The Cambria Daily Leader

THE LAND OF PATRIOTISM I *1 1 HEROISM OF WALES. ■ — WORLD PROGRESSING TOWARDS PEACE. BRITISH LEGISLATURE. SIR ALFRED MONO AND THE SECOND CHAMBER. ELIMINATION OF BUSINESS- MEN FROM THE COMMONS SWANSEA'S PROSPECTS I BRIGHT FUTURE PREDICTED FOR THE TOWN. The annual banquet of the Swansea Chamber of Commerce (Incorporated) took place at the Hotel Metropole, 8 a an.sea. on Saturday night, the out- going president (Mr. W. T. Farr) "presiding. The guest of the evening was Mr. John L. Griffiths, Consul-General for the United States in London. Tb*; chairman was supported by the new ,president. the Right Hon. Sir Alfred Mond, Bart., M.P.. Mr. J. T. Duncan (president of the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce), Mr. ■E. MeEwen (president-elect of the Port .Talbot Chamber of Commerce), M. G. Morawiecki (Consul for France), Signor J. "Ansaldo (Consul for Italy), Mr. A. Saunders (Collector ( f Customs), Mr. D. Da-vies (Deputy Mayor), Mr. E. P. Jones (secretary), .&nd ethers. There were also present the Rev. J. H. -Watkins Jones, Messrs. J. M. Williams, W. A. Burgess, A. Pa-rke3, Richard Lewis, C. H. Mills, E. A. Watkins, D. Roberts, K. Halden, D. C. Davice, C. E. Haudyeide, B. Stroud, Mervyn Howell, J. Rees, D. F. Davies, C. Clecves, T. H. Henderson, S. Jonys, R. C. Wilkie, H. E. Lewis, W. H. Edwards, J. C. Davies, F. Bradford, T. H. Jones, J. D. Williams, W. H. Thomas, H. Henderson, A. K Moffat, F. M. Birks, R. C. M. Ingram, G. E. Aeron Thomas, H S. h. Cook, P. S. Rowland, W. A. Thomas. T. C. J. Bull, F. L. Schenk, H. Yates, E. S. Isaac, S. H.. Siddalls, JI. Cann, J. T. Clement, W. Turpin, W. C. Turpin, T. Bowen, R. Collett, C. E. Thompson. H. Goldberg, J. M. Goldberg, R. L. Sails, S Stephens, F. S. Parker, P. Le Bars, G. V. Hazelt.on, Hopkin Daviea, L. G. Jeffreys, G. Guy Taylor. W. Jeffreys Sloan, S. O. John, Ernest Davies, A. B. Livingston, J. T. Pascoe, S. J. Curnow, J F. P. Mclnernay, E. Luoock, S. H. Bettsdn. W. Nicholas, E. Powell, T. J. Lewis. T. R. Farr. E. Davies, F. Joullie, F. Coonan, W. H. Pank, A. Andrews, H. E. Lev/is, A. W. E. Wynne, J. G. Jutf, D. Phillips, C. Smith, A. Pedersen Jakobsen, W. H. Jenkin, D. Daniel, J. H. Lee. R. G. Lewis. G. H. Mayhcw, W. Davies, Sanford Brown, H. J. Phillips, T. P. Cook, G. E. Cool^ C. C. Vivian, F. F. Mason. C. Roberts. D. A. Rees, G. S. Harries, Howell Owen, H. C. Bchenna, J. C. Evans, E. Leoomte, E. Margrave, W. Howell, JW. Davies, C. T. Ruthen, J. Yaughan Edwards, J. R. Samuel, P. Courtois, H. F. Blake, 0. L. Harriss, G. B. Davies, R. Tamlyn, M. Petin, J. A. D. C Lyons, Kirby Sails, (L Barbier, W. Mayhew, W. L. Kelleher, A. D. Jenkins, W. D. Recs, W. W. Holmes, G. W. Thomaa, J. G. Owen, W. A. Jenkins, E. B. Norton, R. Player, H. Money-Kent, F. A. Rces. E. J. Joyce, D. Gwynne Hughes, H. de G. Langlois, and R. Bryant. At the outset the Chairman ex- pressed regret at the enforced absence 'of Lord Glantawe, Sir Griffith Thomas, and the Mayor (Aid. T. T. Corker). Houses of Parliament." Mr. T. P. CQOk" in submitting "The Houses of Parliament/' said they were gathered at a convivial function at which party politics were strictly tabooed, but they could all join in extending the heartiest of good wishes to the Houses of Parliament, which, as they knew, were amongst the oldest and grandest institutions in the country. At this particular juncture in the nation-al affairs it was only seemly that they should drink the good health of the two branches of the Legislature, which last Tuesday commenced a session; that promised to be not only interest- ing, but momentous and historic. Re- echoing the hope expressed by the Sovereign, that the grave issue* which, lay before the House would reach a lasting settlement through the mutual co-opera-tion and goodwill of all sections, the sjieaker said there were some who held that the interest which the public took in the proceedings of Parliament was declining, and that the popular attitude was one of increasing indifference. Personally, he hardly thought that was the case. He thought there existed to-day even an anxious: and a serious concern respecting the' proceedings of those who conducted the affairs of the nation. Reforms Required. The atmosphere of the House after • cert am debate* was very diffe.rent from: the business-like atmosphere in the. Grand Committees, and if the interest! of the public in Parliament was to be increased it could only be by the Lower House remodelling its pro- ,oedure <m more business-like lines and getting rid of the congestion, and also by devising some means of inviting toj its counsels representatives of our! great Over-sea Dominions. If this! wer done, the Mother of Parliaments: would become what it was intended t-o Be—not only the microcosm of the nation, but an epitome of the British Empire. (Cheers.) He regretted the absence of Lord GLautawe, whose outstanding ability they all admired. America was proud of her Garfield, and they in Wales were bound to be proud of one who had risen from a humble posit-ton to be a respected member of the House of Peers. They welcomed Sir Alfred Mond in a dOllhlu capacity. They welcomed him IJJi. the able rciiresentutivo of ilàeù- gxv.at. i commercial borough in the House of C"oiiimon-s-one who had achieved a high position and great influence, and 'who was always ready to put the influence he possessed at the disposal of the town. They were equally glad to receive him as the President of the Chamber of Commerce. Sir Alfred had !.already taken a keen interest in the doiiig? of the Chamber, and wa? one who held in very high esteem the use- fulness and valna n<1 helpfulness of Chambers of Commerce generally. He was also largely interested in the dis- trict. and it was very fitting tha.t he should be called upon to become the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Swansea. He was certain of this— that under his presidency the import- ance, prestige, and usefulness of the Chamber would be greatly enhanced. I S!R ALFRED MONO. I First Speech as President of the Chamber. Sir Alfred Mond, who was heartily c heered, said he felt he was speaking that night in a dual capacity. 1 his was the first occasion on which he had had the pleasure of meeting his colleagues in the Swansea Chamber of Commerce since they had done him the great honour-—which he appreciated from the bottom of hi,,i heai-t-of electing him their president for the year 1914, and, he thought the chairman, being a little more latitudinarian than the Speaker of the House of Commons, would not rule him out of order if he took this opportunity of thanSing them all for the high compliment they had done him. He assured them all that he would, as far as his strength allowed and his I time permitted, do whatever he could to further the interests cf the Swansea Chamber of Commerce. (Loud cheers.) I He expressed the hope that they might, within the next year, enter into those buildings, the progress of which, he was glad to hear. was going on so well. Applause.) He regretted that, Lord Glantawe was unable to be there that night, as they would have liked to welcome him once more at their banquet;, and he would have much more ably and fitly replied to tho toast of the House of Lords than he (Sir Alfred) oould possibly do. Proceeding, Sir Alfred said, he had the ple;i/-rare a few days ago of hearing his Majesty read his most gracious Soeech from the Throne in the House of Lords, an<] he described the picturesque scene on that occasion. The U.S. Senate. Continuing, he gave his audience an interesting account of his visit to another legislative assembly. He referred to t'llat august body, the United States Senaw at Washington, where he heard a very interesting discussion on a resolution regarding the safety of life at sea. Sir Alfred described i how an eloquent senator was delivering an impassioned oration, and he noticed a similarity of procedure between the American Senate and the British House of Commons. No one seemed to be paying much attention to the senator who was delivering the speech, and ho Ii went round and struck the desks of the other senators in order to attract their attention! Sir Alfred pointed out, amidst loud laughter, that the American Senators had a great advantage over the British Members of Parliament in 1 a. matter of this sort. But after he had been there a little time he felt that the atmosphere was very familiar, jii.d if he had the honour to represent any of those great States' interests in the Senate he did not think it would take him very long before he felt quite at home. Sir Alfred described, in a humorous manner, how the members came in from the smoke-rooms when the division wa.s going to b? taken, pointing out the similarity of the atmosphere of thc? American Senate and that of the British House of Commons. I Commons and Business. 1 Mr. Cook had referred to what he considered the unbusinesslike pro- jcedure of the House of Commons, and as a man of business, he was rather inclined to agree with him. Of course, there were many settled things about the House of Commons which only an insider knew. Mr. Cook might not realise that a number of gentlemen who repeated their arguments were pro- bably doing so in order to prevent a certain Bill which they might dislike coming on that day. He t-hought it was a great feat that some members could get up and deliver a speech of an hour's duration on a subject on which; they knew nothing and cared less, until I they were told by the Whip to resume their seats, which they did with equ?I promptitude! He admired them, although he had not been able to aspire! to that role himself. ( Laughter. ) Machine Overworked. There was no doubt that the Pai-lia- mentary machine was badly over- I worked, and that a demand for devolu- tion on many matters to local paring I inent-s-an idea which had spread, ir- respective of party, more and more— was the not unnatural outcome of the tact that they were endeavouring in one i Parliament to do the work of three or four legislative assemblies. They did not sufficiently realise that whereas bJ", ithe Act of Union with Scotland and j Ireland and Wales they had absorbed the legislatures of these countries, they did not at the same time unify their legislation, so that they had to pabS in the British House of Commons Bilk for Scotland, Ireland, England, amd some- times separate Bills for Wales. There was no legislature in the world which' i had been asked to undertake such a task, and there was no legislative machine which could efficiently do so. When they thought that they super- imposed on that the business and the care of the greatest Empire the world had ever seen, and that they had to find time—and extremely inadequate time—to consider Imperial problems, he thought they would agree with him "that the question of devolution of powers to local assemblies was a business proposi- tion which was every day becoming I more urgent. They had done a number of things in order to improve their machinery. They had remitted a great deal of their work I to Committees upstairs, and he thought I their Grand Committees did their work, on the whole, much more quickly and efficiently than they did it on the floor of the House of Commons. The Committee en Estimates. Thev had made another innovation, for which he was partly responsible— i they had established u. Committoo on Estimates, which he thought was doing very good woxJs. Some of them would have liked to see a committee which examined proposed expenditure for the financial year before it was presented to the House cf Commons. Their function was a more modest one—they examined estimates which had alreadv been voted bv the House Commons. In that way tfíe-y were debarred, naturally, from any question of policy, and they were largely confined to questions of administration and accounts! Thev had been through the estimates or the! department of the Board of Works last year, and of the Navy, and the com- mittee of the House of Commons had been able to cnoofore it the heads of departments and offiils of each depart-  them OIl the ment &nd croa?-examin? them <m th4?, way they conducted their business., and examine their accounts. They had issued reports, of which, of course, so far, no notice Iltul been taken. (Laughter.) He did not. say they had achieved enormous economies, but he did think they had been able to do use- ful work, and if their powers were ex- tended they could do a great deal more useful work still. South Wates Purchases. Thev had before them the contractors of the Navy and other officials, who bought coal and other useful articles j in South Wales, and had endeavoured to ascertain from them whether they were paying too much. A Voice: Never and another voice: Not enough He heard one cv-ntler-imn say. "Not enough," but, as far ae he could make out. that part of the business was carried out in a very able fashion. Undoubtedly he did think that ascertain amount of injustice was done sometimes to the heads of Government depart- ments on the ground that their method of having to conduct business was undoubtedly very much handicapped by more or less antiquated financial arrangements. If thev were asked to carry on a business which was wound up every twelve months, and in which they had no "carry forward," and in which any money they had not .spent was automatically returned to the Treasury, they would find it much more difficult. I THE TWO CHAMBERS. A Difficult Subject. Having urged the need of greater latitude in this direction. Sir Alfred proceeded to refer to the question of the Second Chamber, which, he observed, was an extremely difficult subject, and one upon which opinion. was very much divided in all political camps. His own views on this subject were on record, and he did not ,see any reason to change them. If they were to have two chambers, ought to have as good a second chamber as they could get. and one that would carry as- much weight as it was legitimately entitled to. He thought, on the whole, the country was of opinion it wanted a second chamber. lie d;d not think there was &ny sane or sensible man who would not echo the wish express? by Mr. Cook, that great differences of State and policy could be Eo!ved by reasonable and statesmanlike manage- ment. Elimination of Business Men. He must confess that the important and serious debate which took place at the opening of the Session filled him, at any rate, with confidence that they should not too soon abandon themselves to the idea that British statesmanship had become so insolvent that there was any problem of government prosent-ed which could not be effectually dealt with. Their work as Members of Parliament was long, but they were paid for it now—-(laughter)—so they had no right to complain. But there was one fhin he viewed with a. certain amount of anxiety, and that was what he might call the continual elimination of business men from the House of Commons and from the councils of the nation. He thought on all hands they seemed to be getting a smaller number of business men in the House of Commons, and a greater number of those wbo, when they were there, were anxious to retire from the political sphere. He might be prejudiced, being a business man himself, but he thought this was a te,nder^?y, which w.as by no means desirable for the good of the count ry. A Crave Danger. I. I- tie did not see busms men getting much encouragement from either party, as tar ai6 practical administration was concerned, to remain in political life, or in the political sphere. He did deliberately say that it must weaken their House of Commons, weaken its status, limit its deliberative power, and also its connection with the trade of the country if this tendency contif^-od, and he certainly hoped the "tS<Ð would take place, and they would not have the divorce that had occurred in some countries betr ien the business and the legislative oonfiBDunities. The work was increasing, but the time it took up was ieasing more. What he might call the absurdity of "snap" divi&ionj necessitated people being at the House more than they used to be, with the result that it was very difficult for a business1 man to do any business at sM and be in the House. That was a matter which he considered should be remedied. (Hear, hear). When they imagined that during the first four days of the Session they had discussed three such important questions as the future of the government of Ireland, the deportation of British subjects from Soutlr Africa, and the mines regulations of this country, it would give them some idea of the divergence and complexity of the subjects which the ordinary Member of Parliament was' asked to consider and form an opinion upon. It also gave some idea of the vast range of topics which the House of Commons was asked to deal with-and had to deal with in a very short space of time. He thanked them very much for the kind way in which they had received the toast, and felt quite sure that whoever had the pleasure of represent- ing Swansea in the House of Commons would always find in that Chamber, as be had found, apart from politics, that he could rely on the friendly kindness ajid moral support on great commercial questions of a highly trained commercial community. (Cheers.) America's Progress. The Chairman said they were fortunate in having that night as the guest of the evening, a gentleman representing a country with which this I country, and particularly this district. had had a large volume of trade. He (the president) hoped for greater trade in the future, t.bank to the necai reform that had lately been effected in America. (Hear, hear.) He thought the time was a most opportune one for welcoming Mr. Griffiths, because they would shortly be celebrating the anni- versary of a hundred years' peace between England and the United States—(hear, hear)—and the occasion would no doubt induce a greater amount of attachment between the tii-ol, countries than formerly. The pre?denb a!-so alluded to the heavy and success- fully undertaken task of the United States in linking up two cceans by the cutting of the Panama Canal, which was bound to do the commerce of the world a great deal of good, and would redound to the credit of the nation which had tho pluck to undertake it. He proposed the health of the guest of the evening, Mr. Griffiths. THE CONSUL-GENERAL. A Warm Tribute to Wales. Mr. John L. Griffiths, the Consul- (ener-al for the United States in I London, who r?spond?d, %nd al&o pro- posed the toast of "The Swansea Chamber of Commerce," said: Amon? my earliest reoo1¡œtions is l v that of falling asleep to the soft eroning of a Welsh lullaby. Wales is to me a scene of poetry, of mysticism, and of romance; of passionate religious fer- vou.r, of splendid heroism, and glorious; martyrdoms of sirent valleys, rugged mountains, and wild moors, which, f they could speak your lk,.aut&ttl language, would tell the story of how brave men and heroic women through j I the centuries had preserved their love of country and their love of God. Need- -less that I should add that Wales is the land of my ancestors, and when I re-1 turn to it I feel that I am coming back to my people. Wherever you find H, Welsh community in America—and this must be tme the world over—you find an intelligent, industrious, resourceful population of people consecrated toj higher purposes, and who never forget i in their sense of devotion to the country of their adoption, the duty they owe to the country of their birth. National Tests. Fortunately we do not judge/a country by its size or population, but by its achievements, by its struggles, by its triumphs, and oiten by its tailures, and so judged the hist-ory of Wales must be an inspiration to her sons and daughters, wherever they may be, as; they recall the great deeds that have been performed to keep Wales on the map of the world, and her language on the lips of her children. (Loud cheers.) The Welsh may be-and I know ',h9Y are—accused of being narrow and bigotted, emotional and fanatical, abounding in weird fancies and strange prejudices, being too little inclined to respond to the great rush and sweep of world currents, as they swirl by, but no one ha-s ever accused them of being dis- loyal or traitors, or cravens, or cowards. They have won distinction 'i the Bench, at the Bar, in statesmanship, in journalism, literature, science, the arts, in every branch of commerce and in finance. You find them everywhere, except in jails and workhouses and peni- tentiaries. and if you find them there I they must have been corrupted by con- tact with other people. (Laughter.) Mr. Griffiths proceeded to deal with the unifying and civilising influences of commerce, and said the time had gone past when nations could live unto them- selves alone—they must rejoice and sorrow together. A failure of crops m the United States or Canada, in Russia or the Argentine; industrial dis- turbances in England, France, or Germany: and financir.l disquietude all over the world were so far-reaching, so world-embracing in their consequences, that they real ank God—that I they could not thrive en the disasters of their neighbours. Commerce and Kindness. The expansion of commerce was more 1 responsible than any other single in- 1 nnenee for the promotion of inter- national good understanding. So much (ioptiided upon the point of view. With ocean cables, swift tran-, lortation. and frequent and general exchange of com- modities with England turning to the rest of the world tor foodstuffs, and the rest of the world turning to England for cotton and woollen manufactures, I for cutlery, "Old Masters," and other things—(laughter)—the probability of war. it seemed to him. was more remote than in that far off time when nations were walled in and lived in grim isola- tion, securing their commerce. a6 they did their territory, by conquest. and holding both by the sword. (Applause.) Alluding to the centenary of peace between England and the United States of America, Mr. Griffiths said the cele- bration could not, have come about had: the accomplishments of commerce not' b?en what they had during the pa<st century. He rejoiced that in America! they b?Ueved, with Browning, that t?o best is yet to be," and, holding this faith, they hoped, not only to maintain, but to exalt the ide?s of democracy in the Western World. (Cheers.) Dealing with the advance of art, science, and discovery during the last fifty years, he eaidj the North and South Poles had been discovered; a great Power had arisen in the Near East; a mighty Power in the Far East; while an internatMmal Temple of Peace had  been built at the Hague. Conditions of Living Improved. I [ Great discoveries had been made in medicine, surgery, and. other depart- ments of science. The boundaries of human knowledge had been greatly extended; the conditions of living had been vastly improved. The world was moving forward more rapidly ?and more surely than ever before in its history towards the consummation of some Divine purpose, the significance of which they could only dimly compre- hend. The Swansea Chamber of Commerce was a link in that chiiin of peaceful in- fluences which now girdled the earth, and was more effective in preserving all they held more dear than any pro- tefition which Governments afforded by armies, navies, and fortresses, and ail the outward sinister show of power. Age of Enthusiasms, I Occasionally they heard people say I this was. a decadent age. No, no! It was an age of noble enthusiasms, of profound ympathis, an age which was striving and seeking a solution of those social problems which must be wisely, and. he believed, quickly solved if the civilisation of which they were no proud was to endure. They heard now and again that England was being out- stripped by other nations in the race for commercial supremacy. It was true some nations recently had, for reasons j perfectly obvious, made greater trade; strides than this country. But Eng-I land need not feel depressed. She need not feel she was singing to-day her commercial swan-songs when they re-1 membenjd that her foreign trade last, year reached the enormous sum of1 ei,294,495,3"75. He congratulated the Swansea Chamber of Commerce upon I the splendid work it had done. SWANSEA'S TRIUMPH. I A Compliment to the Chamber.. I It was no mean town which could show, as Swansea did during the past twelve months, imports aggregating 1,040.244 tons, and exports amounting to an aggregate of 0,102,597 tons. (Cheers.) To create these totals there must have been an effective organisa- ti-on to give direction and force to the trade and industries of this community and district, and" he assumed that this organisation was, of course, the Swan- sea Chamber of Commerce. No man ever did anything worth while in this country who lacked vision. To give Swansea the honourable position she now occupied required men of great energy, intelligence, purpose, and vivid imagination—men who, seeing oppor- tunities, grasped them, and who, when they did not see them, went out to find tfieni. juvenile Employment. Mr. Griffiths, in conclusion, expressed his warm appreciation of the work which the Chamber was doing in con- nection with the -subject of juvenile em- ployment with the objed. of prevent- ing boys and ffirls when they left school, entering casual employment for which they were to tolly unfitted, with the result that in the course of a few years they inevitably went to swell the ominous rank s of the unemployed and the unemployable s. He expressed a hope that the pros- perity ef bwausoa would continue ¡ through the years, and that along with the material growth there might always be a growth of everything that served to enrich the mind and enlarge the €>a«il of mall. (Loud applause.) The New Exchange. The President thanked Mr. Griffiths very sincerely for the eloquent manner in which he »had proposed the toast, and for coupling with it his name, and also tlianked the company for the way in which they had received the toast. Their new Exchange wa<? being rapidly proceeded with, and he trusted that before Sir Alfred's year of orffice had expired they would be comfortably installed in their new building. (Hear, hear.) The Chamber of Commerce in Swansea, he thought, was doing a very 1 good work. The chairman also made the point that resolutions passed by Chambers of Commerce did nut stop there, but often formed the basis for futu re legislation. Swansea's Possibilities. The Chairman alluded also to the autumnal meetings of the Association of Chambers of Commerce which visited different industrial centres, and said he looked forward, in the near future, to the possibility of the Swansea Chamber of Commerce inviting the Association to hold one of their autumnal meetings in the town. (Hear, hear.) Ho thought if they could show the delegates the number and variety of the industries in the town and district, and the facilities afforded by the port, they would go away with a different idea of the importance of Swansea. As the retiring president, he thanked the members for their courteous and helpful support during his year of office, and especially paid a tribute to the secretary, W r. E. P. Jones, for the valuable assistance rendered to the Chamber and to him. (Hear, hear.) The health of the president and the secretary were drunk with musical honours. Mr. E. P. Jones, in responding, said that while the old Exchaage had served its purpose, they felt the need of a new Exchange, and in this connection he appealed to individual members to help to furnish the new building. He grate- fully acknowledged gifts of pictures received from Mr.. Alec Moffat, Mr. Hersche! Jones, and Mr. T. P. Rose Richards, and hoped that ether members would follow their example. Mr. Hyam Goldberg, J.P., proposed the health of the visitors, and assured them cf a cordial welcome. He made espsciai mention of the president of the Cardiff Chamber of Commereo, (Mr. J. T. Duncan). He alluded to the cordial relations between that and neighbouring Chamber* of Commerce, and instanced the cordial help which they had. received from the Cardiff Chamber on many matters. Mr. J. T. Duncan, in responding, paid he wished to correct a misconcep- tion regarding his recent speech at the I Consuls' dinner at Cardiff. The Price of Coal. I Mr. Duucan proceeded: "I have not suggested that any actual agreement oxist-ed between the Miners' Federation and the Coal Owners' As,ociat-l'.on- L do not think 1 used the word Association, as it was not in my mind—but 1 repeat now the statement I made: that these bodies appear to go hand in hand, in keeping up the price of coal. If this is not so, the coincidence is remarkable. Ample corroboration for my statement can be found in the daily market reports of the coal trade, published by the Western Mail' and South Wales Daily News' during the past three years. A leaderette appears daily, giving a resume of the state of the ct)al trade, and is frequently of the folloviiip, type—I speak from memory—' Owing to non-arrival of as many steamers its expected over the week-end, some collieries had to sell at a slight reduc- tion, to get empties; but on account of the restricted output, caused by the non-unionist Cor policeman) stoppage a.t X.Y.Z. Colliery, an advance of tid. per ton took place tor forward deliveries.' Now, who advanced the pi-ice 6d. per ton ? Certainly not the purchasers. Then it must have been the coal owner, who is the seller, and who was able to advance the price owing to the stoppages above referred to. Tho Miners' Federation restrict the output by means of stoppages on one pretext or another. Generally, from my observation, before contracting time, or when the market is easing off and prices dropping. The result of the -stoppage, is that prices rally, and wages are kept up to their maximum. Coal owners profit again by enhanced prices. Those whose collieries have been stopped arc compensated for their loss by tho Association. Interests Identical. I In this way thf) interests of the Mine lis' Federation and coal owners are identical, and go hand in hand, no agreement being necessary. What I am now saying is known to eveiy purchaser of coals who keeps an observant eye on causes and effects. The price of Cardiff coal is too high, and it ls no part of the functions of the Chamber of Commerce to help to artificially raise and maintain the price of coal for the benefit of one section of its members. The coal owners seem to think the Chamber exists only for their benefit, but its province is to promote, extend, and protect the trade and prosperity of all its adherents, who comprise the whole commercial com- munity of Cardiff. "In my judgment-and it is shared by ma.ny men who are greater authorities than I am—the remedy is to pay the colliers a definite sum per ton for cutting coal, abandoning the selling price scale of wages, and then the Federation would have no t.empta- tion to restrict the output in tha. tear of the men's wages being reduced. This would conduce to more regular work- ing, which, on the other hand, would compensate the colliery owners and would avoid spasmodic stoppages which arc a prolific source of congestion at the docks and on the railways; and it would put the coal trade on a sounder basis, and obviate many difficulties of regiiiating 'stems' which at present exist. He disclaimed any personal feeling on the subject. Hi.? sole desire, as Presi- dent of the Cardiff Chamber of 00111- morce, was to advance the interests of the general trade of Cardiff. At the same timo he had very considera ble business interests bound up in Swansea through his steamers, and the steamers under his control, and ho hoped that something would be done to obviate de- lay and facilitate despatch. Landore as Carcfen City. I Ho touched on town development, and suggested that Lajidore should be turned into a garden oity that v. oulc lend something to the amenities of the town. French Consul on Swansea's Growth. I lionsieur G. Morawieokj, the Kronei Consul, in proposing The County Borough of Swansea, and tlie Trade Of Swansea and District," made an excel lent speech, in the course of which li. said- Although but,recontly axrive< in this town, all I have seen or heaire tends to show clearly that not cnly tk town .a.nd port arc very prosperous, bu1 their prosperity is increasing almost i daily. In the business district of the town, the :ke>w-eomer cannot Jteip notic ing the great number of new buildings, tho; construction -0 imposing block ot oificgp and shops in the places of anti- quated houses, and the widening of thoroughfares. In the residential port I of the town new houses, new cottages, new v iHas are being built, new streets are being laid, and tenants are not only found easily for these modern dwellings, but still the supply of suitable houses is I unfortunately much below the demand In this connection I have also observer that, like most modern cities, Swansea is jhrays extending towards the west, hut I have also uoticed that on the other side of the river, on account of the proximity of your fine modern docks, the town is showing unmiftakaMe signs oi rapid development. I can therefore easily understand how the population of the borough has passed so quickly from 90,000 inhabitants to nearly 120,000 No word s of mine oould be more elo- quent than such figures. I realise that such rapid increase places heavy re- sponsibilities on the shoulders of the members of the Corporation, hut I have seen enough already to knew that their efforts are zealously devoted to the con- stant improvement of the conditions of life for the benefit of the burgesses in the matter of housing, education, drain- age, water supply, etc. I have also h-ad occasion to admire the number oi different charitable institutions in tlie town, and to appreciate the real good work done hy all of them, but. more especially by your fine hospital. The French Colony. Will you kindly allow me, Mr Chairman, a; Consul for Fiance, to take advantage of this oppoi-tunity to express pubiicij- The legitimate pride with which 1 have fouil, how the French Colony in Swansea, closely unitod and doing their share in the geuo'a? wark of the port. have shown themselves worthy c?f tlie courteous aii, ni?aiiZri,, which they are treated by the pecpie cf this town. I ea,ii safely say, without fear of cvntiadietion, that in Swansea was forged, and is mde stronger every da.y, one of the most important links v.-hich tie our respective countries together in the bonds of a community of interests and aspiraticns for their mutual pros- perity and tor their glory." He coupled with the toast tlH names of the Deputy Mayor (Aid. David Davies) and Mr. Samuel Stephens. The Deputy-Mayor. Tho Deputy-Mayor (Aid. 1). Davies), in responding, dealt with the progress of Swansea, and said that they were faced by great obligations, and in the presence of Sir Alfred Mond he wanted to say that the Imperial Government was not doing its duty to the local authorities. It was imposing new obligations and insisting upon new future duties, and yet it was not iul-I creasing, but actually diminishing its! grants to local bodies. If one thing was wsnted, it was that the Imperial Government should come to the rescue of the local bodies, and help them to I relieve, the rates. Dealing with the; question of Swansea's municipal., pro- gress, Aid. Davies said that -J:r at- tempts to beautify Swansea, had been most expensive, because they had to buy every inch of land, and the moment I a local authority wanted to buy an inch of land, up went the price ten-fold, and the very people who spent U;n months in the year grumbling and crying out for improvements, were the very ones, when land was wanted, to put up the cost of tho land to double and treble its valU, A Rosy Prospect. I Nevertheless, the future prospect of I Swansea was a most hopeful and radiant one. AU the staple trades were' doing weH, and the dockH were doing better than anyone had expected them to do some years ago. It was gratify- ing to note that among aU the Channel ports Swansea was holding its own. Mr. Samuel Stephens, who also responded, dea.lt with the beautiful way in which Nature had ikn It with Wales. Dealing with the trade of the port, the speaker said it would have been greater if it had not In for frequent stoppages and congestion on the railway. He thought this could be avoided and improved if the great railway companies would only invite more frequent and freer oommltatÍüns between the com- panios and the traders. He wa.s glad to find that the port'was more nourish- ing than ever before, and in this I respect they were greatly indebted to the Harbour Trust mem bers and officials. The proceedings terminated with the singing of "God Save the King."