The Cambria Daily Leader

t The "LEADER" I Guaranteed Largest Circulation m South. West Walu.

_4_- -u.. GREAT FLANDERS VICTORV.1 —— Belgians at the Gates of Bruges FRENCHMG^12^00Q HUNS Ostend's Enthusiastic Welcome 1 PAIUS, Friday. The hour of Belgium's deliverance has struck, says Commenta- tor He points out that the advance is one of 12i miles on a front of I 50 miles-from the sea to Doua-i. The fall of Lille and Douai was j brought about by a two-fold simultaneous advance to the north of the Lys and to the south of the Senses—a Vast iiianoetivi-e conceived ill I masterly fashion and executed with perfect efficiency by the British forces, liberating the Prefecture of the north without a frontal attack. Lille, occupied since October 9tij, 1914, does not seem bo have suf- fered since the German bombardment before their entry at that date. Douai has suffered more at the hands of the Germans, who set it lU fire on the very day they addressed, their Note to. Wilson appealing for I an armistice. The whole of the great Lille—Douai salient is now freed. v Commentator adds that the capture of Zeebrugge may be ex- pected immediately. TO-DAY'S BRITISH OFFICIAL. I France, Friday, 10.26 a.m. The number of prisoners reported in our operations yesterday on the front between Bohain and Lie Cateau, now exceeds 4,000, We have also captured a number of guns. Further north, our advance continues along the whole front be- tween the Seneee Kiver and the Lys. Our troops have crossed the canal on a. wide front north of Cam-! brai, and are astride the Douai-Demai road, .4 miles sout'h.esst of Douai, and have captured a number of villages north-east of Lille-, and are within a mile of Tourcing. LAST NIGHT'S FRENCH OFFICIAL. PARIS, Thursday Tsight (Received Friday). French troops, operating in collabora- tion with Anglo-Belgian forces, having during the past few dayr, taken part in the magnificent advance made on the ^landere front, and taken Hooglede, Bottlers, Ldtchtervelde, and numerous vil- lages, to-day captured Pitthem, Moule- feeke, and Winghem, in spite of the ,trong r**i«tai\eft of the enemy. In the region, of the Oivse, our troops carried out all day lively attacks between the Forest of Anligny and the river. We made notable gains, took by sheer fight- ing Petit Verly and March Avenue, and leached the northern outskirts of Grougis and Aisouville, as well a6 the ap- proaches to Hauteville. On the left of the Oise we captured I Mont Dorigny. Twelve thousand prisoners havt already been counted. Between the Aisne and the Aire fight- ing took place west of Grandpre, where the German* counter-attacked violently. In this region our troops made fresh I progress. On the left, the line Petit Verly- (-'rotigis-Aisoii,iUe was .ranched, thie; afternoon. At Grougis the ..statin oi Vadencourt, OIl the Laon—Yassigny— Hirson line, is bare4- two mile& from our- front. On the left bank of the Oise the Origuy bridgehead hus been enlarged, and the Mont d'Origuy captured. The Germans are resisting in strong force and with great tenacity ou the whole I front of attack. TO-DAY'S WAR STORY. I In a mass of unofficial news, many of the messages over-lapping, tho following points stand out:— It iI8 understood that Blankenberghe (near Zeebrugge), has been occupied <Keufcer). News of the capture of Zeebrugge may be expected in a few hours (Marcel iiutin). The latest from Belgian Headquarters I .-implies that Bruges has been re-occupied. (Router). f The road to Ghent is open, and the w hçle of Bupprecht's army is in lull re- treat. Allied forces art- flattening otit along the whole line from the Scarpe to the sea. Big eapt:ir<rs tfetween Bruges and the vpck arc not likely, as the enemy removed everything possible. WHOLE COAST REGION FREE. It is expected that the whole of the Belgian coast will be free to-day. To the south, we are not far from Thiclt. TouTCoing is exacted to fall at any moment; Kouhaix will probably fol- low. Yesterday's captures hy the British in the Le Cateau front attack total <1,500. if rich material was also taken. AT OSTEND AND LILLE. Dealing with the capture of Ostend. a Paris correspondent says British a.nd French vessels were on guard off the r aoast. The troops advancing from the south and along the beach occupied the town without striking a blow. The Tir- pitz battery wat captured, with an enor- mous quantity of amteriaL The King and Queen of the Belgians, who arriver on a British destroyer, and I Admiral Ronarch. were reived by the Burgomaster. Great enthusiasm pre- vftitf. The town is decorated. £10.000.000 LEVY. Tlie Mayor of Lille welcomed the I Bri- tish amidst intense enthusiasm, lie de- clares the Germans behaved like brntes. They levied from the town a contribution I nf 25[1,000,0110 francs (about £ 10,000,000). Buildings were pillaged and citizens im- prisoned on trivial charges. The indus- trial quarter is in absolute ruin. Food prtcep reached fantastic heights. Dealing with the I..e Cateau—Oise battle, the Frees" Association correspon- dent. with. th French Army says the Anglo-French are advancing on the rail- way that ooiinects the enemy's front be- tween tlie Akne and Reihel with the great J junction of Ilirson, and thence with Ger- many. The attack is along the watershed I dividing the Oise and the Sambre val-, leys, I Tremendous Urge are observed in the direetiqji of Bruge*. They are said to be spreading. .f' ¡: ATHWART LINE OF RE TMAT. The Press Associatio-n correspondent. cays the Germans were still fighting renr- yUard actions last night on the Coiirtrai- AHyeke-Gucrne line, heavily shelled by cur batteries. Eiaewherfc the retreat con- tinues, and the Allied troops are advanc- ing against., little or no opposition. This morning the Second Army was advancing on the line north and south ef I Courtrai. Southwards the Fifth Army j pushes on c-mot of Lille. The present line is approximately Osticourt—Fosse—•Thvi- j merjen — W?aenief—La — P<uv?Ir<?— !i¡ntiJI Soort—Han—Bendeville—west ?i 'iotukin, to Lille. Yc?h rd.iy'? attack h? the Fourth Anny vms completely successful, and swung oorHinj. on a front of about nine mile- to a, düpth varying from 11 to through strongly-defended positions, 'in a direction which is directly athwart the main German retreat..More than 3,000 prisoners were counted itp to sunset. Wo are well past Douai. LAST NIGHT'S REPORTS. Last night's official communiques give tlie following netvs:— British.-The Le Cateau attack .was on a front of nine mites, and U.S. troops co- oiAj-ated. Strong opposition was met. On the 'tight, with French co-operation, an advance of two miles was realised east of Bohain. Further north the line of the Selle river wa4, secured. La Ville Mulatric 6:1(1 Labri de Guise was taken. The east- ern portion of Le Cateau was cleared, and ive are established on the railway line bo- y,nd. Seven German divisions opposed ns. Douai was entered. In Flanders our advance continued on h front of 30 miles to a depth of 12! miles. Belgian cavalry is reported in Ingelmun- erer, and at the gates of Bruges. Belgian.—German retreat continuing on the whole of the Flanders front. The Yser crossed, and the enemy pursued. towns were renortd takD, The Americans were also in the picture, end claimed 1,000 prisoners in the Grand-, prelector. j BELGIAN KING AT OSTEND. PARIS, Friday. The King and Queen of the Belgians ar- rived in Ostend on yesterday afternoon on I a British destroyer, flying .Belgian, French and British colours. There, was gr?at jubilations in the town, when the Royal couple's coming was I streets were immediately decorated. It is believed that the enemy is des- tr.jing big batteries, which he found it impossible to move, west of Ostend.:—Ex- change Special. -— )

IBURIL OF SWANSEA LAPY. » The remains of the late Miss Amy Gwendoline Parker (daughter of the late Mr. Fr-2d S. Parker) were laid to rest in the family vualt at Cockett Chtlichyard on Thursday, the cortege leaving the re- sidence in Eaton-crescent at 11 o'clock. The mourners were Mr. Fred S. Parker (brother), Messrs. J. Stanley Harvey, Er- nest G. Davies, H. Macdonnell, Fred Bradford, Frank Gage. George Jones. J. Saunders, George W. Thomas. Reg. Hul- lev, and John Williams. The Rev. Father Egei ton officiated. A, very large number oc floral tributes was eont by relatives I and friends. The funeral arrangements were carried out by Messrs. Ben Evans and Co., Ltd.

GERMAN fLEET. I Admiral Beatty's Anti-I cipation I In the War Notes" in the" British Weekly of yesterday appears the follow- iiig:- A trustworthy correspondent, who had an interview with Sir David Betty a few days ago, asked the gallant Admiral if he antidllated the coming out of the German Fleet. Admiral Bealty imme- diately replied: 'I certainly do. They will have to do so/

SMYRNA'S SURRENDER. Athens (received ,hiday).-The pleni- p 't'?Jttai-k? of Rahmi Bey arrived to-day at Aihcn? with the {)hjd of engaging in I pourparlers for the suifender Qt Smyrna. —Exchange Special.

THE TOWN'S HOLIDAY. I It ii? not expected that the proposed holiday to commemorate the borough ex- tension will be held on Saturday, -Nov. fth. The Atayor (Aid. Ben J»ne<;) told a Leader man to-day that no definite datil had yet been fixed.

ALLENBY TO ZIONISTS. I In reply to a message of congratulation sent by Dr. Eder, on behalf ot the. Zionist Commission, General A1 [enby stated:— To you and the whole population of Palestine I offer my sincere thanks for your welcome congratulation. 1 and the Army under my command, feel proud to have been instrumental in freeing your land from oppression."

T.O.MORROWS FLAG DAY. There is another flag day in Swansea to-morrow, this time for the women's sec- tion of the Discharged Sailors' and Sol- diers' Federation. The olhcers of the sec- tion are :Presideut, Lady Lyons; chair- man, Mrs. Watkin Williams; treasurer, Mrs. C. T. Ruthen; secretary, Mix- Hol- land. The ward stewards -are: Ffynone, Mrs. Button; St. Helen's, Mrs. Robert- eon and Mrs. Hemmings; Victoria. Mrs. Jarvis Jones; Castle, Mrs. ,Bowley Evans and Mrs. Cowley; Alexandra, Mrs. John Lewis; East Side, Mrs. Cu-nniff; St John's, Mrs. Ivor Thomas; Landore, MrE. Dodd; Brynhyfryd, Mrs. Hannah Hughes and Mrs. Blackmore; Brynmelyn, Mrs. Turner, to whom the members should go for flags. |

FOR THE RED CROSS. Local Butchers' Splendid Effort.; On Monday last a Red Cross.Sale, was held in the Market, Oxford-street, Swan- ss- tho- oirtconi'i of the efforts put forth By flie ?»htchers of Swansea and District on behalf of the Meat and Allied Trades Red Cross-appeal. Mr. Jame-s Webborn o[>ened the sale. The tirst item that came under the hammer was a Treasury Note autographed by the Pmne Mi?iGt?r. which 'TMli;-? 4--V 26 ICs. Od. Mr. J. Barron Pascoc and Mr. Bat email had a busy time, bidding became brisk as time went on, and every- body was in happy mood. Mr. J. II. Bateman and Mr. Paseoe did yeoman sen-ice as auctioneers, and Mr. Wm, James used the pony cleverly to swell the funds. This effort will, bo carried on until the goul is realised, and if any more wish to subscribe, every butcher in the district has a collecting book, and •vi!l be glad to receive donations.. The butchers are out to get zt,i.000 for the Red Crost. The first thing sold by Air. James was a pony presented by Mr. Alec Puddicombe. The. auctioneer quickly raised the wind. and bids were made fast, and a record price was established. After having been bought and given back 47 times, the pony realised J".O. -Afr. J. Mabe finally eeenred the pony for JC30, thus bringing the total to ,t320. The total realised for the day was ,£i!d9 PH- _n

SIR ALFRED MOND i TRANSACTIONS AUTHORISED BY BOARD f TRADE • £ With regard to hc appli. cation made! on Thursday moru'feg at JSow-street, by Mr. Percival Smithy Later in the..flay the Magistrate, announced that he had carefully read aaid considered the statements contained in the doc-aments w hi hud been laid before him by Jlr. Smitlf, and as a result he could not see his vjay to granting either a warrant or a ./summons against Sir Alfred Mond. Mr. Peroival Sth asked if Mr. Gar- rett would like him to emphasise any point in the dooume'nts. The Magistrate answered in the nega- tive, and stated th;»t he had read them through verv oarcfvJly. It may be recalled that at a meeting held at Cannon-stro^- Hotel, Mr. Percival; Smith 6tatedthat, iviili the facts as to names and dates w ich he had gathered at Somerset House 'm went to Sir Charle.s I Mathews, the I'tibii- Prosecutor. Inquiry and correspondenc'v followed, and Sir Charles Muthe/vvs w. rte on September 25: The real facts, ;16 I have discovered them to be, are that the registration of the shareholders of the original Mond Nickel Company (Limited) residing in enemy countries, as members of the new company, for the shares to which they were entitled under the reconstruction, was authorised by the Board of Trade, subject to the making of the proper returns to the Public Trustee—i*n obligation which ihey fulfilled. Mr. Smith corresponded furthw, but Sir Charles Mathews wrote that he "could see no uselul purpose" in cou- tinuiilg the correspondence. Mr. Smith also* iu.>.ile charges regarding I,Qi,d Northeliire allJ the" Times," and that journal replied that the interest of three ladies with (erinan names, as of other Preferenoe. shareholders, is limited by the receipt of their fixed dividend, which in their case has not, of course, been paid to them since the out- break of war." As Mr. D. Owen Erans, secretary of the Mond Nickel Co. (ltd.), has written to the Press, that company occupies exactly the same position as the .Times in this respect. Xo communication whatever has been made with shareholders residing in enemy countries, no letters of allotment or certifi en tes were either prepared or sent, and all diyi.dends due on such shares have been paid to the Pv.blic Trustee. There are 17 such shareholders with a total hold- ing of a little over 1 p<?r cent, of the issued capital of the conil);.iiy-

POSTS FOR SOLDIERS. Sir Alfred- MoncS's Position. I A Lüdun correspondent writes: I With reference the discutrsion at Xeatli Guardians on the subject of Sir Alfred Jlond's aliegi d interference m the appointment of a registrar of births and deaths at Aberavoji. I understand that Sir Alfred simply brought for the COll- sideration of the Registrar-General, with whom he thought the appointment rested, the name of a soldier who was returning home from abroad. It is a daily occur- rence. for mpmb?rs of? ParliamenWo have such appHcat.iojM. Of course Sir Alfred did not ask that theappouitmfn!: should )? given the applicant, hut merely that his name should be considered among lii?,i narae rll(,tild 1)0t-,?)iisidered among The Western Mail ?ays: Inquiries made by a member of the "Western Mail" London staff oh Thursday showed that what Sir Alfred did was to write to the Registrar-General mentioning a certain officer, and adding that if tho appoint- c- i fi c,,r, an d i,(I(l Iiig i,-Iiat i istrar-C,'cnerat ment remains with the Registrar-Genera! he would be very glad if this name could be considered. This was on October 8. On hearing that the appointment did not rest with the Registrar-General, he at once wrote, saying that he did not wish to interfere with the judgment of the local authorities.

'M THE FLANDERS BATTLE AREA. I

PEACE FEELING, I I Pan-Germans Unlikely to Yield Yet. i TURKEY AND AUSTRIA.! I Hungary's Independence! I' Up to mid-day no news had been re- ceived in official quarters of any German reply to President Wilson's last Note; nor had any authentic information in regard to the actual position in Germany been allowed to reach neutral countries. Opinion -us divided upon the reasons for this lack of information. There ap- I pears to have been disturbances in Berlin J and in various other parts of Germany, but there is nothing to show that these [ disturbances have affected the attitude of the German Government. In the best- informed quarters it is thought unlikely I that the Pan-German and military parties will yield without a struggle now that it I has become clear that President Wikon i6 not to be duped. On the other hand, a growing section of the German public desires peace on al- most any conditions, and its desire is' stimulated daily by the news from the front. The only certain element in the situation is the military position of tlie I Allied and American forces, which be- comes more favourable day by day. j GERMAN REVOLUTION NO HELP. A neutral diplomat with whom I have discussed the possibilities of a revolution in Germany (says a London letter writer) declares that it is a mistake to tliiiik that the majority of the populace are in love with the Junkers—they are not, but they are overawed by them. Once, how- ever, the floodgates are opened in the wall of discipline which has encircled the people for years, a tremendous revolt may follow, but we must not think that a revolution in Germany would necessarily end the struggle. The Germa.n nation is quite capabl e of disposing the Kaiser and t-fill fighting desperately for the Father- land." POSITION OF TURKEY. I In regard to the Turkish request for an armistice no furtjier developments have occurred. General Allenby's forces are pushing forward rapidly in Syria and are I rendering the position of Turkey all the more precarious. The composition pf the new Turkish Cabinet contains, however, no guarantee that Young Turkish influ- ences have been definitely disposed of. The presence of Sethi Bey, the former I Secretary of the Committee of Union and Progress, and of Djavid Bey, the pro-Ger- man Finance Minister, eefms to indicate u spirit of compromise between the friends and enemies of Talnat and I/A^f'f,, It is tioff of xiaval forces controlled by thejGer- j THans before Constantinople, has for the moment overawed the partisans of a rapid capitulation. I IN AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. Reports from Aus"ia-fTtjjigary reveal the utmost confusion in the counsels of rhe IlapsbUig authorities. A Czechø- Slovak Republic is said to have been pro- • [aimed at Prague; while disturbances have occurred in other parte of Bohemia, j the tendency already noticeable in ffungary to proclaim Hungary an inde- pendent State is believed to be gaining ground. I DUKE OF CONNAUGHT NAMED. A Vienna telegram (via Amsterdam) ay-t the givat majority of Bohemian levities are in favour of a monarchy, i»,rl wish to make either Prince Max von Ichenbers: or the Duke of Connaught kinz, WHA1 REPLY WILL BE. Toe Hague correspondent of the Times expressed the opinion that the German reply to Wilson's Note will con- tain a certain sharpness." HUNGARY'S INDEPENDENCE. J According to one message, the Hun- garian Government has definitely de- clared its independence. Austria and Hungary have been united since "1526. The dual monarchy dates from 1887. DESTRUCTION TO CEASE. I Amsterdam, Thursday.—The IVieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant" issues the foil- lowing bulletin:—The German Pross will this evening publish the following com- munique: The German Army Command has brought military measures into ac- cord \ith steps taken for the conclusion of peace. The German Armies have re- ceived orders to ceaee all devastation of places unless absolutely forced to follow' this course by the military Situation for dckfens-ive reasons. It is nevertheless to be, expected that in the gradual retreat property will bo lost which is irreplace- able by money, that is to say, in so far I as ?uch devastation is inherent in the con- duc< of war ?ta?lf, and cia,lly in th(? bombardment of German positions by r enemy artillery."—Press Association War I j Special.

THE WAR IN SYRIA. i i Turks Concentrating South of Aleppo. II The Turks in Syria are concentrating a few miles south of Aleppo, and it is not considered that they will offer any resis- tance beifore this point is reached by the Allies. They number ahont 12,000, and are under the command of General Liman von Sanders. In Mesopotamia General Marshall extending the railway north of Tekrit towards Mosul. In Transcaspia our columns, mareliing eastward, have occu- pied Dushak, 110 miles east of Askabad.

TOURCOING• AND ROUBAIX. PARIS, Friday. ¡ Commandant "B. the Exchange- Tele- graph Company's military correspondent, I plates that the capture of Tourcoing and Roubaix may be regarded an accom- plished fact at the present moment.

PRAISE FOR ITALIANS. I ROME, Friday. ) General Mangin. in a telegram to the Italian Minister of War, praises the valour of Italian Army, and adds: The Italian flag is being proudly carried for- ward oriuithe French front by General j Albricoi^and I am glad lo have him .r.ujer my OHI1.Pmanll..

Zeebrugge in Flames. I A correspondent Zelt- bilnge is in ft*anci.. Heavy explosions arc hftard. It is supped the enemy ie blowing up hisAn-mps and aerial ■shtvi-—Reufcar. TO-DAY'S FRENCH OFFICIAL. On the t-igtt bank of the Oise the enemy confined himself to reacting vLolpBtly w'ittt hia artillery. Between • the Oiae and the Per re our prefigure of the past few clays compelled the <unemy to begin a withdrawal. De- bouching from Oheigny the close of the night our troops turned t'be Gerlnan rearguard and occupied Angni!eooft. To the weet of Grand- pre the fjgihtinjr. continued with ex- treme bitterness, and coaitinnes this mnrinftg to the VonzIerGB line. We have cremed the Aiene in fhie region. INCREASED ALLOWANCES. Mr. Somvr Law in Parliamentary papei's to-dart- £ a?s the War Cabinet has apprbved of increased separation allowances, etc., involving total ex- penditure of- £ 16,265,009. Flat rate to wives remairfg at present figure. If childless wife unable to work addition of 6s. 6d. per week. Whè one child under 14, weekly rate increased by 13:; 2s- if fwo undor 1f; 4tt. if three children, with icrcrfimste of t.s. for ntth and each 811l sequent child. Orphans, irt a hoine: iurew of Is.; fat rate allowance Af Stf. a week payable to parents of un- married. igi-tl"f;. Mat be some delay k* ii> fiwt payment?. { NEWMARKET MEETING. Eefeting: 5 to 4 on PoIy«oOpe. COMMERCE OF THE DAY. BUTTEB MARKET. Cork Friday T-i'irtts 236s.; condf\ 2228.; fresh butter, 241s.. _-0-

U-BOATS CALLED HOME? Our I /cndon correspondent telegraphs:— An nncontirmed report is to hand from Holland to-night to the effect that, all U- hoah; have been ordered to their leases. Mr. Macnamara told Parliament that a submarine openen] fire on September 15 at long range on' St. Kilda, damaging the church and other buildings.

THE SWANSEA ELECTIONS. Colonel Dyson Williams i& to contest the St Thomas Ward. We are informed that Mr. Jolm Bryn Edwards (son of Mr. W. H. Edwards. •J.P.),. is. a ..definite candidate for the Mor- riston Ward on November 1st. Hi", stand wiU be non-party 11(1 non-denominational. The Rev. I).- Eiddig Jones, Ciydach (pastor of Hebron» has dpfiilitelydecided to a for Clase Ward of the Greater Swan.se,! C01.mcil.

BRITISH INDUSTRIES. Tour of Commercial Greek Delenates. I With a view.of getting greater interest J taken in British trade and industries in the Balkan States, a number ot Greek 1 gentlemen. have been visiting various in- dtwtrial centres of Great Britain, and they 'are-.nsrw in Wales, and will visit some of the big manufactories in Swansea and di?»t!;jctr to-d^y (Friday) and on Saturday.They will on Friday visit the works of the l'oit Talbot t'teel Co., Ltd., at 2 o'elo<, k, *Finri will o-ul>se<jiH'!itl.v be entertained at. luncheon at thp wotk: ,h.y Col. f. R. Wright. Afterward s they motfu to Neath, and inspect the Me.l.vn Tinpliite Co.'s works, the works of the Neath Steel Plate and Galvanising Co., and t heTwe proceed hr motor cars to Swansea, where they will he; entertained to dinner at 7.30 at the Metropole AT SWANSEA WORKS. On Saturday morning the delegation will visit Messrs. Vivian and Copper Works, the-Welsh Tinplate and Metal Stamping Co., Ltd.. alter which they wiN. return to and attend a luncheoA given hy Mr. F. Gilbertson at the. Hotel Metropole. at 1.30, and leave Swansea for Bristol at 5 o'clock. The Greek com- mercial. delegates are as follow: Mon6. H. E. Michala.poulos, Minister of Agricul- ture; L. "E.. Etnbiricos, ex-Minister of Supply; A. Sknntzopoufos,.Industrial In- spector of the Greek Ministry of National Economy; B. Zamanos, member of Parlia- ment; L. OeeoiAmndes, J. Dainala, Finance and Banking; A. Tsitis, C. Mali- kopoulos, and M., Kazates; attached to the delegates are Messrs. A. T. Waugh, his Britannic Majesty's Commercial Attache at Athens; Guy. locock, C.M.G., Depart- ment of Overseas Trade; E. C. D. Rawlins (lately tOI. 's Consul for Crete), and Lieut. Lambros, R.N.-V.R. Officials! of the Federation of British Industries attached to the tour: Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Dundas of Dundas. K.C.M.G., Mr. Edmund L. Hill. M.I.Mech.E., M.I.E.E.. Mr. if. W. Babington-Browne, and Mr. W: Hill.

q Fred Rickaliv. Hie well-known jockey, has died of r.-iuuils. I

TO-DAY'S NEWS IN BRIEF -cpl. Owens, 24. Yadoo-street, Swan sea, sas won the Military Medal. At the Munitions Court at Swansea en* Thursday, two men, charged with being under the inlluence of drink at a Can' trolled e.s:ta hid shmellt, were each fined idi. Dr. Lloyd, )1.0.H. to the Uandilo U.D. Council, has been presented with an illuminated address and cheque on the oc- easion of his marriage. At Goreeinon Corpl. Jack Vaughan, j Penllergaer, was presented by Mrs. B Jenkins, on Iwlialf of Libamw Church, with a dressing-cage. Mr. Edward Hughes presided. At Llwynhendy eisteddfod the female ) champion contralto solo prizes were won by Miss flattie Davies, Three Crosses. The adjudicators prophesied far greater triumphs for her in the iieur future. Mr. Rees Griffiths. Primrose Cottage, Yniomeudw., who captured the timt prizes at the Bath and West of Ejiglanci and Welsh National allows in Swansea, has just invented a rope cappel which will undoubtedly piove of great, advantage in connecting ropes of any description. R Messrs. leuan Hopkin, Penyrhock, and B. 1 rederic Th?D?as, 72, High-street. chairman and secretary respectively of thp Llandovery branch of Ute National Federation oi Discharged Sailors aud .Soldiere, have been nominated to repre- sent that body on the local War Pensions Committee.

WELSH UNIVERSITY SEAT. Mr. J. Herbert Lewis is resigning the Flintshire seat in the Commons, and is prepared, it it understood, to accept the invitation to stand for the new seat for the University of Wales.

A DANGEROUS PRACTICE. Annie May Dennis (18), summoned at Swansea Police Court, admitted having stepped on to a passenger train while it w in motion at Swansea, and was fined] 0&. ir. Rupert Lewis, who prosecuted for the If. W.R. Co., t«ud there had quite re- centb bn accidents. One girl had lost her legs, and another, who attempted a rescue, was fatally inj ured.

BOXING AND BREWING. Temperance Conference Resolves at Ystradgynlais. The annual meetings of the Süuth Wales and Monmouthshire Tempieranoo A?ociation w°!? hcld?t Y&tradgyn'laie on i Thursday, Mr. Dd. Griffiths, J.P., S'all- ".1 hiirs?Ia. -Nir. D(l. J. all The W-?lsh Bill <? Sir Herbert H,bberb, M.P., was ('xplaind by Councillor W. Jones 'Thomas, J.P It was decided that the cont??nc? should ?ivc aH a?:pt,rt possible to tM mp?-urp. COAL FOR BREWING. Mr. Kedaway (Caidift.) railed uttfnti-j to the ecal restriction, and peintea out tha 2,000.000 ous of 'coal were being ut.ed each year for the manufacture of beer, lip iron-ed a resolution that a compul- sorv coal rationing order be introduced in regard to the breweries. Rev. H. -f. Parry moved a resolution expressing the hope that now that the women hud been given the vote that they would use it in the cause of temperance. I BOXING IN THE VALLEY. Messrs. J. G. Harris (IVntardawe) and Byfrig Owen (Cwmtwrch) referred, to the boxing tournament to be held at Gurnos to-morrow (Saturday) evening m aid cf tli, Kiiig Edward VII. Hospital. A reso- lution was pa.sscd that the officials of the conference c-hould take steps even now to put a stop to tie conte»ts taking place.

IYO SIC-IN OF COLLAPSE. I Huns Know They are/ Beaten, but Not Finished Yet. I The Times contains tlie following in its leading article to-day :— # We must be careful not to draw too large conclusions from the general pro- gress of the Allies, or from the capture of particular places..The enemy have plainly determined on a very extensive withdrawal, for military reasons only in- directly connected with their peace over- tures. In any case they mean to give up at least half of Belgium and most of the I territory they still hold in France. They are forced to do so by reason of the de- feats they have sustained, their own dim- inishing numbers, and the increasing superiority of the Allied strength. They are, however, retreating in reasonably I good order, and so far there if no sign of collapse and no visible prospect of a Ger- man military disaster. The Germans have lost the war and know it, but they are not I yet close to an actual breakdown or to the cutting off of their armies. It is even conceivable that their decision to retire is dictated hy the possible imminent de- fection of their allies just as much as by their own military reverses. Thov are seeking greater safety, but from a plirely military point of view a long retirement might benefit tliem, provided they C)Dlql(4. salve the bulk of their material, which ( is doubtful. Their biggest danger just now is not eren the Allied, but, is discern- ible in the internal condition of their own civil population. By that factor their military position must to gome extent be tested. Germany, in short, might still resist for a long timn. hnt not if behind a shortened front she had her own civil population in a state of revolt.

GRAND OPERA AT SWANSEA. ro The booking ot seats tor t.,ie t-ari .t(O¡1 Opera Co., at the Grand Theatre, ne::t week, are phenomenal, s-uch as has never been experienced hoiore for a grand opera week. Tales of Hoffmann is almost oomplotoly booked out for both perfon ances; all that remains to be sold are a few orchestra stalls and one or two front circle. A very great number of patrons are in the habit of reserving seats by tele- phone, and then not worrying about them until the night of the performance for which they are re6erved This must not.* be the case next week, as it is quite unfair to the people who oome to the theatre and wait in queues to purchase seats, very often only to be told that there are no < seats for the particular part required. Therefore, seats reserved by telephone, and not taken up before Monday morning, will be considered to be not required, and will be put on sale i mediately the box office opens on Monday morning. Those who cannot get down to the theatre can send postal order and stamped addressed envelope for the return of the tickets. 1 The company includes the famous Morrie- ton tenor, Mr. Edward Davies, who ap- pears during the week a« Hoffmann, Hoffmani, (Monday), Pinker- I ton, Madamp Butterfly," Don rnoo, L "Carmen." and Matirico, 11 Trovabom."t