South Wales Weekly Post

NO SURPRISE THIS TIME. I ——— German Flotilla Hammered. I Dutch Reports of thavy Losses. i PFESS BUREAU, Tuesday. The Secretary of the Admiralty an- nounces:— Last night whilst our light forces were patrolling in ths North Sea qtot far from the Dutch Coast they met a division of enemy torpeoo-boat de- stroyer?. A short engagement took place, during which one of the enemy torpedo- boat destroyers was sunk. The rest scattered, having suffered considerable punishment. Darkness prevented the full results of the action from being observed. Durwig this night there was also a: short and sharp engagement between enemy torpedo-boat destroyers and our own destroyers in the vicinity of the Schouwen Bank. During this engagement one of our torpedo-boat destroyers was struck by a torpedo, the explosion killing three officers and 44 men of the crew. She was subsequently sunk by cur own ships. The relatives have been in- formed. Our ships suffered no other casualties. (Note.-The Schouwen Bank is off the mouth of the East Scheldt.) SLIGHT LOSSES." USUAL PERVERTED GERMAN REPORT. A Reuter' Aní"terdam ml'¿;;age un A Reuter f Amsterdam messa g e on ? Wednesday says — In the course of enterprises by our de- stroyer forces engagements tcok place yes- terday morning near Hoffden with British light naval forces, in the course of which an enemy destroyer was sunk, and a second was observed by one of our aeroplanes to be in a sinking condition. One of our torpedo buab which was in distress owiQg to damage sustained is re- ported to have run into the Dutch har-bour of Ymuiden. The other boats returned with slight losses. RAID OR ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE ? The" Tyd," of Amsterdam, says it is obvious that the German fleet content- plated a raid, but was detected, and hurled back. Part of the German forces were driven against the Flemish coast, several destroyers being seriouply damaged, and several warships sunk. j SEVEN SUNK ? (1 ress Association War Special.) MUJDEN, Tuesday afternoon. Froiu statements of the crew of the V 69 it apears that seven other German vessels were sunk. The vessels belonged: to the, Heme Fleet (Hausflotte). With regard to the number of killed on the 69., it is stated that four men v. ere killed, including her commander, Lieut.-i Commander Boehm. There was also on board Ccmmander Schultr, commander bf i the flotilla, who was killed. '• The German officers refuse to give ill-j formation regarding the engagement, I Joeaiitv, or strength of the flotilla I .1 I. V 69 TO BE INTERNED. £ < YMLIDEX. Tuesday. 7 p.m. r It has been found impossible to re- taix V .69 within twenty-four hours of her arrival here. This wiU inv ? p her II internment.-(-" Daily Mail" irrespon- I dent.) ANOTHER dutch rumo* r. I AMSTERDAM, Tuesday. I The Xieuws van den Dag" learns from Ymuiden that, accord; to the statements of Germans, a, flotilla of twelve destroyers left Zeebrugge about midnight, going in a northerly direction. At 4 a-tn. thev were surrounded hv n j strong British squadron composed of ten cruisers and a number of destroyers. A sharp engagement ensued, and it is! rumoured at Ymuiden that ten out of I twelve German destroyers were sunk. One managed to escape and entered the har- bour of Ymuiden. I FROZEN TO THE, DECK.! $ £ KILLED GERMANI 1 ? ?/ SAILORS. I > The "Times" coi-respoiideiit at Ymuiden eaysr When the German torpedo-boat arrived the eight ipembers of the crew who had been killed were frozen hard to the deck, and it was necessary to employ axes in order to detach the dead bodies, which were covered with a German flag. The damage was caused partly by gunfire and partly apparently by ramming by a BrAigh warship, which made a deep inden- tation in the German torpedo-boat's side. I noticed the German flag still fluttering over the damaged vessel, which presented everywhere the appearance of having been badly mauled. The crew were greatlv re- duced by casualties. Groups of men were Still aboard, looking from the deck to the quay. Despite many degrees of frost, one or two German sailors, stripped to the waist, were washing off the battle stains in t,h, open air. One man's arm which had been blown off hung in the rigging, frozen hard.

SHIRKERS IN MINES. DRASTIC NEW COMBING-OUTi ORDER. 'A large number of men are to be immediately relea-sed from the coalmine-* for military services. Government notices to this effect were received at every col- liery in Great Britain on Tuesday. yThe men to be called up include the following classes:— Those who have entered the mines since August 14, 1915. Surfce, workers or officials supervis- ing such workers—other than engine- men, pumpiiieii. weighme-n, electricians, fitters and mechanics. Workers of military age employed in the mines, who during the last three, months have lost on an average t,wo or more shift.s during the week from ax-oicl- able causes..

MUMBLES WILL SUPPORT. A letter was read at Oystei mouth Council on Tuesday night from the Swansea Victory War Loan Committee in which it was stated j that it had been decided to hold a public meeting at Mumbles, at which the Mayor would most likely preside. The. Chairman Mid no date had been given, but he trusted that all the members of the Council would attend the meeting and do their best to support the lean. 1

f- ««nim~i~n~n —j T e Welshman's Favonrite. MABON Sauce i L! A. good aa <? Name, i } DON'T F AlL TO GET IT. 9  t M-8LCH" St. Peter SL, c.¡¡æJ ?. ti?WM!?MM<iM<'?M??Mt:???K??Wt?K?t?M?M?<aN j

i- CAUGHT!  I MOST OF THE ENEMY LOST? I VIVID STORY FROM 1 YMUIDEN. I Mr. C. E. Tripp, the "Daily Chronicle" correspondent at Ymuiden (Holland) sends the fullest account to his paper of the raid I from Dutch and German sources. He says — The harbour of Zeebrugge was becoming frozen over so that the German flotilla oF torpedo-boats was in danger of becoming fixed in the ic?, and there would therefore i icive been great danger of destruction from the fire of British monitois or other essels. The German command therefore decided to send the entire fiotilla out of nort at mid- I night with,orders to "teal through the dark- ness. as near as was safe to the Dutch -coast, I and to make for a German harbour. The number of in the German flotilla is given as 14. though some say 12. All went well till at a point somewhere be- tween the Hague jnd Ymuiden. Here their luck Vanished. frn- Without warning, I they suddenly found themselves under a. ter- i rifie fire from a large number of British wa.r- ships which loomed up out of the darkness in the bitter morning. They say tlvit they were taken by sur- prise, knowing nothing of the nearness of | the British Fleet until a shot struck the bridge, f'hattering it to pieces an.,I the commander and two other officer? who were standing near him. The Captain had both legs cut off, iiij was carried below, where,he died in a I few minutes. Both officers were killed im- mediately. j The second shot struck close to the qu'ck- firing gun, killing the entire crew of five men. The third shot disabled the steering gear, and the fourth raked the vessel amid- | ships, tearing up the ironwork throw- i ing the after funnel almost down on the I deck. j After being thus complettlv disabled she bmed her ht?d towards HnUa?d. a??d fell ) in with the tu.g Eems. when i? was obvious she could not mak? a German port or Ger- man waters. She was seen at dawn lytM? almost helpless about five "miles out to &ea I off Ymuiden. Dutcb tugs and torpedo vessels werrt out I at full speed to render help and bring her in. In all she lost feii it-ieri dead and .16 wounded, but some of the wounded are not expected to Eve more than a few hf?:r?.. ) If th Zeebrugge flotilla consisted of 12 j If the 11-1 flotilla co,ilisted of 12 I ves"elJ; th (>r Cannot be many others left, ,¡ for the wounded say that seven of their boats Were certainly Sunk. Thus only five others are not accounted for. Of these five. one is in Ymniden. Another is said; -as I write, to be coming into Ymuiden, and a third, as already stated, was seen this morning steaming full speed northward. The fate of the other two is as tet un- known. I It would also appear that arto)g men landed from the V.69 w -ere some who were probably p'eked up from the water when the other boats sunk. This idea is borne out by the fact that on the caps of the Ger- man sailors on board some were shown to belong to the Hig/h Seas Fleet, some to the Home- W aters Fleet, some from the Sixth j Division, and some from the Twelfth Divi- sion. The wounded also say that the Ger- m?n flotilla was quickly sur:o n<ded by the i snperiorforce, so that there was little hope that many of the boats were able to escape I destruction. I The Wrecked V.69. Mr. Tripp thus describes the condition of the V.69: -One of her funnels—the after I funnel--lies almost horizontal with the I deck, twisted and bent. Her bridge is shattered, and metal, canvas, wood and iron han.g about it, and about her mast in I an inextricable tangle. Her steering-gear is smashed ] er decks are smeared with I' blood; her three guns still stand on their swivels but all the machinery adjacent to them is a mass of twisted iron. She lies almost under water astern, only being kept afloat with all possible devices. Her six torpedo-tubes are much knocked I about, and it indicates the sudden and severe nature of the British ships' attack that only one torpedo ha? been fired. Five I other tubes are loaded ready, but there was no chance of discharging them in the storm 1 of shot which must' have poured into her a few hours ago. I

I == I I MANY PRIVATIONS I i I Suffered by Shipwrecked Crew. I A whole shipwrecked crew of 24 of the R.S. Ceta, a Dutchman, were brought into Swansea by a local steam trawler early on Wednesday morning, and most of them are being cared for by Mr. A. Brunt, superin- i tendent, at the Sailors' Home. The crew had suffered many privations when picked up in their boats. The captain and three other members of the crew are f housed at the Metropole Hotel, and two others are at the Swansea Hospital under- going treatment for injuries, ■ —-

I NEATH SUNDAY TRADINC POINT. i j.H. Tucke-r. a NHlfeotioner and tobacon- I ist. of Briton Ferry-road. Neath, was. at Neath on Monday, summoned for an alleged I breach of The Shops' Early Closing Order '1912). The alleged offence occurred op Sun- day, December 24th, and it was contended th" Act did not apply. It was alleged that cigarettes were sold at 9 p.m. on the Sunday", whereas the shop should have closed at ) 8 p.m. On the other hand it was contended ) that the sale of tobacco, etc.. on a Sunday ( was only governed by the Lord's Day Act of 1677.-The Bench, however, ruled that the 1912 Act was valid in the case, and imposed I a fine of f5, and costs.-Reiiben Ix>vering, Briton Ferry-road, and Brinley Jones, Cliff Bungalow, Burry Port, were fined 208. inclu- sive for aiding and abetting. I

LLANELLY SOLDIER ON A RAFT. I Two Llanelly men, Sorgt.-Major H. Williams, Dolau Fawr, and Private George Edwards. Bryn-road, were saved from the torpedoed Tvemia" in the Mediter- ranean. The latter was over three days on a raft before he was picked up. They a,re tiow a.t Alexandria, having rejoined their I j regiment.

SIX TO ONE. I • i SMASHING FOR PACIFISTS. I I SNOWDEN & CO. ROUTED AT MANCHESTER. j COALITION ENDORSEDj For remaining in the Coalition 1,849,000 i Against 307,000 The irrccdncilables" of the Labour party were beaten before they entered the confer- ence hall in Manchester on Tuesday (say. lho "Daily Expre.-? correspondent). The figures announced late in the afternoon left the tiny minority too s,tunaed to attempt a c,oijiiter All day they had fought their lost, battle in the bitterest spirit of in- vective, playing for cheers from supporters in the gallery, who were lepeatfdiy called to order by the chairman. Mr. J. W-ardle. M.P., wou.tiie first great cheer when, during his inauguial speech from the chair, he reaffirmed his attitude on Britain's participation in the war. j I am as convinced to-day as I was at the outset," he declared earnestly, "that there could have been only une greater tragedy than the war. and that woud have been for Britain to have kept out of it." OlJf hardy malcontent cried Sha.me but his voice was drowned in the overwhelm- ing cheer.- The Socialists tried a demonstra- tion on a iaigv scale at the mention of Pre- sident Wikon's name, but the majority waited tor Mr. Wardle's pronouncement. However desirable peace may be. it would not, in my opinion, be possihl. at the present time to secure a peace which would not coni.i V Mv:ii itself Far greater dangers, far more terrible possibiliMes of misery and slaughter, far greater risks for the future. than a continuance of the struggle implie-. He is no ipeaCemakev. either in nrivate or' public life, who refuses to recognise the ex- istence of real causes of difference, and who .st-cilee  f rea) ci d"- fferetice. aii d who wou!d patch up a nu&rrei while tho? causes remain. Mr. Arthur Henderson. Labour member of the War Cabinet. "n-oved the adoption ct' that portion Of the report endorsing the party leaders" D^tion in entering the present C-rO'v-sramo"* He got to grips at once with his opponent*. "We huve b-?en told we have sold the party," he lJegaL. "You gave it away," came the angry scream from the benches where the I.L.P. delegates sat bunched round Mr. Snow den and Mr. Jowett. Personally, I never looked at the matter from that point of view," said Mr. Hender- son calmly. "I think that if you are to •associate with any Government in an emer- gOlCY like this you ought to be concerned with what you are going to give rather than take. If we had to be associated with the Government it seems to me very difficult to select more important positions, so far at. the workers are concerned, thru those in which our men have been placed." ie Any message that goes from this con- ference giving the impression that we are weakening in our determination to support the Government in this war is going to he a message of 11 Discouracsmbnt to the Allied cause, and will be inconsistent witn the positron we unanimously took u.p in February, 1915." Mr. Jí\me Sexton, the Liverpo,)i bucker. leader, the objectors to fury by com- menting on the magnificent impudence of the British Socialist party, now reattending the conference'for'the first time in fifteen years, Arid linytiediVLt-el-V tr';il to contest its policy, .l g to C,40ntel2t it,- icy. Henderson, Hodge and Roberts are held as hostage#, for NiT good behaviour, and to see "th^t Labour is kept in its place." sneered Mr. Ammoh, of Bermond^cy. Mr. J. H. Thomas' Straight Words. Mr. J. H. Thomas- M.P., the railway- men's M.P., struck a blow at the opposi- tion. "Last year at Bristol," be said, "I urged that Labour would be strongest butside the Coalition, but by an overwhelming vote that was defeated, and as a Democrat I accept it. To come out of the Government now would. be interpreted by our Allies and enemies as an indication that Labour is pre- pared to give up all the sacrifices it has already made. l'bel poses our Labour Min- isters occupy are vital to the future of the movement. If they fail it will ba largely because we have failed to give them the support they deserve. If this motion is re- jected they must come out of the Govern- ment; and there is no alternative to a gene- ral election. I am not afraid of an election, but I am afraid of anything that will weaken our natioital morale 2nd bring dis- couragement to our men at the front, who haye already sacrifieed so much." It was this sma.shing speech which brought up Mr. Philip Snowden, M.P., who was re- ceived with wild fervour by the Socialist coterie and some booing, which he quickly proceded to justify. For nearly an hour he poured vitriol over the Labour Ministers, exhausting the vocabulary of gibe and jeer. The conference sat disgusted but patient most of the time, but sometimes the indig- nation boiled over. They have helped to reduce Labour to the position of mediaeval s laves." he hissed. "I believe in the right of majorities, but Henderson has not carried the rule into prac- tice. You may depend that, whatever the result Qf t-his vote. the Ministers will Te- main in office, mv friends. Who are you calling frtends ? cried an angry patriot, and Mr. Snowden smiled satirically. This conference is packed with blocks of votes," be had the insolence to sug- gest. "Prove it," cried delegates amid a storm of protest. "The conceit and self-importance of some people is colossal," he said, refer- ring to the statement that it was essential in the national crisis that Labour Minis- ters should be in the Cabinet. The remark was two-edged, however, and delegates laughed delightedly. He contended that only the Independent Labour party members had supported Labour interests during the war. "They sat like dumb dogs," he sug- gested of the rest. "That's better than being dirty dogs," fame back a swift rejoinder. Snowden's speech was made as though there was no war, t-aid Mr. J. R. Clynes, M.P., who hit the right answer in a sen- tence. "The Independent Labour Party should be the last to talk of packed meeting," ,aid Mr. Clynes, emphatically, and the con- ference touted approval of the hit., Nasty One for Snowden. "If Snowden is opposed to a dictatorship- why is he a member of the Liquor Control Board?" a-sked Mr. Be van. the Bristol dockers' ?e&d?r. in the ?hrewdast out of the day, which brought a how] of delight. "Fm not a jingo, but the miserable jelly- tish who believes that his country is always wrone is att object for my special detesta- tion. cried Mr. Tom Shaw (Weavers).

SWANSEA ORLS CLUB. A delightful concert was given at the Swansea Girls' Clur. at the old Y.M.C.A. The programme was arranged by Miss Lilian Edwards, and the following artistes took part: —Solo, Miss Annie Cole; solo, Mr. W. lyIeR; recitation, Miss K. Work- man solo. Miss Lilian Edwards: solo, Mi?s Muriel Parkins; 8010, Mr. E. R\ .ms. ?,?()Io, -Mr. P-. Pl %-aiis. The ac(.-cmpaiiist wa6 iext?ull,

cough in the bud." 

SWANSEA WAR LOAN BAROMETER 1 INSTALLED AT LA- BOUR EXCHANGE. I P-900,000 "POURED" IN I SO FAR. I Swansea's War Loan barometer was I formally unveiled on Wednesday at 12.30' by the Mayor (A'ld. David T)avies), in the presence of a number ot Corporation offi- cials and others, including the Borough! Treasurer (Mr. W. H. Ashmoie). the Dppnty Town Clerk (Mr. H. A. Hicldl, the Deputy Borough Treasurer (Mi-. Mor- gan). the Borough Architect (Mr. Broad- head). Mr. A. H. Thomas. J.P., etc. The site selected is outside the Labour Exchange in<.?-t!e BnUey-strcet. and after the Mayor had performed the little ceremony, the work of paiii-iiig in the L;900,000 (in the shape of a dark- red coloured liquid) alread y subscribed] locally, was carried out a,t-id was' watched with evident interest. Altogether iibput three gjlloijd of liquid were used, and j a* each Winchester quart was poured iniuj the graduated tube the amounts increased from £]00,000, the bottom of the register, To the! £900,OO. the barometer j" giauult-d un tu: £ 1,000,000. so that it iuoks a, .,I"Lt,pgh this total will soon be reached. As the liquid wa, passing the mark Mr Gibbs (of the -krcliitect* De|)artnie-nt' called out to the man on the ladder, "JU8t a little more—another donation has come ili." whereat there was general laughter, j A cheer went up as the E900,000 ligure was reached.; and all agreed that so far SWll- sev's share in the In-an is a. very respectable one. and a gi,eater contribution is coming. It may be added that in order to obviate the effects of frost the liquid ud only freezes at 22 deg. Fa.h. Th.1t is to say, Air. Brifadliead has added chemicals reduc- ing the freezing point of the mixture by 10 degrees. The barometer will be illuminated, and thus the mixture will stand even greater cold. Each day will show the amount of the aggregate subscription to the Icart as the figure is given from the banks, the local stockbrokers, etc. E50,000 NEW MONEY. Messrs. Hariies Bros., i owners, Cambrian-place, Swansea, have subscribed a total of 250,000 to the new War Loan, all new money.

——— ————————- ONE GOOD TURN," ETC.! CANADIAN R.F.C. MAN'S RECORD AND LAPSE. POLICE PROCEEDINGS AT j LLANELLY. j At. Ha?eUy PotiM.C?'n't. H. E. Rogei.?, R.F.C.. wa? charged with stealing a. dress- i;:g-ca?andc'?ntfnt?. of the value ?! £ 7 15s. ( PC. Bvan Davies stated fh; j on ?hc? :9t-h inst. he arvest-ed defendant' for being an ?bsentep fivjm the Koyal Flying" Corps. '?n tiCitrcbin? Him a.t th? Police Station ",¡" li,iir. a,t th,? P?liet gtatio-i ieather case and a Ha<~k. In a bedroom at- Tyrwauufach, Pwll, he fc?tjd a h?wn? ie,itlie,r cas .0 ''I -Ii-a iii?ik. ?f,:l a bmi,oom it,: the contents w? oi the v?lue of £ 7 15? Deicndant was .charged with stealing from the Cleveland Ijotel on the loth inst. the ftiliple* jCjefendsnfc said "I admit taking the psg aiiq the contents; 1 am sorry for what I have done. When I did it I was under the iivliue«ce ot driuk." Defendant pleaded guilty., "and said that he h.'d been i'n the Aviny three years. After coming over 4\»n Canada to join the Army he trained bad Canadian horses, and met ..with an aocjdent. injuring his head and Itand. After beiti, rejected from the Amy he joined the R.F. Corps, having failed to, got into the. S.W. 1 Borderers. At present he was on the staff at Beading. He wrw not a, shirker like some of the-men he sa v around him. and hoped the Bench would deal lenietiti- -"itli iiiiii. Mr T. Jont- J.P. We have rome oCn- sider^rion by reason of the fact that yon j have done something for your King and j country, arfd you a. e lined £ 2. Defendant was then charged »vith being I an aiisentee Îlfid remanded to a-wait )Jl escort.

A MONSTROUS MACHINE." Swansea C.O." Who Was Still, at Large. At Swansea on Tuesday Ernest Penny, labourer, was charged with failing to re- port for military service when called upon. Defendant admitted the offence. P.O. (55) Wright said that when ar- rested, defendant said he had been .expect- ing Defendant now said he did not intend to associate himself with such a monstrous machine as the military. He was a con- scientious objector, and he aileged he bad been dealt unfairly with at the Tribunals. A fine of 40s. was imposed, and defen- dant ordered to be handed over to the military authorities.

DISCHARGED SOLDIER SUED. Ammanford Bench and Paternity I li Arrears. I Whilst in the Anny J. Lloyd Hughes, of Ponygroee, incurred arrears of J314 14s. fxi. I under an affiliation orrder to Sa.rah, A. Thomas. Having been discharged, follow- ing severe woiuids which lie sustained while lighting,, he wa. summoned at Ammanford on Monday in respect of these arrears. The Chairman (,,It-A. E. Du Buisson) said J although it was an immense amount they were prepared, not to enfoice payment of j arrears if the defendant undertook to pay' 2. 4d. s wtel, in resect of payments he- coming due weekly. Defendant: I will n akt all effort to do' &o. C,, h a i rniaik. ?\- e -it- Chairman: We are particularlv anxious not to be too liard on a man who has served at the front. Tiif eage wm adjourned for two inonths to see whethertlw defendant wuiild carry out his piomise.

loo.WIER P'LO.UC:-FIMEN. I The Uower union Distinct !»ocjety's annual Plo1}ling makh. whieh WM fixed t for tomorrow (Thursday;, has. owing to the heavy fro«t, been postponed until next ) Saturday wqek, February 5rd. j

"A DRAW!" WILSONS IDEA OF I PEACE. I AMAZING SPEECH IN SENATE. President Wilson, in an to the; United States Senate on Monday, enunciat-' ed his peace policy. Referring to his 3iote I to the belligerents, lie admitted that the Entente Powers had' replied much more df" finitely than the Germanic allies, but. -he indicated that ib,, TTnited Stales- could'do no more to hasten peace. The United States, he said, would have no voice in determining the t?rms,- but "we shall have a. voice in determining whether they shall be made iasting or not." "The statesmen of both groups of belli- gerents have aid that they do not want to crush their antagonist. "]'his iitiplies 1. Peace without victory (i.e., a draw). 2. Only a peace between equals can last. 3. A guarantee of equality of rights among hig and small nations. 4. Government by consent of the .governed. (The President- oit this point gave only one concrete example when he mentiouetl a free and autonomous Poland.) 5. Otherwise whole populations will fer- ment and tight against peace. -1 ".Corridors "—for Germany? I I bis fed hi iii to enunciate the-■ following; pri 1. Every great people now struggling to develop its resources fully should be assured a direct outlet to tiie of the sea. 2. 1 1, n this cannot be done by cession of territory it may he done by the neu- tralisation of direct rights of way, i.e., by Having neutral "corridors'"— query, from (lermany to the Channel. 3. The paths of the sea in law and fact must be free. The free, constant, un- threatened intercourse of nations is an essential part of the prcce? of peac6i of development. t 4. This problem is closely counechN1 I with tlu1 limitation of naval anTiaments, l?ndin?to 5. Th Limitation of armies 1 ami piogramnies ot unitary propiii-i-tioti. These questions must be faced with the! utmost candour, and peace cannot- be had without concession and sacrifices. The statesmen of the world must plan J for peace as they planned for war. I The President concluded with a state- ment that he was proposing, as it were, a Monroe doctrine for the whole world. The general principle of this doc-trine is that every port-ion of the American Con- tinent must be free from European con- trol and vice versa.

GHOST AT KIDWELLY.) MYSTERIOUS WRAPPINGS" IN I HOUSE. Some uiieaJinjvstories are being told at; the ancient Carmartnenshire borough of Kidwelly in respect of a dwelling house, where mysterious knocking* are alleged to be lieard every night. The Kidwelly case is quite out of the ordinary run of "tap- pings, as the "knocker" is credited with a ingular degree of intelligence, afld readilv respuiias to efforts to carry on: "knock" conversations with his, visitors. A/Press correspondent .states that the strange noises were first heard three weeks ago, and for some time they verc ignored by,the Thei-.t the kuockiltgS be. came insistent, and the head of the house had to rcapond with reply knocks, and thereupon things quieted down, The noise starts almost every evening at 8 o'clock a.nd finishes at 11.50. The place ts visited nightly by many residents, including some of the most prominent inhabitants of the town. Some of these have tried to get intc communication with the author of the t'">uds, an<l met with considerable success, A Code of Thuds was arranged —a suigte knock to denote "\es. silence "N)," and a series of knocks, numbers. By means of this coda questions have been put and answered quite correctly. For instance, "his gliostlitiegs," was asked how many persons twere then pre- sent, and immediately 17, knocks were heard. Seventeen persons were found to he pte=ent. A thorough search has bpen made for the cause, or causes, but without success, and several of the hitherto most sceptical persons now believe that the thud-s are made by supernatural bands, and that someone dead wishes to convey a mes- i sage to the living.

GLASS FOR SWANSEA. DECORATORS' CLAIM AGAINSTi i G. W R I • At Swansea County Ci/iirt on Monday, i | Messrs. Pugsiey and Son, house decorators, etc.. sued the Great Western Railway Com- pany for J35 in respect to damage done to a consignment of window glvac iir transit from London to Swansea in -Januiry I tst. Mr. Conway Lewis appeared for the plain- j tiffs and Mr. Rupert Lewis Robin- son Smith, Son and Lewis) was for the railway company. David Price,- plaintiff's foreman, said that the contents of one of the fix cases oi glass were practically all broken when it*(. arrived. Mr. Lewis submitted there was no evi- denc e giv-en th at the glass was properly packed by the consignors. Mr. C. Lewis said that extra carriage rate was paid, and the company would therefore take care that the goods were properly packed when received. His Honour: I do not see how that shifts the onus of proof. He?rin? adjourned for the attendance of the consignors. tb(- cori,,) gn6i-s.

LLANELLY MAN AND HIS P'MK FORM. At the Llanelly Police Court on Monday, A. T. Hitchman, a grocer's assistant, was charged with being an absentee under- the! Military Service Act. Mr. n. Jennings de- fended. and it was contended thai, the man did not have a pink form. Lieut. Ingrams contended that as the man had voluntarily offered himself for medical examination, he was liable for service even if he did not have a pink form. Lieut. Ingrams continu- ed "We think it extremely probable that the man did haveta pink form. He has .been dod,ging alrout between here and Swansea ever since." Mr. Jennings "That is not so." Hitchman said he had been re- jected twice in Llanelly and once in Swan- sea.. The Bench reserved their decision,

At the Temperance Hall, (Jvvys, a re- ception concert was held in honour of Sapper Jack James and Morgan Davies, of the Royal Engineers, now home on leave from the fighting line. Prior t< enlistment Sapper James was well-known in local football circles. The Rev. G. R. Davies presided, and an interesting pro- gra.mme was gone through, contributed to by a number of local artistes. Both the heroes were made the recipients of a sum of money on behalf of the inhabi- tants, the presentations being made by

SWANSEA BOY AND t GIRL WORKERS. I ONLY ii EIGHT 79 LADS I ON MUNITIONS! GIRLS BEHIND COLD I ROLLS. In their third annual report the Swan- sea Juvenile Employment Committee say that reviewing the past. year as a whole I the local juvenile industrial world has suffered but little disturbance through the war. Girls are in more demand for errands, the two errand girls of 1915 rising to 43 in 1910. Errand lads fell from 2.54 in 19L3 to 1-36. Of the abnormal employments arising out of the war for the period under re- view, munition work absorbed oniv S boys but from the reports made at After- care meetings it would appear that a number of boys are acting a? "behindr" i" the local tinworks. Among the giris, I II errand work, formerly done by boys, iias found employment for 40; telegraph i messengers, 7: printers' helps, 7; and gas appliance work 1. It is also under- stood that young girls are being em- ployed behind the cold rolls in the tin- works. No girl under eighteen years is employed in local munition factories. The statistics given refer to Exchange placings only. There are no reliable data as to the placings effected through other agencies. The sub-committee add: "The small- ness of the number of juveniles employed! locally in abnormal occupations ought to I render their return to their usual voca- tions a comparatively easy matter. The chief difficulty with the boys will probably be on the score of the wages offered. Many of the lads have been earning ex- traordinarily high wages—varying from II ?s. per week to as much as £ 2 5s.; and. should anything like pre-war rates pre- ¡ vall when peace is restored, difficulties, no doubt, will be encountered for a time." The sub-committee recommend legisla- tive 'action to deal with the slot-gaming machinef. and that the school age should be raised to 15 years. The placmgs filled by the Exchange include: Clerks and office boys. 100; errand boys, 104; hotel boys, 13; labourers, 70: telegraph messengers 17; tinplate industry, 20: warehouse boys, 21 bookbinders. 10: brushmakers, il clerks, 23; domestics. 267 (including 189 J day girls) dressmakers, 9; girl messen- ) gers, 40 girl shop assistants, 30, and ware- house girls, 24. Total boys concerned, 369; total girls, 588. BOYS WHO TRY AGAIN. Instances of children changing jobs are given, and the record of one boy is 10 changes from- August, 1914, to August, 1915, whilst another lad had seven places in 14 months. The report as a w hole shows that much good work has been accomplished by Mr. H. R. Wakefield (the juvenile employ- ment officer) a.nd hi sub-committee. I

"ABSOLUTE SECURITY. SWANSEA WAR SAYINGS' 1 DEPOSITORS. Certain of the depositors in the Swan-' sea Patriotic War Savings Association have asked us whether their savings will- be converted into the new War Loan, nncT therefore not withdrawable on demandP.j It is also suggested that the depositors, if the deposits are converted, stand the J-isk I of market depreciation. The "Daily Post" put, the points to Mr, W. H. Ashmoie, the Borough Trea- surer and hon. manager of the scheme, and he at once rcphed that the respon- sibility of investment was a matter en- tirely for the committee; all the deposi- tors had to do, if they wanted t-hei- money, was to give notice of withdrawal and the cash would -lie paid t6 them in flllt together with the i))tiei;?':t; dye. The whole amount received up to the present,'Mie add^d, has-been invested, in five and six per cent. Exchequer Bonds, and it is not proposed to convert them." As to the second point, the Borough Treasurer reiterated statements that he has made many times before to the effect; that the depositors need have no fear; whatever as to the repaVment of their savings. If there should be any loss, and none is expected," he added, "that: loss will fall, not upon a single depositor, but the guarantors. There is no quest tion at all about the security." The fact is, if the Avhole of the moii-V; were invested in the new War Loan. and the price fell ten points (which will not occur), then the depositors in the Swan-' sea War Patriotic Savings Association will still get their money back in full, Such is the amount of the guarantee fund, whilst Mr. A. F. Eden is the chairman of committee.

FUEL SHIPPER'S CLAIM! FAILS AT SWANSEA COUNTY; COURT. At the Swansea County Court oil Tuesday (before his Honour Judge Bryn Roberts), Austin Driscoll, fuel shipper, oi Tontine- street, claimed FS in respect of ei2.ht weekss' compensation, the respondents being the Atlantic Patent Fuel Company.— j Mr. \V. A. Thomas appeared for the appli- cant, and Mr. Metcalfe represented the respondent tompany. On September 1st appl-iennt said he was working stacking up fuel, and when turning over an empty trolley his loot slipped and ■ the trolley struck him in the groin, causing, all absce&s which incapacitated liini fc-r the II peritki. stated. "Do you drink?" asked Mr. -Metcalfe of II the applicant.  Me?" he replied. "Oh, 1 I drink. "Me?" .h e replied. yes, The only -thing is I can't get it." Driscoll added that he hnd not been drinking on the day in question. Dr. Anderson, called lot- the applicant, said that the a>bscess could have come about with or without a blow. The man suffered from an o'd hernia. Mr. Jonah Charles (Dockers Union) gave I evidence of the service of noMce upon uhe ,evld,e.-n-ce of thp, serv i ce of notice iipoit 7?o, the Atlantic Company, lk W. c. Williams, Cardiff, deposed to examining applicant after he had recovered, and Driscoll did not tell him that he had been struck but only that he had strained him- self. I The notice of the accident was admittedly not given until September 16th, and his Honour said that he thought that was fatal to the applicant. Further, he waf not satisfied that the a bscess was due to 'I Mcident. On both grunds he found for the respondents with costs. —

THOUGHT HE WAS A II NEGRO! SWANSEA BENCH AND DIRTY I CUSTOMER. James Gardiner, no fixed abode, labourer, ,was at Swansea County Police Court Oil Wednesday, sent to prison for two months for sleeping out at Gowerton. Inspector Davies described defendant as a perfect nuisance to the public in the district, and especially to the stationmaster at. Gowerton. Defendant, who was in a filthy condition, and looked like a negro in the dock, said the porter at the. station had asked him to look after the fire owing tof he frost. Chairman: I thought he was a negro. Inspector Davies No, air; he looks one, but there is ANOTHER SURFACE UNDER THAT. I (Laughter.) Ch.a.irman: The law seems ineffective. There should be a way to make this man work. Here's a fine opportunity for a bud- ding member of Parliament to pass a law to effectively deal with those kind of men. You will go to prison fan fowo months and have a good waab, .III. I.I-1HM l»"MI 111" 1

InoBw V BABY HARRIS. Firm, sturdy and strong" 56, East Duhvicb Grove, East Dulwich, S.E., November 8th, 1916. Dear Sirs,—I feel I must tell you what Vital has done for our boy. At the age of 6 months he could not take any foods that were given him, nothing suited him, and I think we tried every- fi thing. At last we were, strongly ad- vised to try Virol, which we did, and were delighted at having found some- thing that really agreed with him. He is now 2 years old, and is very firm. sturdy and strong, and compares more than favourably with children we know who are 3 and 4 years old. Yours faithfully, P. C. HARRIS. In Measles, Whooping Cough, Bronchitis or Influenza, Virol should be given to children of whatever age. Virol increases their power of resistance and recovery, and strengthens them against dangerous after-effects. IROL In Glass & Stona Jars, if-, 1/8, and 2/11. YIBOL, LTD., IM-iSS, Oid Street, EX. British Made, British Owned. ii' a..H.t. — J

DISCHARGED FIGHTERS. WHAT BECOMES OF THEM AT SWANSEA. 379 ON PENSIONS COMMIT- TEE'S BOOKS. .se liar g e d sol d i: us and What becomes of discharged soldiers and sailors from a financial point of view is a. point often asked. • Of course, the large majority, where unlit for service and not suffering from serious disabilities, return to civil life in the ordi- nary way those however disabled or parti- ally disabled receive either weekly grants, according to the nature of the cases, or pen- sions, either for periods or life. The latter range from shillings to 25s. a week (husband and wife) and 2s. 6d. each child in addition. With a view of ascertaining what is be- ing done locally the "Daily Post" has ob- tained from Mr. T. L. Jenkins (secretary, War Pensions Committee, Swansea) some de- tailed figure., .w hich'. express" i better than words the position." Altogether since Julv. 1st 'last, to December 31st. "379 cases of dis- charged soldier-; and sailors have been d'lt with by tb* -Swattafta War Pensions' Com- mittee, this number'being made np of 337 militiry and 42 naval,-comprised m the fol. JowJlJg :-— Military. Naval. Total. Total disability cases. 29 3 32 .Partial disability cases ISA jjo 177 No pensions cases 60 11 71 Nut definite But treated at! no pensions 84 15 99 479 W hc.i e assistance been granted: Total disability 'only recoverable advances; p.?tial disability 1?5, no pensions- 140. Casts w here ?."isLa?ce has ?ot been granted: T?t..Udi.a.bintyJ?;p4?"n?d's- ability''53 no'pensions '32. The aon cases iiiyl)cii, .ons -o3. 4e tixove and roi)lez!e)lt 262 e i ,,Iit an d Duriog.this.period 'only, ?t))e foHj.v)i)g c<M-e? ha\'e oeeu tt'?ced a,? a tej?un tor '.u further ags?L?iica: C'?tuiued cu.ji?yinpnL 33 ldt district 11 rejoined the Service 1; rdclsed i'ov 'munitions 1? ditto colhery w<»rk 1, ca??. stUt receiving assistance (in- duding 5 widows of d?cii."gfd ?utd?rs and sailors)- 7b. I The follon, t, aiiiotiiifz,, iritve been paid from October 1st Decuniuf--L St,t, 116 JRecoveiable <ui\allots — £b 8 6 ?ra?i-s 672 9 6 11\1J:g;:¡;'t' 6i ? í Total £ <44 1,6 |

-NO CQMPENSATiON." I SWANSEA LICENSING BENCH i ELECTION. I H i oii Tiie- I av efec-te d Swansea magistrates on TnesJay elected the following as the Licensing Committee: The Y'avor (Aid. D. Davies), Messrs. J. W. Jpns ( I.an.man), F Edwards, Ben j Jones, IJr. N-lson Jones,. Messrs. T. Mer- rells, Wm. Thomas, R. I.ewis. R. Thomas, David Roberts. E. G. Eroiheroe tt. Mar- tin, W. Edwards, D. Meager add T. Wil- liams. The new members aie the Mayor and Messr. D. Meager an.: T. Williams. Mr. J. W. Jones is the chairman in place of Mr. J. Robttrs i(iecer.st-d). the new- members replace "Aid. Dan •Iov\«; and Mr. I J. Wignall.. It vns decided to make no compensation levy. j'

SIXPENCE A DAY r Will Feed and Keap Little Beigianfi. ? A ciit uf sixpence a (iIT olli," is needed t,) lieil) to feed and keep little orphan childieii in Beigluin. These are some thou- sands-of children in this had plight, and they must be succoured-at once. The Belgian Orphan Fund, the chairman of which is M. E. Pollet, the Consul- General for Belgium in London, is now appealing lor fundfc for this causc'^ Persons subscribing sixpence will receive the name and address and, if possible, a photograph of .one of ih< Üt}1c Belgian suf- ferers. If you can spare sixpence and be- L come a sponsor to one of the little children, I send your subscriptions* to M. | address as above. j

CAUGHT IN WIRE ROPE. t Swansea Man's Leg Severed. I A seaman on the s.s. Selba. lying at-the King's Dock, Swansea, named SandLi of 176. Port Tennant-road, had his right leg severed from his body through an accident on board. tb4, unfortunate man being caught in a pjeoe of wire rope. He was removed to the Hospital, and de- tained there.

A WARNING I lias blreJl issued by tho Local Government Boa4 against the use of Baking Powders containing mjttrioas to health. The ottention of cur-i-Qa.d^i-s if thgrore trailed to the fact BAKING POWDK.K is recognised as the standard of baking powders, ofwing- to its excellence, rtrengtll %ud p??T?tT? 1? is made o?y Uoui the b?st 9'H? tin" mKred?Bt? !M sabstitntes of M? &LwripWu bein^ used and is «i(aroiy bee from all delewriou- sulx stdne&4. Aww. i1<J;l ebealZ bu.1JkY.paok IihoIQ ? ss?????s?ss?s?css?s?? ?t- -r,

SKETTY ALLOTMENTS. I Mr. H. S. Cook presided over a meeting the .11 ember? of Skecty Allotments So- piety in the Church Hall oil Tuesday even- ing to hear a lecture by Mr. T. E: Rees, assistant master at Carhgias County School. Oil .-riietical ^arJoiin^. The lecturer illus- trated his point* with a full-sized diagram, dealt with the allotment and hov. to utilise it to the utmost capa- citv ziitd in the most economical manner, the nature of the soil and its treatment, and the amount of seed required in a given ;rea, and the moat suitable vegetables to grlbx, with other sound prac- tical advice, for which he was tÀallke4 on I ochalf of the chairman. 1" -'II --oo::r