur- nace of Q-ie. of the hottest clashes of arms of the war. Amonjgst these men vvere the 53rd W elsh Territorial .Divisaou. This embraces the 4th West Wales) and 5th (Rhondda) Territorial battalions of the Welsh Regiment, but. in- cludes a number of English Territorial bat- talions, of which one (the Herefordshire) is singled out for special praise. The division failed in its grand attack of August 10th, but Sir Ian Hamilton justly lays, stress upon the special hardships of the men, the nature (if their own inexperience, the lack of regulars or old hands to set an ex- ample. the "great gallantry" of many h-at- talionis, and tho devotion, with which their officers led. The first raisvxl service bat- talion of the South Wales Borderers, the 4th, was "worthy of such a leader as their colonel, Gillespie- "a very fine man," who led the vanguard of his column. The 8th Welsh Pioneers, tbe first New ArmJ; bat talion of the W elsh, was in the thick of it at Chanuk Bair, the key-position of the whole series of battles, and race d Maoris, New Zea-landers, and Gloucesters up the steep. The two elsh New Army battalions did conspicuously well. Surveying the story as a whole, one is amazed bv many features, not the 1"-06t of which is our own complete ignorance of the true military position throughout 1915. We taliked of German offensives foredoomed to failure for Itfgk ot men: it was our own offensive that mhguished for lack of men. Sir Ian wanted 50,000 rifles more, and they were nd--could not—be sent. W o talked of the attrition that would incapacitate the Germans from repairing their Avastage; it was our own inability to repair wastage that led to our units in Gallipoli thimLillg away to skeletons—Sir lam wanted 45,000 men merely to replace Avastage, and they were not sent. W e talked oi the Turks running shoTt of munitions; it was the British who were short of tmirnuiiitkwr, "the Turks had plenty." There is a curious and disturbing passage in ror lan's dispatch, in which he aNudeb to the Turks' knowledge of the German vic- tories in Poland before the British comman- der himself bad learned of them. It if strange that he should have been in ignor- aiieo of event-s of the first importance in the other theatres of wax. The optimism of the troops—a blind, overflowing optimism—too, bore no relation to the facts. And Sir Ian Hamilton's own hopes, based on the reported deterioration ot* the quality ot the Turkish drafts, ere signally discom- fited. He admits frankly that he was con- sistently disappointed. Tho conduct of the enterprise, from home ? however, the most material point that invites reflection • and there is written all over it tho damning dilatoriness of Wait and see." indecision. irresolution, and the belated acceptance of inevitable conclusions after the men had in the meantime been subject to measureless suffering and tens of thousands had been incapacitated in a pJAce that appears to have been little short of a pest house. Galdipoli is a typical Britisli military faill-im--a record of valour so surpassing that it almost redeemed defects of brain and will that doomed it to disaster.

There Is this in justice to be vaid off 1".1 J. H. Thoma", noW engaged in protecting single men liaekets from being ?cfjmp?led to do what the manlier boys offered them- selves to do: he did assist in the final effort undertaken by Lord Derby to secure, under the voluntary system, the men for the Army and Na.vy indispensable to victory. At his Cardiff's meeting lie., in the most definite terms, dissociated himself entirely from men vvho opposed Conscription and' had done nothing to make the voluntary system a success. It must have somewhat jarred him therefore to have bis chairman at Swa,a- admitting at the very outset that he wH one of the&c. Mr. T h omas must realise that, whether he :lr, Thomaf' must reallso that. whether he likes it or not. be is becoming a?socinted with politicians who have been indifferent to their country's danger, or even been activelv iden-1 tied with movements reasonably calcula-ted to weaken Great Britain and her Allies, and to facilitate the success of the enemy, in addition to finding himself in the same I gallery as the unpatriotic in this oountrv. he a lso discovers from the comments of public- ists and presp that the propaganda, which he and others are promoting just now !.< en- j eo uragIIlg the Germans. Austrian* a nd I Turks, whilst puzzling and disheartening our, j Allies, will not- his common sense suggest j reconsideration of the part lie plavs. as one who wishes the war to be prosecuted on our side with the greatest vigour? The activities of Mr. J. H. Thomas have so far been, compounded of patnt:(' cn d ea- vour and most unpatriotic nuscliicf-makm? With a plea for national unity on his lips he spends hi? time and uses his position ')? M.P. and secretary of a. great Trades Uni<?- f ist organisation to incite class feelin?. 1?0- dnc? a cleavage in t.hge Is!aud?. whe? ?t ) tbe front ch?ss distmctMns hare disappeared because of a, common d?iger. a common sacrifice, and the sen?p of camara- dcrie which infects all ranks. Every E'wd soldier back from the firing ]u? A?H'tPtI you hoAv splendid the officer's are, and the latter in a thousand different ways testih to their recognition of the trutl; that no I such rank and file have ever before taken part in a British war. A learned judge declared long dkp-l) thot he never had a. litigant. before him who said that he acted in a certain matter on prin- ciple without realising that the facts would show that the action was foolish a.nd un, reasonable. Air. Thomas objects to national service an principle. What prmciple? The word itself has no value except when con- sidered in relation to the facts. A man may on principle refuse to shave, consort with red-haired men, or take off ids hat to a lady. "Principk" may connote the most absurd things. In this instance the princi- ple is presumably that he objects to military service under compulsion, even when with- out. it every liberty Ave value in this country may be extinguished. and if not now. but later these Islands may be devastated like Belgium, Nortli France, and. Serbia, their manhood put to the wnd, the women folk outraged, and the children massacred. But the princip? of comp?)?, is an e?ential pM-t of tra?s Unwn?srn. Where material compulsion is not a\ ailab'Ie. moral comp??i-iopn ? employed. Pre??ur'p ia brought to hear upon the h wlœn: in a variety of ways, and th ? J?st.i6ca?jo. i.n- variably offered is that the latter have no I right to enjoy the hem-tits won by Trades Unionism wit,hout contributing to the main- tenance of the latter. But, according t" the reasoning of Mr..1, H. Thomas and his friends, the com??bor\' J>rindp1e is rightLy applicable where wa?'-? and the conditions ()r labour are cohcernol, but not WhNt tha existence of a.n Empire, the most ?e!)ero)? e-x?ir,t,etic,e of an Em FA re. the -?nost. 11 freedom-(giving civilisation that the world I iha? ever k nown. an d th? jndependieinoe of the people of Britain and the liYN: of t.1: women and children are in jeopardv. Mr. j Thomas, though a patriot, draws tiie line, herp. Let these peri"hthe precion!; principle must, at all costs be presei,eid-,Q§o that able- bodied young men D,y I-ive, in ease and comfort <1i, home, relying like the women- folk upon the possibl.tjvy that the real men of the Empire in the trenches and the firing line will win through, off disaster and an invasion, ami achfe-ve such success by sacrifice as to avert tbe feeble peace, which would mean the resumption of the war a. fr' Yf>:U-S' heJlc, Wl:tvl1 'cc)'ma.ny has been g.i,eJl timc> to pliii a more formidable oom- • ibinatkwi to destroy the British Empire. The campaign for the TSemfit of the sh i rkers --these were sti ini,,l y represented at the Elysium on Sunday afternoon—if suc- cessfully engineered, involve the stoppage of reinforcements to the battle-line in adequate numbers, and consequently there will be ejiionnters in which our lads, as at Mons, will be outn.urpbered, and the war NA- LI, at the, best he prolonged at a heav y cost- in lives and money. No man or woman, with a son, brother, friend at the front. who thinks the matter out can fail to realise that the chance ot safety for those they hold dear v- ili be bettered to the extent that mor' men and rrni.uitions are sent out. and wo. ?>eaed if they are left with depleted battalions to face the most ruthless and formidable enemy known in the annals of war.. Mr. Thomas hoped, and so did we, that enough A olunteers could be induced to offer themselves, and, like him, did everything possibm to effect that oiid. "A good long pull and a. pull together, might enable the voluntary system to yield the necessary recruits. After sixteen months of trying by every imaginable device, foster, advertisement, and speech—which. had so utterly failed to keep up tlv strength of the bri- gades at the front L;,at amie. had not the e qui.va-lent of battalion strength—the Derby scheme was launched a.s the last desperate j effort" Aa the genuine supporter.,3 of the voluntary system and of a system of national service as advocated by the late F!: i rl Roberts-—scoffed at by the Haldanes and he like because of efforts as an ex- peri enoerl and far-seeing soldieu- to awaken tills country to thy reality of it, laboured to make a .success of it. The slackers had weeks time for rcfl.ec.t;on- few of them are illitei-ate -and in most areas werf) personally canvassed. The married men attested on a lAcfiwito pledge that the unmarried would be first oa-lted up—as they should be. The Gorornnient in honoar I)o,ir,(t tft redeem the pledge ii,;id msist on the abie- bodied bachelors taking their share of the I' national burden. Th: alternative advocated by Mr. J. H. Thomas and approved by a. majority obviously unfajniliar with the facts I is that the larger number of the attested — over a million of mar- ried men shall be released from their attestation oath on the off chance that, the determined or indifferent single men slackers, who have resisted every pi-esh-ure and inducement to piay the manly part, will roll up a.nd make up for the loss of the mairied men who have attested. This excessive solicitude for the least worthy element in the nation is unpardon- able, and the watering of the Compulsion Bill Is only the latest manifestation of the weakness of a Government accepting guid- ance from Mr. Asquitli. The vacillation and delays at critical stages due to Ow" wait a.nd see policy have been the despair of our Allies. The injudicious interposition of the North- cliffo Press has gravely prejudiced the case I for national service. Every newspaper form- ing part oJ the "Cocoa Pres;—a source of great national weakness for a decade and more-and the variegated elements doing enemy's work in this country, now adopt the trick of bracket-ting --with the view of dis- crediting—;i,li independent journals with the "Times" and "Daily Mail." Mr. J. H. Thomas did this on Sunday when he sug- gested--and the subterfuge was unworthy of any man occupying a responsible position— that there was a Northcfiffe Press at Swan- sea. If the allusion was meant for the i "Daily Post" it ghot very wide of the mark. Tbe Northcliffe area of influence^ is well- defined. It. does ik>t embrace the "Dil Post," which year atfter year dwelt on the | reality of the German menace, and the im- perative need of preparedness. This was so I conspicuously visibio that, the wonder is the I politicians at. Westminster cutting down armaments, demobilising batteries, dispersing battalions, and taking credit for substantial reductions in the expenditure on munit ions, failed to perceive it. The only rational ex- planation is tliat they were so fully absorbed in pari v-an struggles that they had no eves I for external perils. Mr. J. H. Thoniais, Who. in respect oi the military requirements oi the British, com- placently pits his views against those of the Government and Lord Kitchener, assumes that conscription is repugnant- at times of national stress to this or any other Democratic country. All our great wars—in the Crimea only a relatively small force Avas employed— have been won by mcan" of pressed men. Lin- coln subjugated the Southern States and re- deemed North America from the reproach of slavery only hy means of forced drafts. Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa— surely uí" homes of democracies—hove not been backward in "rounding up" the slackers. There is not a country in the whole, whole world so tender to the "slackers" as our.- In Holland, SAritzc-r- land. Sweden, the able-bodied have been summoned to the Colours. trance, with only 35 million population—Great Britain has 47 without the Colonies and ovher oversea, In tll(-, course of a few weeks 7.000,00) mobilised for the Colours. These did not include starred men. Wo ace struggling to mak e good the 4.000.000 sanctioned by a Parliamentary Act .1

In a year full of anxiety for everyone, the fortunes of the Swansea tinplate trade have i fluctuated considerably. At the commence- ment of the year organised reduction of out- put was in force, and makers lound great difficulty in keeping about 400 mills then running in work owing to the scarcity of orders, while the position to-day is that supply cannot keep pace with the demand. Probably not more than a score or so mil's have been restarted, and it 1S with difficulty thev are kept. going on account of the increasing shortage in lq.))otll and raw materials. The value of plate* has exact.lv doubled in the twelve months. Mr. D. A.. Thomas, i« i= 5-ai'1 on his elevation to the rage t: take the title of Baron Rhondda. of Llanwern in the couutv of Monmouthsl v»re. At S'wnsea about 9,000 married and!  i,le d an4i s?n?tc men attested under the Derby schema, and of these 6.560 were enrolled through and of 6,W ,N-ere eiiiollecitlirotigh | One of the Swansea Ta\v? txxl?' inmates who compjamed of feeJin? ill after j eatmg what, she ?h<??ht. was margarine, said she felt better after being told it was really butter! <:> •* No part of Swansea has responded to the call bett-er or more regularly than the Irish ouarf-er. TJv exemption of Ireia-nd from the new Government scheme will be accepted ill this quarter with mixed feelings. Espe- cial Iv by the women; women who have sent their sons look daggers at th'e who hold them back. Three soldiers of the Welsh Regiment boarded a tra.mway car the other night. "Move up to the front," shouted out the conductor. Darro, mun." was the reply of one of the Welshmen, don't be in such j a hurry. We've been to the front twice." The other occupants of the car laughed so heartily at the joke that the conductor a.i- most forgot. to take tli-e K)Idi,?T. fares. The proportion of Derhy" armlet-s to be seen in the streets at Swansea, is still by no means imposing. Probably in many cases the explanation is that they have not been issued to the men who have attested. One man at least has beard nothing of the armlet though p, month attested; and in London matters are even Worse, men attested iu November bc'ng still, as far as outward signs go. slackers." <- A ine-atli boy writing home from Flanders says that the Swansea lads have a language of their own. He says "I met a. bearer of good news, and ho confirmed it by saying that he got it from a Swansea chap that lived the other side, ;tad he saw it in the 'S.W.D.P. meaning that he had been given the news bv a St. Thomas boy. who had seen, it in ltjie Tlii-,i sounds simple; but to Shear it iu Flanders, ",ell!" There is an old Swansea skipper, and a Cape Horner at that, who now plie,' between Swagsea and France, and is in town with a. store of aueedoit- which he relates to all and sundyc, of how be was in- terned in Dieppe over the holidays. He say he had better accommodation than at home, and he compared Benedictine and Chartreuse liqueurs t isparagingly with ginger beer. The sportsmen of Wesf Wales have another chance to-morrow of proving their sympathy with our prisoners of war. and it goes without saying that the takings at the Swan- sea, Empire in the afternoon will be a record. The programme is the best ever arranged in South Wales. Ne\v»r before lias there been such an array of champions, everyone of whom has definitely promised to turn up. It wiil be a really magnificent s how, a.nd the proceeds are for a worthy cause. Two Belgian refugees, working at a South] Wales munition work?. made a mutual ac- quaintance under remarkable circumstances ttye other day. Neither knew that the other I had escaped from Belgium, and one being a man was not employed on the same work as the other—a woman. One day the mana- ger told one of them that there was another I Belgian on the staff, and when they were j brought together they immediately recog- nised each other as distant rel a trees th. had resided in the same street in Al alines! In The Starlight Express, a fantanie produced by Miss Lena Ashweli a.t tho London Kingsway Theativ hist week, and the music tL." which was written by Sir Edward Elgar, appears Miss Clytie HïllC, who, it will be recalled, although unwell at the time, sang so finely in the "Elijah" concert held a.t the Swansea CHrand Theatre for the War Prisoners' Fund. In this pro- duetion she is cast for "Tlir laught-,i- (who sings trouble into joy).— Musicu>i.") Privat'.s Tom Lioyo. 6tii Welsh, and Lewis Evans, Swansea BattrJion, two Ffnr- estfach boys, now at the front, writing home thanking the scholars of Cadle School for a gift of tobacco sent out, say: "Under the circumstances Ave had a- very good time on Christmas Day. I shall be quite in order if I say that every man of this i-e iiiieiit had as good a time as an y of the troops in Eng- land who were not at their homes. Of course we have plenty of mud to contend with, but we always come out happy if muddy." i Go'lied from the leading dai lies." and worth noting —" The trade unionist is not the only mri who wiil be called out under the new system. Is it right or is it wrong in principle that a man should be liable to fight in deienee oi li;s country." That is really the question to be dpcidd. The e\il is not conscription, but the spirit oi rmd in?cfK'p which is called militarism. '• It, is neither nght 'or ia,r that the ??- fish and ignoble part of the nation should be allowed to shelter itself behind the bodies of heroic and devoted volmibeefs.' This is a story of a strange ("oincidlncc-- ajid something else. A girl conductor on the Sketty tramway section whose surname tip,g,os with L found a purse containing £ 11 or thea-eabouts. Being honest, she reported the "find," which was duly deposited at the Central Ponce Stsf iop. Lady of the same surname claimed the purse and its contents, aiid iiiertl, said •Thank you" when these \vere restored to her. Is that the way to encourage honesty In London a shilling in the His exited t'ur findings. Why not no That womankind lack logic provides one of the choicest of their charm*. So that when a bn?ht young personage enquires why Lt is that while those re.giXHi?iMe for the production of the gorgeous Hnd briihant revues which visit Swansea Empire ?pend vast sums, of money UPOll costumes tor the II beauty ehoius. stage management in- sists that the particular scenes in which these elegant creations are, or should be. on view the stage is dnr?ened and illu- iiiin,lt.e.(] olliv bv itiv?-tic ,3,lld "I ? 'efic ti I-, I t?( i ?inated on]y by my.?tio and aesthcHc tinted kmrs. t.h' on?y reply one cou.? giv ?<t? That It is art." to which she mpliei Bosh — Dramaticus. ") The girl window-cleaner made her appeal ance in Swansea streets on Monday morning, j l) the "Clown" had the. best of the JOKC ■ at. the Guildhall •"circus' on Monday: A Swansea docksman describe? hir new office boy as a "eif-tarter and a self- stopper. VAiy should outside labour "leaders" come to Swansea to tell local workers what to do. or m't to do? .¡. Mr. Lewis Thomas, the sv.'W Port Tatb, District Coroner, has averag-ed one inquest j a day sincei his appoint;en!. .t & Just. dOO tdmis less sugtir cauie into 'a..JSe.. by ship iast yeav as compared with* 1914. Litt'ie wonder tbe small boy grumbi^i5 Sir Siimuei Hughes, the Canadian T\ ar Mindistei'; bears a name that is conspicuously Welsh; but it appears that he ha? Tr??,11, S-?otch and French >>lc>od in Ms 'Him:. aij!d French ill I- a "Please to puMMuJict; Aiargarinc as Neath Lindladies pronou-iM it—' Beft Carmarthen ("iaii-y butter.* "—(Special dispatch from j Ca?t'elhicdd.) Swansea sped?g are s?tis?'d t')?t this winter }n no vur.?c ? pother to offer them than that they experienced this past week. Complaint" None, siir. Passengers off a Swansea tramear at a terminus the other evening were guffawing, A .girl conductor had "tfid off all offensive, "lady" fare in no uncertain fashion. Mr..T. H. Thomas. M. P.. is used to in- teiTuptions. His visit to LlaneJIy aft-T the r?.inv?y ?.strike was jmrkod by conaid?rab? fp?Iin?; at the mass moe?!? m the M?rk'et Hall. According to the Svv-ansea. Harboiu returns close on 13.000 tons of ale, l'tont. and spirits I were exported from Swansea la-st year, j against only 2.00G kins odd for 1914. Swatt- sea must be becomin g quite a brewing centre. The mmiber of Labour members of Parlia- men who voted against the Government Górnpuùsion Bill was thirteen. They eer- | tainly wer, not. lucky, being in a help!ess minority. "Disgusted" writes: "An unpleasant j sight in the streets oi Swansea on Sunday j evenings it- that of young men of military | age delivering fiery sermons at thr street j corners. 1. Perhaps they :irc "C.O. 's" *1!1 The disaster Ijawl it- dear to tire he-art | of the newsboy. On Saturday eveiiiiig, ii tracted by two items together, one small memlier of the fraternity let it go thus "Terrible Zeppelin Transport Disaster. chalk a,nd cheese icference to Labour leaders at the n uti-oonscription meeting at Swaoisea on Sunday aitei-iHX.n provided the t tit-bit as a. rejoinder. The interrupter was likened to the ondon to make everything comjilete. »•♦> A'smai-tly set-i-.p sailor remarlted to ft jJdf. st arved looking individual waf;, trying to-] ship in a steamer at Swansea docks, "When I ship I always sign on as second mate or I boatswain. "Yes, aud when I sign on. answered the weary one. "I always go .is captain!" ♦ The Bat MvCariby-Languoii Ixuit was great, and wa- fuilv worth the money paid to see it, but the display of Jimmy Wilde, the TylorsUnvn Terror- whom the greatest of judges has described a«s the wizai'd of the ring"—thrilled the audience at tlu: i boxing tournament. "There's two fine S« utchmen. for you," remarked one Rhonddaite to anotht;r as lie obrerved two handsome" kiJties" waiting for admission to the Swansea Empire on Saturday. Presently one oi the Scots shouted out to an acquaintance. Beth a'r oloh 1 >ai ? 0- [ ° t. 0 > I I T A L'hri?tma- card 1):? bed: received by a young Swan<? lady whose brother is ? pn- soner of war in Germany. This fs;iys our correspondent.) is looked upon as a good Sipl that. the prisoners are treated bettor as the Germans must recognise that they cannot win and are new trying to "smooth tilings." A- liat blew over the New Cut the It ww?. Bridge, Swansea, into the river. It was* fished out a few hours later by a tra-Avlerma.il, who wore it., and stood by the Midland Station awaiting the owners return to claim it. Up to now it has not been claimed, and the sailormari now. calls himself "Parson Jim. Sir Oliver Lodge, the astronomer, says that all the main planus are visible just now. Venus, bright in the southerly sun- set Jupiter, a conspicuous southerly object ■i little later Saturn, later. near the con- st?Jation Gemini, well to the .kit of Orion and Mars, nearer midnight, the bri?hte'?. object i-u the easterly oomtellnticn Leo. ot)je,-t -.Ii tlleeT,V the Transport Workers' Federation, writes m the "Herald":—"We have to make up our minds, all 01 H8 who are of military jgr. that we .shall be "forced into no form <>i military service. I personally shall not submit my- self to any medical examination. I shall certainlv not attest, and nothing could make me serve against my will. I can quite ima- gine that, were 1 so inclined, i could obtain exemption, especially if 1 were prepared to to? tiie line with the patriots AY ho want others to do the rtglhting for them." What to d4i the ti, I- m'¡H,:  One has only to walk to ihe breakwater at Jersey Marine and gaze upon the beach to graphically realise the awful effects of the rece.ii*. terrific gale and wh&t a wreck means. Oil that topot. covered by shingle, are broken spars, tangled^iggirsg. and the hulk of a small coasting vessel broken in twain. It does not require a very vivid j imagination to conceive the hardships en- dured by the crew in the facp of the mighty lullows and hurricane of wind, nnd their ter- rible struggle for life. A Carmarthenshire vicar going home the other niglii was accosted by a uffic-r aud gravely informed there wn- "sh'ontrj suspicion that something was h vicarage: mysterious ejS noticeable, and the matter must kr itives i;ate(i at OIIC(-' The vicar expi-e^ed sur-1 ririse. and wap accompanying the officer to- ward s the house to mke investigation when lie received another shock at fiuding: n num-) ber of soldiers in the grounds with fixed bayonets! In an''er to his ??(.??on he un-j .jerstood t?f men were guarding tbe vicar- pending the result of the inquiry into i ihe "mystery." At last the vicar himselfI notioed the flashes which catae at inter- vals. the lights s howing from bedroom win- dows. But the matter was scon sati1:facton' solved. The vicar's children and thpir friends, who were having a birthday party. whilst playing "hide and =eek i-i two or 'I t hree of the upper rooms, were >-witching the electric b'gh< off and on. I The peculiar part about the anti-conscrip- tion movement is that it is being largely run by the railway men and the miners. as ho are practically exempt from enlistment t When Post' going to have an- other tournament? wis the eager ques- tion asked by the majority of the visitors who witnessed the assault-ut-arms at Swan- sea Empire on Saturday. Wait and see. An nofferw-ive Pioneer bandsman war makiug his way to H?-ta-cet station, carry- ing 'I t)llg wf'?f'! ??.h .jmm? in his h&nd. wh<'<? M.)? Qf tht crowd remarked to hj? *frie"d: "li'c e's one of them new rifles tit I'd with a bomb-thrower!  ?fu '.?   )  ? ?t &'?'t. ,4 ¥ W*«.u • o i endant wa.. oi aigei' ;u Swate .$1-< "vCourt- on t,tU-H; Ith h-.?n? ctrnnk. told the magistrates he did not know anything about J1; but the constable did. and policemen have good memories a* a rule. Ailnding to a recent "'Post" jwragrsp h Mi. V, Evans, N-c t-eran town crier, states that he has a 12d. piece of 1845 in his possession. He adds that if they come into vogue again they will "be had for the children to handle, being so small." The' mo?t noteworthy feature of the Gorpeinon presentation programme on Sat- nrd?y ev?njng wa« funiished by Mr. Rd. Williams, who rendered selections upon a violin which he hal mad? at dM colhe-rc workshop. Invades singing in fine tolk two elsh solos, .fie 1 70 y<'ar?<?age.  The recruiting .-t?eants m?s?d a rich harvest on Sunday afternoon. Unmarried flickers assembled by the hundred to support their champion. They contributed substantially to LIe backing of the resolu- tion. which, if it prevailed, would gjYt; them another chance to "r-huk." It is suggestive oi the attitude ot and, ered.itjiile to the recognised Trades Unionist leaders at Swansea that not one wa.s on the platform i the no-conscription meeting en S uidayi afternoon. This was occupied by men the majority of whose names arc Ull- known to the loca l public. «»*•«» • m the Naval Brigade lads had a rattling lioiuw' drill on tiie Swansea Sands Saturday afternoon. After some squad drill ..tho. -opened out. in skirmishing order and nv.iw .tig.- 11ycr 500 yards 01 ground at a suppcwc" iedden enemy. Baid enemy would have boh d had he been there in the flesh. Minister (tD Sunday school class. not 1In miles i'rom Britoji Ferry i: To whom did God proclaim his will so that it might be delivered to the children of Israel" Bright Boy To the prophets."—" Cor- rect. And w here did they c-me from;" — Brighter Boy twW.se father is a coal mer- ¡,.J¡a:¡(,j: From se hog coal. The CJmvi: gaming machine is getting a g"<>i>d public advertisement, but it might be borne in mind that, f or ms its const?.ac- tion 16, the machine had the game at Oe Swunfeea Borough Quarter ^ssion^, whilst the youngsters '.vitli gambling in- .-4i)'"? m<? be ?.n' that money };'o'" 'r1< by wor?lug for ?t. '?  Is it an implied compl iment, asks Pat- riot." to the in the town, who persistently and • consistently warned the constituency of the German menace, that th" I a. war meeting at the Swans*a Aiberi Hall, at which the Borough member purpcfses to be present, ai-e printed in blue—that Party's colour? -< At .Mr. J. J I. Tliomah Sunday ttigilt')') meeting in Swansea he made reference to the days when lie, and anothei gentleman (who was also on the platform) toiled to- gether as working firemen. He said In those days we didn't do- (Voice from the gallery Alueh.' (Laughter.) J.H.T. (continuing hurriedly Things in the ivay,, Ihev are done nowadays. We sincerely regret, that some hundreds of a d nii&Ion would-be spectatoTS failed to secure admisMoa to the "Daily Post" Boxing Tournament at the Swj-n?eo Empire on -?a,urday, the hail being taxed to its utmost holding capacity. The attendance easily broke all records for the Swansea Empire, and proves that the good our fund is doing is iully appreciated by t,hf1 publie. It also was an appreciation of the magniifcent programme provided. IN MEMORIAM. The Lost Fort Eynon Lifeboatmen. Brave lifeboatmen, now sound asloep. No more they'll ride the raging deep, No more they'll fact: the flying fon;n The Father. Ho hath called them home. Life's storm is o'er. their sails -are furled. They've pulled ashore in a stormless world. Ready were they in danger's hour, Brave, gallant lifeboatmen of Cower. Dunva-ut. C.S.J. Despite the prohibition that after contri- buting £ 120 for C-i.ptr.in German's bull- dog at the first •"Daily Post" War Prisoners' Tournament members of the Swansea. Chamber of Commerce should Dot bid for any of the dogs last Saturday, three of the iour dogs offered were actually sold to members of the Chamber of Commerce, and gave t.he public yet another illustration of their patriotism and philanthropby. Have the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the | conscientious objectors, and other cranks in their many and various forms, forgotten the fable of the two travelers and the bear. If .so. here is the reminder --AV, li(,Il t,lif, bear [came along, the traveller who had been pro- fessing a.il manner of Ene sentiments took refuge in a tree and allowed his friend to fight the bear alone. When the danger was over, he climbed down again and renewed his beautiful sentimeiite. But the man who had done the fighting said drily that a little practical help would have "pen better all the fine principles in the world. Loud and hearty was the response of the Swr.nsea railway-men's meeting when some- one proposed a cordial vote of thanks to the "D.1ih Post for having amiouncod the afternoon meeting. and Mr. J. H. Thomas. M.P associated himself with the motion T'd said that he ho)?'d that wheu" be again -1,id ?zA.Id that )if, lioi)cd tliat, I)e ai,a?ll accord him the -ame t.eestruent and give him another gratuitous advert isement. Ad- vertisers please note that the Eiysium was packed, even to far down the staircases How quick.y. to be sure, does a crowded meeting eat ?li cn to a point, when one is ni,iti-C, I Air. J. H. Thomas, M.P., at the Swansea ia-Llw.aymeu's meeting, was asked his opinion why so many' Germans were allowed to be at large in this country in the present national crisis. His reply was that it wa", a matter'for the questioner to take up with the Chief Constable or the Home Secretary if he knew of any Germans who shm¡1d be interned, adding You have a member for Swansea. T have no doubt lie wiil be, delighted to see to it." lu an instant the great body of Britishers roared wjth ia-u'-liter.