South Wales Weekly Post

???MOM?MOOSMOM EFOR AL9. OLASaz* OP? IFOp;¡INTÎNCopl ? '???' ?j? ?S& Jt?. I ? AT MODERATE PRiCES? ?S WRtTZ ?X CALt. AT TMC OFF 10£81 ? OF THE B @9!JTM WALES ? ? DA! LV P 2. I WBZBZ S?tn'LZS CA!! BZ lN9FKCTtC ? K S AKP Lo?TST QUOTATIOMN OBTAINtB. ? i ?XXX?KSXKX?XKKKMXK?MX

The French offensive at Verdun on tbe 15th December, like that upon October 24th, "'as a brilliant operation—cheap, speedy, clean cut, and yielding most substantial gains in ground and hi losses inilicted. After & teventy-two hours' bombardment an on- tla.ught was launched by tour French divi- sions upon live German divisions (the num- bers. are approximately equal, as a German division is now a smaller organisation) with tiuch energy and success that in a few hours the French had won back the ground immediately north of the former per- manently tortihed area, of Vcidun, which had previously been cleared by the attack whkh stormed Thiaumont and Dnuaumont, and compelled the ultimate evacuation of .Vaux Fort. Of the German divisions en- gaged upon this occasion, nine thousand, or the equivalent o: an entire division, fell into the hands of the French as prisoners; over eighty guns were taken or destroyed and the enemy now holds but the fringe of the territory gained in perhaps the most tragic battle in history. The speed and Impetus of the French attack—conducted, be it remembered, ag'Jånst equal numbers—would hfrve been Ül editahle ill a, b.ttle in the op?n but wh'!1 it is considpi-pd 1,h;1t the territory regained had been forti-ied in a formidable victory i-, even more remarkabk. it i& a.u achievement which is the happiesL augury for the new French comma-nd. Gen-oral yiveHe has twice been. personally respon- sible for precisely the type of victory that Francs need;;—heap, expeditious, and heavily injurious to the enemy—.and he ha.<; g-ive-n "an earned of the things that may be expected next y"a,r, when with far greater forces upon a much wider front the supreme en'ort is made. The breakdown of th? enemy's defence, in F.uite of the warning given by th? bombard- ment. is also conspicuous, there has been a notable decadence in the German resistance at Verdun. Thf frst Fr°nch counter-attack, which temporarily won hack Douaumont early in the ve:'r, was repulsed completely, and the Germans eventually worked their way due south of the fort Ctowii to the last jine of defencd. The renew&d French cffort only iest-ored possession of the village oi FIeury, and the Thuumont work, after being fought for and won and lost twenty times, eventually remained with'the enemy. The third grea.t French counter-attack opened a new era in th? speedy and almost bloodless rec&pture of Douaumo'nt; and the fuurth, that just made, capped every other, and .surpassed the British blow at Beaumont and Beaucourt—an operation which was the be&t. of its kind y?t performed by us in trench ""?'t'??r f mm Brit hritioh ar? French show tl? sa!he pto?r?esiv?e impro???ea* Ln the ?tta?k, ? obt&ming ever bettsr reaults more r&pidly and with a diminMhed loss. i Decidedly the prospects are bright for next year. If thef!e thmga happen in the green tree, what will occur in the dry? At! present, and fcr months to come, offensive operations by the Allies cajt only 4be con- ducted spasmodically, as the weather and the ground permit—thought a few days of! such a temperature as we have been having lately will facilitate a new effort in Picardy —but the offen,i-ves of Dou&umont, Beau- mont, and Lcuv'iront may be rt-garde6 Ns fair examples of what we may expect upon a far larger scale in the campaigning season ef next ya:. In the Veldun regiun-iiiilke! softer Picardy—the terrain is limestone, and not a -,oft rich loam. and this explains not only the cariiness with which the Ger- jnau offensive commenced there—on Feb. 20, '1315—but also the ability of the French to deal two such blows this autumn and win- ter. Incidentally, with this promise for the future, these victories are an opportune reply to the German on'er to enter peace negotia- tions. They reveal the precariousness of the base upon which the Germans considered themselves in a situation to make overtures.

-——— — ———- Though the Ruma-nian communiques have dried up latterly, for the excellent reason that the bulk of the Rumanian population can see for itself with painful clearness how matters aie going, it is evident that the Rumanian and Russian withdrawal continues steadily to the liue from the Danube to the. Carpathian elbow which takes in the grain depot towns of Braila- and Galatz on the Danube, the river Sereth, and the fortified line (a..s obsolescent as the abandoned Buk- harest defences by the way) which was origin- ally constructed to deal with a possible Ri!S- siali invasion from the East. In a few d:.ys WaUachia in its entirety—much the richest and most valuable block of Rumanian tem- ijry—wiil be In enemy hands; but it is not improba.blf that an effort will bp made by .the enemy to t.tke GaIai.z and Rraila, and incidentally clear the Russians out of the Dobrudja altogether. A point of import- ance is that the Hu"o-Humaman situation in this quarter is not at all good. There 18 no through line to Russia to supply tht< arnws, and only one line of metals at all, divided by the Pruth and the Danube from the nearest .Rumanian railway. The Russi&n counter-offensive on the Mol- daviaji-TransyIvauhm frontier continues in- termittently. but it has effected nothing of importance, and shows no promise of doing so. It has to be emphasised that neither in artillery, munitions, nor command of the air, to say nothing of the skill of the troops ajid the facilities of communication, is the Rus- sian situation in the East at all comparable t.o that of the Allies in the West. And in that quarto. without the superiority in ma- terial which was revealed upon the *Somme it is improbable that the Allies would have e.nrd even such indecisive remits as are ch. med for the Somme battle. In -Ala,-edoli#. SHrraiI's Armv. after DlLliiceiivring the enemy out of Monastir. has been held up outside the town for a month &nd shows no sigTis of making further head- 'wa.y: the enemy is able to reinforce the troops oppos-d to him in suffiei.ent, strength to increase greatly the dimculties of a fur- ther advance, if not to undertake an offen- sive against Sarrail. As to the Greek threat from the rear, tho acceptance by the Greek Govprnmp'it of the Allied ultimatum on the face of it E,,ISCI matteri!, as the promise M made to remwe the Greek army to the Muth but there will be a lasting suspicion tha.t such action is rnere temporifjDg, and that at the appointed hour Cc'n-ta.ntine will strike again. Whether the Allies, having pinned them"ehe. to an ultimatum, ha.ve the force available to assure prompt compli. &nce, remains to be seen. But Greece, or no Greece, the Salonika exipadition miist either get on or ect out; and at present it is certainly not getting on, &nd hais proved strategical a.nd political i4A,if-dre--str,atet2:icully, in virtue of the fate that kfel despite its efforts, -,sfid because it has kept in idleness in an un- healthy climate for th-e great or paj't of the year a, large oody of troops which might have edatbled us to effect a decision in France; atnd politically, in view of the stand taken by King Constantine, who ba4s been neither overawed by force nor converted by military t success. There is the most glaring contract L,,etv,-eeii the rapid and complete success of the GerTH3,n operations against Serbia and Rumajiia. and the momentous strategic' results that occur from them, and the Allied fatilure in those quarters. The Germans j bring upon the scene, when the time is ripe, a m-iss of troops, who strike their blow. win tbair objective, and are then available for service elswheie. The AIMes have thrown large bodies of troops upon a scene, have done nothing with then) for many months, and when a move ha,s at last been made achieve onlv the most Umited of Iccal and are ag far off their objective as ever. We may talk as much as we please about our superior re- sources, but mere superiority in material wiH not counterba.Ia.nce inferiority m the use of it. Much the same criticism can be applied to Mesopotamia. Here also a large body of troops have done nothing for many months. ,2xoept suffer wastage from a noxicus climate. Originally sent out there to .retrieve a situa- tion which waj- going from bad to worse, it fa'ted to avert disaster, and we a.re now compelled by conditions of prestige to go on fighting under disadvantageous conditions for nn objective which, when attained, will carry us Dot a stage further towards the end- rather, indeed, defers the end. by dissi- pating force a-gainst a secondary enemy in a secondary theatre.

Thereto taken in Australia, recently upon the question whether the Australian oversea force's were to be kept up to strength by draits raised by compulsion was remarkable for the., circumstance that a large body of ffmale voters was included in those whc were called upon to make so important a decision. In a matter of this kind, so parti- cularly cogent to women, there is naturally much interest as to the attitude which wo- men* would take up. The "Times" cor- respondent says upon the point: "Of the La.bour women vote there was never any doubt. It went solid for 'Xo.' But it was anticipated that th<* Liberal women electors would even the scales. In point of fact a large percentage of them helped to swell the 'anti' vote in each state. Their action has dumbfounded some most ardent supporters of woman sunrs.gp. because there is irre- frag&ble evidence that they permitted their emotioIls8"> guide their pencils in the booths. and reason and patriotism appealed to them in vain. In the supreme trial of citizenship most women shirked their duty." How would puch a vote have gone in this country? Some of the strongest advocates of comput- sion were to be found amongst the working- class women who had seen their sons go whilst ethers' s<ms hung back. Australia, however, is, unlike our country, remote from the,scene of war; a!id that is :i;{tpr;C great UMportitCG?? 'Í!" .the AtMttahan experience it!j{i!"brthl- a grave warning that it is unwise to imagine, that reason and patriotism will always pre- vail over the maternal instinct. There w,,tg in ancient Greece a Spartan mother who bade her son return with his shield or upon it; and there were aLo the women who (as recorded in Aristophanes' "Lysistra-ta") con- ducted a stop the war agitation by a singu- iM-Iy effective argument. In the result, we have the anomaly that Australia depends upon compulsion for home defence—never likely to be called upon for that purpose in this war—and voluntaryism for oversea service, where the real "home defence" is being made. But the same problem will have to be faced there as in this country. In Britain, despite'a voluntary recruiting effort of unparalleled magnitude, we found eventu- ally that the compulsion was essential if the war was even to be carried on, much more won.

Whether an a.cute %od crisis wiU not 'ning about the enemy's downfall within the next few mOTiths has yet to be seen but there cannot be the le&st doubt but that the severity of the enemy's privations is an ass'et of the highest value to the Allies in &acping the strength of the enemv's moral resolut'or' to hold on. Courage Is largely a matter of bodily condition, and the German soldier, none too well fed a-nd badly dad. remembers a lso that at home hunger is gripping his lamijv. Some data have become available during the week end us to the extent of the enemy resources. Of the potato crop, which failed, there 'a.re sixteen million tons avail- able for food, after necessary deductions, or twenty-four million tons fewer than last year. and while it wa.s hoped that the in- crease In the yieM of other frcm the hrge are<M planted, would oS&et the in the potato crop the increase hapt in point of fact yielded a million and a half tons fewer. Increased meat rations are promised, but the slaughter of more cattle is 8im,,1 compelled by the scarcity of feeding stuff. It is r-Iaimed by the German Food Dictator that in Rumajma some M-venty million bn«hela of gra.in and maize have been cap- tured. and there is also t.he sprine; crop, which, bein.'? in the eround. could not be touched. But the situation for food is even wor?e in Aiistriq -TTthaii in Germany. and Hnhars and T11rk" will require a shared The capture of the grlin stocks, such as they are. leaves a prcttv problem to settle aon(!8t themselves and the result is unlikely Hi any e.e to Tnal!? for harmony. We need not doubt that nne of the decisive elements which fight for the Allies i;< the scarcity of food. f'ndthnt it accounts for much of the pessimistic spirit so apparent in Germany. It.i? not a qee<>tiw of the. irllahitrlnts of a besieged town ref-istin? to the last cat or dÛig. but a nation which is in straits, and a nntion which cannot suffer in fortitude and silence. But it is not amiss to recall that in invaded France. Belgium, Poland, and Rumani! there are also many millions of people who :u'p not 9,Towing fat: and the Rumania-nil at, least will be mercilessly exploited. But the severity of their own sufferings testifies, in its way. to their approaching termination. —————— —————

The fill tale of the spoils of Verdun shows 11,387 prisoner. 115 gui-is, 40 mine-throwers and over 120 machine guns. The French infantry—net for the nrst time —broke into the enemy's a.rt.i!!<?r\' positions considerably in rear of their front line, and that is evH.ence of the speed and depth of their a.dvance. It Is a victory upon a S'Cal which in other wars might be decisive: in such a, war ag Mus it ma .r be no more tha.n an episode, but it M, nevertheless, a. most eloquent and opportune reminder to the euemy as to who it is who now domma.tes the battleneld in Hie West, &nid an earnest to the Allied peoples that we cac a-nd will chajtge greatly the &itu&tioN of t,he map be- fore mat)iv mon<<hs. It is evident from comments offered at a recent meeting—which doubtless in cold print appeared more harsh than as uttered- that the relation which Swansea Technical College bears to Lla,nelly students of tae ap- plied sciences ig greatly misunderstood. In the interests of both the institution a.bout to enter upon a career of higher purpose, greater scope, and increased usefulness, and of the students from all West Wales outride Swansea, this misunderstanding should be re- moved, otherwise the full benefits of a con- stituent college devoted primarily to tech- nology m:j.y not be re8p2d by the.re, i! is intended to serve. The statements, which for the mcme-nt appear to take into account only Lla.neily. are equally applicable to every industrial centre in this part of the Principality. First a.p to the College as it is. It is firmly e:;ta,blished with successful degree courses in pure and applied science, and is attended each se&si&n .by students from the "hoJe district around Swansea, always in- cluding a, number from Lla.neily. The Col- lege is situated only some five minutes' walk from the High-street Station, and is thus within forty minutes of Llanelly by a fre- quent and convenient train service. A sea- son t'cket covering the session costs under J37, and Llanelly students are thus able to take their degree courses in Swansea whilst living economically at their own home-s. Whilst Cie day College has hitherto special- ised mainly in .science and engineering, it is the intention of the governors to place the metallurgical wo¡¡k on a footing second to none in Great Britain, specialising en lines cf the greatest local importance, and includ- ing, therefore, the manufacture of steel and t1.nplates--Llanelly's main industries. For this purpose the Swansea Town Counci! is providing extensive laboratory accommoda- tion of the most modepn type, and a large endowment fund has been raised for its staffing and maintenance. The total annual upkeep is estimated at some JE:14,0:,J. exclud- ing building costs. A College on this &cale is only possible in a large centre of population. The whole ba,is of the government of the College is being altered so that the governing body may be thoroughly representative of West Wales and all the interests therein. The Town Council of Llanelly and neighbouring local authorities will be invited to appoint repre- sentatives on the governing body, on winch donors to t,he endowment fund will be strongly represented. It is further proposed to change the name of the College to Swan- sea and West Wales College." to show that ii is to b* no longer regarded as ;1, purely I muaicipal institution. In no other centre in West Wales could a college on such < -(-al e be provided or maintained. Its students will ha'Te the advantage of the best teaching in both pure ajtd applied science—a sound foundation of pure s<'ienc.e is essential to every metallurgicil student. Its students will have the further advantage of coming into close oojitact with scien.ti6c and tech- nical reøarch, for it, is intended to strengthen the staff by the.appoiTitTnent of specialists in a,p,plied science subjects \vhoae mstHt-d-atieti-?haU Le th&cart'yin.g.?Hi ??'g-? ina! research 3i su?pcts Bearing upon local i?dustrr;! development, p????Iy !C. ?H forrns of metallurg y. It is furtht.1 intended to establish a. De- partment of Mining in the College, and con- sid&ra.ble support lia-s already been received from. leading coalown,rs in Glamorgan and Carmarthenshire towards the Eamoe. This department will serve the whole coalfield, in- cluding tllcqt of a.nthr-acite, and will be mider the control of a.n Advisory Committee re- prespntative of the coalSeld. An adequate scholarship scheme will be established to en- able youths from the whole area served by thf College to attend its classes—scholar- ships cohering not only fe.€s andtravening ex- penses. but carrying also maintenance allow- ances in cases where such are necsal'V. It is purposed that certain of these scholarships shall be open to youths who havp success- fully passed through the evening cla&ses of neighbouring Technical Schools to enable them to get the benefit of the specialised day courses. In addition to the latter part-time evening and Saturday classes sfe ruu by the College and wilt continue to be devfloped. Many of these are of a very advanced type. In physics, chemistry and mathematics alone the College has from Llanelly district over 20 students ta.king classes in prepara,t,ion fo'r the London degrees. Such work can only be undertaken on such a scale in a College .pos- sessing very extensive and thoroughly equipped la.boratories in science subjectf., and these we have in Swansea. ,The stan, too, to take work of this character, must be men specially appointed for, acclt.wmed to and experienced in such work. and these we also have. The following s.)Mng have .Iready been spent on equipment only :—Physics Depart- ment, .62,000; ChenHtitrv Depai'tment. JB1,5CC; Meta,],lurt;ical Department, jei.000;! Eaginecping Department, JM.OOO: totaJ, .Cb.500. A further outlay of J&1,000 on ciMmihtry, JB5,000 on metallurgical, and .62,000 on the engineering equipment ha,s been undertaken. Any town can equip a Technical College if prepared to nnd .the money. The dinlculty is to nnd students— j day students. Despite the !a.rg'e population in <.nd around Swansea, this has been and must he the chief weakness of the College until it is able to otter special inducements as t.h'osc in contempla'tion to attract students from a wider area and in larger numbers. LJanelly and Port Talbof should develop their evening Technical Classes and provide good trade schools v.itii a strong hi:.s towards steel and tinpiate trades. From these the student's might OT to the Swanssa. Evening Techntical ClasHts (about a dozen come now from Llanelly), but to the Day Classes of University standard. Pre- sently the Swansea, and W&st Wales College, constituted on the lines o'f the Technical Colleges of Shemeld, Birmingham, and New- castle, will have on its staff proíe.ors of the highest attainments in certain specialised lines peculiarly adapted to the industrial areas of West Wales with their varied products.

Men in khatd are assisting the Swansea. Poat Omce staff at High-street Station. Smart, capable men, they handled the bags as if to the manner born., < t ? ?-<&. Many boys have been recently shipped in the Bristol Channel ports as engineer stew- ards, cabin and deck boys. Unfortunately, these lads have no shipping experience and consequently cannot command a good wage. One lad was oSered 50s. per montgh ?V :wage. steamer at Penarth this week. Lieut. John Hodg&na, Hitg commodore of the Swansea Nava.1 Brigade, is ready and willing to take boys of our town of good character and train them free of all charge for a. seafaring life. Already eonM of the boys who joimed the bri- age after ten or twelve months' training lMt!ve gone to sea and are now getting JB7 per I month. And it is quite optional whether a boy goes to sea or. Dot, his training is compile.

"No Christinas trees'' for the H''ns.— "Hearts bjughed' fL ws. Hearts b?oughed There w&s a Baower of a.pples on the Strajtd on Tuesday. The. cam,, --if <t barrei full of them, iut one small boy was to 1:w, seen. Swansea people a.ie still waiting for that promised ."w 3. in ead" (\vholcmes,i). It looks as if the potatv-bddeY-llla.'6 will be issued first. The current issue of Cram ma.r School Ma.gaz:ne c-ontairts the por- traits of sixteen old huYS no have ),<>.id ti"? supreme Mcriiica in the present \var. "I want to go to wofk," ¡;a,id <J boy a.t. Swansea, rolice C&urt on Tuesday when aske,d the reason he d:d not go to schooi. Chairman You go to school; you'n -oon want to drop work ones y u I Chip morning, soon .ifter con- cterna?on reigned in the library some of the boys had had n?p? p to attest before they were 18. Endbnd's last hope&!—: Swansea. Grammar School .Magazine.") A return visit of the "Battle of the Spmme" n!m would not. be at a!I unwelcome locally. Films are merely seen en return visits, but this is a citsc where one would be appreciated. Nothing ao realistic has been seen since. Some advice to !<ome of onr u-ti rt-LinaiLe6 Th&i'e .is no use crying over spilt milk "— ol cour58. not with mr!k at 6d. t quArt: The only thing to C-'k(- is: t'o tip as much as po.ssible, aA quickly a.s you can -—(''Swajuca Grammar Sch'oo'l Magaxine.") If ("rites "Indign&nt") the lady, herself plentifully befurred, who i?<"IÆ!ged through Swansea streets in the been adr of Tuesday i morning with her littl<* kiddie ba;reheade'd and bare-legged, hea.rd the caustic remajka of humane and sensible. peo-ple --he should be much cliagtene-Li. ? 0 ? !> Mr. T. PoweU, primajy inApector to the Glamorgan County CoTrncii, told Port Talbot. that he had only received one applicttioii for a p-o-.t from a maJe teaohcr during the last six or seven months. "And we aN hot likely to get any for a bit," he added. < < ?<x. ? "I am not tjymg/?h? M?t one, sir," said P. &. Ba,lsden, when acroes a Bel- ?Maf! ? jnmne??an' t!tc ,<K'?cd i?ttmnKMH! ?t€et at Swa<nset Po!ioa CoMrt 0!i Xfnas D&y, but I wiU s&e if there is a?yoNe otttside. It isn't much that the ?erge?nt can't tackle-, but thi? ',one was ''quantum sumci?. i oii,e wa..? qiianwm sufficit. 11 "\Vi!i the workmen, or whoever wa? re- apongibje ior the laying of the 'caj?t' of earth over the slippery road from the begin- ning of the Jewish Burial Ground right to the end of Brynsic-terrace, Swansea, on Tuesday morning, accept the best thanks of those who had to walk that way to work?" Here it is .+ It is. pretty certain that thid is the last Christmas for a long time to come at Swan- sea in which the purse-strings will be opened for pa-esents. ChristmaB-boxes, etc.. as they have been in past yea-rs. We wonder how many of the luxury trades which are so much in evidence at the moment will cut such a fine figure in twelve months? Sa-mmy Shields, the ''unspeakable Scot, was ta-Iking "some" football a.t the Empire on Monday, and mentioning the good work being done by the "Daily Post" for the W&r Prisoners' Fund, adyised.Swa.nsea. sports not to miss the charity football matches arrang'ad over the holidays at St. Helen's. Sammy's a "sport''—and an old journalist in the bar- gain. ''Enough to make the mizum-mast arhiver/' &ay& a 'Tost BHg." Many of the old Capu Hornors \viil (writes "One of! Them '') recall the days when t)hey used to shiver near the mixzen-ma.st, with the storm forest'a.ysail, tlie two lower topsails, and a close-reefed mizzcn set. Whilst I write this I foel tliat I wa.nt to go below and pu-t, on my m'Mikpy- J!tcket. Coiporal Howell, of the. Swansea. Battal- ion, who, whilst invalided home. had been justifying :\Jbèl'tav.-e',¿; musical f&mj at the Ca,rlton Cafe, OardiS, is now singing at the ? Carl'ton; Sw.a.n's.ca, and prior to lr? g at the had written Musical Director Clement ex- pressing his delight with his treatment by t,he firm and their patrons. He is known as the "Singing Tommy," and the appellatio-n i appears to be fully justified. ? A restored oil pa.mting now being ex- hibited in a, Swansea art Mta-blishment re- calls memories of the old town in that it represents Cattle Walls, andin the fore- ground is "Jack the X&vvy," resplend'ent in his uniform as town crier. Now, then, how ma-ny who read this ha.ve AS boys taken pup- pies to old ''Jack the Na.vvy to have their tails bitten oS? (a.k5 "Old Fogey''). Bun Kher observed in the Brynmiil car: "I that Tom Richards, M.P., says the South Wales miners are as loal as any other class of people in this country. They a.re, however, not prepared to have their loyalty exploited by the coa.1-owners." Small Cole (emphatically) "The coal-owners couldn't exploit it if they tried to!" Bun Khersl re- quest for an explanation of the cynica.1 tone of the reply went unsatisned. Swansea boy stationed on the South Coast tells the following yarn :—Going to the village post omee, he aked the postmaster if there was a parcel from Swansea for Pte. Jone". "Y es." answered the man of stamps; "but how do I know that you are Pte. Jones ?" "Here is the proof." answered Pte. Jones, and then showed him a photo of his mother. "There you are, mate; that's the old lady who sent it." "Right," said tha postmaster; "you have to be so careful, you know Pef-ple who know Jersey Marine- -whif'h is just one short street of houses'—are rather surprised to know that no less than five men for so ama.11 a place have fallen in the war. Skewen with a death roli of 4;-) h:ts al&o suf- fered more hea.vily than' might be imagined. A French writer (by way of oompM'i.son) in- stan.oed a village in the Pyrenees which, out of a total population of 900, had Jost 57 men killed, apart from those who died of wounds and from dia&ase. Taking aJ' the circun)- ata.npes into aoC(;()unt, Skewen seems to ha-ve snSered little less heavily. Swansea's !ossas pr'ojbaMy run into two or three thousand, kill'ed, wounded, ?ndmisang. The population of Clydach is 9,<KO. The population of Clvdaoch ir, 9, 0 ?0 There is quite a Christmas "air" about. < t > ? -<e>- ? -< x ? Swansea shoeing smiths were very busy on Tuesday morning. "A Reader" (Swansea)—Apply to the Parks Department, Somerset-place. Slippery on the local slopes tlus morning. Moi.e slippery tha.n tHe de¡'m;tlli; ui fact. Sugar tickets will be welcomed bv manv no A who ar-, pracLic.iiy unable to get anv supplies. ? A '\waiting" ward at the Swansea Hos- pII* ti i hs no are. Waj'-time economy—war- time ch-Us. "Whoever knows how to return a kind- ness he lÜs received must be a. fliend above all price."—("D.H.L.Neath). i Mr. Hyam Go)dberg re<aUs the days when sailing vessels used to ca.rry guns to ward otf pirates. Those days have now returned. S:.n.d sprinklinj was ¡"dly needed UPO!-¡ the heights of Mount morniiig. and many a m;n ruobed his bone? ruefully on hia way to wo'rk. SwanAea.' Nvater storage on the 16th amounted to 1.í..6.),161.200 !!1110ns. compared gallons' on the Sr&t cf the month. So far rain has only fa.Uen at the Cray on seven days this month. A French seaman waF seen stripped t the wai.st on decK in a bucket, of cold -vatfr at the South Dock, Swansea, on Tuesday morning. It w.jg [ enough to make i/he mi/zon-ma&t. shi\er' It nil deiieiid-, who the Civil Li b'er- ties 11 arp uPfDsed to belong to. Some dis. s.ntiei'ts at the S''I-'lIl!ia "peace'' meeting. who had the audacity to vote against the solution, wre greeted with Throw them out of the window'" This is Ecmp folks idea of liberty A ?.' <x!x:xXK-* d A Swansea, traveller who handed round "nips" of port wine to hb< shivering fellow- passengers, apparently told them news when he informed them that sma.11 nasks of wime were obtainable in lieu of spirits at any licensed premises. They took the hint at the next stoppjmg place. Which company of the Swana Volunteers was it which, the other night, marched whilst drilling at night upon a slide which some Swansea juveniles had constructed during the cold snapg ? What formation did the ranks assume? And what was the nature of the language used? ?-t-<t?-?><t- His Hononr <jf the Swa.n&ea County Court said during the hearing of a motorcar col- lision that motorists who were under the impression that because they sounded the born they could theiefore travel afong at anv speed, were under a woeful deluMou. He added that he ivas not sure it wottid -not be t' better to a,olthe horn altogether. _f" T!M Swansea Xa-va! rigud, bbys are anxiously looking forward to t'he ,iecoratiiig by the Mayor of Instruc<o:- Wilh2.-l!1:' with thp D.S.M. Mr. Wi)Iianig, who was too iU, a.fter being feverely burnt in action, t<. ap- peaj before the King to 1u." medal, w-Ul recei\ e same from hi-; Worship on Wedn&sday afternoon. The boys will form ,& g'uaM<oi. honour on tbis occasion. There is a. funMy storv the ]\junds a.b<Mt & pretty little Welsh'" Da-ntah) with a bushy curl of ha.ir. which ha.s up to now ?, a s ii p tA-) now escaped the rcg'imenta l barber. Corning home o'n lec-ce from Franc? in a crowded railway c.awia!;e, a young I.ady said "Y ou ca.nsit on my knee, little boy. How old afe yc'u?" Eigbteei-j, rfils. he answered in a voice hue. a foghorn. :'nd then she dropped him <Mi tnc noor hke a red hot potato To srhow liow- httlf heed L- iJO-id to the sound of motor-car. hi.s Fronour Judge Bryn Roberta gaid thAt last Whit-Monday he driven through a. mountainous di&t-nct in Wales. At every bend the chauffeur Munded the ho'rn. Several other c.T.rs wore met, but not once was the sound of a h u'n neard. The leas&n. in his Hotioiu" s opirnon. -,Yas that so much attention was t(i, on"> own ear. r together \vith the noise it creates, that no i)t,b,r rounds ai'j heard. The beneJnj'' to Mr. Wm. Coutt.<. next Sunday evening at the Elysium", slwuld, if there is any gratitude In ths Swajisea breast, be a really substantial one. Many a. poor family has had its bereavement jsoftengd by his kind-hearted aid. and there are actors and actresses all over the kingdom who will recollect the times when Bill Coutts, in their "stranded days, helped them on to the next town with a "Pay me back when you ca.n. The world has .a very short memoz-v; unfortunately, but it is "up to" Swansea to do its part. ? < B Half-a-dozen oyster-, with brow-n bread i and butter, daintily sei'ved and re<Œonably i priced. A cjean and bright performance, in which brisker action will dc,-ubtl: .Fs Lc acquired a-s the show matures vocalism. ar: especial feature, and immeasurably superior to many much vauut-ed travelling pr{)duc- j tions an intelligent conductor in touch and sympa-thy with the performers and in com- mand of an orchestra of capable instrumen- talists (without drawing comparisons <-nr. would Iik6 to record appreciat.Mn of tistjc accompaniment to certain of the provided by the 'cellist). In fact (writes "Musicus'') one accords to Messrs. IR. E. Jones prai&e and cougratula.tions upon a wel- come innovation in the manner of Christmas entertainment for young and old proff,ied at thejr Cafe Continentaie. THE VOtCE OF OPTtM!SH. While sorroikin, women mourn in suent pride For the brave men who fought, and fighting died; WhUe the world's wealth p<urs in torrential Hood Into this fearsome holocaust of hlood Wttile ci\'il liberties, which onM held sway. To war's exigencies muzt needs g-iv.e way. And Justice seems to slugger on hei throne. 'T:s hard to be an optimist. I own. BLtt a& I cogitate, a train of thought O.>mes to my mind, with brighter menage fm.ugh't. And a voice whis'per&, ITliv t!rs tone forlorti ? The darkeet hour e'er comes before the (Lawn. Health seems a Heavensent blessing afteT pain: Sunshine ts doubly welcome after rain. So when we. win, as we mu4 do at length. And we recuperate our failing strenctli, \Ve sliall bf better for the part we've Clayed— T! rigours of the stnfe shAll be repayed ;1. regenerat.e.d ra<;e. Nvh Ich blood H; .i knit in bond of steadfast brotherhood. As pojd. e'er purity it -an acquire, 'Iu",t feel the blast of the refining Ure So shall we pass—for RIe:bi, -iii.,t, banish Might— Through the dread !;lOt:,Ul of death tj God's j ow;i lisrht. t J.G\VYNNE MARBETT. I Neath, 1916. e Good news this mcrning. Andtherej MAY be more to follow! ''No 'Xmaa drinks' this year!?:" gasped the quaint-b.:eathed porso'n. T!)en he re"d K over aga.in, aind was a trine relieved. ) ? ? ? ? -o A Swansea housewife'endeavoured to pur- chase some wholemeal Hour at three well- known local grocery (:tabl¡",hillen on Fn- j day. and failed* L S > < X ?<? ? Swansea brewers and bottier;. have decided to co-opfrat& with the retailers as regards unifoimity of prices. Henceforth t herp wili be ao uiider-cutting. And theie used to be a story—or stories—attach eft to tint-. In the of a lettci in the "Times. Dr. Cynddyian Jone? incidentally refers to the Coigi-e,-ationaists a,s the predominant power in 'L-l"w-Iyn WiHiamss con- stituenc: () will speak to Cyaddyla.n after this. parcels recently sent from the War Pr;soaer" Fund were a host of real Christmas puddings in ting. The poor he];; In Hun h.Lnd & will think verv w.umty of their townspeople who don t forget them in captivity.. < At Llanenv Appeals Tribunal a butcher appealed for' his son, aged 20. passed Class A. Captain Cremlyn (t-o the lad) "Are you married?" Apps!b')t "I am only 20.' Captain Cremh-n "TheYe are young as weU Captf,iii Cren-il y n: e ye are -?-oung as A,ell.! as otd loots. '.Lighter.) Appeal dis- } oid iool- Appeal d-?S- 'This i"? irom a J correspondent, and we publish it unc' r?ser?-e:—"t??estMns have been oSere-i -hat &t the next caie chan- t-nt crgnni,f'd a.t — the stAge should be ut'liaed for cocoaTl-Xi phies and Aunt Sallies, and not for concert pa-rties." What's ui the wino. we -xonderi A St. Thoma-; ).a':he" r?la.t.ed the tot-i lowing stc)n- the other day :—He was taking a class. of EsLstside boys in geometry, and he ask-d the class if they could give a denm- 'tionof anau??. Reflected o;.G i?m. JI the forest, of hand? tha-t v.-ent up. and h_eard ?' Tbev Uved iji the time of t!M Saxons, s?r' ? A membci of t.he -—— Company who jour' neyed from Sv -"a, to Cardinf for the r-cent inspection- Lermined to take no risks inthewa- du"orcolds. He wore shirts, Cardigan! jaf-ket. t w- -ats, and hi? tunic, and also carried 1 -coat. He had some dini- culty in pill 'is belt together, and he wondered wh -$" A \Ye1sh inli'nmtional forward, who plaved 16 t.in'- for Wale?, wrote asking il he could be ''tded in the Welsh team to oppose the t Zea.I.a.nders at SwanMa. Un- fortunate) v hx appticatLon cnmc too but be has written to say that he is gettmg fit for hard g"?. and is coming down at his owu expense, hoping we can hnd a ptace for him at the deventh hour. Bravo! -?-??<&-?-4- of N- er,, L tc certtun th&t a big contingent of New Xea?ndcrs wiU comR to S?an'=ea ?or their to the big match ;tgaiiist havJ heard aocoitlits uf the hospitalit- r-f bwansw-t Pf"Op1e; o: the spcrt.ing crowd and the sport- irT ga;nf, played localiy. They have <-x)me ? th,, decision that there is uo better place in the country to spcad ö,alljvyable re'pit, from their military duties. The tov baxaa'' of the Scotch Pre.sbvteÜ,¡,n Church was so wonderful a revelation of Ic.cal re"durcefulneSs that it is to be deplored that thousands rather than Imndreds did not visit it. Mr. Giant Mnrrav'. the principal of the Arts and Cra.tt- School, was the master miud of an exhibition redounding to the credit of the. Scots people at Swansea. The la.tter showed the way to a most promising local industry— straight up -ain.t the Germans. The vii'Ü,¡;rs to a local sale of work on Thul'Stl«y evening were sorely puzzled when it wa.- aiiii,)uiic(,d that a genuine swimming match" would be seen it eight o'clock. As the appointed time drew near there were not a few who were waiting with gleeful a.nti<-i- paticn to witness tbtS matdl" ior "one, nenMy only." But, oh: the surprise when ,the 'promoter" of the an'an brought to viev- a gla.-? bawl hlied with water, a?id in which a solitary match noated to and fro. <aixt-<i t ?< ? Major Aubrey Smith, of Swansea, whose I appointment to a British army corps stati has already been recorded, was practically th-e h"t instructor of the present .>rd Gla- Volunteers. When the Swansea R.F.C patriotically decided to drop ail foot- ball for the war and to go in for rifle shoot- ing a.nd drill instead, he lthe major) promptly came forward and offeree his ser- vices, thus he can claim—but doesn't: tj have been one of the pioneers of the bib vc!untec.r movement in South Wales.  Gambling among women and youths in the Webh mjmn? di.stnctf= w&s discussed at a Free Church council at I.>erphilly. Mr. ii. Howciis, a scliooima.tei-, of Troorkv ¡ .said gamoimg was increasing alarmmgiy. Youths stand at street corners; he said, ''and make sweepstakes and g.a'mbio on the r.-umber of the Rrst tramcar to pass. I do not exaggerate when I say that even the number of 'the hist-hymn at religious ser- i vicfs forms the subject, of gambling. Women gamble on the a-mount of money their hys- bands will bring home on the following S:iturdF" A correspondent writing in the "Morning Post" says Ten years since, when Mr. Lloyd George was a guest in Hamburg, ai-udying social and industrial conditions there, within twenty-four hours of his de- I parture his host, then an intimate friend of mine, told me t!nt he was summoned to Berlin to report to the Emperor the impres- sion he had formed of his guest's character in view of the probability of his becoming I Prime Minister of England.' The Jate Mt Chamberlain and Mr. Lloyd George were, then the two most feared men of our nation by the, Hamburg coinaitmity. t These pertinent and forcible comments .ire from the current week's issue of the "Sun- day Chronicle" :—"A member of Parliament j is valued a.t J34CO a year The Leicester ,I.'hamber of Comnicrce has declared that' Leicester's membei. Mr. Ramsay Macdonald. is disloyal to thR town which elected him. disloyal tfj ho? country that pays him, and 1 to the Empire. I submit that the country might at least be relieved from pay- 1 ing £400 a year to such persons as Mr. Mac- < donald, and Mr. Trevelyan. and Mr. Snow- den, who aje worthless both in terms of manhood and money. These gentlemen are in favour of peace—pe<ice which it the pre- 1 tM'nt time would be tH,ta! to us and advan- I tageous only to the nation th.,t hns crtorined wa.r. And now the kind Kaiser ha.s offered us peace we Sq:I have all our pacinsts and ? pro-Germans. a.nd universalists. and humani-, „ tariajts out on the rampage. We shall have f agitation and protest against the unspeak- Q able brutality that spurns the outst-ret,-iied ha.nd of Brotherhood. There are two coarpe< which should be taken "h tb6se peop1e. j c They ought to hp consi.t:1he¡' to Ger- r many or to Mest!ess day, fish davs: Thursda"ys'. ihirs.days. \Var and innuenza are wearing out uper- mop.(" D.H.L. yejth.) an inch and a half of ice on Hishopsio!. (ommon on Sunday. .sonth-IYc<t Ira! Munit.ons Court anished ;n record ur-e en Sat unl"y. It oc- cupifd &njy—an hour. $-4-Q.>«> Thi,apd ev.ry paterfct.m)Iias In the town wil: proan agieement—is the "shortest" day f.i the year. 4=- ? -< t > Wha.t happened to l.L.P. "peace" monger. at Port Te7inart the other day? And will they go there nga.;n in a hurry?' ? -< ? It wa. sajd cf. s<me oi the rninut-g at the ? om, Vk'eduesdav that Llf \e are getti-ug ?'' .?'? ???'? cf i?nates .f -Taw. Lodi;E' S\\a¡¡sea, rcportej ro the committee en ?dn?day. was that of a wcm? who ?a ?en an mn.ate for thirty years. IL b. :,„ ioUows that because we are to have rn.at;ess days that the old coun- try js -in the Mup." Tf is the peace-'ovin"o- Hun.. who are making e ha.-h c.f aSairB. -?<.?0<!>-3x!> r????????????- A Saturday's .-? '??' .?????Jy announ?s the rri val of 'lJ 11 Taffide. 'v hereas i"? ?????? ? Taffside. whereas .?a?? Ha p per. sported the b ough- day. ocS>0.1Jo. A JitUp cbiid crooned in ?n?a Pohce Court ?n Sat-.rdav danng t? hea.ring of a c.?. It was carried m a ?c?' it" ??"- ??" "-? ? defendant io the ca,e. A wen-known ic? farmer was lec?v heard to re.? that ? ? .ery a.t.o,usb? how ?" ???? ? ?? ?'?? bom: ?w ?]l?h. t?.he ??\? ? ?? F?? i?-Itli t,be fatted then' According to a we!I Informed WTJt.er there wi]] be iittic or n< whisky en sale after next February. Meanwhile the ra.w akohol will be whined acros., t<i the peace Peking Huna m Lne term of high explosive and lot. of it. Ga,J'nIlwyd Farm. where the Swansea. aliotments M-e, i. ø.ing mistaken for Garn- Hwyd. and at the Council meetmgit was expiated th.it the allotments are on the holds behind the Swaivw-. Train- M!g Loile-?—tJiat M on Town Hit:. iii g is oi-i Town H i ?,. -I ha\-e only one road labourer of nulita.ry age, ajtd he ig mapMed and hm ten chi]dre<n said a yoad Pzii-veyor at LIandiio Counci! <m baturda.y He has done his dntv we! tx'mmented a-n appreciative member. The man in c-,Lestioii had been exempted. A dock'-m.n a jEl nü: e into the wntc-r's h..nd tTie c-ther day for & 0&4e which h<- hirrl--elf h&d thought to be one ot !Med. with strict insLructio))< "W Thf-. "keii to. -The wa y us. u.-?ed to cook the Christmas duns in a %vijidjaT-qiiier" (Mvs "Old Salt") "w&s to put t.he mix-up in the legs of an old canvass trousers. The right leg was for the Ftarboa.rd watch a.nd the left for the port. whilst the cabm duft wa? alwavs 'ooked in an old sou'-wester." Xe\t! There is nothing Tommy ''on leave, or Tommy "off duty" enjoys more than a game of snooker-pool. acd although they are not always accomplished players and games are often somewhat prolonged loyal cueists are never waiting for a ta.bJe. "Go on, yom chaps, have a-TMther gamf," thev cheerfully declare. t < x ? t I sa', oM man, sa.id a paagt'nger on the Mumbles train to an ncqua.inta.nce the other morning, "do you know you've got one of your socks on inside out." Wei, I'm jig- gm'&d, so I have," was the reply and that remuMis me I'm like a house on nrc. "How so?" ,vez the puzzled query. "Well, doepn t the hose want turning on me/ came the witty rejoinder: Said an old-time All White mid Welsh International Rugby footballer, one who leads a useful public life and eHJovg the es- teem of all men "In my football diys (and they were strenuous when Jack Meredith put his head down in the scrum) no winning cap. tarn talked of finishing up before the whigtia blew and his team had their opponenta thoroughly whacked. Peace mdeed Mr. W. Tulley, who was one of our pioneer &-h merchants at Swansea, has two of his sons in the Army, and is proud of it. They were the backbo'ne of his business, and new the patriotic fat!. has come out of hia retirement, and employs his da.ught<?i and younger ?.n. who have Just left school, to do his sal e ib:ur5Ïnf".3s at the market. That'a- the spirit! Not a. smgle withdrawal from the Welsh Rugby side to mept the'Xcw Zealanders at Swansea on Boxing Day for the "Daily Post" War Prisoners' Fund hag been re- ceived, and each of the Welshmen is verv keen upon winning. So too are the All Blacks, and it wil! bo a case of "When Greek meets Greek." Not-like the AtheM business, however: TEYRNGARWCH I "D. LL. G." Hawddamor. Cynddylan. Ewch, paffiwh a'r "Llew," Diryniwch ei balfau, Diosgwch ei new .2 id yw Independia Rymused, r'wyn siw-t, Mac banner LIaneHi Yn "dilyn y dwr." LIwynypia. "J.T.T" The aUeged delinquencies of the military Medical Boards, who passed men for the Army. only to be discharged in a few weeks and ultimately to become chargeable t-o the Gruardians. upon at the LIsndilo Bo&Yi f tjurciav. The chairman, however, took up the cudgels on behalf of the medicos. "Theyareonly men like ourselves; they can t go inside a man," he remarked. ''They're supposed Lo." chimed in one member, and a-notber ?aid. They are suppospd to be better men Lhan we :'re.'j "But we fho.uld not publish :heir mistakes abroad." concluded the cha-ir. na.n. On one occasion Lord Justice Vaughan H'iIIiams had a case beio'e him m which the )iaintiff wng repret-e'ued by an extremely lervous and youtbfu! barrMter. 'When the after rose to address the jury he stammered Mt, "My unfortunate client." and then he lesitated. A in shaking voice he 'ssayed. My unfortunate client." and got no urther. But when for the third time h4 ioovered out the fofmula He judge inter. ;œed with Come. com< Mr.——, proceed nth your statement. So far you have thw curt with you. "I The audible smile which 7ent round was not calculated to reetofe t]t< n&rves.