The Cambria Daily Leader

IN THE MNOR KEY. Great is the ingenuity of German Headquarters. Saturday s com- munique recorded that In the Sonmio region the British have occupied scnne parts of a position full of mud, which we had aban- doned." If every defeat has to he excused in this fashion, clever as are the writers of the enemy reports their stock will soon give out. The apologies for retreats are being quickly exhausted. All criticisms iu Germanv of the reverse at Grand- court, for instance, are based on a serni-otlicial note circulated to the Press announcing that the village had been evacuated several days previously without the English having noticed it." This, the people arc told, was done to avoid unneces- sary losses, and will not have the slightest effect on the strength of the German front. Iii fact, the British successes have been so trilling that it is only due to the conscientiousness of the German Headquarters Staff that they are re- t ported at all. Were the Germans to be tokl the bare truth this morning, the report would run somewhat on these lines: The British gradually forced us into an ugly salient, extremely diffi cult to hold. Positions we had fortified very strongly, fearing oniy v 0 tI' \I t.- frontal attack, had been made un- tenable. It was abandonment or disaster. Accordingly, first Petit Miraumont, and now Serre, have been evacuated. We have burnt our dumps and destroyed our ammu- nition. The withdrawal process is continuing.' .We have- been driven from the Butte de Warleneourt, which last autumn we defended with all our strength. We hope to hold cur new line some miles back." That is a moderate statement of the present situation on the Ancre. Had these successes fallen to Germany, thdl enemy would have filled the world with his voice. We dismiss them in a dozen lines of commu- nique, although Mr. Phillip Gibbs declares to-day that this is the most notable movement which has taken place in the war since the autumn of the first year. The extracts from the German press which reach this country con- vey one strong impression. It is that, despite the hopes engendered by the submarine campaign, the nerves of the people are badly frayed. Xo attempt is being jxiade fra .? d C) to suggest that the initiative can be recovered in France. In responsible quarters there is no talk of a break- through to Paris or the channel ports. There seems to be general recognition of the fact that the Western offensive is definitely checked. A c-hangc this from the language of even a, year ago, when the Kaiser waited for the fall of Verdun! A greater change from the earlier days when the German hosts were to flood Northern France en route to England The utmost that is claimed now is that The West front still remains impregnable." If we were German readers, such a phrase, taken with the apolgies for Grandcourt and the mud-filled posi- tion, would leave us without much hope. The minor key is to be heard in most of the reputable journals. When they look to the East, they see Russia preparing, believing that there are considerable movements of troops going on behind the Eussian front, a preliminary to the coming offensive. The situation in Meso- potamia is distinctly alarming. Ger- man newspapers state that there is no chance of our being able to take Kut, although the seriousness and thoroughness with which the pre- sent expedition has been planned is arousing misgiving. W e may im-1 agine the concern with which every dispatch from the new expedition is being received for in Germany I there is a strong section which, now that dreams of westward are fading, believe that the nation can fulfil its destiny in the East. The establishment of a sphere of economic influence from the Sea. to the Persian Gulf," wrote Professor Herkner, of Berlin, in an authoritative work recently issued, has been for nearly two decades the silent unspoken aim of German foreign policy." British success at Kut would tend to destroy the last, the Eastern hope. There remains the U-boat cam- paign. A large number of semi- official articles have given lurid accounts of its progress. Britain is described as on the verge of starva- tion. 'The Premier's speech will be taken as signal proof of this. But even on this matter there arc Doubling Thomases in Germany. Captain L- Persius, the ablest and best-followed of German naval writers—for Eevcntlow is regarded much as we look upon some scream- ing publicists in this country—has repeatedly warned his readers not to expect too much from the new campaign, urging them to rernenv ber that Britisl^ingenuity may solve the puzzlo Germany has prepared for us. And others among the serious critics are by no means opti- mistic. Britain's power of organi- f sation is feared. The rupture with the United States has also been severely felt. It is said that there was a meeting of the National-Liberal Party in pro- gress on the Saturday when the news of the break arrived. The leader of the party made a speech rejoicing at the new campaign of unrestricted sea warfare. America, he said, would do nothing. In the past, she had always blustered, sent Notes, but nothing mere. Immedi- ately after the speech, a member brought news that diplomatic rela- tions had been broken off. The general tone to-day, we are told, from a well-informed source, is of sorrow rather than anger. Germany would regret wai\ but it would make no material difference to the mili- tary situation and prospects. The military situation as a whole," said Hindenburg to the Chancellor, "per- mits us to accept all consequences which an unrestricted U-boat war may bring about." He must have had America in mind when he said that. It will be seen that in the final event, it is for the British public itself to render. Germany's sea-offensive without effect. It is British self-discipline and for- titue which will destroy the new German ambition to isolate and starve us into surrender. British allotments, and back-gar- dens, British ship-yards, but above all that British doggedness which has often come out in history, are the weapons of successful defence. The Navy, and in its season, the Army, will seo to the rest. The German West front is not impreg- nable There are to be many Grandcoui'ts and mud-fiiled posi- tions for the German apologists to explain away.

I 1 n if i f'> COUNCILLORS A?D I D n B n C C. !O I POLIOS COURT. I A Novel Point. Many correspondents have written us letters commenting upon a licensing case heard at the Swansea Police Court last week, and tlie sequel—the discussion at the Council meeting next day. We cannot, of course, print remarks which are hased simply upon rumours, and personalities must be avoided. But some, -of the letters j raise questions of public policy. One correspondent calls attention to thp *?tict that, when school-attendance cases are heard at the police court, it is not legal (or alternately,' not usual) for a member of the Council to sit -In For tlli, rear-on: the Council, as the Education Authority, are the prosecuting body, and one of the prosecutors has no moral right —and no Ic??l rigltl our correspondent ri (1 1-1,-) OLlr thinks—to sit on the bench during the hearing of the case. And, lie asks, is not this, or ehould not this, bo the rule in licensing cases The prosecutors are, iirstlv, the Police; but they are controlled •by the AVateh Committee, and, although this is all executive body. it is. ill fact, subject to the general Council. The report of the Chief Constable, dealing with licensing and (jtber matters, for instance, is presented to the councillcn. I Therd'o:'l', he argues, it is not fitting that a member of the Council ehould 6it on the bench when cases emanating fron municipal direction are decided. It is the prosecutor hearing and judging his own prosecution. Another correspondent inquires with regard to the rota of magistrates. The custom, we are informed, is this: Justices of ths peace for the borough, for conveni- ence sake, arrange to sit upon certain days. A magistrate may bo a Monday man or a Tuesday man. Sometimes he gives another day. as an alternative, when he !Et',y be called upon to sit if there be need of further magistrajes (nving to non-arrivals upon that particular day. But, generally speaking, there is a rule- unwritten—that magistrates should sit only upon the day for which, they are upon the rota. Wo cannot say how that unwritten law is observed, and should imagine that it is for the magistrates themselves to pretest if it is broken. Lex urges that it is undesirable that one proprietor should hold several licenses. Tho rule should be one man one license. iT.) makes another point. Jn the event of an appeal, the Town Clerk, as Clerk of the Peace, would be appearing by his subordinate as solicitor therein, and later would have to tax tho costs, in one event his own costs, and in the oilier his op- ponent'—an ondesiniblo position for a Town Clerk to be in in either case. <- Lex" aLl) s"c,,ts that any magis- hate wh.) sits on the bnnch upon any day 0ther thrill ..1;at fixed for his attendance by the rota owes to the public, an explana- tion of the civeamstances which led him: to sit at the court. J Another correspondent, thinks that the Preys, when ilic.v give the names of magis- trates present in court, should also indi- cafe there, if any, who do not generally j sit upon Ihovft ue.vs. •

BAD TIME""FOR'"PAPERS. Presiding over the annual meeting Ol: tho Newspaper Press Fund, in Loudon on Saturday, Lord Burnham said ono could not get away from the fact that the cut- ting cornl of the ,ize o," papers meant leaser employment for those who earn their bread by following the profession of I tho pen, and he feared it would i* a hard job for some newspapers to keep going at all during the time of (stress that -was be- fore us. | They had been the bigge&t eufiorcrs; from Government regulations, more than any other trae in the country. It sounded a surprising statement, but ho believed it was literally true. It had been rccognised that newspapers were as much part and parcel of the Im- perial machine for running the war »& 1 any Department of State, new or old, no matter how high-sounding its duties may be. ,Thcy were not going to make them- selves ridiculous by com pbiunci in the ?slre-,t. He did not, think that would do any good. nnd he wAs sure it would not uphold their dignity. They must fake things as they iiud the ill, j

KIDWELLY SPOOK ???tLLB ord?? I SOME CURIOUS STORIES OF II MESSAGES (By AV/STIN). AY hen you are in quest of "it," you should not be frivolous, and yet the heading of my previous article might have suggested to somû that I was then writing in a very light- mood. Fancy T,-i, as an appellation for a .spook. Now, that bit of flightineas must bo attributed to tho Printer's Devil," who (notwithstanding tho intro- duction of type-setting machinery, still hovers around a printing office when the men are not in chapel.") He must hanJ been it in regard to that extra y." Among the curious stories I heard in confirmation and expansion of tho ex- planations given me by Mr. Kippin was one which showed that although the warning of the alleged spook on the ques- tion of vacating the house was not acted upon in ten days, no consequences fol- lowed but then, the warning was only a response to a question put, and the penalty (if any) was not mentioned. And the letter from Mr. J. Arthur Hill, on be- half of Sir Oliver Lodge, indicated that lie does not think that such messages are always reliable. The period fixed has i, gone by. and nothing has happened! On the other hand, communications with regard to distant friends (at the front) were correct, and further develop- ments may yet bo anticipated in that, direction. The sequel does not depend upon the spook, but upon letters of friends. Stories of hidden money, and the possi- bility of search for it, mmt. be taken with a grain of salt, as they do not emanate from the spook or the people in the house. On the table in the middle of the room in which the taps are generally heard is a large family Bible, and, one night, a visitor placed his hand upon it. "It" was asked if it could see the gentle- man. Three knocks came for yes. AVhat has lie got in his hand was next asked, and the answer was A ring, but when further pressed about a book, the spirit, or whatever it is, replied, The Holy Scriptures. On another occasion a new book on psychical subjects was held in the hand, and the presence gave the title of the bock correctly. The stories are cited in support of tho theory that "it" can not only hear what is said in tho room, but see who ar.d what is there. Now. do not let us have any mistake about tho character of these responses. They were not spoken in words. The spook's voice was not heard. The words were soelt out bv the code referred to in Mr. Ilill's letter." The person who asked the question would S: A," B," C," and follow on with tho alphabet until ho or she came to the right end proper one, when a tap from it would step the querist goilw any further. And if nn enthusiastic in- vestigator proceeded with the alphabet too far, tho spook would give several raps, o~* thumps, or dull t:lnds-oÙdon't know esae-tly how to describe them and you don't kruIV where they come from, whether from floor or ceiling or wn lIs or furniture. When you have fixed one letter you begin on the alphabet again and go on until you get the second, and so on. The story of the spoken voice is a separate cno. When the ladv medium from Penrhiwceiber got into "control" of "it," some of the seekers after truth thought they might get her to elicit re- plies in good English br sorand Welsh—in spoken words, so IW. they might hear tho voice. The lady, however, explained that someone on a higher plane in the spirit world might be able to draw out the bat she could not. Now, as this is a story which has led to seMgest]on. "anie-ng the gosripa, of money transactions, it may be well to give the version of the ircident which was related to me bv Mr. Riopin and absolutely con- firmed by r) gentleman who holds nn im- pM;1,J rffir-lei position in Kidwelly. The lady medium said that she knew of a frignd who could probably do what was asked, but. as she y.-as a profe:õsicna1. It would cost abort L, to get her to come Shl did not advise getting her (as has been •suggested' but in the neculiar in- tonation and Mahatma "—like phrasing if one in a trance ?h" denned her own limitations and cemingl.v Uw k)T:I' 'fray out of the diSculiy, if suck a solution was out of tlic? sticis a soltit,o,,i I Nobody proposed spending .-er) on the quest in that direction, and the matter dropped. The quaint sto-r v of the cigarettes, take it any wav you like, is a decidedly funny one, but-it requires telHng carefully, as there are at least two versions of it. A well-known local man of business sug- gested that the "-spook" might be asked if it remembered him giving it," in its lifetime on earth, a box cf 50 cigarettes. Mr. Rippin put the question, and the reply was No." The ;píy¡t." at tfhat ever "if" is. remembered tho gentleman very well, and could see him there, but it had not had. 50 cigarettes from him—nor any cigarettes at all, in fact. Na amount of pressure would get an ad mission from it," and at last Mr. Hip- pen gave up the attempt. Someone else in the room tried, and, after some fencing as to not remembering, the spirit ad- miffed having had a parcel or packet, 'and it then mis-spelt the word cigar- ettes, fixing the number the packet con- tained at 50. Mr. Rippin was very emphatic, in con- versation .with me, that he had not elicited that reply. It was brought out by another investigator, and as the gc-,I,(Ielllan who had desired the question to be put afterwards declared it was not true, us he had never given the original of the supposed spirit any cigarettes in his life, the incident has caused tiOBie un- pleasantness in the little circle of in- quirers, and investigators, owing mainly to the story having gone out in a form which seemed to suggest that Mr. Rippin got the spirit to tell a fib under pressure. But he did not. And the answer to the success of such transparent traps, no doubt, would be the fnine as that of Mr. J. Arthur Hill (on the house vacating LJ I do not think such messages arc always reliable." These stories, from grave to gay, from lively to serene, might be multiplied galore, but 1 think sufficient has been given to illustrate the character of tho proceedings of spool; aud people at the Kidwelly haunted house." No solution of th3 mystery has yet been founU, and tho readiness and five- with which those who have been present as watchers discuss it" and its rapping have helped to make the Kid- welly ghost ot household word in the town and for many, many miles around. Not only have as inany as 17 people been keenly watching together iu one room, but email parties have sounded walls, floors, and ceilings, visited the children's bedrooms, and sometime? thought (wrongly, as it turned out) that they bad cli"c-Dyere-d how the mystery was worked, but silent sentries, posted outside the house, in the gasworks yard, kept watch and ward. at the same time, lest confederates might be operating in the open air or from secret hidden places However, there were no discoveries. There, for the present, I conclude my j plain, unvarnished tale of the quest for it" at Kidwelly. If there are further developments there may bo something more to say—later on. t

14 ,THE LAND OF THE I Former Gower Scoutmaster's I Experiences. Mrs. Gordon Lennox, a Cower lady, I writing from London, sends us several letters she has received from Sergt. Wil- liams, who is with the Fxpeditionary J Force in Egypt.' Sergt. Williams," sho remarks, is a clever fellow, and was my assistant scoutmaster for a time. He was before the war a blacksmith, and is re- lated to the Walters family, well-known smiths all over Gower." First of all, :ergt-, Williams was im- pressed by the mules. He says:—" There has been plenty of sport on this job. The mules had never been put in harness before, so you can imagine the lively time we had until they were broken in properly. There is a fine pontoon, which we have to cross every day with a convoy of wagons and a tpam of six mules in each wagon. By jove! the sergeant in command of the bridge nearly has a fit every day when he espies the transport c-oniiiig-lii, ha !—lie- cause he anticipates some little repair afterwards. LAND OF MYSTERY. But the Sergeant i-: rot insensible tG deeper emotions, for he goes -on-" Tlii.- expedition to Egypt has been a wonderful experience for most of us fellows. who would never have thought to set foot in this land of mystery? The natifes are very interesting. There are thousands of Soudanese here as well as Egyptians, en- rolled for service in the different camel eorps. Th<,y work very well as long as i someone looks after them. I wi., i ri CGllunalld of a gang of them a few months ago, working at a rail-head, and I had, it) turn to aud learn some Arabic. I was drumming very strong English into them' They nearly drove me frantic, for there is no time to lose on a job of this kind; traffic must he kept going at all costs. However, before the end I had become master of enough Arabic to tell them to get a move on!" A week later the letter is continued. He proudly refers to the fact that his regiment has distinguished itself, and that h? colonel has been decorated. "AYe have made this country the land o? backsheesh and water melons. Ithi'?k?i we ought to add mosquitos. for these bally i things are here in swarms." 1 ZEPP RAIDS ON ENGLAND. j Ho no-tcs with satisfaction that ZeppS haVo been brought down Gn English soil, and hopes to hear of Walter" bringing one down before long. It would be an honour to record on the colours of tho 1st Llanmadoc Scouts. Now that £ hey are scouting in deadly earnest many things taught to the Boy Scouts have been of great use to him. 1-10 hopes all will come through during tho griiii stru,s-gle." Alluding to Raemaeker's cartoons, he observes: It would do the eyes of many artists good to see the beautiful tints in the skies of Bgypi: at dawn and dusk. It is absolutely great, and the date palms look so nice with their drooping foliage right at the tcp of long, slender trunks. It docs make a lovely picture." HOPES OF A FIGHT NOT REALISED. In another letter, Sergt. Williams tens of how their hopes for a fight with tha Senussi were knocked over by the flight of their enemies, and about their march to a wonderful oasis. Wo had to march v- ith ful7 equipment through miles of sand dunes to the oasis. 011. dear me! that was an ainful stunt indeed. We left the last blockhouse at 8 o'clock on ft AYednesday morning and marched on, haiU ing for a rest every hour. A spell was verj welcome after an hour's prodding tlirdigh the so beastly sac's. The disianco wo had to ;< n.e w«s 10 Now we went through some magnificent scenery. There must have been a tremendous volcano raging in this region at some ancient date. We marched between hills of all sizes and shapes and rocks of all descriptions. Soluo were rising like a column to a tremendous height, and others worn by time. Most. or us could scarcely believe that these beautiful forms were naturc-'i own handiwork." OASIS IN THE DESERT. The oasis was totally different frow what they had expected. It was down in a hollow, surrounded by great cliffs, aud there were only three ways of getting into it. These were called the Three Gates. Nearly all kinds of fruit grow in the oasis—oranges, limes, dates, etc. It was a strange thing to see this green pasture among1 those sand hills. The poor natives had been badly treated by the Senussi, who had plundered the vil- lagers ef everything, even their clothing. Tho Seuussi took nearly all the healthy men and women away. There are severa l large villages on the oasis, which seem to have been in a flourishing stato niany years ago. Thero is iia ancient caravan route leading from hero right across the desert to the Nile. It is known as tho Ruby Path," lie- cause of the red stones strewn along the road. These people must have been tremendously plucky to undertake such ardous journeys in the old days across the desert, subject as they have always been to periodical rèl's from the rascaHy Senussi hordes. Anyway, the Senussi will not worry them again for some time. Their reign of terror will soon be brought to a close."

TRADE OF THE PORT. General Absence of Activity. Swansea, Monday.—A still lower point was reached in the trade of the port last week, and compared with the preceding week there is a decrease of 16,000 tons, and also a large loss as against the cor- responding periad last year. There was an absence of activity in every depart- ment. The import trade fell away. the coal and fuel exports were quite 50 per cent. below normal figures, and the quan- tity of tinplates, etc.. shipped was in- significant. Shipments of coal and..vatent furl were 41,30(5 tons. Imports include-France, 358 tons pit- wood, 1,630 tons iron ore, 200 tons sand, and 5r. tons general; Spain, 2,557 tons iron ore and 100 tons oranges. Imports 9,579 tons; exports, 45,337 tons: and total trade, 51,01(5 tons; compared with 70,888 tons tha preceding week, and tons the cor- responding week last year. Shipments of eoal, 32,7-16 tons; patent fuel. 8.5<!0 tons; and tinplates and general goods, 4.031 tons. Shipments of tinplates, 13,116 ^oxes, and receipts from works 31,011 1- s; stocks in the dock warehouses v 226.093 boxes, compared wiM the preceding week. at this date last ye:

1 TORESTFACH ALLu 1ENTS. .S-, -FAC-H A public inciting *vas held under tlla auspices of the Fforestfach Allotment Society. Councillor Tom Hopkins pre- sided. After discussion it was decided that the land at Ravenhill, let by Messrs. Glasbroftk Bros., should lie ft apart for tha lower etfd of the village, ^al Tucker's Field for those in the other/eection. It was pointed cut that potatoes could ordered through tlia Parish Council olerk. Mr. W. IJevan, Tregernydd, gave an ad. dress upon the various steps that huld I-,g taken by holders in order to obtain thE best results.

Since July 1 the War Pensions Statutory Committee have to octij committees for supplementary pensions, allowances, and fJthcr iir;.tiits.