South Wales Weekly Post

gFOR ALL CLAS3EB OF § PRt?T!NC § ??? ?? ??? ?S?I a AT MODERATE PR!CE? ? < s WRITE ?M CALt. AT TMB OF"ICE.I. < OFTHt ? SOUTH W?LES § DA! LV P e§T 3 Wm?Z SAMPLES CAN BE IN3FECTZB ? ? ANB LOWEST QuOTATj[ON8 OBTAIKED. ? .x..x.xx.

W <? would foUow the course of the war with twice the e!))ightenment if we we.-e as well acquainted wtth the Allied numbers as with the enemy s. We-h.ive frc-m time to time cmciai of the -ii ibzit'oli tnd numbers of Lhe va-ricus etfeTLlY foreM:n j different zone?—126 German division: in the We.3i. in mid-December 65 on the 1{11s¡.nan fron' 12 against the Rumanians, fit' But ]t0 such correspoi,dillg statements are pub_ lished in regard to the Allied troops, and t)o reproduction is made oven of enemy cal- culations of the respective similar strength .uid distribution o.f the Allied' troops, except in the solitary instance or the Macedonian armv, concerning whom a German estimate printed in the Allied Press. A iittle information upon the point would disrate many illusijns and enable a rounder judgment to b.e fuiined. But it 1 Hat to be obtained, and in default we have to J'l;cnd upon certain rough outlines which :<re cccasion.a.lly furnished by competent ..utr.orities. Such au autliority is Colonel Jcplngton of the who appears t(j oo-'upy a sem: omciai position for cn- 3"glitenitig.the British public to as great a. decree as i omcially deemed desirable. Writing upon t.he question of numbers in the West. he observes that—"The truth of t.be situation is that Germany has 128 divisionf. opposed to us, and that the number of French. British, and Belgian di- visions. <;ven aft<'r ta.kin.g into account the varying strengths of divisions on the two fddes, is-not yet such as to promise a deci- sion in offensive war. Before the war we supposed that a two, or even three to one superiority was not too great for an Stacker, and it must be repeated again and a.Kain that we have nothing like this su,peri- crity, and that victory depends upon obtain- ing it. It is always possible for the Germans to place in the West the noating balance of Ktra.tegic reserves which they useda-gamst Ru- mania, and if, in the year 1917, we only em- ploy against the enemy a slight Fupei-iority of force, nothing better than slight success <:an reasonably bp anticipa.ted. Over and over again in this war the Nelsonian maxim that numbers alone annihilate has been t-hown to be correct, and consequently our primary aim now iiiiis", be to provide these numbers, both of men a.nd gun?." He declarer we need fixty more divisdons, hÜ,h we can <)bt;tin by withdrawing from *h& Jess important zones the armies no- Jkppt uselessly there by copying the Gcr- 7-man method of reducing the number of ha-ttaiions to .1 division atMt fci-mii'-g new divisions h'om the balance thus undered j ? ? ?n. bic, Rnd by r.iisin'g uew divisMns, a .ç:r.?.'<¡' lc, 'n\. y ril¡"nJ Hew 1 'lS1ons a P??a? ?pparentiy dtropped some consider- ibte tim& 3g'&: ?-e?v? ?mpto 4!?? ?oc-'?? i purpose, he say.s but Lord 'K.itc'heucr's plart has not been carried out. The ill\le- I <'ision of the late Government ha.a ma.n'e'j cur efforts in regird to the supply of men for the Army and the unsettled policy pur- sued in regard to the disposal of our man- power between the various spheres of activity. Colonel Repingt'n reminds ns that wlutst cur military en'oft on land has not yet given us a decision, through inadequacy. the aggregate totals of our men abroad do hot at all correspond to the very different total of actual lighters, the bayonets, and culig. And this always has been a weak point with Brittsh armies, that the Hghters nre m'uch. fe'wcr than they should be in proportion to the auxiliary workers. In the Napoleonic War we had -ibout 600,000 men under arm. but ellington never had one-twelfth of them under .command. We have, in short, a superiority upon the We&t, but not a decisive one, and ;not even a large one, in the opinion of Colonel Repington; on the other hand. the quality is from all points of 7iew better, and the equipment superior. Numbers are far from being the only thing that counts, but thev lie at the root of suc- cess, s.nd the grater the Allied superiority in numbers on the decisive front the greater the prospect of a victory in 1917 being a r&allv decisive one. so crushing the enemy's armies that they will be incapable of a re- newed stand upon the fortified lines far in the rear of their present ones. Britain must do more, beca.use she alone is capable of nnd- 3ng the men, money and equipment to- gether ItKly lacks the money, Russia the equipment. France the men. The French can justly expect us to take over the de- cisive role in the West In what we all hope are to be the closing stages of the war. Thev have thrown all their card s upon tho table, hllve bppn harder hit th:m thev cate to admit, officially, and nftpr aH it is against, France, and Franc? alone, that the real "wa,r of attrition" is waged—France, with her waning population, smaller than that of her .pattern rival, and her stagnant birth-rate. All the rhetoric in the world will not dispose of the hard. brutal fact that the blow to French vitality in this wir nay be g-rave. A nation needs numbers if it Is to keep Its place and French numbers were becoming more and more inade- quate to the ta-Ic of keeping France in her role of nrst class Power. By dint of milit.n'y efforts of unique proportions some of the con- sequences of the falling birth-rate were minim'?pd. but only ten1¡L'orarilv- Ger- many, through her own numbers, has proved equal to keepiiin; one hand whilst with the other defying for two years all f.h.. efforts of the French, even aided by increasingly p-owerfT)! British F- sistince, to m:ikG the Carman armies br.dge more than a mile or two hpr- and thpte from the positions taken up after the battle of the Marne. And the Germans must be driven out they hold t.he initiat.ive. fo" tnevf"l'cc th? hard&r of the two To1e" upon flip Allies —the offensive, against most powerfully de- fended positions. I

Never has the country shown ;ts faculty for .great enthusiasm to better advantage -than in the welcome it. has given to the new British War Loan. The public under- stands what this loan ineiiis. The condi- tions under which It is issued will stand ¡WE-Y tN,t as n business proposition, but the loan has not been regarded aa a mere in- vestment. It has been, is, and wiU be the oKeTing of the people of this country for )h(. ,'¡'c!enlpti/nl 01 their sons under nre. It is. a loan whose success will shorten the war and so save a Y':lst host of lives whose number we cannot reckon, :\Ioreover, the ration's response to the appeal of the war- government is a pledge to our Alliias that their sacrifices for the common cause will net have been made in vain, a.nd it is a message to our enemies that the assault of -tiride and greed and spite on ctviiisation .nd freedom wiU bring upon them the con- tequences by which justice will be vindi- cated. whe British people are giving their cR'erings Tladlv and without stint to thf '&ationa,l 'ea.Iùry in order that they may build up fè. future temple of peace. They $re invests in safety for the ')e to come, -f-r the 5 a. v their song .m ';heir gons' ?ons. Mr. Bonar Law, in a powerful speech; in which he explained the terms and the significance of the war, at the Guildhan of the City of London, told us the position of udr adversuries. The.'tbuge military machine which they have built up as the supreme monument of their worship of might is still strong, but necessarily it rests on a foundation whose stability depends on the life and labour of the people in Germany, a,nd. as the Chancellor of the Exchequer :uMrmed: Th<:) German military machine, 'be perfection of which we all recognise— and if it had been used in a better cause n,nd by better methods we could have ad- mired—that inach' -iL, itj-ijJ working, but not t'uite Ko emciently as earlier in the war. But tJiat great military machine I believe. .Hid I think I have reason to believe, is rest-ing on an internal foundation winch is crumbling visibly before our eyes." The rulers of Germany are watching with tense anxiety to appraise the results of the British Government's appeal, as it will affect German hopes and German policy. They are asking themselves if they can dis- cern any sign that the resolution of the British nation ia failing, that those who have money to invest are beginning to doubt the soundness of British national credit, that the call for practical patriotism i-; evoking a he.-dtating or tardy response. We know what we have to teach these scrutineers. In proportion ng the lesson is prompt and sharp it will be effectind in the 64a.ine proportion the war "will be shortened. It is because the, Prussia enemy is watching and measuring his hope and fear by the strength of those sinews of war, which it is our duty now to supply, that the War Loan claims the moat con- spicuoug possible success among the masses of the people. It is the unity a.nd determinati.on <'f the British workers and wage- owners that our vigilant antagonists dread lst, and only that unity and determina- tion can drive them to despair. For this reason the number of these who brin.s,' "new money" to the rational Exchequer as buyer,, of the Loan Stock is as important as the sums brought. 'J Each .65 invested now in the Allied cause endorses that re- solve to reconstitute Europe and re-estab- ]ish the world's peace which is nrmly stated in the reply of the Entente to President Wilson's Note, and which embodies the die tales "f the conscience of enjightened humanity. There is ju.st one question .vhich every Bt:t"'n throughout the hind has to afk himself this week: "Do i want this war to end f,oon in victory for the hlds in the King s uniform, and, if so. am I 6ghting their foes and mine with every pound thah T can possibly put into the new War Ix)a,n': —————- ——————

The reply of the Allies to the Note which President Wi'on recently addressed to them, as well us to the Central Powers, re- questing the belligerents to state the objects for which they fought, answers Note. The German reply did not. We have a clear idea of the general t<;nour of the Allied de- 4vit,4itU <md siims 4iut the -Get'ft'tanRthetrt- selves have no idea, of the purpose to which they propose to turn their conqueatE. The Allied Note declares that pen-ce would be to-day prematurn: it challenges the analogy which President Wilson instituted on thn basis of vague declarations by leaders of the Centra,! Powers: it recapitulates the enormities which have marked the war ma-king of the allies of G'er- ma.ny as weU as Germany itself: Mid' it rocitPR the heads of the Allied ,tlie liberati,-)ii of invaded Allied terri- tory, with compensation; the liberation of Italian, Slav, Rumanian, Cxech iiiid Slavonic peoples. and the Syrian, Armenian and Ara- bian communities under Turkish rule ftom their present subjection; and the reorganisa- tion of Europe on the basis of the rights of nationalities, with full/iecurity for then- free economic development. And there is a formal repudiation of any desire to attempt the impossible'—the "extermination" of the Germanic peoples—or what might be feasible, their political extinction. A European upheaval upon l;n<'s iore- jshadowed from the first is indicated in ttns statement. The peace ma.p of the Allies, involving the aggrandisement of some of them and the curtailment of the enemy's power, is more difficult to work out in practice than to fashion 'In theory. Certain of the Allied aims—as the expul- sion of the Turks from Eiircl,e- d-1, not r°st upon the national principle afT all; other conditions are as conspicuously applicable to the enemy's case as to that of the Allies. An Italian Trieste would be incompatible with the guarantee of free economic development of, amongst others, a Czech nation as well as of the other nationalities which make up the Austro- Hunga)-;f)n Em- pire, ..without certain specific agreements. And the mixture of nationalities renders it extremely dimcult to satisfy a)I national claims without injustice tu some large min- ority of a different nationality, or other, the more particularly as we have no re::son to bplieve that there is much respect or toleration for the liberties of other? any- where in Europe. Thf Jewish population of Rumania, for instance, did not present a model of tolei'nnre before the war. Nevertheless, the application of the national principle will go further to secure a 'nore stable Europe, and to diminish the potentla[ causes of strife, than the order which preceded tllet war. A mosaic of small States—a smaller Austria. and Hun- gary. an independent Bohemia, an enlarged Rumania, an expanded Serbia, or a.n adjacent new Slavonic State—all offer n rich field fo,- the intriguer, and will have their national amnit:{'s towards this or the other biggt'l" Power. But the power for aggression of the German and Austro-Hnngal'inn Em- pires, an aggression conducted 'argelv with the aid of the cannon tedder of tho French- men. in heart, of A!sace, the Danes of ex, tremp Northern Schleswig, the Poles of East Prussia, besides the Rumanians and various Slavonic peoples of the ¿<\ u<:tro-Hungarian Empire, will be seriously cut u)t:). Germany herself will p'obably remain as formidable ever, and increasingly formidable in re- Fpect to France; but it should be practicable to put it out of question fo<' German mili- tarism to be broached again on so immense a scale. It ie to be noted, however, that vin- dication of the principle of nationality ceases in .enemy territory. S'jch a partial settlement will leave still an acute national question in certain quarters of Europe-the acuter from the spectacle of the emancipation enjoyed in othe" cases. Nor will every detail of the re-fa,shioned Europe be elaborated xi harmony with the broad principles -la.id down there will have to be certain radica.1 exceptions. The one point in the Allied Note that is open to criticism is that their liR-t of wrongs to be righted -Mid redressed is so great and imposing that it is difficult to un- derstand why it was sought to keep the peace when so many things were amiss in Buropp. Until July, 1914. th<! most ner- vous anxiety of European statesmen, of the Entente as wel! as of the Cental Powers. was to preserve t-h"b condition in which amongst others, peoplea lay beneath the murderous tyranny of the Turk." And the emulsion from Europe of the Ottoman Em- Pill ich has proved itself -,o aHen to Western civUisa.ticn," was tnc nrght- mare of t'hese same st6Aerineii, A cynicaj and cowardly diplomacy strove A cymcal a.nd cowardly dlP omacy strove before the war to preserve a Europe which the Allies have now determined should tie altered and reformed from top to bottom; and the desire of both sides was to avoid firing the nrst ghot that would commence a connict offering at least the prospect of right- ing these manifold wrongs. There ig a cer- tain lack of moral courage in admitting the existence of certain evils—as they a.re now admitted—and in shrinking from a.ny effort to remedy them. On the Allied c<ise there wa.g clear warrant fcr a war taking the form of an organised a.tta.ck upon Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey; but there was no such org-anised attach ever plamied or dreamed of. The events and developments of the war, bringing in nation after nation, I'ave ledj however. to a conthination being formed for a.ims which would otherwise have been left in complete abeyance. There are no rtils that France would ever have foug-ht 'Germany on the single i.ssue of Alsace and Lorra-ine that Italy or Rumania would ever hHve made a suicidal attack upon Austria-Hungary, whcsc forces were at the outset, before so gigantically depleted by the disasters indicted by Russia, far superior to both. And as for Turkpy, up to the very eve of the Turkish entrance into the wa.T the Alties were ma'king asf-ut'ances to the h Gcvennnent (forgetful of its past) concernin.g' its territorial integrity if it re- mained neutral. But events like the mas- sacre of Armenians, and the brutal mal- treatment of the Syrian population, as welt as Turkey'.s cwn deliberate acceptance c'f the fortunes of war by the entrance into a game c'f .gains or forfeits, 'knocked upon the head th.tt particular piece of Allied oppor- tunism. The contract, between the Europe th&t wa. before August, 1914, a.nd the avowed aim of the diplomacy of a.U countries to maintain the p-eace. and the Europe that is to be, so different from t.he.former, indicates a rottenness in stat.e'smanshp', a cowardice in the refusal to face unpleasant tacts that does not deserve to be passed over in silence. Hut the events since that fa.tefnl August have, as a ma-tter of fact; revolution- ised all the ancient order of ideas a.nd what we imagined to he our knowledge. It was desirable, for instafce, to endeavour to keep Turkey upon ity legs so long a.s, its subject races were exposed to no more than. the nor- mal experiences of an Oriental Government because ove-r a partitioning of Turkey and a. quarrel over the spoils Europe might be set in tlame. And even those of us who foresaw the German peril could not con- ceive that the German sp'rit was tigerish in its ferocity. Soms of our diplomatists were ignorant. some foolish, and there were uTjcredible blunderers amongst the heads of our own Government as It wa.s then but the most ignor&nt, foolish and the most short- sighted c-f our advisers could bf pardoned for not imagining that the Germans could m&ke war with fuch fr;-gli:tftii M'd calculated ?? ? ? ???? ? Ite::Ch ;totk that will" not! bear analysis. Even ?tr. Lloyd George I ma.kes the anirmation that millions of our men who enrolled Hi the Army erji?ted ? after the German victories cf Aueust, 1914, when they knew the accumula/ted and con- centrated power of the German military machirte. That is when they placed their lives at the disposal of their country. What about other lauds? They kne'v what they were encountering, that they were Ughting an oi,ganisatii-i, which had been perfected for .generations by the b&t brains of Prussia —perfected with one pmposp, the subjuga- tion of Europe—and yet they faced it." Our men did not know the accumulated and concentrated power" cf the German machine then, or for a long time afterwards. And nobody w&s permitted then to know that the Germans had won any victories. And "other lands" knew also that tney were pitting against the German-ma-chine their own machine, of which it was as true to say that they also had been perfectinc; it for generations with their best brains. France armed herself to the teeth from 1870 onwards to n.ght Germa.ny. if the need arose We do not see the object of again repeating this stale and exploded argument that the "unpreparodnesa" of the Allies was a sis'n of virtue. A comparison between the num- ber of men and ships maintained by the Allies in 1915, and by the Germans, and the respective naval and military expendi- ture, is sufEcient to shatter this fallacious reasoning. The question for the world is what diplomacy is to do in the future to arrest the recurrence of the present horrors? The All.ied programme -should g-a -very far towards achieving that. It promises a crushing defeat of the enemy a-ud expe- riences vdiich will sicken him of conquest— a.s other, and more warlike, peoples b n been sickened of wa.r by a expe- rience themselves of invasion and disaster. It promises a great weakening of their strength, regarded collect.! vfly though, 'n the other hand. if the Allied programme is carried qut in the spirit i. it. is intruded to be in the letter, there should be a corres- ponding curtailment of the power of any Allied nation that may in the future be seized with the s-Mne aggressive spirit as the Germane. Added to that. there wilt be the war- weariness of Europe, it's exhaustion, its! drain of Mood. its occupation with the tasks of reconstruction and convalescence, which a1mo:t "a1'e future peace in our time. Bcvond that we cannot look; th' future Europe Ttu,;t keep its own peace, and sta,nd or fa'l by its o'wn sound judgment or error. It is huTr'Milv impossible to predict the ab- r'olute extinction of war as a mode of settle- ment of internationnl disputes. If German aims could not be achM'ved without bleed- ?-,4bed the same is true of very many of th? Allied fims. We do not. venture to .predict wh,T.t combinations will be refcrmfd ;iJ the future, what revulsions, new friendships, what forgetfulness of fid antipathies there will bp. In our own time we h,ve seen grotesque changes we hav? teen armies now h,iiled a.s deliverers in the countries where not' so very many yea.rs a.go no lie was too j foul to be printed of their foiduct and char- acter. We have had a 'British Premier ac- cusine: hi< countrymen ot making war by "methods of bnrbarism"and that ia the phr25e tb f. p,ftpr a!sums up the German d'eeds. But whether the future be one of renewed war or of pea<ce we do feel assured that the new Europe, aa fashioned by the Allies, as far as it is in their power, will be freer, ha-ppier. th? hotter for all the terrific ordeal of tihe present. The dead i7eri.,tli, but the good work that they hav- wrought will, in this CMC. promise to live longer Mia,n the pvH done, in the (A:ie of i'he enemy. <- !————1 ————— )

d UnderwrittiM nt Lloyds do not (;ÚuillJer the chances of peace being declared this year very hopefuL They quoted twenty-6Ye guineas per cent. to pay & total toss if pea<ce wajs declared betore June .01), J 17, or at'ty guineas per cent. if declaied before Dacem- ber 51, 19U. C'

There are now over applications before the LIaueUy totmcil lor allot- ments. The increased railway fa-res 3<;e already Itaving a det'rimp'itai cnect. upcn the at- tendance at Swansea places of amusement. From December 17th to January 13th; in'clnsive rain fell at Cray on 21 out of the 23 davs. On Def?mber'28th a.n inch and ahalfof raj.nfell. One of our district corr'M"p'&ndetits reports that "So-a,nd-o start.ed te game by kick- ing on." This i" a, much better procedure tha-n. pulling the goal-paits up. $$*>+ TlYe annual renewal f-w- tor practising c.ertincate? for thf Town Clerk, Deputy Town Clerk, and Assistant Solicitor of the Swanse.a Corporation comes to .M8 15s. 0<.f. -t- Time wa ,< when. the cottager who did not kpa? a. pig wa-s not considered to be steady and thrifty. Now we are getting back to the old day., agi-in. And a. cheaper rasher for breakfast we hope! j "<!>< Mr. Reginald HuUey, f&r many years con- ductor of the orchestra at. the! Gri7,d Theatr*. &aale3," has taken over the tio!! of conductcr of the oMhe.-itia. &t the Royal Theatre. Swansea,. and commenced his new dut.ie? on Monday. ? -< < x < > 0 < ? < ? All the land owners p,n d farmers of the district are expected to witness tne de- monstration by 'the- farm. rraccors at. Swan- sea. One of maehmes ploughs an acre of land per 'hour. ,Iwl it. may taken tor granted that the "i:c will "t b<* selected.. .><?-.j. -1> It '-<l .c a novpl for Swansea.j Gmldhall Qn Monday eveuing when bursts cf emanated from each Mdc of the! vestibule, ;E'eti.llgs of Volunteers "ere being stressed m the. ii and Criminal Coun.s, and never befotr have o-cupants .been M cheerful, a >- ? ? Mi..s Rita, Kiugsley, who plays the panto- :n:n't" wi?h considera.ble ?ucfess. wU ? better known to S?'ana.? Mends as Mrs. Frank Pratpi. or her I1Ul,. ,¡(ln M?e of if;¡ May Chettle. She 60?" hopM to vi?t Abertawe in re\'w. Iib Ovven, the world's dlamt11,n typ.Kt. has actua.Ilv I)rt),k-en- -her previous record, which was the tvping of 8.579 words in an r49 wor d s i-,i hour. She has ]a.tely in the "am.e time, making only 62 errors. This record i'equival8n. to typing over five columns of the "Dally Po?t" m sixty mHt?les—a gr-ea.t tchieve-ment. ni::iii-l?e?s-a great, IcliieveTre-Lit. "I see" (writes "Old Marine") ''tha.t our bTavc Navy boys arc going to get prize- monev for sinking the Hun: The capta.m of the main-top told me wli,-ii I wa afloat that in the old days when they shared prixe-monev. they loaded a. gun. with money and nred it at the (?i-itTtled to it. All that fell en deck belonged t? the omcers. What stuck t-q ths rigging belonged to the sa,ilors, and all that went overboard be- longed to the Marines. (Next:) ?-??-?-<??' Tho Swansea Rugby and Cricket Club Committee have kindly granted the "Da-ily Post" the use of &C Helen's for the big Rugby match between the New Zealand,-i-t, and Wales on Februarv 3rd. This contest will be played for the Mayor's "Comforts for Swansea Boys' Fm'd," for which a con siderable amount is ne ded just now. The fact that such a great g'me resulted between these teams a month ago and that the j rn,bber is still undecided shculd attrart another Mg crov.'d to help this deserving caus<?. A popular Swansea ''boniia-ce'' at n ball one night reni.,t., ked casually to ano- ther mau that a certain lady in the ronm was making hcr&elf c'jnspicuously cheap. ] He received one of thp surprises of his life when the gentleman informed him' in icy tones that, the lady in question was hit sister. Since thd tIme, many yea,rs ago, the landlord referred to has adopted and stuck to the following maxim:— If you your lips would keep from &lip! Five things ob er\e with care— Of whom v?u sp?ak. to whom y.-u speak, And how and when and where! -klark Once. ')  reniar k .,i at the,, Th? Pr)roni''h Trcasurer'x remarks at thp recent Gove?ment audit re the a?tonish- incr allowances made to mother& -cnn.nds 11,11 ex-r€cru,iting ckrk of the hundreds of ridiculous cla-Ims to generosity m?de I)Y.i recruits in the matter cf home payment to mothers. The YIi.t ma-jority sieged tpat they gave all home, which w:as, Ob-.¡I viouslv preposterous. The Gi.ardiana  officr could tell very dinerent tales. One gl:u-inT instance sonM time ago that 1 re- call w:s where six son.- earning an aggregate of JB20 per week relu?ed to contribut? ? pennv-picce to thé'r mother, who bad be come chargeable to the rates.-(" -Alar-K Once. ") How do vou manage to pass tfM dreary time awav?"" asked an old gentleman of a. hardv Tar returned home to Swansea for a well-earned holiday. <' Oh," answeTed "Jack" 'rst we lash up and stow ham- mocks 'then we clean guns, diviaiona, cletr for action, small arm and machme-gun drill, man and arm boats, out torpedo-nets, tor- p"do practice, firing, coal sh'p, s:gna.l Mej-- cise by flags, Mor<>e and semaphore, scrub decks a.nd clean pa-int-work, boat-pulling and sailing exercise, scrub and wash clotes, spin vams. an occasional sin.g-song. a few wrestling a.nd boxing matches, stand-by; hammocks, out lights, turn in at 8 p-ib., and out again at 12 midnight, and in again at 4 a.m., and there you are" j The Liverpool press pay high tribute to thf conducting of Mr. Vincent Thcmas, con- ductor of thf< Welsh Choral Union, in his direction of The Messiah recently. The Courier" says "Mr. Thom&s has btely come to tne font by his comductorshitp of some operas in London, for his chief. Sir Thomas Beecham He evinced a very inti- mate knowledge of the oratorio, and the in- dividuality of his own reading WM evident at ma.nv points 01 the' performance The Mrce and vigcur cf He trusted in G&d" made t.h1)t, cl1().r very telhng, whilst the splendours of the Hallelujijlt were fullv realised. It )-,).i)ved along with gra.n- dp'UT and solidity of tone, and Mr. Thomas'? wonderful precis! on a.dded to its aucceas." Mr. Thongs is brother,to )dbz. -lvilfzid H'. P ?ma?? of Blaokpw. The RussiajTs captured 10,000 bottles of brajidy on the Riga. front. If this doesn't t)rmg the horrcrs of war home to the enemy nothing wi.H A lead from Morriston.Tabernacle Choir ga'. e on Sunday evening selections from Coleridge Ta.ylor'9 "Hiawatha." This is better than prosecuting small shopkeepers. .).+ j Of County Councillor G. E. Gordon'iI Sunday school clasp of twel ve, six enlisted and two have died. And yet "courcientious j objectors" are listed t{'o" with pat-ietK'e.— ("ProPcill, ("Pro PatEia.')' Mmiition girls coming down High-street, j Swansea, from tlelr parly morning train on Monday met in succession two tram- way girls, two female window-cleaners and a postwoman. The district correspondent who indignantly explained that" in'y meant inordinately," must bear some relationship to the historic scribe who wrote the wcrd "i'n" for "tran- ubgta..ntiatiol1 000 ¡ W hile the tonnage shorta-ge continues at < Bristol Channel ports a satisfactory fe-at'ure ¡lli regards Swansea' s trade. is thf main- t-eii,iiicp, of tile patent fuel exports. SomJ big developments in this connection are mooted after the war. I'm thinkin' remarked the man with a, clay pipe. that a lot of wot we sees in th" sinnemars is fak". Tell you why, 'cu.s la.t,t Saturday mght I seen on a picture a I bloke bust out of a saloon ba)'. leavin art 'is gla,ss of beer, 'Now, that don't 'appen in rest life. do it' I Poratoc.s ACi'e being sold m some p<trt" oi Swansea at ,the rate of 2]is. for 5d. on Saturday nigM; hut othf\ri", who either held back srockR or demauded higher prices, will pa<y the penalty of not reading the new-- j papers, otherwise they must have heard ot the Food Controltpr's order. "I l)a<e hMrd of the 'one?t'-p/ t,he. 'two-step,' rag-time.' and the Gaby ? ?lide.' remarked 3, highly-respected Swan- ¡ ?ea citizen,but I can assure you that my performance on Saturday morning's ice- !x)und ?.'plands pav?ntent l?at the band; I)ouii'A' I'Plan(i,- pavfinent? beat t?e bai-id. and II? iiidiv retrieve?i my umbi'fiUa 'c' ?.i teptify to th?t. I pardon h<-r tc-stif?,, to th-ai.. I I-ardk)Ti "Soldier's Wif?" writt?:—At a tea h'sld?' 'for soldiel' .and .ajlon; .hiJd.ren in :t V!l- lwge near Swal1$ea, the clergyman said he had invited a certain lady to tea, and he hoped Hmt everybody would make her 'vel- comf. "I want to know if tite captain' s wife deserve? tea and welcome a,ny more than the 'Tommy's' wife?" We should hardly say the c'ier_,iyma-ii meant anything of the I d w ki}{1. Sunday wtitcc:) I shonM like to draw attention to the' Miowing. Yliich appeared in "The D?Hy! Chronicle" 'For'the sake of the ?Idtcrs' R?hest?T and 'Gra.vesend Corporation n?ve.t?t'f?d." '?"*?. X'M'?y' --?p??g e.'f ? cinemas." And (he n?k") what about' ".fad;" ashore from the Imperial anp Msr- a,nd Swansea streets on Sun- day nights? i ??x!.><?-<?-<S' j Volunteers ar6 fortunate in then' musketry instrucLoT-, Sgt.Maj, Lucas. He p05."es-" m the. highest degree thf prime qualincation of an inetmctor—lucidtty jn expression; and. a master cf the mechanism of tho modern rine, he makes its working intelligible to others with a rare clearness. Nie.11 with tens of years' practical experience of musketry 1'.J1,y they have never heard n better demonstrator. ?<t?-o?? i Lord Rhondda has offered to fence and plough the unused la.nd belonging to the Gwauncaegurwen. Colliery Company at Tair- gwaith, in which company, it will be re- membered, he recently acquired a consider- able interest. It is expected that potatoes and vegeta.Hes will be sown during the com- ing spring, and the citizens of Uwauncaegnr- wen are responding splendidly t-o his lord- ship's encouragement. It. has lHell snggcptec) in some cf the London paper? that it would be a good thing if the disused portions of burial LroLin& of the country were utilised .n tli, cu.lt.ivaticMi of garden 'prod.uce. The idea ts practical and wise, but by no novel. j <M: in a place so fa.r removed front the Metropolis as Skptty a portion of the Bethel Wetsh Chapel buria.l ground has been let ,out in allotments for many y.?ais, and pro- i duced good crops, and in one section corn It as beén -< ? ? mav take some little f-redit to itself in that it po¿,esses one ciaftsm-All- ]n the person of Mr. Walter Wcbber. the wpll known Oxford-street watchmaker iiid jewe1ier, who, it is not tc.o much to say. ha,& be&n .-ought after by vanous depart- ment< of the War Omce. not omitting the Aircraft Department. The fact is .\IT,. Webber is one of the most skilled me.n in the country, a.nd the ma;hmetY he is usuig is of his own d&sign. -¡':y;dentlv tl:. \;rel$hmell in Salonika aic ntaking their prespnc.e very much felt when it comes to playing Rugby football and :u' worthilv upheld—— t.1w of t'le :Princip'ality in pla\mg the old game. .1- iie,s the letter of Sergeant Will Wil'iam.s of the R. F.A.. weU known to the follower of the old Ba'vcline and Swansea IL teams. He stat&s ina letter to bis brother.r. D. W. Williams. '-)'' A'berdyberth.st!-f't. Swansea, that a. Rugby side composed of Welshmen defeated an Iri&h regrmenta.! team ?y over 65 points to nil recently! It seems that although the life in Salonika is rigorous and joint st:nenmg the men of C?vmru is a. iv?avs tl,) the f(->re whete, Rugby Cvmru are always t? the fore wh?re Rugby f?c,tball A Oardin joui-tMl chronicled this time in 1367 A v.Mancy occurred in the Swan- se,t Town Council by the death of Mr. J. R. T<ripp a-clvocate and pubhc notary. The vacancv was warmly contested by Mr. Charles 13,itth, a junior member of the welL- known iirm ? 11. Ba.th an d Sons, c.pper Me Tnerchants, and Mr. ?. Richards of the tirm of- JDiI-lwyn and Richards. L.1.1ldor I Silvpr Works. On Wednesday last the elec- tion took place, when it was fo''nd that ..he Town Council were M. equally divider that, rrevioua to the mocting. Mr. Bath and Mr. Richards determine on deciding que.?- f,iontof a coin. This w él' :l.dually dona ,Jr. Ri(-Iiard, won the toss. a.nd was subsequently elected without opposition to. fill the a-ldermanic chair." ?-<?<t-<6x!"? Specula'tion is rife m C&rma.'rthenshire ar, tk) who is going to be appointed successor to the late Mr. J. W. Gwynue-Hughes, of Tre- c'eYb, M lord-lieutenant of the county. Among those mentioned as likely to be i-e- oommended for the offl- are Lord Dynevor, ,,t,ii ex-MPfol--lish di-iii4)n- Mervyn P&el. J.P.. Danyra.1lt, who un<-uc- ceRsfullv fought thf Rfv. Towyn .Jones in ,East, ci¡.rmlil.then8hir" at ihe laKi: general election: Sir Courten&y Majisel, Bart., of :)\ae.'lycrt1giau; Mr. John Rinds, M.P. for West Carmarthenshiie, and Mr. Dudley WiJIia.ms-DrunMMoud. of Hafodnet-liyn. a brobher of the late Sir William James Wi!- lia.nllg-D-,u,mmulid, of Edwiusford, Tailey. wito was tho lord-Iieuteuant of the count.v ?'??€?!&B?<?M<<teo<&.< Have you got your bit of War Loan? The Swuii:5e,,i "specials'' overcoats. Wh0611 they arrive. wiU come in useful next winter. Meatisuntherise.accordin.gtoalead- m.g Swanae'a, butcher. Cattle are --09- to JE5 dearer this week. ? ??t-< t ATr.ongst other iejitimat< stage plays t' he filmed in 1917 are "Quiu.jtey&" and ''Broadway ?-<x?<??-<? The Rumanians have worsted the Germans oti the ba.nkp of the Casino. Whether they bro'ke the .bank i? not stated. ? ? ? >-< ? < ? < ? Says a. London contemporary of the Vic- tory War Loan: "If you cajinot throw bombs hur! cheques at the Hung." So fire away. A Swansea ushmcitKer had his sld,b covered with nothing but rabbits, and a passer-by observed that the "nsh" had sp1endid (!'l;:in.s on them. The St.JoIin's Wardcouncillo's were Writes a. correspondent) conspicuous by their absence at the aUotment? mepthig of the above district. From the Docks.—" Just five bob. oid maj), until Mondav." Ca-nlt be done; the! Wa,r Loa.n. d\vou Fee." And he saw. but notthed'?nar. All the !oc<il I)aiiks were kept busy ycster- dAy regarding IN-a-v Loan enq uiries. Ex- perienced judges sa.y they never remember .'nythmc like it. One of th? commit.tee of the PubHc School Headmaster?' Conference held this yeai- at Rugby is the Rev. \V. W. PooI e Hughes. LIandovery. "$$C: M.edi.c.a.l Board Doctor to a )hf{h t be No-v, boys. up on you'' toes." The might 1.t' Hu-p on one toe? Who d'you think I am—Pavlova.?" ?-?-<?<?-?-? this in the way ot being a record for the Principality? The ages of three mem- bers of'the s.ime platoon in a Swansea com- pa.ny.of voluntsM's aggregate 189. ..+ Cardie contemporary has oniy jaist heard thttt a number of South Wales towns are starting a poultry keepers' society. wheroes Swansea has had its Welsh T'tilit.y Poulry Club for ever two years. Qf thp 5.224 cluims dealt with by the Swansea. R<crmt!ng Tribunal, it should be explained that these include in many cases the same men, .-onie 'of whom appear ed be- i'cre the trtbunnl several times. A second-hand dothes dealer bought, a nuit of clothes at the Mumbles and put them in 3, bag. ånd then walked home to save train fa,re. But. alas there was a hole in the bag, and t-he trcusers M& missing! ? -A- ??!?<t? The spectacle poration horse trying to keep up its foot- ing in Oxford-street- 3nd failing repeatedly rery much indeed until he started off bimseli and made a dent it) the wooden roadway. I A V ??'?-f ? ? "I -? a I "6.10, Wind-street" writer: "I say, Ij can beat that ro?.t-DaK of yours al?out t]te ) man who asked. 'What is an aUotm&nt" ) for in our oar last niht -t chap enquired of us What is a whii=t drI N -e? I Fortunatch-. it was iu,-t'a., I he war getting on' Tht combing ont c.f the h.ns heen," "never were'I" ''might b's;' a.nd "iiever will be 's," still goes on all over the country. Some people ha,-(' taken more hath.<; (preparak'Q- to military ex<imina- tion's) in the la&t twelve months than in thirty years before. I No--ith folk iniis,t not imagine tjiat Swaji- sea, M taking a c.nri-.oj'y or a in- terest in the N e;l t h X.'tional. Fn. trom it, for Abe'-tawe is whole-heartedly with (,lst-dIXdd in the ma-king of the Welsh ation.al Festival of 191P one worthy of South j ?>?-??x?<?> J It is no.t generi ny known that Mr. Phil Ray. the comedian who "st.a.rs'' at the Empire this w&ek. is a Swansea boy and was bom in Bond-street. He played 26 ypars ago in the old Theatre Royal, Temple-street. :!nd before that in the old Star Theatre under t!tc late "Emm." By the way. the famous comedian has two ¡<o;]s-Fredrick and Roy Ray—nghting with the Colours, one in Ger- man South- W<st Africa, under Smuts, and the other in France, and he says that any time entertainments for the wounded are organised i): Swanse.t he is wiJHng to pay his own expenses and conM down and do a. turn. '?-<$>-<><!><>-<t- ''In my days" (writer "ex-Nav"! Quarter- ma&ter") "?ail an(! spar drill occupied more tha'n haK of cur time. The drill, of course, \<-a? ne-ceasary. itM&much as our Fleet de- pended to a certa.in extent on their saik. It wa? very dangerous, a,nd more men were kitled at the practice than i' care to remem- Iwr. It nothing to see a man knocked jS the main top-gallant ya.rd or a poor fellow thrown from the topmast head. But ho-da- aU that is abolished. and a clear neld is left for gun-ncry and torpedo practice, t thanks to the. marvellous skiil of our Fleet 'njinferp. ('o]1iieqllently 01\1' seaman gunner,; und toi-pedo men Mn demote the whole of their time to the weapons for the destruction of the commo'n enemy." <t?,-<t..<t. ??. C h ri?,tiiia,, card Thf foUowing lines on a ChrLstmas card received at the Mumbles from a &oldier in the trencher are a striking illustration of the- determination s hown by our brave lads &t the front, who, whilst thinking longingly of home at the festive season, are still eon tent to "stick it" for the sake of the loved ones they left there:— Though the crowd out here's a million or more, The truth I won't be blinking Tha.t I do feel frightfully lonely when Of home and you I'm thinking. For far, far. eeml" the time when I Left ÐngJand's shores that day, And all my life so altered is Since fn'st I sailed a,way. But till I'm trying, heart and soul. Mv "little bit to do, And nothing ma?es me 'p it more ,k?id rQi.-Illilg home it mc;j e T l iali tbo ught, ()f lioiiie a?id voil. F(,}}(),ing Jeisurelv .upon the remarkable success achieved by Mr. J. 0. Francis with Change," the rendering of the English ver- sion of "BJe ma Fe?" by Miss Horniman's repertoire company in London has done. and is still doing, much to mike more widely known the rema-rka'Me strength and origin- ality of the you.ng school of \Vel",1I drama- t.ists. "Where He? h&s been liailed by the London ctinc. alinost ulianimously as a gt'eat work. aud Mr. 1). T. Davies has come {n f<n' much g<;OUit.f praise. Ti-ulv m-'tf- wctrthy was the appreci&tiun by the d'aIlU\ti(' critic of U(e tstminster Gazette." who wrote A tttrmtgely bea.dtliui hum.tn thing it was, quiet, res1t.rlI1"d. prolmlg deep into a big human question one of the most thrilHng little f<f sheer t'.ion that I h.t\ 3P,H'! hd the good fo;'tum' to me'e.t." "Ble HML Fet" bas been f'e- quent- ky produoe¿ in the S:wa.n.sea. distuct. I Exe?,iiit  Exeunt the cottage !oaf: Euter the cot- ters pig.  t "'<t:.<i.:><t>-$ <t> tLe Il uiis have ?Ve've gt)t the Haig mid the Huus have ? got the ague. 04> Another extension to!. k:i%cal spelter w. n)oute<t.' t?-<i?<?-? PooHnp! u'' labour a? me Doers' Fits in witii the wet weather. <!i' Somebody at the Docks ycstei'Jay wanted to borrow to invest 1:1 Wur Loan. to borr.?)w to ill War Loan. Note for 1917. Fewer fa.il Trains and Moe Males Traininfr.—fThe "Passing Show.") ? < t <- ? ?. woom- a.t Swari6ea Docks is going to be freer and easier i-o handle under the Mw scheme. On Thursday the poople of Yst-alyfer-&, in the Swansea VaHey, were indignant to &}<t their town oiSciaJiy spe!t md sent out to tjte Press as "Istalifera." ''Sa!c price. 4s. lid. nsua] price. 4s. 6d." TIuM reads a notice in a well-known Swan- sea drapery establishment. There was no rusli for the articlp. we may add. During thr hearing of a eaze at Swansea Munitions Tribunal on Thursday a defend- ant said he hs.d won the prize offered by the firm for men who worked all the year round without losing any time. He had worked there for nearly three years and had not lo.?t a minute. 4» One <.f Swansea's leadian businec4 managers tells the story of a baH-headed man with jnst a fringe of hair round his neck going into a barber's for a haircut. Shall I take off the collar and tiie," he e.sk,s the hairdresser. Don't 'ti'6'ubJe, sir, was the reply. a,nd you can keep your hat on too if you 'N)e 'Daily Post'' WhL-t Drive was at- tended by over 1,300 players during the three evenings, and w'as.so suece-,stol that there is a .general desire to have another at an early date. The next will be rim for the Mayor's Comfcrts for Swansea Boys' it is hoped the public will give then: ready support on this occasion also. ?????? The riderless horse that recently c&i'eei'cQ round Swansea Trinity Chur'ch and the Library buildings, nnd then down OTchaj'd- street, along Oxford-street to the Uplands, had escaped trom the Central Police St-ation and must have been in search of its late master, for it preceded to Captain Colqu- hotm' s old stables In Walter-road. Th< Animal, quite bare of hai-iiess, stepped out grandly. Few objects (writes a correspondent) aft more wort.hy than the "Daily Post" Wa<* Prisoners' Fund, which bus been of immense service, and taking this into consideration a, Sketty residfnt of long standing, proud of e .a.cth. y of tht wf.:alt.hy su.burb.1\ .M\P- ing goott bj concerts «Qd CLteT-- tnmments, is surprised thai. no collective effort (excepting the Volunteers) has been made there for the fund in question.—(Verb. sap.) A well-known Swansea boy. who some yea.rs ago weut out to Australia, is at present vigiting his home in St. Thorny a.ft<'r having taken part in the GaIlipoH cajnpaign nnd on the Sonune. His name is Private T. L. Thongs, and he is staying fot a few daye: with his grandmother, wJiolive! at Momston-terracp, St. Thomas. Whe:! out in GaUipoli he "Tote some touctunar poetry on "Anzac." w'hich vividly tells o! the respect the Colonial troops pay t.hei< dead comrades. One of the old sdiool, a Royal Xava! Reserve man, home on a well-ea.rned leava t'lom the North Sea. turned np at thfi Swant-ea Naval Brigade head quarters on Wednesday night, and wa! astonished at the progress that the bovi ha.d made since he last saw them. "If I had not -,eeii the discipline with my own eyes, i co'tid not believe it possible with such small boys. They are certainly the founda- tion ef tha great pea/ce that we aU hope is near at hand." And so say aJJ of ue. r Captain \V. T. Dayies's appointment to the adjuta.ncy of a battalion of the Gla- morgan VoUmteers recalls the fact that '.he ho)df the distinction of being the only Welshman who has ever won the blue nba.nd at the National Rifle Associatio! meeting at -8iley. And he won it twice. Honours ar.) nowing well into the family tins year. for his brother (Alderman David Davies) is this year's Mavor of Swa-nsea; whilst the Mayor's son (Capta.m D. Percy of the Army Cyclist Corps) was Iwno'nrably rneritiolled in Sir Douglas Haig's recent despatch.—("Western Mail. '') The object (writes "Cyciiste") slouched along Oxford-street, Swansea. vue evening tins week with its narrow shoulders bunched u.p and hands thrust deep into the lpocke 'ts of its hea.vy, though ultra-nuttish, over- of its heavyt, ?' hailed another mealy-faced person, also overcoa* J and mumed and of thesa.me military-service-evadmg species as itselr.' Said the mealy-faced ene feebly: Isn't this weat-her killing. George?" "George," with a. great physic.)! effort, nodded, when the bluS old gent in the grey- green nniform, gallantly stepping it to his companiy''s drill-hal!. chipped in, "But it's colder n France, my beauties Attd then it WAS cold: < >- ? ?-< ? I sometimes wonder why the people at home never realise how insulting is all the slobb&r and gush that go on about the men who are tightin;, It may seem a.mazin.g to those who haven't done theirs that any man should do his duty; at least, they might have enough imagination to refrain. from picturing men as monkeySed Mhool- boys. When you see photographs of our fighting men. grinning like apes, with somt such legend a.s He is happy to be in the trencher,' know them for lies. No man is happy to be in the trenches, any more than he is unhappy to be in them. He is doimg a job that has to be don<?. He can racket and skylark when he is out of the trencher, but that is because he is ha-ppy to be out of them. "—("Truth.) Ptctungs from PMnch." What 11Iacl Lord HevCliip81', Dizy. Tb8' following resolution wa,<: uw)i,:moUErJ pamod, and ordered tn be e¡t to the Prime Minis. ter and the Food Contrcllpr (Lord Bcacons- tie'!d)."—<"The Western Caz'ttp.") "D'tmp-postf and trees and other pedes- trians were found with unpleasant a-nd nometimes vi(HGut irequ-:ncy."—("Heckou- ham Journa]. ") Tha.t's the worst of a fog; landmarks wi!L keep on walking about. Orderly OtHccr Why don't you ooal- Jenge me?"—Latest caUfd-np Recruit: "I didn't know you were o'jmmg. "—Orderly "h.!t did the !ea\' when he .posted von'. "p"t "T wouldn't like to) répoo..t it to an otiice). ?tr." General) Sif Hugh de la P<-)e.- B-Jugh. K.C.B.. whose nama apppars in the New Year list of honours aa being promoted to the tattk of Meutenaht- genera.I. is a second cousin of Major-'Genera.I Hilgl{ Sut!ejK"ugh.(" Liverpool Ect)o. It is rumour-d that he is aJso connecbed .w ,Xia t tttnynjs anbtins family the Goug-hii,