South Wales Weekly Post

It is debatable whether public opinion wntres more in the likely outcome of the p-eat blow now being delivered or in the apshot of the entire offensive upon the future nf the war if it reaches the diisax to paa? to ?e end which is now confidently eoX-1 pected. The most popular reading of the events of the past tremendous fortnight is that in the first three days the British armies, notably the fifth. nea.r St. Quentin. sustained a reverse of a severity totally un- allowed for in the calculations of the Allies; that for some time we hung upon the brink of a real catastrophe; but that, mainly by stout lighting we extricated ourselves, at grievous loss in many things, from a. perilous issue, and are now about to restore the Altered balance of the equilibrium and essay to change it to 'our profit. Acute danger, itt, haS passed but the chance of serious danger is "till a possi- bility to be reckoned with. But, the battle over and German aims frustrated, what course then will the war be likely to take? Here again we may state another view which « widely held, that a. palpable German mili- tary failure *will provoke a. crisis in the Fatherland against which the military party., its prestige undone, will battle m vain. The opinion which some correspondents have put into the mouths of the fighting iien, that they feel themselves engaged in the last great battle of the war., is, in effect, ?n{<ei"ta,.ned widely at home. As to thi? question, we have a certain due in the attitude of the British Govern- ment to the man-power problem. The re- verses in France have been followed In- stantly by the report, widely circulated and generally credited, that we are about to see legalised the raising of the military age to 50; whilst there are many unmistakable eigns of the determination of the Govern- ment to raise 'every possible man who can render auxiliary as well as primary service, besides pressing the Colonies for a renewed itow of men, and inducing America to ex- pedite the delivery of her own magnificent aeim-raw material. Clearly many of t h ese steps have no re- 1 lation to the immediate prospects of the fcattie, but are intended to eke out the British strength in the months to follow, and to that extent suggest that a prolonga- ion of the war is anticipated in high circles lifter this Titanic wrestle is over and done with. Other steps equally clearly are in- tended to mass together on the present battle-field every available fit man who has received a certain amount of training. But the main proposal accredited to the Gov- ernment, the raising of the military age, is of the permanent category, and makes pro- vision for indefinite future. The fruits of it could not be reaped in this or in several later months. The suggestion is clear that the Govern- ment does not believe that the war will be more than ad vanced an appreciable stage to a still indefinite a.nd remote conclusion by this battle. The end will not yet be in sight. The decision of the German Grand .3taff to .attack in the West may be ex- plained by two theories vihieh fit the facts with equal nicety and plausibility. These theories are the voluntary and the compul- sory nature of the reasons which guided it ) or forced it to come to the resolution to attack. The compulsion comes in in the suggestion tha.t the economic and moral straits of the German people have reached such a. pitch of desperation that the fight- ing must be forced at all costs before the breaking strain of their powers of resis- tancp is reached and passed. The" voluntary decision 'is a reference to the general military outlook, which has placed it in the power of the German General Staff to make a bid for a speedy decision in the West, the one zone where a decision has eluded it upon land. In effect, according to this theory, the Ger- mans are simply in a situation to attempt the drastic, and sudden termination of the war, and are utilising jt. Also that, if they fail, they will still have the defensive to fall back upon, and will retain practically all their territorial gains intact, and be in a strong position to defend it. It is a fascinating riddle whether the Germans attacked to oeize a favourable but temporary opportunity, or because they were oil the brink of collapse and must snatch victory at the last moment from the jaws of otherwise certain defeat. The public facts fit either conclusion to a nicety. We know. upon the one hand, that the Germans were never in a better position to make their grand effort in the West; that they reached iif* it the very maximum of their1 strength; and that in theise circumstances it was worth while trying to cut short the interminable processes of trench war. We know. on the other hand, that the distress Mid misery of the German people, their under-feeding, their disappointment at the barrenness of outwardly dazzling triumphs of craft and force (Russia a.nd Italy) had never reached such a pitch, and that there were signs of a fierce inflammability as well as of a desperate sullenness of temper. The mere violence of the German on- slaught has been described so often as the "fury of despair" that in sorrp quarters it has been cited as proof of tin- t: rk being forced upon the enemy. |- > ■ saner to take Mr Lloyd 5 the peril of enslavement ix 1H1 to reoollect the whole souled thoroughness with which the German hurls himself into every military enterprise of the first order. The tremendous weight and the sustained violence of the enemy attack is symptomatic emphatically of the straining of every nerve for victory in one consummate exertion of strh." But it would be highly un- wise to go beyond that. It would have been on the contrary, if the Western Allied peoples had once or twice been similarly conscious of a parallel summing op of military exertion by their own side. Save in the case of the French defence of Verdun we do not know one oase prior to this of battles ever given by the Allies, in 1915. 1916, or 1917, in the spirit. of concentrated and ruthless determination to win, and the massing for that purpose of every grain of strength, which beyond doubt possesses the enemy. H we exclude the theory that a failure of the attack will precipitate a sueing for peace by the em • v—it might, however, lead to a renewed c- offer on more favour- able but still r adequate terms—we have certain alternative courses of action open to the enemy's General Staff. There is the possibility of Yictory, which would settle an things, a repulse on a d i sastrous scale which would be equally decisive; or a battle ef exhaust km in which both sides fall pant- ing with weariness, the balance inclining to one side, bat that side too battle-worn and biood wrecked to develop it. Soch a plight of the armies would lead ^pevitably to taking refuge in new lines, which would crystallise eventually solidify into the .wearisome trench war, of whose termination the Germans have had ibe secret, bat not the Allies. The German energies will be bent upas, a supreme effort tø assert the mastery, and it may well be fttet, whilst this will fail, the struggle De- Beasary to defend it will task aH the avail- c enertCfW of the'Allies. We should then bave the iw-ttte thundering desultorily to a- jAose. German hope in ruins, but with the Allies unmistakably revealed a« nqt yet emerged from the stage at which they can baffle even* effort 00 the enemy, but are in I their tarn kffled by him. Arndbaffied we r beer -? far. ,ave beer =■> far. fW-im sm~> Wd* "'4 xrard ar matters about which there is no controversy at all. We are fighting the German army, which is the expression of the war making loapaclty of the German people, and, what- ever the distress and storta,ges of the latter, there is no doubt at all but that the army which lights for them has just exerted the most powerful procure ever applied, by an army to its opponent in the trench war in the West. We profess ourselves content with the prospect, not of the enemy's over- throw in so complete a manner that he will have no further capacity for resistance, but of the baulking of his plans. If that is to be the full measure of our present military capacity it is not hopeful for the crush- ing of the enemy when we turn again to the task of endeavouring to enforce our will upon him. The public still find it in many cases difficult to grasp that a war is usually won, not by the mere balflim; of the enemy, but his crushing, either in the physical or in the moral domain. He must be worried down until convinced of the uselessness of further strife (as with the Boers in 1902, or the Russians, a still better instance, in 1905), or his armies must be broken up, captured, or hopelessly defeated, -as with the French in 1871. A continuation of mere stone- walling" in France will still leave the enemy more extensively and more firmly rooted in French soil than he has ever been since September, 191V. And a peace concluded with the existing territorial situation substan- tially unmodified would leave Ger- many with very much k-he air of a totally unbeaten power. A few years of peace and tolerable feeding would banish from the memory of the German people their present sufferings. But it would not erase the recollection of their military prowess, and the days when the Gel-man will swayed supreme from the North Sea to the Caspian. That would be a dangerous mood of mind. Certain words that have been let drop by the Premier hint at the battLe lasting much beyond the limits that have been assigned to it. The presumption has been that, with nearly half the enemy' s gross number of divisions in action, and heavily engaged on a wide front, within ten days, a crisis cannot be long delayed now that the second phase has blazed up. It is clear that if the enemy's divisions are subjected to intense pressure all along the line, a few days will ivear them all down to a point at which they will have to be extensrvely' replaced from a reserve shrunk to a shadow of its former self, or that, they will have to step back to avert disaster. In the lull, such as it is, which ha.s super- vened, with the enemy in striking distance of Amiens, and repossessed of Noyon, the battered eighty odd divisions so far engaged a,re being withdrawn, in the worst cases, rested, replenished with reserves, and brought up again to fighting pitch. Whether they will be of their pristine value after their terrible experience is doubtful. To an extensive degree they may go into the second line temporarily, whilst the remain- der of the reserve, and divisions extracted from the other sect-ors of the front, makes up the striking army for the next blow. That the German rs.erves of men are suffi- cient to make good much more severe losses than those already sustained is likely. But there has to be taken into account not only the gross number of such reserves, which are appreciably near their limit, but the ter- rific rate at which they are being burned up. The problem is how to keep the divisions engaged on a wide front at fighting strength, with sufficient speed from the reserves of men in hand. Grand attacks, in which forty divisions at a time are hurled against fronts of many miles, may be replaced by the Verdun methods of a succession of blows de- livered by 12 to 15 divisions at a time upon more restricted fronts. Such a strategy would lengthen the battle into possibly many months.

The second attempt of the Germans to break through the Allied line by means of sledge-hammer blows de1-ivered-as at Ver- dun last vear--f uccesslvely right and left, has been followed by another pause. This abatement in the fierce attacks is probably due. not to any faltering resolution or scar- city of reserves, but to the difficulties created by the heavy rainfall. On Saturday the weather conditions were such as to prevent our aeroplanes flying, and it is easily con- ceivable that the naturally chalky a.nd marshy lands in the neighbourhood of the Somma seriously impede the transport of guns and munitions, besides adding appreci- ably to the hardships suffered by troops who, by a grim irony, are now compelled to make their quarters in an area which they them- selves deliberately devastated. General Foch claims that the German ad- vance was definitely arrested on the 30th March, or a week ago, and the course of the operations daring the past few days appears to justify his prediction that Amiens and all that the city imports will not fall to the Boches. The latter, however, are com- mitted to the plan of getting possession of the capital city "of Pica.rdy and severing the British from the French Army. They will continue to persevere probably a-9 they did at Verdun, though the process of exhaustion will at the r resent rate be reached much speedier in the event of failure. Some idea of the price being ecxactod for efforts dis- tinguished by characteristic ruthlessness is penetrating into Germany. The special cor- respondent of the leading newspaper at Dresden, Saxony, has been permitted to state It is true that we have continued to make substantial advance day after day (this has not been true sinoe the 30th March) but with each advance we have left be- hind us niomtalin-, of dead." The most striking statement on the ocoa.- sion of the function in London commemorat- ing the anniversary of the advent of the United States into the world's war was con- tributed by Mr. Lloyd George. The Premier said that "during the next few weeks America will give the Prussian Military Junta the surprise of th-eir lives. No hint. was given of the natjire of the surprise nor the direction it will take, though we may be sure the elements for one are in hand. All the predictions of Ministers have not been justified in the re- sult—conspicuous examples to the con- trary might be adduced—but the Americans, after a whole year of preparation, are now coming in earnest into the fight. The public do not know, and cannot yet be frankly told, what the Western Republic has already ac- complished. That when revealed will be an amazing surprise, and not for the Ger- mans only. It is palpable from German comments, both in the press and from the platform. that the enemy has been thoroughly mysti-i fied regarding the proportions of American trained troops in France and this country, as well as other facts of nearly equal im- portance. On sea and land and in the air America will presently disclose activity on a scale as disconcerting to the Central Powers as agreeable and helpful to the AlHes. The man who suggests or insinuates that the Americans have been slothful or indifferent •jn their preliminary war work merely ad- vertises the limitations of his knowledge.

More Pickings from Punch." At Hove eight hundred dogs are sa!d to be unlicensed. It is believed that they elude arrest by going into Brighton and posing as Russia-n tripehounds. Surplices, we are told, were worn on Sunday by the Egham Parish Church Choir for the first time in fifty years..It is not known who mislaid them. We read of an American journalist who started work sixteen years ago and is now said to be worth 200,000 dollars. His fru- gality, good habits, total abstinence, and the fact that an uncle left him 199,999 dollars brought about this result. It appears doubtful whether the war has; improved our manners. Only the other day a Battersea motor lorry dashed into a house at Hither Green and sat down in tbo drawing-room without reanovtac its bonnet.

STOP PRESS. I

NEW SCALE OF TEACHERS' SALARIES. The National Union of Teac hers has I drawn up the foUowing salaries scale for the provinces. The scale recommends i £100 to 2350 for men and ZWO to L300 for women, with 212 annual increments in each case. For headmasters graded according to numbers on the roUs into I four olasses, commencing salaries being according to year of service in which pro- motion is obtained the maxima are £ 4(X;, £ 450, It", and £$50. Maxima for head mistresses are L50 less in each case. Annual increments are to be not tees than rClfr

POPULAR WITH SWAN- SEA CROWD. j í FLYING OFFICER'S NARROW SHAVE AT THE FRONT. Capt. Ridewood. R.F.C., who was stationed at Swansea for some time in charge of the A.S.C., and took part in Rugby and Soccer matches, is now in hospital at Hampstead. Capt. Ridewood was shot down in front of the German trenches, his machine being riddled with bullets. The machine Crashed to the ground, and he and his observer were thrown into a shell-hoic. This was the only thing that saved them, as the Huns imme- diately put up a terrific barrage with machine-guns, trench mortars and shells. They thought they were in German terri- tory, but found they had come down in No Man's Land." The Germans sent over two shells within ten yards before stopping the fire. After the lull they wriggled back on their stomachs to the British lines. "It was 'some'' experi- ence," Oapt. Ridewood adds: Nearly as bad as playing against Ton Pentre." Capt. Ridewood wishes to be remem- bered to all his Swansea friends.

I RICHARDSON-BART LETT I SWANSEA OFFICER WEDDED IN LONDON. I The wedding was celebrated at All Souls' Church. Langham-piace, London, of Capt. | J. Laugharne Richardson, lata Norfolk Regiment, son of the late Mr. J. Clarke Richardson. ot Derwen Fawr, Swansea, to Dorothy, the only child of Capta-in J. Allen Bartlett. and grand-daughter of the late Lieut.-Colonel Murray, the Black Watch. The Rev. J. Bartlett, uncle of the bride, officiated. The bridegroom, a scion of a historic Swansea family, is well known at Swansea, having lived there till he joined up in De- cember, 1914, and being a director of the English Crown Spelter Company (Limited) and the Atlantic Patent Fuel Company, both important Swansea concerns. After the ceremony a reception was held at 12, Wimpole-street, the residence of an. uncle of the bride. A large number of beautiful presents were received, amongst them a silver salver from the officers of his old battalion and the mess staff, and gifts from his fellow-directors of the local con- cerns already mentioned. The honeymoon is being spent in London and Brixton.

I < DIED FICHTINC THE HUN. The late Lieut. Harry Quicke, R.W.F., son of Mr W. H. Quicke, 19, Diliwyn-street, Swansea, killed in action. He was only 23 years of age, and was an old Grammar School boy, being employed prior to ioinin the Army three years ago on the clerical staff of Messrs. Weaver and Co. 'I

MINERS' LEADERS STAND FIRM. DEPUTATION OF MALCON- TENTS "TURNED DOWN." The South Wales Miners' Federation on Friday declined to receive a deputation from the "unofficial conference" of miners held on Monday, which opposed the "comb-out," on the grouhd of the unauthorised character of the conference. The Council resolved to call a special con- ference at Cardiff next Thursday L to decide whether the Federation should exercise any form of supervision over the workmen called for military service under the comb-out. A report respecting a scheme, under which miners would volunteer for war work in shipyards and other industries, was accepted, and it was decided to invite workmen to I enrol at once.

LOSS TO COWER. 'h_ 0' "W, The late Rev. Stephen WTilliam Jenkins, rector of Oxwich, whose death was an- nounced on Friday.

I MEDICAL INSPECTION IN SWANSEA SCHOOLS. J At the Swansea Schools Medical In- spection Coi nittee on Friday, Ald. Miles in the chair the estimates were presented by Mr. H. JI. Morgan (deputy borough treasurer), who said that the estimate la it year was t2,803, md the expenditure L2.534. The estimate for the oomi- jg year for medical inspection and the clinic was £ 3,340—an increase of about R-500, due to increased salaries and increased cost of clinic. The amount required from the rates last year was for the coming y'ar, as 92,049. On the provision of meals side it was stated £133 was spent last year, out of an estimate of L5w. Th,- esti- mate for the coming year was abo for £ 500, and the chairman said that move money would be spent this year as the meals would be improved.—The estimates i were approved. I

SWANSEA CHILDREN'S NARROW ESCAPES. There wat, an exciting qtlerie. in Oxford- street, Swansea, during a L asy part of Saturday's ma.rketing, and two little chil- dren of tender age— Violet, and Clifford Heckler, of the Mansel Arms-bad narrow escapes of losing their lives. The two hil- dren crossed the stroot near the Market, op- posite Portland-street, just as a cart came along from the. direction of the lower part of the town, and were knocked down. The wheels of the cart just miased the neck of one and grazed her face. Both driMbxm were picked up and conveyed to their booses suffering mucfe from, shook.

NATION ON RATIONS, SWANSEA SCHEME IN FORCE IN FORTNIGHT. Although the national meat rationing scheme came into force on Sunday, some towns have been found to be unready, and the cards have not yet been issued. This is the state of affaire at Swar;-3a, Southampton, Plymouth, and many other places. In Swansea another fortnight will elapse before the scheme will be in operation. At Bristol, where the local scheme, with all its imperfections, has succeeded in abol ishirtg queues, the butchers flatly refused to work the national scheme. Tnp Ministry of Food, however, sent a representative, and 1 after a, conference lasting over three hours the butchers decided to work the national scheme pending a meeting of the National Association of Butchers in Birmingham. At Leeds there has been a great rush to liy in stocks of meat of ail kinds. Corned beef was in demand, and grocers allowed cus- tomers all they required until stocks were ex- hausted. The Ministry desire to rer:" ;:d .people that after May 5 bacon may be bought only at a I shop where the buyer has previously regis- ) tered. Next Saturday is the last day lor I such registration. By a new Older, all bakers and confee tioners, as well as those who sell Hour, must be registered by the local Food Committee. In view of the large stock of carrots avail- able the Ministry says they should be used much more widely than at present.

COLLIERS FOR SHIPYARDS. Arrangements in Anthracite District. The monthly meeting of the Anthracite Miners' Association was held at Swansea Oil Saturday, Mr. D. Daniel Davits presiding. Mr. John James (agent) reported upon the steps taken in regard to the comb-out ques- tion, the conference held at Cardiff, and the action of the Executive Council on Friday. Mr J. D. Morgan (agent) reported upon the steps taken by the Coal Controller ia regard to getting colliery owners who had given notice to terminate contracts to with- draw same, and in a number of cases this had proved successful. He also reported in de- tail upon the scheme under the Mobilisation of Labour Order, outlining the arrange- ments made for the transfer of some colliers who were over 35 years of age to shipyards, and numbers of those under 35 years to other collieries where there js more regular work- ing.

KILL THREE BIRDS WITH ONE STONE. By Saving-for your own benefit. By Investing in Government Bmds- to insure Victory. And to sustain your health, take all occasional dose when needful of that unfailing and tried remedy KERNICK'S VEGETABLE PILLS They are made from the finest Vege- table extracts, and improve Digestion, keep the System in order, braco the Nerves and clear the Head. Sold in 9d., 1/3 and 3/- boxel by aD Chemists, etc. WOMEN TEACHERS OF BOYS. Swansea Education Director's View. "The women have done remarkably well,* said Mr. T. J. Beee, the Director of Ed una tion, at Swansea School?' Medical In epeotion Sub-Committee on Friday. Frorr the beginning of the war it was as much at we could expect to have women taking Standa.rd II. of the boys but now they art even taking Standards III. and IV. Bui there is a limit to the capacity of th< women teachert, because there are phvaio locioa.1 and psychological reasons why it il difficult for them to manage boys of thai age." Mr. Rees fears that more of the male teachers will be taken in the new pomb-out WrraogT PTTRK BLOOD HBJXTH IS TMPOSSIBL* WTmo?T PUM BM)OD EBAL'm I? n<f09SIBIA VETARZQ??? ? VVeettyariioo ^m ^itbeL Redy 3a.. 'Oai CIIem:rtA GoeWl Oak, If.W"t 1%-d.;?lt E FIFTY y???S' SUCCESS. DR DE R08S' SPaLfin1 s ?? "°?' ?"dy? Pains in IRs,k. COXFOUND Bidder Di,es, Stone, *? IA & z l of Chemists. or pott IMNAL PILLS i:ee&¿ItR:ic:" ]Leatith Town. lAmdoiL.

WELL-KNOWN SKETTY RESIDENT. Taken ill whilst engaged upon national work at Cardiff on Thursday, Mr. William Lamont, Kinghorn," Sketty, a weAJ- known personality and highly-respected resident, was ordered home, and passed away there on Saturday afternoon. Born ia Glasgow in June, 1864, Mr. Lamont s^eat his childhood and early youth at Kinghorn. Fifeshire. He was manager at a ship- wright's works at Bilbao for four and a hall years previous to coming to Sketty, and hit two youngest children were born in Spain. He was a member of Sketty Wesley Chapel, interested in many local undertakings, and only recently resigned the treasurership ol the local Boilermakers' Association and thE Townhill Allotment Society. Mr. Lamonl was a ready and witty public speaker. Thf first secretary of the Sketty Brctherhood, he subsequently resigned. Only on Wednes- day evening he was selected by the Boiler- makers' Association as representative foi France. He leaves a wife, two daughters, and five sons four of the latter—John. William, Harry, and Stephen—are serving in the Army, Harry having been gassed it the recent fighting, and now in Southamp- ton Hospital.

MUSiCAL. PIANO BARGAINS—Gors and Kallmai Upright Grand, £ 60; Farrand Upright JEM; :,oP Upright. JES4; Collard an( Collaru rand, £ 100; Weber Upright (whet new 90 guineas), 165. All Instruments de livered carriage paid.—Write for oomplett Catalogue and Bargain List to C. Milson and Son, Ltd., The Great West of Englaot Piano Hoube, 15, Milsom-atreet, Bath.

At Walter-road Congregational Church on Saturday, Lance-Corporai Hugh David } Hosken, of the Australian Forces, and SOD of Mr. and Mrs. Hosken, 27, Brooklanda- ite,rraoce, Swansea, was married to Mist Lilian Jane Thomas, daughter of the late Mr. Edward Thomas, grocer, Llansamlet, The bridesmaids were the two Miss Hos- kens (sisters of the bridegroom) and Miss Annie Llewelyn (niece of the bride). Aftea the ceremony the happy couple repaired t( Pantycelyn, 1, Priorton errace, the home of the bride's sister, Mr. and Mrs. Llew- elyn, where a few friends and relatives weff entertained. The officiating minister was the Rev. J. H. Parry, Llansamlet., in whosE [ church the bride is the organist. Eibenezer Chapel was crowded on Sunday evening on the occasion of the organ recitai by Metgaji Glantawe (Mrs Arthur W. James). Miss May Harries and Mr. Dd. Harry, R.A.M., were at thei best, and the trio gave the audience a real treat. The Mayor (Aid. Ben Jones) presided, and eulosrised the af- tistRÆ: and thanked patrons for their atten- dance behalf of the boys at the front. The programme was as foil iws —Hymn organ solo, "Concert Scherzo" (Furcell Mansfield), Megan G?nta-we; solo, "Sorrows of Death" (Mendelssohn), Mr. David Harry; organ solo, (a.) "PM ere and Baroeuse" (&TNhnajit), (b) "Barcarolle" (Bendel), Megan Glantawe; .,olo, Hear ye, Israel" (Mendelssohn), Miss May Harries: duet, "The day is done" (Hfermann Lohr), Miss May Harries and Mr. David Harry; organ solo, "Impressions of teigium, (a) On the Canal, (b) The Bells of Bruges, (c) In the Cathedral, (d) Fete Militaire, Megan Mnta-we; song, "M Hope is mi the Everlasting" (Stainer), Mi6 Dttvid Hajrry; organ solo, "Offertoire ia 0* (Lefebre Wetyj, Megan Glu&aws.

Sw.??.a -.v.t?r c-T?"?—?i;i-.ifan d-???m is not unhkc a con?le <'f urpt-clai-s ?attte- abip.siymgpidon. L:(??rRwe:'K,it i?'tnted,v.H!n':cp<?ext wed; 'oorr?d?i-t?.e priors question i.n re- gard to [ho new rrdors. ..1.$- Su iinsca iro:>d Oillce in Aiexandrk-r^ui resernb; more an d move r stationery Istore. It is t'ue only thing that, is stationary there. "i v. ish you cwuhi turn on a tap of sold," said the Swanser. Lcrougi) Ur 'ry.rer when he appea,red with his annual estimates at the Water Committee. Na poo Some gardeners at Mount Pleasant are rivalling pierhead fishermen. Who was it "Who said that to be a successful gardener one must have a good imagination? Swansea Food Controller has to listen to many tales of hardship but the limit was reached the other day when a collier in- quired a bout the rations for his dog1. <tx?<???-?<' Some "45 year (l(h" who have been swanking it with "I onh wish I were five or ,??x years younger, I'd join up like a Briton," are feeling that "silence is golden." ( )  .voini d e d -ras Cue the Swansea boys wounded was taken to a French hospital, where he dis- covered the head-nurse had formerly been a nurse at the Swansea Hospital for four year?.. i  >- < x e >-< t A striking illustration of the part Mum- M?s is taking in the war was shown at the "v drive held on Thursday night, the men present forming a very small proportion of the assembly. A I A dog entered the Chamber of Commerce I I the other day. It is s;id that the visit was I primarily to sep Mr. T. Henderson's borough coat of arras carving, being under the im- pression that ii. was something to eat. y A case involving :8. 2d. lasted nearly 5ve hours at the Swansea Police Court on Thnrs- day. and after a considerable time being oc- cupied in technical wrangling elided in a defend'mt beincr fined 10s.. the usual fine for a d." It is related of an Uplands resident, en- red at the rate demand note when the town is sans light, sans good roads, and sans everything, that he added an extra half- penny to make the rate even money, "with compliments" and the wish that the ^d. would be handed the constable who served the demand note. I A WTelsh soldier succeeded by an ingeitious device in informing his mother of the neigh- bourhood where he wa.s stationed. He wrote at the head of the letter "Braich yn dagrau." and the censor, evidently supposing it to be a WeMi motto, passed the phrase, which the mother translated ?w "Arm in tears," thus learning her son was near Ar- mentierfes. A young lady typist at the docks—not far. removed from the Chamber of Commerce— ca/used her employer a. severe shock the other morning bv turning in half an hour before ten o'clock. It, is said that it took him the greater part of the day to get over it. 'e y- Ndy has not yet recovered, and she vows in future she will dispense with her landlady's clock altogether. During the natural history lesson the teacher had sketched on the blackboard what purported to be a deer. As the cl ass did nut readily respond to the request to reveal the identity of the anial, the tmeher: sought to prompt them. Now, Tommy, she said, turning to the boy at the bottom of the class, come, what does your father caJl your • mother? "Gam," came the reply "you can't kid me that's an old cat!" Strangers to Swansea during the recent holidays were not allowed to consume the town's drank rations, a former experience in this connection not having been forgotten. i More than one local publican went on the lay that if. the visitors wanted beer they should bring their own supplies with them. I In the majority of houses visitors were re- fused to be served with more than one glass. And in many places they were lucky if they got that. It's more than many of them would have got at home. .e- Feeling- exceptionally patriotic, a man from Gwauncaegurwen bought a pig. Un- l fortunately, however, he did not understand I much about the art of rearing pigs, and as a result the trough was very ra?ety filled. I The hungry porker was screeching all day long, and, fearing mischief, the G.C.G. man consulted a friend. "He wante food; that's why he screams so much," advised the friend. The pig-breeder paid a special visit to the sty, and the animal immediately began to roar again. This so enraged the man that he jumped inside, gave the pig a. thundering good kick in the ribs, and ex- claimed, "Paid a cadw ahwd mwstwr, neyd da ddo cest ti tatent" ("Don't keep such a row, will you! It was only yesterday you had a potato!") ] Pickings from Punch." I I The Hero Worshipper There goes Mrs. j Tompkum' 'u.s one of the old i I oontem ptibles. The Cynic: "All 'us- bands is oontemptibles Manager (engaging office boy) You've got to be alive in this fum-quiok, alert- I we're all movers here." Boy That's me, I too. I never stop more'n a month or two 1ll j any job." Old Lady (newcomer to district) "And could you pos&ibly let. me have some fish- heads?" Harassed Fishmonger: "We don't sell no fish-'eads to new Brighton Alien (discussing the long- distance gun with Maidenhead Alien): Vere shall ve go now? Shcotland?" Now that the speed of express trains is to be reduced, it is hoped that passengers will not attempt to pluck cabbages from rail-side allotments while the train is in motion. A ladib has been bora at Weiton with five legs, but we understand that a recount I hm been demanded by jea?oos hkxaecs in the eighbouiihood. What might have proved an awkwM-? in- cident was avoided at the Zoo the other day by the prompt Mit?on of an attebdw4. It appears that a dear old lady, not knowing at was a meatless day, offered the biggest lion a caterpiliar.