Papurau Newydd Cymru
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17 erthygl ar y dudalen hon
► t NOTES ON NEWS. I
► t NOTES ON NEWS. I For the fourth time the House of Commons I has agreed to a second reading of the I THE HOUSING Pi'.OBLLAI. l nionist Housing of the "Working-Classes Bill. It is. however, no nearer the Statute-book than it was before. Mr. Herbert Samuel, the President of the Local Government Board, damned it with faint pra,ise. There were tisoful clauses in it. which it would be of advantage to pass into law, he said. But as for its most important clauses—well, the Government had other ideas on the subject. First importance, said Mr. Samuel, is at- tached to the proposal to enact a minimum wage. When that is in force, much of the difficulty arising from the inability to pay an economic rent will have disappeared. Next comes the question of the relief of rates upon houses and improvements. When this has been effected the cost of providing houses and tive weekly charges in respect of them will be reduced in proportion. The question (If kral mting is to be dealt with in a Bill this session. The Government proposes that the State shvXild co-oporate with the local authorities, THE Go-vi:;tNMENT's VIEW. supplementing their pction and supplying houses in their default. The powers of local authorities to pur- chase land are also to be greatly widened. "The Government's view," said Mr. Samuel, "was in the main that they would never be able to solve the housing question by trying to deal with each particu- lar case in isolation. They might as well seek to empty a swamp by means of a bucket or hundreds of buckets as try to solve the housing question merely by dealing with each particular ca.se as it appeared. They must p a", -L q se as 1 drain the swamp. They must stimulate great economic forces, which would enable. the main needs of the population to be met as they hod been met in times past, and as they were being met in other countries at the present time, by the ordinary means of supply and demand. The housing problem is urgent. Let us hope that when the Government pro- posals are before the House it will be found that they are largely acceptable to all parries. The House of Lords has refused to pass the Bill for making service in a cadet corps THE "KID GLOVE BRIGADE." compulsory for aU these attending public schools or entering any of the learned professions or enjoying an annual income of £400. It was the interesting proposal of Lord Wil- lougbby de Broke, who, in introducing it. astonished his fellow-peers by pitching into" the comfortable classes, and declaring that it was amongst the poor that real patriotism was found. Kven those peers who are in favour of compulsory service were most of them opposed to this kind of "class" army idea, and one spefnker remarked that a force Eiich as was contemplated by the Bill might bo called the" Kid-glove Brigade." "Catch- the-Nuts" has been suggested as an appro- priate "short title" for the Bill, but for the present, at any ra.te. the nuts axe not to be caught. A declaration made by Lord Lansdowne in the course of the debate is noteworthy: "I say quite frankly that I do not believe that at this moment the condition of public opinion with regard to compulsory service is such as to justify either party in attempting to press it upon Parliament. I believe that feeling is common to the Front Benches on both sides, and not on. account of what I may describe as mere party timidity." Lord Lansdowne added, however, that he believed public opinion was ripe for compul- sory training in the schools and continuation schools. This year the railway companies have de- cided to give facilities to those who wish to HOLIDAYS IN MAY. take their holidays earlier. The general practice has been to begin the excursion traffi.c in June, but this year on the great railways the summer programme will open on the first day of May. May is a delightful month at the seaside and in the country, but hitherto those who wished to enjoy it have had to pay full railway fare, which is a formidable item in holiday expenses when the distance travelled is considerable. Now that this ex- penditure will be less, and people may get to holiday resorts before the highest summer prices are being asked by landladies, there ought to be many more early holiday-makers, which will be an excellent thing for every- body concerned. Have our judges no respect for literature? In two more breach-of-proniise cases we read THE Musp, IN THE WIT NKSS-BOX that extensive effusions in verse were read by coun- sel amid much laughter, of course. Had the judges of the past been so pliilis- tinE". some of our best poetry might never have been written. Mistress Anne Hathaway would have surely brought an action on. the publication of those sonnets to the mysterious dark lady. We can imagine the prosy Eliza- bethan judge holding forth: "Certes, Master Shakespeare, it ill befits thee to spend the flowers cf thy wit in saucy rhymes unto this black-eyed wench.. thou being a husband and a father withal." (Laughter.) And the Swan cf Avon would have been silent thence- forward. The muse will nevermore inspire a lover if his productions are liable to be held up to the ridicule of an unpoetic British jury. Poetry surely is by no means sufficiently de- liberate and dispassionate a form of compo- siti-on to be fairly admitted as evidence, and counsel will find evidence enough in the prose parts of the incriminating letters without laying wanton hands on the sacred things of art Anyway, things are coming to a sorry pass if what a man says in poetry is admis- sible as evidence against him! The rumour that a certain M.P. had chal- lenged another to a. duel to give satisfaction ORDEAL BY COMBAT. for an alleged insult in the House has been denied, and it is officially stated that the challenge was merely to settle the difference "in the Lngiisn fashion —that is, presumably, with the fists. This does not much better the case. In the old days, when the civil and religious authorities were endeavouring to do away with the duel, excommunication was the penalty for participating in an "affair of honour." It was considered that there was something utterly debasing and immoral in the practice cf settling personal differences by combat. And although the use of pistol or rapier in a duel sulxstitutes skill and nerve for brute force, which is the deciding factor in a fight in what is called "the English fashion," there is-really no essential difference in a. meeting under the laws of il duello a,nd a bestial rough-and-tumble. Boxing for sport is a healthy and manly practice, but it is the degradation of human dignity when two presumably cultured men abandon reason ao a means to compose their disputes, and "go for" each other in savage hatred like beasts of the field. Even so. the practice is not less revolting than ridiculous, for, as we all know, "a man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still." And if personal combat is justifiable in one case, it is in another, and we might as well shut Mr. Redmond and Sir Edward Carson in. a room with weapons and and the Home Rule controversy by ratifying the policy of the survivor.
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The official celebration of the King's birth- day will take place ou Monday, June 22. Last year his Majesty s birthday was celebrated officially on the day itself, Juno 3. In 1912 it was celebrated on June 14. At Hitchin the driver of a London motor-van. named Jewell, was fined -ten shillings for tres- passing i-i s2arch of game at Kingswalden, and a. man named Windley, who was riding in the van, was fined for killing a partridge out' of reason. The van stopped by the roadside and Windley shot the bird, which Jewell fetched.
rOUR DRESSMAKING LESSON. <
r OUR DRESSMAKING LESSON. < A SMART LITTLE SPORTS COAT. I What a wonderfully bracing effect new clothes have upon our spirits. It is quite delightful to think of doing away with the dull winter things, and turning our atten- tion to spring attire. Even though there may be still some cold days before us-and the sunny weather we are no-,v enjoying is often accompanied by a pretty spiteful wind—most of us have de- cided to discard long coats. But, as we all pride ourselves on our own good sense, we will also take care not to suffer for our vanity, and replace the great coat by one of the natty little three-quarter length "Sport Models" which Dame Fashion has kindly prepared in such an opportune manner. They are quite spring-like, too, for the fashionable colours—emerald, green, scarlet, saxe blue, etc.—have a gay appearance, although the material itself is cosy. [Refer to D. L. No. 74.] t I am illustrating one of these charming little coats here this week, and feel sure you will all straightaway fall in love with it The making is quite simple, although the finished model presents a most perfect "tailor made" appearance. A new leather- like fabrie known as "Peau de Peche," is the most ideal medium for the reproduction of this coat. The following quantity of material foi making up same is required: Two yards double-width cloth. Pin the pattern tog-ether and try on before cutting out. If 't h.?r ;.in d t? large enough cut exactly by the pattern. Half an inch is allowed for all seams and turnings. DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING. I To Cut Out.—Lay the pattern on the material according to the diagram. Mark round all edges and notches and through all perforations with chalk, remove the pattern and cut out exactly by the chalk lines, as I all seams and turnings are allowed for. To Make.—Cut linings and facings foj ronts by the same pattern. Tack each fiat against its respec- part. In tacking on the front facings, in- terline with thin canvas. Close the side seams by machine. Pin the coat on your figure in order to ascertain just how the front darta must come; pin them care- fully, stitch, cut away unneces- sary cloth and pre*>s open. Join up the 6leeves, turn in the ends, stitch round and then fell linings neatly over all raw edges, seams and turnings. Set the sleeves carefully into armholes, tacking first, a nd trying on to make sure they hang right. Turn the front and lower edges cf coat in singly on the wrong side: stitch round and preErl thoroughly. Turn inside out and fell linings and facings over all raw edges, seams and turnings. Interline the collar with canvas, face it. and fell neatly against the neck. Neaten and adjust the pockets. Press the coat thoroughly, turn back and press the revere, and arrange for fastening with patent clips.
GAUZE AND FUR COMBINED FOR…
GAUZE AND FUR COMBINED FOR SPRING. Furs are to be fashionable all through the summer. I understand by the latest fashion news from Paris the up-to-date are combining fur with gauze, and more especially with the exqusitc floral silk and cotton crepes which are to be all the Tage this season. [Refer to D. L. No. 75.] I I am illustrating here thia week one of the very latest afternoon frocks showing the modist fur trimmings. This is such an easy frock to make up that I am sure all girls who like pretty frocks will write up for the pattern at onoe. The following directions will be a great help, and I can assure you with these and our expert cut pattern you cannot fail to make the frock a complete success. Quantity of materials required: four yards forty-inch material, two and half yards fur, two yards frilling, Pin the pattern together and try on before cutting out. If large enough cut exactly by pattern. Half an inch is allowed on all seams and turnings. DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING. I To Cut Out.—Lay the pattern on the material according to the diagram. Mark round all edges and notches and through all perforations with chalk, remove the pattern and cut out exic-ily by the chalk lines, as all seams and turnings are allowed for. To Make.—Join the two pieces to back of skirt to make the full width, selvedge to selvedge, and then close the back edges, leaving a small space at the top for plaquet. Hem round the lower edge. Face open the plaquct. and attach hooks and eyes. Try the skirt on the figure, pleating the fullness in at the waist to produce a pouch effect at the back. Make a shaped band of Petersham belting, bone it. ar.d tack inside the waist of tho skirt, turning the material edge over it, and neateuing, after stitching, with a facing cf Prussian binding. The band fastens separately at the centre back. Join up the underarm and shoulder seams of lining. Try on take in dart, and neaten carefully inside. Face open the front edge; hem the waist and neck. Close underarm seams of blouse and tack lining inside it. neatcning at the same time. Hem the lower edge. Turn the front, neck, and sleeve-end edges on to right side and face with strips of fur. Set on hooks and eyes for fastening, and arrange frilling to peep out under the fur. Paper patterns can be supplied, price 61d. When ordering, please quote number, encloae remittance, and address to Miss Lisle, 8, La Belle Sauvage, London, E.C.
DUDLEY BARONY.j
DUDLEY BARONY. HELD TO BE AT THE KING '8 DISPOSAL. The petition of Fcrnando Dudley Lea Smith, of Halesowen Grange, Worcester- shire, praying his Majesty to determine in his favour the abeyance now existing in the Barony of Dudley was before the Committee for Privileges of the House of Lords on Friday. Mr. Cogens Hardy, K.C., for the peti- tioner, said the barony was the earliest instance of one known by a territorial de- signation, for no family bearing the sur- name of Dudley occurred in the line of de- scent. The great Norman house of Do Somery were in possession of Dudley Castle in the County of Stafford, and Roger de Somery was summoned in 1283 to Shrews- bury for the Parliament for the trial there d David ap Griffith, brother of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales. There could be little doubt that the Barony of Dudley was to be traced in the peerage to the Barony of de SO!nr>rv. Counsel observed that though it was pos- sible there might be other co-heirs, the peti- tioner was the only one before the House. The others would be in humble circum- stances^—painters and glaziers. Mr. Cozens Hardy suggested a report by the Committee including a statement that the was in abeyance and at the dis- posal of his Maiesty. Hie Attorney-General concurred, and the proceedings terminated. ♦
APPLIED FOR A WIFE.I
APPLIED FOR A WIFE. CANADIAN BACHELOR'S 244 REPLIES. A huge pile of letters was produced at the East bourne Guardians' meeting as the re- sult of the chairman (Canon Allen) having mentioned that he had received from a Sussex rancher in British Columbia an application for a wife. The man added that lie had a Chinese servant and JS5C0 a year. The letters came from all over the country, ard several photographs were enclosed. One young woman wrote. "I am twenty-one, but no flapper." Another stated that she did not attract men, rather repelled them, but had a horror of becoming a cross old maid. Canon Allen said he had received 244 re- pli s. Ho had opened and looked at the letters. Some of them contained charming photographs. The Clerk: And locks of hair. (Laughter.) Canon Allen I am sending them all off to the man, and he must judge for himself. One Guardian suggested that after the man had done with the letters he should pass them on to his lonely brethren in the Colony.
" SUCH IS LIFE, SUCH IS LOVE."
SUCH IS LIFE, SUCH IS LOVE." A verdict of "Suicide while temporarily insane" was returned at the inquest on Theodore Ralli, a young clerk, who shot himself in a boarding-house in Bryanston- street, Marble Arch. Three packets of letters from a young lady were found in his room, and a note left by Ralli said:— I think it will be more comfortable to die in bed. Anyhow, I am rather cold, so it is warmer in bed. I hope I shall do the tiling properly and not make a men." of it. I don t know whether I have loaded the revolver correctly. I am not afraid or nervous, but a bit excited. Well, good-bye to the few friends I have. Other notes, written in French, read: "And for such a woman one kills oneself," and "Ah, such is life, such is love." Camille Costello, a governess, said she had walked out with Ralli, but was not engaged to him. He had said he was very fond of her, and life had no interest for him without her. A letter to witness, dated the 18th, read:— As you don't love me any more, and I am tired of the West-End, there is only one thing left for me to do. When you receive this letter I shall be at rest. Think of me sometimes when I have gone. As stated, a verdict of "Suicide during tem- porary insanity" was returned.
GIRL'S FARTIIING DAMAGES.I
GIRL'S FARTIIING DAMAGES. In the case in the King's Bench in which Miss Elsie Lummis, of Merton Lodge, West- cliff-on-hvea, sued Mr. John Percival Taylor, a Westcliff commercial traveller, for breach of promise, the jury returned a verdict for the plaintitf and gave her one farthing dam- ages. Judgment was entered accordingly. Mr. Justice Darling, in the course of the evidence, said it seemed that all the rows began after the plaintiff and defendant came out of church—"where you had been told to love your neighbour as yourself. (Laughter.) Are you acquainted with the likeness of St. Paul?" he asked Mr. Taylor. -"I do not know," was the reply. Tha Judge: Don't you know whether he advised that if people used you spitefully you should be kind to them, and so heap coals of fire on their heads? Mr. Rawlinscn, K.C., M.P.: It was a gentleman named James. (Loud laughter.) Mr. Justice Darling: I speak with feel- ings of trepidation in the presence of the member for Cambridge University. He (Mr. Rawlinson) may be a Doctor of Divinity. (Laughter.) In cross-examination the defendant said that on one occasion Miss Lummis was cross when it rained and he could not hold the umbrella without touching her hat. Mr. Matthews: That's the worst of these cartwheel hats. (Laughter.)
DOCTOR S SUICIDE -THROUGH…
DOCTOR S SUICIDE THROUGH WORRY A verdict of "Suicide while of unsound mind" wa-s returned at the inquest on Dr. H. B. W. Plummer, one of the foremost medical men of West Bromwich. He left a letter, addressed to the coroner, in which he taxed himself with being directly responsible for the death of a patient, and added that. anyone who had acted as he did had no right to live, or be a member of the profession to which he had always hoped to be a credit. Expert medical testimony showed that the doctor was entirely wrong in his conclusion, that the case was a very uncommon one, that he did all that was possible, and that the patient's death was in. no way due to any fault of his. «
AGED JOURNALIST'S "SCOOP."
AGED JOURNALIST'S "SCOOP." Mr. J. E. C. Peyton, probably the oldest journalist in London, is eighty-one. While attending a meeting at Willesden he fell down- stairs, fractured a Tib, and received other injuries. The next day he wrote the account of the accident and sent it to the Observer," Harrow, as news, this being the first intima- tion his editor received of the accident.
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A horse harnessed to a baker's cart made an inrush into a fashionable Brussels tea- room, creating a panic among the customers, five of whom were seriously injured, while many others, men as well as ladies, fainted. A recruiting sergeant who was instructed by the War Office to wait on residents in Bishops Stortford who had applied for the Army pamphlet, and invite them to join the ranks, found that they included a veteran pensioner of eighty-four, a ltdy shop assistant, and a boy of eight. Mr. Alexander Wylie, ex-M.P. for Dum- bartonshire, and Sir John Stirling-Maxwell have offered the Balloch Castle estate to the Glasgow Corporation for £ 30,000. Ac- ceptance of the offer will solve the problem of free access to Loch Lomond, for which people have been agitating for four vears.
MOTHER AND HOME. I MOTHER…
MOTHER AND HOME. I MOTHER ND HOME. I In every home love, faith, and confidence ehould be developed and made permanent. It is a sad day for a child when he loses faith and confidence in his parents, and learns that he has been deceived by those in whom, above all others, he trusted. Children naturally believe that what father and mother say and do are right and true, and no parent can afford to forfeit such implicit trust. Parents should carefully watch their words and actions in this re- spect. By so doing they will exert a healthy influence, which will be to their children in after years a safeguard against many temptations. THE THIRD FINGER. I It is a curious fact that the finger on which the engagement and wedding-ring is worn is anatomically the weakest of the ten. Pianists have to give the third finger twice as much drill as the others. Place both hands together, palms facing, and all but the middle finger stretched; you will be able to separate all couples easily but the two third fingers. Hence the childish game which says: "Father and son may part; brother and sister may part," and so on, till the third fingers prove that "husband and wife can't part." The anatomical explana- tion of this weakness is that the tendon of the extensor muscle of the third finger is attached by a cross-slip to that of the second and sometimes of the forth; this slip is often cut in violinists, who need all the freedom and power they can get. Will femiiiisti discover any subtle connection be- tween these two charactristics of the third finger-the weakest, and the wedding- finger? SN'EKZINQ. I It is only necessary to press the upper lip gently but firmly against the teeth to stop that horrible impulse to sneeze. The pres- sure should be applied as soon as the im- pulse is felt, it should be constant, and should be T prolonged until the desire has passed. This method not only serves to prevent the ordinary sneezings of health, but it also aids in controlling this troube- sorae symptom in hay fever and acute coryza. I MORE THAN BEAUTY NEEDED. I A distinguished woman writer remarked on the fact that physical charm does not always necessitate beauty. "Many of the world's most fascinating women," said she, "were not beauties. Their secret lay in charm of manner and expression, and that rare quality of personal magnetism which leaves the impression of beauty upon the be- holder. These qualities would bring a woman admirers were she in the remote places of the earth. When they are rein- forced by actual beauty of face and form, the woman becomes irresistible." I CHILDREN HAVE RIGHTS. I Mothers should remember that as the child's mind matures it acquires an indi- viduality of its own which should be re- spected. Children, in short, have their rights, and it is unjust to treat them as though their likes and dislikes were of no importance. Such treatment in the case of sensitive little ones has the effect of damag- ing their self-respect, and as a result under- mining their ability to hold their own in the world in later life. Wise restrictions are, of course, necessary; but so long as the child's preferences and tastes infringe no rule they should be recognised. It would be almost better that the child should be un- restrained altogether than that it should grow up tame and spiritless through parental tyranny. I MIDDLE-AQB. I The following advice is not new, but it de- serves to be repeated and borne constantly in mind: "Resist the first inclination to stoop. Brace up whenever the shoulders settle in the least. To place oneself sidewise before a mirror and allow the back to curve forward, then gradually to straighten it will convince anyone that, with every inch that is raised, ten years seem to be taken from the apparent age." Women adopt many and varied methods of holding on to a youthful figure, but this is by far the best, for it involves no deception or artificiality. Some people are quite as attractive in old age as they were in their youth, but it is not those who "let themselves go" and sink into an appearance of having lost their interest in life. LAMPLIGHT. I Reading and writing by artificial light are often very trying to the eyes, and though a lamp may be placed quite close to the reader, it seldom seems to give suffi- cient, and certainly never too much, light. By placing a small mirror behind the lamp, so that the light may then be directed upon the book or, in fact, in any direction that may be required, the intensity of the light can be increased wonderfully. The glass may be propped up on the table, with a few large books placed behind it. and the direc- tion of the light will depend at what angle the glass is adjusted. Quite small print may be easily read by this means, where under other circumstances it would be very difficult, and short-sighted people and old people will find it useful. CHEERFULNESS AND POPULARITY. I Cheerfulness is a charm given us to make us permanently contented and happy. Long- faced, sour-looking people are generally avoided, and justly so, for who wishes to partake of their malady? Those accustomed to look upon the sunny side of life are ever courted for the genial spirit they diffuse about them. A cheerful face is as beneficial as sunshiny weather. ACCOMPLISHED ry TACT. I Ask the anxious hostess of whom amongst her guests she has the most grateful recol- lections, and she is certain to indicate some woman who is gifted with tact. She will re- member with gratitude the guest whose diplomacy has prevented friction and em- barrassment, whose thoughtfulness has fore- stalled awkward possibilities and contri- buted to the success of her social gatherings. The tactful woman remains in her memory long after the wits and "lions" are for- gotten. The tactful woman, in short, passes through life making few enemies and many friends. To PRESERVE GLOVES. I When putting on kid gloves always begin by buttoning the second button; then, when they are buttoned to the top, you can easily fasten the first button without tear- ing the kid. Gloves will last much longer if pulled off the hand from the wrist down and turned inside out. If straightened out after wearing and laid by themselves in a drawer, and mended the moment a rip shows itself, a pair of gloves will retain their freshness much longer than usual. They should always, by the way, be mended with cotton and not with silk, as the latter has a tendency to cut the kid. WHEN SHOCTLD A GIRL MARRY. I Half the unhappy marr .r.ges one hears about nowadays are the result of girls marrying and leaving home long before they have had time to acquire the practical know- ledge that is necessary for the successful management of a home and a husband. At eighteen the average girl has hardly learned to control herself, let alone to manage a house and servants, and the result is failure in all directions. Untrained, ignorant, and irresponsible, how can such a woman expect to make a success when she undertakes the most serious duties and the gravest responsi- bilities in life? The most successful mar- riages are those in which the bride is over twenty-five rather than under twenty. ———————.—————————
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The Home Secretary has informed Sir John Spear that 8,998 licensed houses have been closed under the 1504 Act, with compensation. Rev. R. Cfillies, M.A., of Hampstead Presby- terian Church, was elected Moderator of Synod of the Presbyterian Church of England for the ensuing year. As an experiment, some of the omnibuses running through Kensington are to be fitted with boxes, into which passengers, when alight- ing, may drop their cancelled tickets.
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OUR CHILDREN'S CORNER. BY UNCLE RALPH. I M DEAR CHILDREN,— I Once again this week I have to welcome ft big batch of new members. I was going to say, as you have heard grown-up people remark, "I am right glad to see you," but I cannot quite say that, can I, as in reality I am not able to see you at all, for which I am ever so sorry. Still, I do live in hopes of being able some day to visit some of the places where we have the most members. If so. won't we have a splendid time together. Well, at any rate, I can say how glad I am to welcome all the new members, and I hope they will read the "Corner" every week and get many others to join. By the way, so many have written me about the rules of membership that I have determined to print them in this column next week, and I will at the same time tell you all about the Membership Card, which I am having printed for you all. With love in great and rich abundance, Ever your affectionate, UNCLB RALPH. TlIH CHILDREN'S CORNER UNION. FOUNDED BY UNCLE RALPH. (Opeu to Boys and Girl, under 15 year* ) Please enrol me as a Member of the CCU." I My age is years. Na-no Address Late When signed post to UNCLE RALPH, 8, LA BXLUI I SAUVAC.E, LoDON. R.C. -1 ANSWERS TO LETTERS. I C. KINO Yes, of course you arc a mem- ber. Your number is 730. E. BONEHAM Keep on keeping on. ALICE ROGBITS: Glad to hear that your brother got safely through the Bay of Biscay. I know from experience how rough it is there sometimes. Tell your brother I wish him all success. AUBREY FISHER So sorry you have had to wait for an answer, but think of the hun- dreds of letters I receive every week. Don't be downhearted. You may still win a prize. LIZZIE PLACKETT: Sorry to hear you have been ill. The new rules will be announced shortly. In the meantime do all you can to get members. I did net see your member- ship form. Was it sent? MAY MCQUILLIAM Your letter was delightful, but please write in ink next time. ANNIE AVES Glad to welcome you, and hope some of your brothers and sisters will join as well. I should like to see your farmhouse. It must be very pretty round about. DOLLY WALSH: Grieved to hear you have been so ill. Go to the top of the sugar loaf when you are strong enough. Write me again. RESULT OF UNFINISHED STORY COMPETITION.—No. 10. Correct Solution.—During a walk two BOYS encountered a. travelling MENA- GERIE, and while they were looking on, a fierce MONKEY snatched a cap and tore it to PIECES. Fountain Pens.—May Wingrave, D. Rowlinson, William Clark, Irene Edwards, Winnie Relf. Fry's Chocolat.-Nora M. Golightly, Lucy Wayman, Lennor Benton, Job Shute, Dora Battle, A. Guant. Pictorial Blotters. Doris Bardwell, Gladys Millward, Lily Olive Green, Muriel Lillicrap, Hugh Child, D. Whisker, Robert Mercer, Violet Williams, Ronald Cole. UNCLE RALPH'S PICTURE STORY COMPETITION.—No. 12. This competition will close on April 1st. Twenty prizee will be awarded for the best solutions. All you have to do is to write on the line underneath each picture the word which you consider best fits the story. You can send as many solutions as you like. Address to UNCLE RALPH, 8, La Belle Sauvage, London, E.C. Frightened by a newsboy's away dashed the frenzied ———< But a brave Springs to the animal's head and stops itfl
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The Rev. A. J: B. Ellerton, missioner in the Southwell Diocese, has accepted tho living of Nuttall, Nottinghamshire. For over fiftv years a member of the Louth Beard of Guardians, the Rev. F. Freahney has resigned owing- to ill-health. In aid of the Bishop of St. Albans' lMmtMor the churches in "London over the Border," a bazaar at the Town Hall, Stratford, will he opened by the Duchess of Albany on April 30. Surrey County Council decided to engage a woman assistant on the county schools inspect- ing staff at a salary of X200 per annum, with travelling and subsistence allowances.
I MOTORS & MOTORING
I MOTORS & MOTORING R I 4. T. WARD. I LIGHT MINIATURE CARS. We 'are accustomed to rapid movements and quick changes in the motoring world. The novelty or fad of one day may be con- sidered the most up-to-date improvement the next-or it may be obsolete and for- gotten. An innovation must make its mark and become popular almost immediately, or get off the earth, as the Americans say. Evolution is ever going on, however, in cars and motor-cycles, almost unnoticeable at times, but none the less certain. Take motor-cars, for instance. Each year at show times, when new models are first put before the public, one hears the old story, "Nothing particularly new for next season, is there?" and the reply invariably is, "No! nothing, except in minor details." Yet it is in these details the changes occur. One has only to put a car, say, four years old against the latest up-to-date model, and the vast changes made in design and ap- pearance are at once apparent. Not much notice was taken when a few cars first ap peared with the "torpedo-streamline" type of bodywork, yet to-day (three or four years afterwards) nothing else is made or would suit the public. We never hear now of "Tonneau" bodies or "Roi de Beige" bodies, yet these had a tremendous vogue over a number of years. Ten years ago, all cars more or less had the appearance of a road carriage which was short of the horse in front. To-day every car is of distinctive design-veritably a motor-car, and such a vehicle as the world never before saw-at once a handsome and graceful carriage. But probably nothing has changed so rapidly in the world of motoring as the public taste and its ideas relating to minia- ture cars, light cars, cyclecars, or whatever one likes to call them, i.e., the small car for two persons, cheap to buy and cheap to run and maintain in efficient condition. THE ORIGIN OF THE SMALL CAR. I Ever since the motor-car became popular, there has been a desire for a small, cheap two-seater. The demand was ever for one at £100 to £ 125. Over a period of nearly a decade, scores of makers tackled the prob- lem and put small cars on the market. Very few were successful, and the few that were made in quantities were spoilt by buyers demanding this or that extra iu luxurious fit- ments and what not, until the ever-rising price prohibited their sale. I remember one in particular which was first marketed at .£105. It was plain, but good, in its various mechanical points, the body and details were necessarily common. A better finished body was demanded and the price rose to X125, then .£135. A windscreen and cape- hood became a standard fitment, then mag- neto ignition, better mudguarding, running boards, etc., until the price eventually reached .£175. Another make which was first marketed at £125, became X200 or over, and so the sale was gradually killed and the small two-seater became obsolete, because for very little more the buyer could get a full-sized car. Nothing has seen greater fluctuations in price than the popular "Ford" light car, admittedly the cheapest the world over and the most used. Ten years ago it was first announced to the world as a 100 guinea car (in America). When put first on the British market it was .£135, and was nothing better than a light runabout of more or less "buckboard" de- sign. Improvements and the demands of buyers gradually raised its price, until it became X215, and one model was £235. Then the pattern became standardised, and as more were produced prices began to come down gradually. In 1910 the price of the four-seater was .£210, in 1911 X190, in 1912 X170, in 1913 X150, and this year £135. Next year may possibly see it at 2120, un- less it is fitted with a self-starting dynamo for the engine (ever in increasing demand), when it may be put up again to X150 or X160. It will thus be seen that car prices, no matter how low they become, can never remain stationary, because of the demands of the public for extras and luxurious fit- ments. The lead is set by makers, of very high-grade expensive cars, and makers of cheap ones have to follow suit. I THE EVOLUTION OF THE MINIATURE CAR. For a few years the small two-seater car was practically a dead letter. Then the French makers, struck doubtless by the suc- cess of the motor-cycle and its sidecar ad- junct, evolved the idea of a small two-seater on motor-cycle lines, belt-driven, light in weight, and simple in design. This immedi- ately caught on, and British makers, turn- ing their attention to the idea, evolved light machines, some with three wheels and some with four. Some had bt-It drive, others were chain-driven. Major Lindsay Lloyd, of the Brooklands racing track, originated the term cyclecar for the new vehicle, and it created quite a furore. A great future was predicted for the cyclecar only eighteen short months ago. Where is it to-day? Practically dead, for evolution has killed it. The light or miniature four-wheeled car has been too strong for the cyclecar, and even the name is to be dropped. Nor is the term miniature car liked, and there is a move- ment to class these vehicles as "light cars." The fact is, the cyclecar—that is a vehicle built on light motor-cycle lines-has not proved a success. Belt-drive may be satisfactory (and is) on a motor-cycle, but is scarcely suitable for a vehicle of greater power and double or treble the weight. And as to chain-driven vehicles, this type were never an unmixed blessing. Then tandem- seated vehicles for two have not proved popular. They are too unsociable; also the four-wheeled vehicle a la car is far prefer- able to the three-wheeler, for the four- wheeler allows a double-driven rear axle with differential gear, and admits of cardan shaft drive and bevel or worm driving gear, A car-pattern clutch and change-speed gears can be also used. Thus we arrive at the miniature or light car, of big car automo- bile engineering practice throughout. These miniature cars have come to stay, and have made immense strides in popular estimation during the past few months. They are sell- ing freely all over the country, and every maker of the popular types is full up with orders. They are small cars, but are high- class cars, and they are constructed in every sense like the big cars on proved prin- ciples and car engineering practice. PRACTICAL TRIALS OF THE BEST MAKES. lor the beneht of my readers 1 have been giving a practical trial to several of the best of these "miniature" cars (Americans are still calling them cyclecars). The reason I have been able to do so is that a friend of mine in the trade is agent for some eight of the best examples, and at the present time is selling at least one vehicle per day, and sometimes two. As they are being brought new from the various manu- facturers' works, I meet the driver on the road on my own car, change mounts, and am thus enabled to give them a practical test for a dozen miles or so. Within the past six weeks I have thus tried the follow- ing (their selling prices are bracketed against each): The "Humberette" (X125), the "Swift" (, £ 140), "Perry (1147), "G.W.K." (£150), "Standard" (Xl85), "Singer" (£185), and "Hillman" ( £ 200). It is not surprising to learn that I found the quality and merits of each were in exact re- lation to price. The highest priced ones were the best, not only to drive and in gene- ral efficiency, but also as regards their finish, detail, and refinements, and fitments generally. Nevertheless, they are all good, and there was little difference in the run- ning, speed, or hill-climbinsr capacity. The "G.W.K." is a frictionally-driven car, and in a class by itself on this account. It is a really marvellous production, and well de- serves its high reputation. The "Humber- ette" and "Swift" have both twin-cylinder engines, and as such are very efficient vehicles, but it would be unfair to expect them to give such results as the others, all of which have four-cylinder engines. All communications relating to motors and motoring should be addressed to J. T. WARD, 8, La Belle Sauvage, London, E.C.
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"Women will not have to dress like Quakeresses because of the Plumage Bill," said Sir Henry Buxton at a Caxton Hall meeting in support of the Bill. He ex- pressed the opinion that the Bill would in- crease, not decrease, employment on account of the number of people that would be needed to manufacture the new forms ot ornamentation that would be required.