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[No title]
A declaration of war and the rupture of diplomatic relations are totally differeilt things, but the latter step, taken by the United States Government on Saturday, brought the former appreciably neaiex. Earlier messages had stated the Americans would await an open violation of the hu- inane code upon .whose observance at sea they insist, on the part ot the Germans, before resorting to tiii., s",giiiii.carit but com- parativelv mild measure; as a matter of fact, the sillkin; of a Spauish vessel with the loss of ten lives was reported the same day. and anorded ample justification. Whilst British opinion sought in no way to influ- ence Mr. Wilson, who has indeed a rare capacity for taking his own line despite eVen bitter domestic criticism, it was uni- versally recognised on this side of the At- lantic that was was the only logical outcome of the course of action to which -vir. Wilson had committed himself, and that the Ger- < mans, as bad as their word, would provide speedy, abundant and flagrant defiance of the President's huiyane demands. We. mav respond to the question what the entrance of the United States into the fr .v. even in the limited role of a benevolent neutrality towards the Allies, would bring to our siik Tin-re would be first the release of the half-million tons of interned German and Austrian shipping in American harbours, providing it were not scuttlcd-a measure against which it was understood the Ameri- can Government wa" taking precautions, i There would be the gn at resonates of the • American shipbuilding yards for th. output of mercatftile -tonnage and anti-submarine warcraft. Theee aloiw would be invaluable contributions. But the open and unre- stricted financial support of Ajneriea, with her vast accumulated, wealth, would enable- the Allies tc/prolong the WIT for a period un- questionably more than sufficient for the bearing down ¿'f the Central Powers. American financial- support would be a tre- mendous factor, and a tiuieiy one. For let it not b? glossed over that, after the- pre- sent- British loan has been raised and spent (and nearly 2.0,-00 millions • xe already ear- marked simply to meet expenditure up to the end of next month) there would be de- eided difficulty in raising a new one. with j the cotiiitry-s savings mortgaged in advance j for a long period to swell the total of this loan. We do not "av that the task wouJd be at all insuperable; but American support in this sphere would b anish anxiety. We need not, at the moment; analyse a possible American naval and military con- tribution—the American de.-trovers and cruisers availably would be fairly numerals and would be efikied, though 'the chief strength of the American Navy is in a i i.ther disproportionate mimb.-r of line of battle vessels, of which the Allied Power have an fciimdance. Tint Auiciwm aiWfd. interven- 'tl0n would, even rfl it few moirtHsi'time. bei so weighty that in |he light of such a con- tingency we can only infer that the German 'move is a desperate gamble. They believe they have the opportunity and they think they have the means of forcing a victorious close of the war by starving Britain. Beat Britain and all thco Allies are beaten so runs the German argument. And with the Allies beaten, the opinion, good or bnrl. oi the neutral will not matter a straw. When -the German cracks the wrrp all Europe wili come to heel. So may run the enemy's reasoning. It this gamble fails, what then? Will it lose her the war? Hardly, in it-self, for the war was being lost before. And after all the new German campaign cannot drag the German name t-o lower depths of in- famy than it has already descended to. dip- Mv. Lloyd George at Criccieth on Satur- day had a good account to give of the acti- vities cf the Government only a few weeks old, which has yet compressed within that brief space of time a remarkable number of accomplishments. A great War Loan has been floated with a most vigorous propa- measures of every description are being taken to cope with the new sea cam- paign, from the economising of old and the commencement of the construction of new tonnage to a great national food cultivation scheme; and, further afield, if Mr. Lloyd George was inclined to distribute over every Allied Government the blame for "throwing away advantage after advantage" in the -Ba l kans, i.evert h e l e. Balkans, nevertheless some credi-t. is alsotdue all round, for the clipping of the wingf: of King Constantine. With the result that the Czar's promise has been fulfilled, and the situation in the Balkans arouses much less anxiety than it did six weeks a.go. The Premier declared that the war would he ended in 1917 if the enemy could be con- vinced that 1918 would be still worse for him than this year. As to that, we would insist less upon the close of the war by such and such a given period than upon its thoroughly satisfactory conclusion, by the grinding of the German Army into powder and an invasion of German territory on all quar- ters. Only in such a way call the conviction of defeat be rubbed home into the German mind, and that is a t-.iik that will call for tremendously hard fighting. The Premier, in respect to other matters touched upon in his speech, need have little fear but that the country will respond to any calls upon it for endurance—though not, possibly, cheery endurance, for grumbling is the birth-riglit of the British.
[No title]
Lord Devonport. the Food Controller, has issued an appeal putting the country upon its honour to observe voluntarily food ra- tions in respect to three staples, bread, meat and sugar. He explains that ho does so on account of the difficulty of putting up the machinery for compulsory rationing without a serious draft upon the labour power of the nation and the creation of a fresh swarm of officials whilst the system has aroused widespread dissatisfaction in Germany, where, if anywhere, organisation might be expected to have a fair trial. The quantities, specified (41bs. of bread, includ- ing cakes. etc., 2 £ lbs. of meat and ilb. of sugar per head per week) are indicated "after full examination of the actual posi- tion of stocks immediately available or visible," and it is considered that thev will adequately meet the present situation and njlltiugencie8. It is also explained that, ilmoittitsare so made up so as to provide for adjustment between individual members of a family to permit, for instance, the chil- dren to have more bread. w.hich their elders will make up in meat. It is unfortunate that it has not been found possible at the same time to name )he quantities of potatoes, etc.. which thould be consumed weekly, as many people will be disposed, to recoup a shortage of bread hy an increase in vegetables. The e;mounts are in any ce maxima, and the public is requested, if possible, to eat lass. One benefit of so dIlg will be the release of otrantiiies of foodstuffs for those who, from income or occupation, cannot afford so much meat, and consequently eat more bread, or, ill virtue of their calling, require a more than ordinary quantity of meat. To a clark- the amount of meat, which in a household of four would be ten pounds a week, would be excessive; but. a steelworker might find it inadequate, it is also pointed out. that in any case preparations are being made for a system of compulsory rations, but that. it is only to be introduced on evidence (which will be accessible) of the failure of the system of voluntary rations. The public has At thus very largely in its own hands (or mouths) to help very materi- ally in tiding the country through a. dan- gerous crisis. "Frugality," it is declared, "will ensure a sufficient supply for all, de- j spite any effort of the enemy," and an un- stinted supply for the fighters. What pro- portion ot the people will accept this literally "self-denying ordinance" and loyally ration themselves to attain results of supreme importance and baffle the enem y s wildest b l ow'. uiieiii3 s wildet Ignorance, selfish- ness, indifference, all these prevail widely, j and it may be compulsion will be necessary. That will be regrettable. It will involve "a vast organisation, a great staff of officials, aIlùtickts." It will require two months to become effective. The country at least lias clear guidance, it is called upon to sub- mit to a diet that the enemy would consider !-as bounteous abundance, and it will have nothing but selfishness and stupidity to thank if it does not co-operate with the Government in passing through the "U boat crisis. Some facts of much public interest are contained in another report from a scientific commission. One gallon of milk will make a pound of cheese, but it takes 2? gallons to make a pound of butter. It takes from a third to less than half of the-am.ount of starch in fodder to produce as much meat when fed to pigs and calves as the same amount produce-- when fed to cattle. So far the supply of food available as a whole has been 5 per cent, in excess of the mini- mum for proptli- ititt-eitioii, and still more in excess of the amount needed to supply energy. At the close of the war, when the production of abundant supplies of food is one of the chief cares of the Government, we -should pursue a clear and scientific policy in the light of war time researches and ex- periences. We are slowly coming back to first principles.
[No title]
There are reasons which would explain a slov.ne .,s i-.n picking up gloves cast down in cbalit'n?e. on the part of Presidents of the I United States of a widely different tempera- meat hum that 01 Mr. Wilson. Distance and dispersion lender the war a matter of indifference to the bulk of Americans they real of it as we would in normal times have read of a cataclysm of nature on the other idz! cf the world, aii eruption of Mount Pelee, a ,reat Heoding of the Yellow River, I an earthquake on the Pacific Slope, or al itia,s.i,- i,e in Armenia, with interest but i wlill detachment. The human mind is very fiiiite and can grasp but little at one time. To apply an illustration to our own neigh- bourhood, a small colliery disaster in the i western district would move us more deeply than a larger disaster in the Eastern Valleys. Certain elements of the Americans are, howevo, relativeb active in their Attitud :) the war. Some (? the?e?re, it is true. !Jeci?e<ci}y auti-Any, the enthusiasm of others 1? restricted to one Ally at ? time, and some of our partners arouse no eJlthl;s¡ I asm :my\vher? in America. "I lini Iteti but vocal Section t" is, it if true', j 'Anglo-Saxon and pro-British, but it is doubtful if it compares at all in hulk with j the anti-British. Irish and German American blocks of population, with a coH- I | siderable political pnil." For France there is a much wider enthusiasm in America; th& memories of Rochambeau and Lafayette are treasured, all travelled Americans know and love Paris, and the French, and hrgc numbers of Americans are voluntarily enrolled in the French I Army. For Eiisoiii Nve do not know that therp j i anywhere in the States any enthusiasm I and the Itolian cause arouses no interest j beyond the limited circle of Italian A men- I cans. Belgium has appealed powerfully to American sentiment; Americans have borne an honourable part in maintaining tlje sub- I s istence of her people, and the Germa.i; dd- portations, and the Armenian massacres, have powerfully shocked the influential and most intrinsically genuine American j opinion in the oldest States, whose views are still tinctured by a strong Puritanism; and with whom have mainly originated the missions in the Levant. Syria, and Armenia which have for many years pa-st been sup- j ported by American societies. J The materialism engendered by prosper- j itv, the decay of idealism, the dilution of the American spirit by the half-digestd i masses of recent alien immigration, a certain cynical attitude towards European diplo- macy which branded all alike as being tarred with the same brush, no la.rge body of general sympathy with the Allied cause apart from that entertained for one nation or another, and certain reactions of the war not all by any means enriching the Ameri- can people—all these factors explain the curious acquiescence in the President's past j passiven?s of a nation whose spirit was once the most fiery and "touchy" in the world. Visitors to America speak of a strange mental mood amongst- the Ameri- cans, a general bewilderment and groping j of the spirit, a sense that, one way or all- other, some decision should have been come to. but an inability to make it. There has been. in short, complete national disunity, and a jarring of opinions which rendered national oneness od impossible. There- were paroxysms of indignation in i some American pav?rs after the Lmit.ania massacre, just as there are to-day. but j Wilson let the matter drop, and a 'it tie j later he achieved a remarkable elector il triumph. Originally the President bv a minority vote, stepping into office by a in the Republican party, he secured tiiis I last time a clear and unequivocal major- j ity. In such circumstances it is impossible now to regard Mr. Wilson as an accident of i American Aateeiiiaiisliip after conducting a policy, if such it can be called, in respevt to Mexico and Germany, which aroused bitter controversy in certain circles in America, he was nevertlieless ba-cliced by the American people at th? polls.. It ma.v he taken for grated that. =.- far as the President stands for an inexplicable passivity, lie will be supported now as he was before: but that, on the other hand, if he is moved at length to a definite de- parture from neutrality, through the Ger- man defiance of the code of action which he | laid down, for their conduct of the mari- time war, a momentous significance is to be attached to it, for the President will carry with him a mass of opinion hitherto impossible to move, and will advance ap, preciably nearer to the active and aggres- si ve section of American opinion which would long since have avenged massacre by war. Men of Mr. Wilson's type when they do go to war are dangerous adversaries. Mr. Lloyd George id a case in point; until August. 1914, the tireless glorifier of peace amongst the nations, and denouncer of war ^ud armaments, now .set iiiflexiblv. upon the prosecution of war to the bitterest and bloodiest end, long after the Moloch wor- shippers of Potsdam have wearied of their idol. From Mohammed to Cromwell and the Covenanters, and Cromwell to Lincoln, men who have, like Mr. Wilson, shared a particular cast of mind, loftily idealistic, have, when they took up the sword, proved to possess a terrible moral determination, set imp'acably, which makes them the most formidable wagers of war. It is a cast of mind not easily fathomed, and it is most readily intelligible that the Germans cannot understand it; but it is one which wages war as earnestly and inflexibly as it ever upheld the tenets of peace and the cult of the olive branch. The Germans, who have added to the ] injury which they propose to do America at sea the insult of a licence to communicate with Europe by a special permission, have meanwhile furnished us with a perfectly clea.r explanation of their motives. The Chancellor telte the Reichstag that the moment iti now opportune for an unre- stricted use of the submarine, because (a) the number of vessels available has very considerably increased." and (b) a com- bination of economi c cireuinstances brings about a shortage of essentials like corn, coal, ere, and pitwood in the Allied coun- tries, rendered more acute by the increased shortage of cargo space. As to the general question of the blockade, we have no right to complain in principle of efforts to starve us at sea whilst we have used starvation as a weapon against Germany and Greece. But the difference in the British and the German blockades from the standpoint of humanity is immeasurable. The main battle fleets of the two Powers tacitly leave each other alone. Normally,, the failure of any German effort to win the command of the sea by the orthodox means -a decisive victory over the British main battle fleet—would expose the Germans to the full penal tics of the loss of seap,e?--? stringent blockade of their own coasts, and complete immunity fcr the British coasts. The British blockade is. however, hardly legally complete; for it does not exist in the Baltic, or cut off Germany from commUUiI- cation with five neutrals—Denmark, Nor- way, Sweden, Holland, and Switzerland. It is made relatively effective in that regard by the British system of putting those neu- trals on rations in respect of the importation of food and raw materials, on the broad principle (which on th face of it needs but to be stated to justify avelf) that we have the right to prevent necessary goods from reaching the enemy by any channel, indi- rect or direct. Tlie practically complete control of the surface of the sea by the British fleet, and the "geographical position, not only of Ger- many but of the neutral countries which might feed her, 0n relation to Great Brit- a in, render it an matter for uie i>nt- j ish blockade to be carried out; for we have to patrol only 21 miles of -salt water in the south, and in the north the sea between Scotland and Norway. A German blockade of Britain and the Allies is, however, fea- sible by the submarine, which, by di-vizig i beneath, the surface, can operate on the Allied sea routes. There are, hoXvever, difficulties in conducting suc h a blockade __jl With humanity became the submarine can- f?. l' general ?-up?:. h'?Hg' her p))XfS ih^o;,pprt &h? caWiK? ??cdmMod?fe fh?* crews of "more than one or two medium- sized vessels if ¡;he took: them- on board: she can only destroy her prizes, and their destinction thus leaves their crews in small open boats at varying distances from land and in all weathers. The risk to life is j frequently considerable, and. in many cases very greit | A subtnerine campaign, in shod. cann()'I' be conducted with humanity in th(? circum- stanccs which are partly forced upon the I Germans by their inability to command the surface, of the sea, and partly by the great danger that attends submarine operations near the British coast, with its protective fringe of anti-submarine devices -of many types. The submarine, if used with regard to humanity, would have to let go many of the vessels, she stopped, even if-they were crowded to the hatches with war material of the most glaringly contraband nature. It i,5 a clear .:¡'sue .between humanity and em- ciency; and the German I)Iti-nps f,)r e, ciency he destroys all and sundry, intent only on the prevention of the cargo from reaching the Allied ports, and the depriva- t" ii cf use by the Allies of the particular essel put down. With a, brutal fraiikiics,, he now deliberately announces his disregard for humanity and it is all important to remember that, whether the crews of the sunken vessels are saved or drowned, the real iasting injury to the Allies is contained in the destruction of the material. The sen- timent of horror at the German riitl 'less should, not be allowed to blind us to the danger which it holds forth to the Allied cause. We believe that after a period of priva- tion, possibly acute, we will emerge from the crisis, and gradually improve our posi- tion as we obtain the mastery at sea over the enemys submarines, greatly increase our output- of tonnage and expand t];e pro- duction of food at home. And a.s to the privation, if the Germans can put up with the almost, extreme hardships involved in a scarce and nauseating diet, with next to no body or sustenance in it, the endurance of our people- which has not yet, in this re- spect, been called upon at all—will at the legist be equal to hat exhibited by the enemy. However bad things may be for us, they will be worse, far worse, fort-lie enemy; and such sc rcity as will exist amongst us will succeed to a long period of full and abundant feeding, whereas, with the enemy an acute food crisis 5ucc(>eds I upon a very long period of palpable under- feeding. I' the Germans can hold out until the summer and the new harvests by fight- \1 ing formidably m the field, by every reason we shculd be able to do so still better and with a much )?sser diminution of our physical efficiency or moral fortitude. Sir F. ('arruthers Gould hits off the situa- tion with point and force in one of his cartoons this week. The Kaiser and Crown Prim e, in a boat, are upon the verge of a.1 roaring; waterfall; and the Crown Prince cries, on the brink of disaster, "Look, father, ] we are winning the rape; the others are far II behind us'" It is conceivable that in the j long run the scarcity of food may become so acnte that Britain will not be able to con- tinue to fight on: in a world where men are striving so hard to slay each other that they have forgotten in their red fury that they must live themselves. But long before we reach that pitch there is every indication j that absolute famine will have broken Gcr- many. The Germans have for many months never known one full and satisfying meal a day; and we. feasting almost riotcfusly by eomparison, arc still upon the brink only of a scarcity.
[No title]
The United States Government, by :"eHr. j ing diplomatic relations with Germany, hand- ing over his purports to the Ambassador of the latter and ordering the withdrawal from Germauy' of her own diplomatic and cou?u?- ate repre{;ntativs, d<?? not in a. strictly technical sense dfchMc war. But the step taken, except in very rare ca?&s, has prc\ed the prelude to warlike action. Indeed, it is the rule, rather than the exception, to dis- i peruse altogether with the formal declaration a-s a preliminary to hostilities, Formalities apart it is practically certain that America will be at war with Germany in the course of th e next week or two. For un- less the G erman^ swerve frcm the course de- finitely laid down for them there will be in- cidents of an "unfriendly nature—with no one at Washington to explain or condone them —which must automatically bring the State* into the ranks of the belligerents. Such a development is of enormous im- portance for a variety of reasons. It is likely to stiffen the backs of other neutral Powers and induce them to make' a stand against Hun ruthlessness on sea. It means t-he ec- cession to the Allies of the third strongest. Navy in the world the freeing for trade of over haif-a-millioii tonnage of German ship- ping interned in American harbours and the immediate enjoyment by the Entente of the colossal financial 'resources of the Western Republic. Besides, if the war does not end wit-hin a space of months tho great potential military power of the Americans may be made actual on a scale as .amazing as Great Britain's. I The same splendid ra* material tint went to the building up of our New Armies exists in abundance amongst the hundred million people over which Wilson presides, and in the highly efficient officers and men of the regular Army there is ready the staff to organise and train the recruits. Besides, North America holds hundreds of thousands of men who have already served as conscripts in European Armies. ■ —|
[No title]
Says the Mayor of Neath "Some people may be .sober in body, but not sober, in mind." True, sir, very true. I "Which is the nose of a round potato?" a Swansea humourist, and a Scotchman to ooot, has asked the Parks Superintendent. I '$> a view to establishing a depot in Carmarthen the Y.M.'C.A. have acquired the premises known as th? Old Half Moon, near pr,miies kiio-Il as tho,? C,,lil 1-1,alf ?Aiooii. near Guildhi i 1-8q ure. The death of Mr. C. D. Richards and Mx. Matt Edwards removes two well-known always acceptable, personages from the social life of Swansea town. The sight of a popuiar chaplain, one not. altogether uncottneefced with the Swansea LOCKS, walking down Wind-street carrying a itevly-purchased, bucket" was all. incident • of a recent morning. ''o' 1i.'¡à.tn.. ,J w WâË Tl1è Day? For "-J l "< 'Jd' When jhc winds in (-? p-f un Ca? dbinas • Day, There it will stick till the oi May." i A London journal -v- that ai the Car- i d!? fire, ?(- C:'rd? Fue Fr?ade was n?tsted by bi'tg?d?s h?;)):' ?ew?jr).. B:j-rv and Penrith." S"a.?..p hri?-d? would ■ have been g?d I. hd¡ ¡ Card!ii' ..v? &o badly off i?- HELP --JS 'A^l that. Penrith is i, ,badly ,f fitF"Lt-; '? .!«!» Mr. Lewis Jeiik'.nsr. J P.. of Briton Ferry, w h osr s- jJl?.L? 0 Neap s W?r Loan wa? & '?.en ai!u?enthusl.?:.ic? cri'-k-? in „}-,e halcyon days when Mr. days wi-?,2" Nlr. tm.rn?dii.d '.t? S?t.t?.'t?n?t.ItC A??Y?s figured on ike pi.?y?? i?idt. of cz t?'a,es. • '•"i *•< £ — '><$?? -5xj> 1 ue strik.Kij Loan cartoon in Fri- iiay c. Liariy j-'osi — hich suffered by l'e- production from colours—w«w? he woric of' Mifia jvy Georg2, daughter of Major- Geage, of Swansei (now in Egypt). She is a student at the Aits and ( rafts School. and the ^rawing was •> entirely h<t own 'f:e??n. ,i i. iiie manager of dL IJan-Hy Ccnnty Schools have decid-d tq sit. a-p.-rt a portion of the rperection ground for gard-ening and poultry iv; epiiig. and as a result are unabl" ?o Mmp?. with the -t -limlion. of Mu;us. j R. TJio.i??tinJ Co., who uesired a portion -,Ti, Co., wh4?,, a port,icn {! of fh(-, ?rriiind for the Lipp (,f A Swansea vicar tells a story? ASNv  tellst-story of a. choir stngi? a hymn at the ehurcii where he was vicar be- fore he came to Swansea, which concluded i with "Th? Saints oi God encircling round the Throne. One member &i the choir the Tircie." One mci),llj,?r cf the (:hgciir  ?l" ;tl-i n-iucii c,,usto i iiterpt, .t:u, the i-)aiz,?,ige als,i "Cycling re and t-he Tin one." One would har?iy ?hmk of accu?-,iiigi Beethoven and Mozart of being btu?ers/'t yet Dr. Vbnghan Thoma" explained to ?n in- j terested Swansea audience how these two successfully carrird out a "game of blnff" on the world until its inhabitants cam to see through it. This, of eoursr. in the mitsi-,il cal ?ense. H? hinted, too. how it was be- j ing done to-day. iiig dojie to-da, The omcial? of the Glamorgan County Council and the County Education Commit- tee sometimes, act in a remarkable manner. The other day an assistant teacher asked permission to absent herself from school in order to get married. No was granted to the bride, but the headmistress sent a request to be allowed to attend the function, and she received permission, though officially the principal person con- cerned had not bern permitted to go. <Sx If old "Jack'Finger." the famous Ca.pe Horn cook, were abve to-day. V; would be able to give a few hints how to make tasty- feeds out of almost, nothing. Old .Tack (writes Nomad ) was 1 So days coming home on one passage from Lota with a cargo of copper bars for Bath' s Yard, North Dock, and althom;h the vessel was very short- of provisions not one of the crew went hungry, "l ean make pea-soup out of, an old sea-boot." he once told the writer, who I was a shipmate with him in 1878. A correspondent recalls well-known lines which werejn circulation at the Franco-1 Prussia:: War period, 1870. Pietv seams to run in. the family of the Hohen- zollerns. What the present WcilheJm is his grandfather of the same lianie was before him. These were the lines :— Peculiar Piety. The pious William ("pious/' eh: Thanks God for (W'IT victory: But, whilst so doing, does he Hot Thank Him for all the carnage wrought The myriads of mortals slain; The myriads doom'd to lifelong pain The women and the children left, Widow'd and orphan'd and bereft? For, although not the war's beginner, Yet, having been decreed the winner, With ample power, if so he will'd, To save more blood from being spill'd. Will not. each drop that s henceforth shed Rest on. the "pious William's h«ad ■ "Musical research has unearthed a new J type of mnd-th cinematograph mind."1— (Dr. Vaughan Thomas, Swiaisea.) The Swansea d-ocks iaurid table labour inference at the Harbcur Offices to-day is a happy augury for the future. Lady Howard. Llanelly, has the distinc- tion d being the first lady elected a member of the Carmarthen County Council. "'o( | Shopkeepers and their managers didn't. nnnd losing an hour s recreation on Thurs- day afternoon. They were engaged in the best cf :?]I causes. "Tbt cold winter of 1340 gave us the blnket," Eay a newspaper. "The cold viiiiter of 1917 gives mr:, the needle." says a slangy Swansea man. The New Zealand v. Wales match at St. Helens, as announced in our "Final" edition, had to be postponed, through frost. for a couple of weeks. It is hoped t-o ar- range another date. What- an opporlunCy for ambitious Welsh What nn op?rLun?y for ambitious Welsh preachers The three ?adina- Nonconform- ist pulpits in London are at )reent vacant --the City Temple. Westminster Chapel, and Whitfield Tsbernacle. "lliie Welsh section is meagre and con- tains about twenty-five books, including an encyclopaedia, a.nd a standard grammar," states an inspector in his report on the library of the Llanelly Girls' Intermediate School. 'FEI^IA.'IJ* ^II Under the new electoral reform scheme, it is calculated that Swansea. Neath, Aber- [ avN>n, etc., would have three members; at present, they have two. Carmarthen district would be "off the map." Cardiff would return three members. .-<:>- t> This. without comment, is from the "Sun- day Pictorial'' :—"A special constable says he had a nasty jar the other evening after dark. You've no rear lamp,' he called to a cyclist in his most official tone 'Thanks. shouted back the rider; hope l^don't meet a policeman. <5><X £ 3X>XS> In January, 1916. the lowest temperature in the shade at Swansea was 36 deg. In February it fell to 29 deg., and in March to 26 deg. The present temperature ranges round the lowest for last year, so that the prospect of a warmer spring is hopeful. Allotment holders, please note. Councillor W.- H. Morris, despite the fact that he is still in a poor state of health, attended a meeting of allotment holders at Mansellon and encouraged his .listeners with a vigorous address. He s'aid that with a bit of hard work in his garden and on his allot- ment he hoped to be able to .produce enough food for his fa-mily. That's the spirit! Major Harries, the Swansea military ad- viser, was at tho tribunal sitting thanked by Mr. Edward Harris for having interested himself in a case ,to the ad vantage of both the voting man in question and the Army. "No thanks needed," the Major promptly replied. The- fact is. Major Harries, whilst doing his cluty_to the. State "without, fear t.r favour ?r ?ie hc?,p of rc\?)d." as the o?c?i uath.h? it, V i kdpweth full well  not :,tr¡,med. q?,.aliLy.of ii:??,cy ,?. not ftr:dned. M'uing classes are ftourishin in Carmar- thenshire. It. his quartcily report Mr. W. P. Brilin. the mining lecturer stated that the quarter just ¡,w¡;"3ed h d en the most f-ic>.evsful, so far. ia the histoiv oi the min- :ng classes in the county. "We lii,ve more da:ses and a better staff than ever before," he adds, "and I ."link the prospects are brighter than ever, as the colliery mana- gers, as a whole, are taking greater interest in the clashes, and the wcrk done at them." The farm tractor which the Glamorgan Agricultural Committee is placing at the •bsposal of the farmers of this county is likely to create a revolution in farming. These machines are light on the land, and will plough, aow', and rea.p. There are w I 'll plc, g h, I and rea:,o. T t lere ire i'SC,.3 of them now in use on all classes of farms n the country. Where they differ from the farmer's boy i.s that they can do the work of eight men and ten horses, and p' aigh an acre of ground with a four- furrow plough in one hour. They are also "a pa ble of cuit.ing 5g acres of grass per hour. ■ ■ Co men who go on the land in South Wales under the new War Office order may do much to meet the farmers' plea for' strong and Ùiikd men (voiced at West Wales meetings this week and elsewhere) if the.; heed the advice of one who lias witnessed the practical farmer at work. While assisting a neighbouring farmer," he writes. "I was struck with the ciuiet and steady, yet successful, manner in -.vhie.h he went about -his task. A call1 strength characterised the man's actions. An ama teur who was assisting worked like a house on I1re.' and coUapscd alter two hours work, quite exhausted. In the long run, j when manual labour' lasts all dAy, the N,rkei, has usually more to sl-w for Iiir. exert ions than the bustling! person. sli,ii;niei )' Il d i ffereliccl? Let no faife modf!Stj-. shamed indiíïrenee or se»lf-depreciation keap the p?enti.d in- vestor of small amounts from coming- into ?? the great War Loan. The greater the num- ber of the British nation who subscribe thereby show, however small their quota may be, that they are loyal citizens,of the nation that has got to win war. Bv their contributions they are not only substantially, in the aggregate, helping to this end. biit they are joining that far-see- ing aiid large section of our country men and (-ouiiti-N wenteii. who are bent on prov- ing to our enemies that we. the British nation, are united in determination to reach the- goal of complete victory. It is a far more powerful and significant- message to our enemies to have twenty million sub- scirbens than five million for the same amount.—(" Mark Once. ) The editoria; notss in the f Evening Express "—a, well-known journal- -ve-v-k- kind and appreciative re- ferences to Major Percy Davies. in th? course of which he -V-miarked Every journalist in South Wales will hasten to extend con- gratulations to the Mayor of Swansea— Alderman Dovid Davie,s--upon his son't :1t- ta-iiiment of his majority n the Cyclisb Bat- talion of the 38t.h Division, now fighting at the front. Not .les-- ready will South Wales newspaper men ? to extend their felicita- t.io!ls 1,-avies Iiiin-elf. f., the, Ullderstand that his promotion has been Mmcd worth?y. The major is one of the remarkabio products of -our time, one of the mi.uy. man*y British who have proved to the world thatthe warlike spirit of the pacific- British people has never died, though it. has long latent. The call cf country he beard very quickly, and, although his educa- tional qualifications might ha\e secured him a commission, lie didn't wait. He joined up as an ordinary .Tommy, and he took the change of a new lit" with cheery compla- cency. ThNl, five months later, came his rif» to the status of an ofifcer, and now-- his majority It is aii very oreditabit- to him, evidence of his capacity, of his tact, of that f 1 knowledge of mankind which is essentia"! to the successful management of men, and. as has been, said. South. journalist* are very proud of; liim. Ciiitcn Hili and Pigah, Swansea, were the delights o? the juvenile tubogganu-t? o? Monday. The Swansea ^-J— ?ok the foim ??-O??-t??- of t,, Kaiser, and was duly ?tr&fed by .snowbaHing youngsters of both ?exes. j A lot of psople in Swansea were seen doing work of "national importance"' on | Monday—sweeping snow from their front doors. ..$* On dit that a well-known Swansea minis- ter worked so hard on Sunday mcrning clearing off the snow that he failed to turn j uji at. us chapel ervic j. Marriages are possibly made in Heavei), but the wedding party from the district who drove thr5u«rh Swansea streets on ? Saturday afternoon last in a festooned and j highly-decorated motor-car reached the eartl?iv limit aI,vhow. I the prospects for the new working arrangements respecting transport work on Swansea Docks, which came into being to day, are most promising. Labour is out to beat the Hun. and what Lac our contributes to that end j; invaluabhv Alderman J. Hillard had a disconcerting experience at the Unionist, meeting at Swan- sea last Saturday. He was presiding on the platform when his chair weiit over the oEdge and he disappeared backwards on to the floor. He was none the worse for his exper- ience, however. j Mr. T. Hopkin Evans, the conductor of the Neath Choral Society, has been appointed by the Birkenhead Eisteddfod Committee to cci-idiict the "Cymanfa Ganu" a.t the Na- t-ional Eisteddfod this year. Amongst the hymn-tunes select-ed are a number composed by Mr. Evans. Mr. Jack Lewis, Heath field. Swansea., made a life-size snow man yesterday in his grounds. The proceeds of collections a.mongst the visitors were for the .Mayor's Comfort Fund. It was a most effective and strikingly artistic piece of work, and was very generally admired. The New Zealand Tommies—and they are not a few-.who journeyed to Swansea to (find the match lu which. theiir comrades were to play postponed on account of the I frest, have been made so welcome that they declaie Swansea to be a. "good" town, and then came the snow and, to them, untold delight. j Since the nation is placed "on its honour" in regard to food rations, it opens up the prospect of father—a somewhat hearty eatc -driving a week-end bargata for an additional rasher for his Sunday morning's breakfast with his .sou, young John Willie, somewhat addicted to sweets, but who has a bit in hand on his sugar allowance. <S»<»x3xSx{x> The children of Mount' Pleasant had a right down good time on Monday. The Tei-race-road Schools were closed, and the youngster spent the day iu tobogganing down Constitution Hill and the other heights of the Graig. A furious battle raged through- out road, and we believe peace was declared ithout I How complete in every detail is his mas- teiy of music is demonstrated by Dr. 1 Vaughan Thomas in his lectures on "Musical Appreciation." He endeavours to convey to his hearers the soulful influence it exercises ovxr a nuisieian and yet treads his way gently, conscious of the inability of his i-iu- dlenc.e t;) grtsp the c,):npLte m-aning of his dieiice t:) giti?, p the c.)- wOlds in the degrce which he would d?ire. wo,Li in t-iIc- degi-ce whic. he wou l d O:f ??ire. Pk P. Hac'he, of a local battalion of the Welsh Regiment, on active service, sends the ljyor of Swansea a letter of t., anlcs cn beiialf of himself \and the other local boys in his unit, who have received parcels of writing paper and envelopes, which he says are very difficult, t, obtain "c.N-.er there." Pt,e. Hacche mentions -tb-.t the weather is exce. dingly cold and .vi idy and tint the battalion is in a particularly "hot" .part of the line at present, bat, nevertheless, the boys are cheery and I thankful for the gift. The February issue oi the "Occult Re- view" savs :—Speculation was rife among r astrologers as to what form of disaster the violent ai-pecjte from January 17 to 20, briefly alluded to by me in connection with the Prime .Minister's horoscope, might por- tend but none, as far as 1 am aware, pre- i dicted the violent explosion at tlicf munition factory which actually occuired." As about ten days after the dates mentioned there have been brought charges of an attempted conspiracy to murder Mr. Lloyd George, j people will agree that the astrologers, [though their time-table was a little out, J made a curiously close guess.. -•> -< &- "Standing waiting for a tram" (writes <1, correspondent) "I noticed two wTolindfd Tommies, evidently chums. Presently a, kindly looking old hdy came up and entered into conversation with them, and I overheard j the following: have you got to go back?" (meaning their hospital). Oh. not for another two hours.' answered the boys. -Tliei-i come home with me and bav^ a nice cup of tt'a.' We should be delighted." Away they went and all seemed happy. I have thought' since that many of our good townsmen could act likewise and need not be afraid to invite our wounded soldiers to tea. as many of the biave iads are hundreds of miles from home." $ The Sporting Life gives an account of a novel contest in connection with the Inns of Court- O.T.C. It was a point to point race at B^rkbimps.ied got up with a view of combining instruction with athletics over j four sections of country, making up a total,! distance of just over 12 miles, on inter-oom- pany lines, victory going to that company] which had the largest number of runners. home provided they had fulfilled the stipu- j lated condition- of having reported them- &elves at the various points. A Company (holders of the Battalion Championship) sun- plied in Sergt. Peter Scott and Pte. Phil: Birkinshaw the first and second men home. The latter. before joining the O.T.C., was manager of the SwaiK-a Patent Fuel Com-! pallY and resided at Brya-road. He is quite settled down, he 5 ;y's. to his change of life, and is applying for ail Army commission, Corporal W. J. Davits. > A.S.C' Ht id- quarter? Depot. Salonika, -rites to Mr. Clements, musical director of Mesfers. R. E. Jones, Ltd., Mack worth Continentale, Swansea, as follows :1 take the liberty to write you a few lines as a token of re- membrance of many happy evenings pro- vided by you and your exceptionally clever- pupils. I have had the pleasure of visit, in Marseilles, Port Said and Alexandria, and though these places have the reputa- tion of posses-nig cafes of great splendour, there is not a single cafe in either plar-e a patch to the Mackvvortji-and Car lion, and, as to the performance provided, well, the least said the best; there is nothing to come within a hundred • miles to the fai,e provided under your skilful tuition. 1 hope you are enjoying the bet of lwaltb auj that your troupes will continue tOfntel<; t?)i as, successfully, in the future as' in the' i past. aS SUC4('t.Sqfiillvl iii t,lie ftiture as-, ii), tfio Other towns are Wad in a. giant war loan H.ometer. '• I Swansea's War Loa" barometer is now wel) on Jts wait iit,) to the, h ird million. 1 A Swansea. manufacturer in a boom uot so long ago was reported to have made [ i^5,000 a week. | Y\ hy is it people will wash doorsteps and pavements in-frosty weather? Is t toget a move on their neighbours? .>-I e )-< < <-< Three months in the trenches and a man is a. fatalist—or a fatality "-tOur offic* ex- soldier philosopher.) -< >-<t>- A Swansea vicar was seen a few days ago busily assisting cutting down his trees. He is also going in for poultry keeping. <. We reproduce the following under reserve Re scarcity of labour on land. Do not wnit and see if it will till itself-let Bea Tillett. Sorry!"—We should think so! The principal occupation in Swansea and West Wales on Sunday appeared to be snowballing. Woe betide the pedest-riaii who took offence at a. playful "dab!" In a letter to the vicar of Kilvey, Bishop Gwvnne (an old local boy, of course) referr- ed to the nation as "trustees of the blessed dead." We dare say he has a piquant phrase for the shirker in th, respect. The roof of the Y.M.C.A. Swansea, on Sunday constituted a veritable fortress. The wounded soldiers were absolutely impreg- I nahle, and their barrages of snow shrap- nel were most effective: Sniping, too, was highly successful.  correspondent ) A local teacher (writes a correspondent) has come to the conclusion that it i? very difficult to remove dye from stone steps, I where some had accidentally fallen from a broken bottle. Even sandpaper and methy- lated spirits applied with quite a lot of energy have failed to restore the said steps to their pristine glory.—What about it? A Gower lad serving in Mesopotamia sends home to his former employer a home- made Xmas card, including some verses, one of which runs — We've been called the lads of iron, And we've bowed at hardship's shrine; But hungry, sore or weary, We will never grouse or whind, Xo Turk or German living, W ill make us ever rue, For as long as Britain calls us, YV e're Iron through and through. lip Little country post-offices, which combine Government with personal business- stamps, cheese, postal orders and crockery being sold over the same oounter-liavetbeir interesting episodes and dilemmas. One of these emporiums displays a notice to the effect that a pound of sugar may be obtained ,by any person purchasing other goods to the valae of three shillings. Imagine the vil- lage postmistress' s predicament the other day when a customer, having purchaser M thre? shilling postal order, asked for her coveted pound of sugar., ■ i The Swansea Parks Superintendent hü rMéived the following letter re atitftmebts: "Dear Sir,Not knowing the quantity, quality or variety required for my, little plot, please fill in this form £ or-;ip.e. I thought of 14Ibs Early—' Black c,nd White. 28lhs.1id Crpp-' Gold Flake.' 701bs Main Crop—' Three • Star or Havana. 1' attended the lecture, and note that the seed must be free from carbuncles, warts, ringworm, measles, and other infectious diseases. Swansea schoolmasters would do well (writes a. correspondent) if they had their lads assembled and gave them a little homily on Honesty is the best policy." The latest dodge of some of the extra smart ones is to go round the backs of houses, where fowls are kept, pick up a hen or chicken;, take it round to the front door and say they found it straying—" does it belong to you?" The householder is profuse with thanks and fol- lows it up with a few coppers. A stern re- proof and a thick stick would be more to the point. «4x><><2.-<3xS^ Of all testimonial-givers the moafc un- truthful and unreliable is the parson. He is so fuii of charity that he is incapable of justice. He is so anxious to help the lame dog over the stile, to raise up the fallen, and to give the rascal another chance. He will give without hesitation a flaming testimonial to a man of whom he knows very little, and .he is apt to assume, in the teeth of pen furies of contrary experience, that n regular, church-goer must be not only a highly moral person, but a. fit and proper person to hold any position that he wants to hold.—("The Hospital.") A minister was once addressing the chil- dren of a Sunday school on "Jacob's lad- der," and at the cloise he invited the chil- dren to ask questions, when-a boy stood up and said: "If you please, sir, i want to know what the angels wanted a ladder for when they had wings?" The minister, being nonplussed by the question, said: "As there are more tha.n 600 children here. I should think some of you could answer that question. If, however, you cannot, of course, I will." One little fellow sprang up and said: "I know, sir. The ladder was for them when they were; moulting!"—(Mr. Charles Davies at Skettv Temperance meeting.) .t Some years ago there was ;t long and bitter strike "somewhere in Wales. One day the strikers collected outside the works, .with il va^ue idea, of tome violent action or utlic). in their heads. An official, of, the works appeared oh the s na.Il balcony and before their eyes lie tossed off a flagon of beer, smackin.g his-lips, rolling his eyes, ttnd patting his stomach to indicate how good it was. A howl of wrath broke fromil hun- dred thirsty threats, and like one man the strikers hurled themselves upon the works. And then there was nothing ihe matter! How itistory repeats itsoif: A week or two a-go, a Viennese journal û. :Ragé at see- ing ai: actor tIll the stage consuming the beloved filsener beer. which by its scarcity and high price is practically unob- tainable by the masses of the people, pro- voked a riot in a Vienna theatre. The audience were under the rmitf os&ion that no beer would be forthcoming, and thai coloured water would be supplied instead, i To their anger and .dismay, the waiter duly served two gU.-ses uno.»ubtedly genuine beer, and these were foilowed by two more. When the fortunate stage herb stepped forward..and after holding up the beer to the light and. s.miinig at the audience, drained glass a tic;- glass wiih evident gusto, the exasperation of the people broke all bounds'. The commotio a in the body of theatre grew indescribable. Men came to blows, women shrieked, and in thecOIlTse of'the tirmixlt tv" rows of scatS' collapsed, 1 the hacks and leg.; of the chairs being$ub- i sequently used as niss¡¡es IJY i.h.\ c(mbat. ante.. When, twenty minutes of feai* atid "vij.Toni. Tour armed policemen entered the iioitos, three s.-riouslv ^iii jUJ:¡.;14 mer g-roaiuuc: on the /uitd.;aiiother do/ei: or more showed .the eu'ei-ls 'oi the fray <>u their bic>Cdsl.ii;itd faces, while two women and a lad were removed in an ten^cions state ftom the wrecked pit.