The Cambria Daily Leader

Sun Rises 6.56, Sun Sets 6.47. Lighting-up Time, 7.17. Subdue Lights visible from the sea at 7.17. Subdue other Lights at 8.47. High Water To-day, 6.59 a.m., 7.12 p.m. King's Dock—38ft 11 in a.m., 39ft lOin p.m. To-morrow, 7.33 a.m., 7.46 p.m.

AFTER COMBLES- I THIEPVAL. The French and British are in Combles, and, best news of all, most anxiously expected and ardently awaited, Thiepval has at last been captured. Combles is significant, but Thiepval is more than that—it is absolute proof that we are supreme on the west. Thiepval lasted long- est of all the fortresses made by the Germans on the Albert-Bray front. Against Thiepval, it seemed some- times, we could not move. And now our brave lads are in this village on the knoll. Leipzig Redoubt could not hold them back, and Hohenzol- len Redoubt fell yesterday. A pro- phetic indication, let us trust, of another Hohenzollen fall. Thiepval was at the extreme left of our fighting army. It had to be reduced before we could advance far towards Bapaume. The road is now open. Courcelette is already ours. Le Sars next, and then the fight will be for the first French town of any importance in this region after Per- onne. The French and British re- ports reveal the fact that the Allies met in Combles, flushed with vic- tory. In Paris it is being said that with its fall disappears the last big German position on the Somme battlefield. That is rather a san- guine opinion, uttered in a moment of intense emotion. Combles whs the name of a vast series of strategic works on which the best brains and the unceasing labour of the Germans were spent for almost two years. As one writer puts it to-day: Germans, who had been meditating a war of this kind for years, were adepts at the construction of such works long before we understood how to attack them. They armed this line with a tremendous artillery, and stub- bornly defended it with hosts of their choicest troops. We have driven them from it. But we can- not say what they have behind the line to which we have forced them. The German communique is an amazing document. The Staff admit some of our successes, but In spite of all, however, we must remember that our heroic troops were here faced by combined Anglo-French main forces provided with a great mass of material pre- pared during many months by the war industry of the entire world." We can imagine how this sentence will strike at every German heart to- day. What is it the prelude to? Are we reading too much into it when we think that this, the first real ad- mission the German Staff has made, is meant to accustom the people Lo the idea of defeat? This September is a particularly difficult matter, but from October everything will improve," said Hindenburg to Dr. Max Osborn. Every day's news seems to show, on the contrary, that it is to be October which will be the difficult month for Germany, for the armies and for the war writers. One of them, Erich V. Salzmarm, who writes for the Vossische, Zeitung, is preparing for coming events on the Somme by stating that If we evacuate any position, as we have done north of the Somme, we can safely assume that this evacua- tion was part of our plan," etc., etc. That is a truly beautiful specimen of the German aptitude for inaccu- racy but what will the misled readers say of this, and other, re- marks in the light of Tuesday's communique ? The attacker," so the German people were told on the 19th, can- not use up his resources beyond a certain limit. There is a limit and aim to everything. It looks as if the enemy on the west front, as well as on the south-east front;, had now reached me limit his efforts." By this tone it w--have begun to dawn upen the emy that, far from having; reach(the limit of our efforts, we are gmally and sirely enlarging tlese elite. The bom- bardment pecedii the takhg of Morvai and'ea(li _u up to the entry into Combles, wtufche most terorific ever known n wrfare. Nothing like this hurican of fire -as ever been experiencd. A doc-ii miles behind the fonl according to a French eorresprlent, tie ground was shaken y th storm. There rmst b sore amount of poeticd iense about the latter stetemeo, b? that it should hav be pened shows that the gut-fine* nnt have been unusually icense When we ead of 1e prodigality with which te ..illi. expend their ammunition ad us/up their guns, does it not coiiuceo good cheer to hear.the freslnev &oo>ut Falkeu- hayn's order ,bor wastage that is published frct British Headquar- ters. In th; <rder the Germans were also tol(&)t unnecessarily to disturb the emy on quiet portions of the front, id that even where the action is ttesfc there must be no firing witht strict reason, no reprisals, for stince, and no un- limited spells: oarrage fire. As one corresponit says, we could easily draw sxiicant conclusions from these osis. It would be safer, howeve to take them, not as signals of aresent shortage, but as a wise meare for conserving re- sources. The good ws we were led lo expect from ambles came about sooner than expected. The little village, after jmbering in obscurity many years, now world-known. Not even therench have been able to tell us mu<about the place. For reasons obvio to all who know the nature of the villages. As a rule, they have neistory. The storms of the past we gone over them, and they renned unchanged. The French ham&s in Picardy are not very prepossing to the eye; neither, at esent, to the nose! Describe oi and you have the characterise of all. The main street is fried with a number of great barn's ith mud-plaister walls; with the b;k-built Mairie, where the parochi business is done; with half-a-dozejor more estaminets or cafes, and t> or three shops. Mid- way in the llage is always the par- ish church, enerally with a severe classic fron and a slated spire. What makdhese villages so awk- ward to reille is the fact that there are many Ilars, few homesteads being with<t them; and also the succession (farm-yards surrounded by high bals. The reader must dismiss fro his mind the picture of an Englii village if he. wishes to obtain a t;e idea of the French hamlets band the line of the Somme. The Tow Clerk of Swansea gave utterance 1 a strange doctrine at the Watc' Committee meeting, when, durg the discussion upon uniform ligting restrictions, he said he didn't fink it was their duty to teach peop the law. Perhaps not, for ignorare of the law is never a defence tcits violation, but we would suggest to the Town Clerk all the same tat in these days of novel prohibitior, it. is the duty, and ought to 3 the pleasure, of the municipaly to help its citizens with all te technical advice at its command The lighting problem presents jixious problems to our tradesmen and presently it will cause perlexity to those who gov- ern the chrches and chapels. The latter wilhave to face such a ques- tion as viether they can cover up their larg window space, or whether I it will no be wisest to advance the hour of vening service. The rjiepayers will be anxious to know wht the new bonus of 5s. week to Swansea Corporation em- ployes, jetting under £2 12s. 6d. a week, wd mean in addition to their calls, lie maximum figure seems high, alhough war costs undoubt- edly mae living a struggle for the family ran under the J63 a week mark. The danger, of course, is that thee extra charges on the rates will but bound back to the people whose wge is fixed and low, and that in rmt or some other way they will be bdly hit. The brth-rate has dropped con- siderab11 in the Swansea rural area. All the nore reason, therefore, why we shoud see that the fewer child- ren whe are coming into the world are carrfuly nurtured, and that the appallirg wastage of child-life which has beei the scandal of our country for generations, should be stopped. We hwe been criminally extrava- gant in many directions, but not in the savng of young life. Now that the wa- has opened our eyes to the real wealth of a nation, we may, In repentance, turn seriously to the problem of safeguarding the infants. The Swansea Valley school dis- pute is settled, and teachers and children are to go back next Mon- day. The terms of the settlement are aot disclosed, and there will be great curiosity to know them. The people of the valley sympathised with the teachers, but thought that the whole business wasn't worth the fuss made or the obstinacy of the County Council. The pity is that the round-table con- ference was not held long ago.

In his report to the guardians, the master of Chertsey Workhouse recom- mends that the L.G .B. should be urged to close all the casual wards, either per- manently or temporarily during the war, a measure which would rid ,the roads of a class of undesirables.

AN INTERNATIONAL IN ] FRANCE WALES V. ENGLAND-IN JUNE- AT THE RAILHEAD- F OOTBALL, huh!" said Taffy- F A.S.C. Labour Section-" football! We can beat you at the Rugby game any day you like. You don't know how to play. It takes a Welshman to run muni- tions, and to run decent football. Do you remember how Llanelly used to swamp your English clubs! Taffy balanced the Y.M.C.A. basin of tea on his knee and prepared to enlighten the company. Now it was the rule of that company to closure their voluble Welsh comrade, to sit on him, to squash him, upon every subject under the sun except Lloyd George, and upon that topic he could not be shut down, nor was any real attempt made to do so. Fair play to the Taff," the general sentiment ran, he has given us one good man." "It's like this," went on Taffy, after making signs that his basin could do with a re-fill. We're a short lot as a rule, haven't got your British beef and all that, but we've got something to make up for it-" I know one thing you've got, by jingo," said Staff," and that's cheek, my boy." And I'll tell you another," put in the Lancashire lad, and that's what you've got the confounded impertinence to call imagination, thougii I give it a shorter name. Never you mind," answered Taff from the recesses of his tea-basin. What we've got ie brains, and there we've got you fixed. Who runs this blessed army ? Lloyd George. Who's the man the Daily Mail is cracking up this week! Hughes of Australia—Welsh! And as for football, I'd get up a Welsh side to beat anything you can put into trousers, anything mind." The Lancashire lad is an impetuous soul. He said Done!" at once. It was the merry month of June, and when it wasn't raining, what between heat and "mosquitoes" life was a perepiry and painful sort of affair. Bli«6 was an afternoon's dip in the great ponds, or a lolling time on the banks under the pre- tence that we were after fish. As for foot- ball—poof! The very idea raised the tem- perature. The company told Taffy and the Lancashire lad that they were several highly-seasoned varieties of fools, and the manager of the Y.M.C.A. began to think of suitable protestations on the score of language. But the Labour Seotion evi- dently had their own qualms on the sub- ject, for they moved out in a body, Wales and Lancashire in their midst, and we had reason to believe that the discussion remained as hot as the afternoon and the adjectives a little hotter. That evening in camp cook told me with a grin that Taff wa-6 getting up a football side to knock spots out of Sassenach conceit. Cook was Scotch, and regarded the Welsh more or less as an unfortunate but to be pitied younger brother. The weather grew hotter. The atmos- phere in camp was a good deal higher than the therinoniett-t. showed. A football had been dug out from the winter stores. There w s talk of asking the R.S.O. for a loan of some poles at railhead, also a proposal to invite the A.O.O. to feroo- A.O.O. was a sport. At night A.S.C. ghosts went sprinting over the country- side for training. And Taff and the Lan- cashire lad did not talk together oftener than their duties made them. For both were men with bitter grievances. Taff had claimed Jenkins of Liverpool on a birth qualification: Jenkins of the North- ern Union, who had the biggest propor- tion of successful try conversions to his credit in the union, Jenkins who won for hi6 team the head of the league. After tea one evening the company talked it over. Taffy was eloquent and expressive. It's a man's birth counts, not where he lives, isn't it?" he asked. 'Ere! 'ere!" said Cockney Joe; 'ere! 'ere! I says to that. That's sense. An' what abart your Lliyd Goorge now, hi! Where was E born, if you please, mister?" Taffy ignored the query; and it is a tribute to Welsh persistency that he got Jenkins even if he lost Adams, who was born .somewhere in Wales, but never liked to own it, although Wales was in ) his voice. The afternoon of trial came. The sky was overcast with thunder-clouds. It was a time to laze in the shade, to seek what breeze there was blowing over the ponds. The men were rebellious, but Taff and Lancashire inexorable. We sat around the touch-line, and sighed for cooling waters, for iced drinks. Jock refereed, and when the players came upon the field, attired in jerseys of all hues, he called them round him. It's like this," he said. I ken the rules o' Rugby reet well, for a' followed the Academicals of Glaegey, and I'll have ye all understand that nae monkey trickery goes with me, Saveel When I blow the wee whustle, ye'U under- stand ye're to stop and see what's wrong. Now ye'll spread out, and heaven defend the reet/' I shall not attempt to describe the game, and I still close my ears when I think of the language. It was coon ap- parent that as a football test Taffy hooted not without warrant. But I am glad ve had no finicky referee there; for Taffy had two demon half-backs who must have given the opposition headache from the start. Was the ball ever put properly into the scrummage! We Welshmen at the side kept our own counsel, and if the Lancashire lad addressed a remonstrance to Jock he at once blew his whistle and gathered the antagonists together fpr a lecture. Ye'll understand," he said to the company, that I'm keen to jiggery- pokery of all sorts, Welsh and English, and I'll hae none of it." His eye raked the two half-backs, but they were the picture of innocency. Phew! what a game it was. Quarter of an hour aside, Wales v. England played, and the time sufficed to show that brain —the Lancashire lad in his vexation gave it another name—could master brawn. The demon half-backs played on-side, off- side, any-side. The ball would be out and I away whilst the English forwards were straightening their backs from the scrum- mage. Jock of the eagle eye saw nothing. The players were objects to contemplate with pity. Some of them scrapped their jerseys. They would have scrapped their H shorts as well if the road did not run eo near the field. Both sides were fairly done up long before the end; indeed, Jock was bullied into whistling time" at least five minutes too early. I forget how many times Wales scored, but I know that thereafter Taffy was allowed to talk of football as well as Lloyd George without remonstrance. And there was no more football, though if the little man is still at -— I doubt not but that this very day he is organising a Welsh side for winter triumphs behind the line. If "it may be that he and his demon half-backs are to-day playing a sterner eaine. I know they will play it well. J. IEL w

HOW MAMETZ WAS CAPTURED. Work of a Welsh Regiment. In an account of the gallant part playNt by the Welsh Regiment in the capture of Mametz Wood, one of the Battalion officers who is at present in Swansea rB- marked to a "Leader" reporter that it would be difficult to imagine a tougher proposition than the task set the lads. The Battalion went into action on July 10th before dawn. They were occupying a position known as Whito Ti-ench-,in old German trench—where they had spent two nights. Their objective was a strip of the wood, 1,000 yards in length, deviat- ing to the north, and the country in be- tween was of a difficult character. Our advance," the officer remarked, U was preceded by a heavy bombardment by our artillery from 3.30 to 4.15 a.m. We left the trench for the attack at five min- utes paqt four, having 1,000 yards to go -be. fore reaching the wood. We had ten minutes to cover that distance. We had to go down a steep bank into thQ valley and then up again to the wood. The bar- rage was so beautifully timed that it onlv lifted five seconds before our company got in. We had advanced in eight waves, twflt platoons in each wave. We got into ,th9" wood and pushed right through our por- tion to the other end, a, distance of abousti a mile. As we advanced stage by stage to the cross-roads the barrage kept on lifting. We held the wood with comparatively small numbers, supported by other bri- gades on the right and left, until foufi o'clock the next, morning, when we wera relieved. A battalion supported us very, well." Describing the ordeal the Battalions went through in the advance, our in- formant remarked that what with on own and the enemy's barrage, the wQOdi was a maw of artillery fire. Hand-to- hand fighting and bombing took placai right throughout the wood. The wood! was extraordinarily thick, the Gernta" had tied the. branches of the trees to- gether, and it was extremely difficult to* forco a passage through. Moreover, thrrA were concealed machine-guns in the c-op-o pices on either side of the front of thai wood.

RUMANIA^ GAINS ENEMY FORCED TO EVACUATE NEWLI-WI, I VULKAN PASS I CERMANa AID BULGARIANS j The Rumanians are again masters of ) the Vulkan Pass, the only avenue from! Transylvania where the enemy is not on the defensive. His capture of the pass was reported a few daye ago, and it ap- pears that German troops were employed for this enterprise. From the pass, over 5,000ft. high, they looked down over Wes- tern Rumania and threatened if they were not checked to invade the territory of our Ally. The Bucharest communique, being ot Monday's date, does not mention that the Rumanians are in the pass again, but the German Headquarters fully admits that on Monday night the enemy troops eva- cuated it. The Vienna reports adds the interesting fact that the ivtirement was forced upon them by an extensive en- circling movement by strong Rumanian forces. The Rumanian attacks of the la6t few days on both sides of the pass have also been successful, and our Aiiies have regained the dominating heights which they lost a few days ago. RUMANIAN OFFICIAL. I Bucharest, Monday.—The official com- munique issued to-day says:- Transylvanian front.—North and north- west of the valley of Jiu (i.e., in the neighbourhod of the Vulkan Pass) we re- pulsed several enemy attacks. On the rest of the front patrol engage- m-ants took place.—Reutcr. ENEMY ADMISSIONS. I Vienna, Tuesday.—Austrian official re- port :— The Vulkan and Sunrduk passes were evacuated before a far-extending encir- cling movement by strong Rumanian forces. Near Hermannstadt new battles are de- veloping. Austro-llungarian and German forces are attacking. On the Transyivanian eastern front fighting developed at certain points. To the south of Szekely Udvarhely (where the Rumanians have penetrated 45 miles into Transylvania a Croatian Landwehr bat- talion repulsed several attacks of superior enemy detachments after bitter fighting. —Wireless Press. Berlin, Tuesday.—German official re- port:— In the sector of Hermannstadt (South- ern Transylvania) our troops are engaged in a progressive attack. Rumanian forces captured the frontier heights on both sides of the ridge line be- tween the Szurduk and Vulkan passes. The garrisons of the passes themselves re- pulsed all the enemy attacks, but these garrisons were withdrawn, by order, dur- ing the nigllt.-Wirel-ess Press. GERMANS IN THE ATTACK. Rumanian Army Headquarters, Sept-I tember 24.-The combats in the Jiu Valley (i.e., the Vulkan Pass) have shown that the moral of our troops is good. The counter-attacks on the 22nd rulted in a forward advaj?oe and the capture of eev- eral hundred pr1sonem and eev?n machine guns. In this region the Rumanian troops have been opposed by Germans—"Times" correspondent. ♦ IN THE DOBRUDJA. Bulgarians Still Retreating. Bucharest, Monday .-dn the Dobrudja the Bulgarian right wing has retreated etill further. The enemy continues to fortify his ww positions. In Transylvania the Rumanian troops advance with circumspection, systemati- cally fortifying the positions gained. An effort is being made to straighten and shorten the front. The Ceftsor at Budapest has addressed a circular to the Hungarian journals re- questing them to abstain from comments on the operations in Transylvania. ANOTHER RAID ON BUCHAREST. Bucharest, Monday.—The official eom-i munique issued to-day says:— In the Dobrudja local fighting took plaoEf between detachments. Last night a Zeppelin succeeded ia reaching Bucharest, but was driven off by our gun3. During its journey the airshia dropped threp incendiary bombs, which! causod no ù!:fmaii.-m:mmr. (Aocording to an Exchange nwemgk from Bucharest, a Rumanian communique of the 2,tth inst. stated that the enemy losses in the Dohrurlja up to the 20th i were great. On the front of one division alone 5,000 rifles were picked up. THE ENEMY REPORTS. Berlin, laesday. To-day's German official report say6:— Army Group of Marshal von Macken* sen.—There are no special incidents to ri-A port. An airship and airmen agaia at" tacked Buchare,st.- W ireless Press. Amsterdam, l'ue,sday Yesterday's Bui- garia%communique said:— In tnk Dobrudja our troops advanced on the riglit flank and successfully o<"cupiedi the line Amzaeoa-Perveli. The enemy withdrew northward. On the remainder of this front there was weak artillery and infantry actiNity.-Ecuter. [Amzacea and Perveli lie along a lirt-ei eastward of Enghez and south and south- east of Toprosari.]

CORRESPONDENCE. Letters to the Editor should be brief. the point, and about something. Cor- resi>ondents should send their names ar 1 addresses, Dot necessarily for publication.] KITCHENER SCHOLARSHIPS. To the Editor. Sir,-The Council of the Lord Kitchener Naliona) Memorial Fund have resolved to icun-1 a number of scholarships which will ènabh young Britons destined for a com- mercial career to travel. study, and fain business experience in the countries of the allied nations, viz.. France. Russia. Italy. TLL;in, Belgium. Rumania. Portugal, and Serbia. Tha original purposes of the fund will re- main unchanged. They are these— (1) To Cquip and C'ndow for all time a hora/i for disabled officers (2) To establish a. permanent fund for the purpose of relieving disabled officers and men in their own homes. But the scholarship scheme will supple, ment these personal benefits by a national service of the first order The scholarships wil] be continued front year to year for all time and will be of the annual value of £ 15J each. The scholarships will be for th." sons of deceased and disabled officers 8Till men of the Navy and Army and young men from 13 to 25 years of age who have served with the Forces. Tin; intention is that those elected to bold scholarships should begin their studies al. most immediately. In developing this scheme the Council is being advised by business men acd educa- tionai experts, so that in the end it may bo carried through with the highest degree of efficiency. The Council appeals to all firms and individuals who desire to help in promoting and developing business rela- tions with the allied countries after the war to give this scholarship fund their cor. dial and practical support Contributions should be sent to tht- Lord K'tchener National Memorial Fund. Man- sion House, London. Envelopes to be marked Kitchener Scholarships."—Your»r _n O. 0 WAKEFIELIX Lord Mayor of London.

MESSRS. R. E. JONES, LTD. NEW DEPARTMENT. Clrare-utirie or cold meats of everjl description are the features of the latest enterprise, and what is nicer than a nice cut of beef, pork, etc? Then there will be all sorts of cold dishes prepared by an expert chef from the Carl- ton, Cardiff. Cutlets in aspic, boned chickens and turkeys, to say nothing of Welsh produce and Welsh cream cakes, made with the most delicious cream. Friday next the department will be open, and we forecast a busy day.

A propaganda in favour of the creation of a United Free Church of England will begin in Birmingham on Thursday. The idea is to federate all the Nonconformist bodies except Unitarians, and ultimately to train all Nonconformist ministers in one set of colleges. Export of (Y)ttoiwe(i-, from 'Fqi-nt to other than Allied destinations has been (prohibited.—Reuior.