The North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality

NOTES OF THE WEEK. I Price of Coal Comes Down. I No more practical proof of the genu- ine desire of the Government to amelio- rate the pressure on the domestic ex- chequers of tne great mass of the com- nmnity need be forthcoming than the wiiOjiy unexpected announcement that the prico of coal for househo.d purposes is to oe re a need by iOs per ton. Ail sorts 01 .sinister motives are being imputed to the j-oovenunent lor this act of beneficence; but the tact remains that the reduction is a real reduction, unsupported by any sub- sidy or subvention, and effected without the loss ot a single penny to me nationa; exchequer. L11 massed persons wul accept the aoatement witn gratnude and ek no furtheP^explanation ot it than that ottered by fciir Auckland Geci-,ies, who said quite expuc.tly uiat, As a (lirect aid to the cost, ot living 111 these exceptional and abnor- mal tmio we propose to nx the price ot domestic and nousenold coal at a level 10s per ton beiOw toe present prices, thus letting the general householder share in some measure, in a privilege which the workes m tile industry have for long en- joyed, and receive some benefit from the present high value of this national asset." The Reason Why. I Since the announcement was made wo have seen many protests against it lrom people xi-tio make that kind of thing their habit, or who are perhaps not unprejudiced judges, including some who may desire that lJic price of coal should remain high, but none from tne man 111 the street, to whom tho reduction 'means a very mater- ial relaxation ot the pressure on the debit side of the household balance sheet. And put to tno test ot impartial analysis there is no apparent reason on national grounds why the decrease should not he eiieeted. Sir Auckland (jreadcs" statement was Clear, candid, and seit-expianatory. Output has not. yet reached the oesired maximum which some weeks ago was an essential prelimi- nary to a lowering of price, but it is im- proving. Nevertheless, the Coal Con- troller finds himso.f in a much better fin- ancial position than he expected mainly because the coal stnkc in America has so disorganised the world-supply of coal that the expected severe fall in the prices of export coal is not likely to materialise for some time. The abnormal prices of export coal have given the Government a "nest egg" which they intend to devote to easing the social conditions of the people ot this country. A of the con- cession also includes a reduction in the price of coastwise bunker coal an emi- nently wise course in view of the need tor encouraging coastwise shipping to relieve the congestion on the railways. < An Absurd Suggestion. I To those who urge that the President of the Board of Trade has been juggling with figures it may bo pointed out that household coal and coastwise bunkers arc a relatively small part of the coal consumed in th;s country, and only a fraction of tnc enormous quantities exported. If, there- fore, as everyone admits, high profits are being made out of export coal, there is noih.ng unsound about the arithmetic of the proposal. Not oniy docs it appear that the Coal Controller's balance sneet can stand the reduction in the prices of domestic coal, but the Government hold out hopes of being able to reduce the price of seagoing bunkers. This in itseif will have the enect of bringing down tHe cost of overseas commodities, the high prices of of which arc largely due to intlated freightage charges. Taken no matter from wnat point of view the abatement is a wise, generous, and beneficent pro- posal, the benefits of which the average householder will not be slow to appreciate. < The Political Situation. I The (political situation generally is re- markably free from any element of sen- sation. Such abstruse problems as a pos- sible fusion of the Coalition Liberals with. the Unionists iift-erests no one save a few "stunting" scribes whose knowledge of politics is not even skin-deep. The broad plain issue is that there IS as great, 11 not a greater, need, for national unity and absence of all political controversy now as during the war, and most people arc in- clmod to accept that position and work loyally to enable the Government to carry through the great programme of social and economic reform on which the Coal- ition as it now stands is founded. Criti- cisms on details of that policy there must be. They arc the very essence of its suc- cess; but a genuine desire to amend a measuro like the anti-Duniping Bill is scarcely a sound basis for prognostication of a political "crisis." The atmosphere ot Parliament at the present time is best re- fleeted in the solid hard collar work which the House has been putting in on the Elec- tricity Bill. There is nothing spectacu- lar about the conscientious energy of the best business brains in Parliament trying to hammer into the best shape a Bili which is fraught with momentous conse- quences for the development of the coun- try. But it is hard work of that sort which is the salt of political life. 0 0 4 The Scarcity of Houses. I The housing problem is still very much immersed in the discussion &tage, but the houses are very s low making their appear- ance. Witl the prices of materials as they are at present there is little hope ot private builders supplementing to all ap- preciable extent the Government aided schemes brought forward by local authori- ties. The scarcity of nouses haa become a serious matter, and it is no generally felt all over the country that there is no eed to labour the point. At tne Rhvl confer- ence, on Friday, held under the auspices of the Welsh Housing Association and tho North Wales Sanitary Inspectors' Associa- tion, it was impilt,(i that wealthy people from Liverpool wcro taking houses at ii ea.,? i de resort, Welsh seaside resorts at big rents "to the exclusion of genuine working men ready to pay a fair rent." Of course, eucli renting of houses mainly for summer residence will naturally reduce the accommodation needed by people who would be resident ail the year round, but this can only be a minor cause of the shortage of houses for "the working clas.=eo." < < I Welsh Calvinistic Methodists in I Liverpool. I "Maldwyn," in the Lirrrpool Courier on Monday, had an interesting article on Prinoc's-road C.M. Chapel, which has come to be known as Liverpool's "Welsh Non- conformist Cathedral." Lord Clwyd, liis father and grandfather ;t'ie late Mr Joh^n Roberts, M.P., and Mr David Roberfs), and Mr J. Harrison Jones, J.P., among other successful Liverpool citizens, been prominent figures in the Prince sroati church. Among its ministers are the Revs. John Hughes, David Saunders, Dr. Owen Thomas, Dr. John Williams, and thc pre- sent pastor, the Rev. Howell Harries Hughes. The latter, eays "Maldwyn," is a cousin to the Hon. Charles Hughes, w ho oame within an ace of becoming President of the United Stats. » I Welsh M.P's. and the Dole Division. I By tho decision of the Government to allow members to vote as they pleased in the division on the continuation or other- wise of the dole to the civilian unemployed some were able to follow *-he dictates of their consciences and u j/iort the Labour amendment. The Welah members ""ays a London correspondent) appear to have been evenly divid. V oting for tho doie were Mr Brace, Major Brecse, Mr Charles Edwards, Major Jack Edwards, Air Hart- shorn, Mr Lewis Haclam, Mr Haydn Jones, Mr T. A. Lewis. Mr Sidney Robin- son, and Mr John Williams—ten iii all. 011 the other side, against the dole tor civilians, in favour of it for ex-eervico mcu and women only, were Major Cope, Sir Jame.s" Cory, Sir David Davies, Mr L. Forostier-Walker, Mr J. C. Gould, Mr John Hinds, Sir Evan Jones. Mr David Matthews, Sir Alfred LNIoiid, Willitm Seager, and Sir Robert Thomas—eleven. Over a third of the Welsh members did not vote. » < < Mr Pussyfoot's Convert. A certain man, a convert of Mr Pussy- foot, ordained that he and is household should "go dry." But, catching influenza, he wa.s ordered by his doctor to take a little whiskey for his Health's sake. Earn- estly he protested; the doctor insisted. "W hat wouid my servants sayasked tie condemned convert. The doctor suggested that his patient- should keep a bottlo o't wniskcy in his wardrobe, and privately mix himself a hot tot when they brought him his shaving water. A few days later the doctor wa6 aeking one of the servants now it went with his master, and received this answer: "Wo think ho is a. little touched in the head, as he calls for shaving water six times a day." a High Prices for Antiques. I I I ? ? ?!- ? I Tibere can be no oouot mat gi«i. artiste in furniture, the old masters of that art, would be amazed at the prices now being paid for examples of their workman- ship. A catalogue, iesuied early last cen- tury, shows chairs and other articles oi furniture priced at about as many Minings apieco as they now feteli pounci". Per- haps the makers of the Georgi.an and othcr much-prized furniture were better off than somo of the great pamteris, for the practi- cal utility of t:ieir productions a t least prevented them from being Jett with their works on their hands. Chairs, tables and clocks probably found a market much more easily than pictures, and their makers were not obliged, Jike Hogarth, to raffle work tnat would to-day, if it could come into the market, realise remarkable prices?. Occasionally light is thrown upon the terms and conditions in which the old type of craftsmen worked, but it is the exception to find any record of the original price and subsequent variations in value of old furniture. At least one buyer of antiques is now making a priuticc of mark- ing, unobtrusively, but legibly, tie date and place of purchase, and the price, ot whatever he adds to his collection. Bangor Cymric Society. I University Life is not ail drudgery; it has its wholcscnio diversions, one of which is the Cymric Socicty, which has been re- cently established at Bangor Liiiveis.ty Co.uvfre, with Sir J. Morns Jones as its pres.dent. All the debates and lectures of this society are in Wel^ sh. A pro- gramme has been already drafted for the winter and spring terms, a notabic charac- teristic of which is tne substantial nature of fiio various subjects chosen for debate and lecture. It- is evident that the promo- ter, of the society were a,s much interested in the cultural pursuits of the members as in their natural quest for entertain- ment. A very pieaeing feature also in the life of the University is the revival of the College Eisteddfod, which had attained considerable popularity. It may not be generaiy known that from this Eisteddfod Wales has-had sonie of her rarest gem," of poetry and prose. The principal items for the forthcoming Eisteddfod are good and progressive. the hackneyed, subjects of some eisteddfod programmes arc an eye- soro in reality, and one is only too glad tp welcome any tendency to open new paths. < Madame Patti. I The number of cases in which great ar- tists reap during their lifetime something like an adequate reward for the gifts they shower on mankind are rare. Mine. Patti was one of them, and she has left a very considerable fortune behind. One is ill- clined to wonder how much it v ould have been if Patt-i had been on the platform in these days of colossal fees wlien great singers earn the half of Patti's fortune in a quarter of a year. Fame mu,t be a. blind goddess, canting her favours at haz- ard a.nd missing ail too often the most worthy. What a pathetic "iglJt it was to see Sims Reeves, 111 feeble 61(1 age, sing- ing for a mere living Irv)iig,stbe great- est of our actor artists, died almost a poor man, but he lived for art, not for money- making, and h0 gained what perhaps he prized most—the reward of public appreci- ation. American College Yells. I No doubt Welsh 'Varsity students will bo interested in knowing something about the "yells" indulged in by American col- lege students. NN hen the Prince of IN-ales visited the United States Military Acad- emy at West Point, a few days ago, he was greeted; so the cablegrams ted us, with tne college yell. No doubt he lis- tened with pOhte interest, but 'says a Manchastfr (iwirdian- correspondent) he must have thought it rather duTil and un- imaginative compared with the war-cries 'he has heard from tho students of some other American institutions while serving in France. The West Point Rah Itali Ray Riiii Rah; Rny West Point! West Point! Ar-magck!" This may be exciting enough as a mere vocal exercise, but it lacks the fine poetic frenzy of "Hullabaloo, canuck, eanuek Huilabaloo, canuck, eanuck; Hoorah: Hoora-h, J.H.U. Hoorah, O.H.U. (Johns Hopkins University); or of Pike's Peak or Bust Pike's Peak or Bust' Colorado College! Yell we mu^t!" (Colo- rado College); or of "Hobble, Gobble, Razzle, Dazzle 1 Siss, Boom. Bali Lou- isiana Louisiana Rah! Rah: Uah:" (Louisiana State University).

SOCIAL- I Lord Ahereoinvay has returned to London from the Chateau de la Garoupe, Antibes. Mrs Lloyd George will be "at home" on Saturday, December 6th, at 10. Down- mg-street, to all students of the Aberyst- wyth University College in London. The Prime Minister has written accept- ing the offer of the freedom of the c.ity of Bath, but is unable to fix a date for his visit. Mr Lloyd George will be entertained at luncheon at tne. Manchester Reform Club on December 6th. The engagement is announced betwae.11 George Johnston, elder son of Mr David Mason, J.P,, of Glasgow, and Alioo Myf- anwy, youngest, daugnter of the. late Al- derman Donald Cameron, TanraUt, Bangor. Major Sir Wynham Hanmr, Bart., Bet-tisfield Park, was one of the 74 re- turned overseas officers and men from the parish of Hanmer, Flintshire, who each received at the hands of Lord Kenyon a silver cigarette case, given by grateful parishioners. The engagement is announced between Lieut-en ant-Colon el Sydney Boyce Combe, D.S.O., M.C., 47th Sikhs, younger son of Major-General Boyce Combe, C.B., and Grace, younger daughter of Mr and Mrs George Behrcns, of Vron Yw, Denbigh. A marriage has been arranged, ahd will shortly take place, between Oliver Harvey, of the Foreign Office, younger son of Sir Charles Harvey, Bart., and Lady, Harvey, of Rainthorpe Hall, Norfolk, and Maud Aiiiiora, eldet- daught-er of Arthur W. and 1 Mrs Williams Wynn, of Cocd-y-Maen, Montgomeryshire. Among the shooting party entertained by Lord and Lady Harlech, at Uh-n, this week, were Mr and Mrs*R. M. Greaves, Wern. Portmadoc; Captain and Mr- Wynn Finch, of Cefnamwleh; .Captain (;. M. Kirkby, Llanfendigaid, Towyn, and Capt-. Maxwell. There was some excellent shooting, the birds being plentiful and the ,ohoot' i i I weather favourable. The Duke of Westminster will be hunt- ing mainly in the Duke of Beaufort's country this season, though in Cheshire it is hoped that he will come out "occasion- ally with the country pack, which are co- ing very well undH Mr James Tinsley's new mastership. The duke is one of the chief landowners in tho Cheshire country and was master of the pack for several years before the war.

THE PREMIER'S SEAT. I QUARRYMEN S UNION SECRETARY REPUDIATES RUMOUR. Mr R. T. Jones, secretary of the North "Wales Quarrvmen's Union, stated on Saturday that there is no truth in the re- port that he will oppose the Premier in the Carnarvon Boroughs at the next elec- tion. If "he stands at all it will be for tho Carnarvon County division, and then only if nominated by the County Labour Association.

I THE PROFESSOR AS POLITICIAN.. I THE TALK ABOUT FUSION. I I (By a Westminster Correspondent). I Give a Minister a bad name-in other words, callhim a Pi-ofes,.sor-aitd he can do nothing but wrong. Such is tne experience of Sir Auckland Greddes. No sooner had he made his welcome announcement that ('oal for household use is to be 10s a ton cheaper, than tne critics jumped to the conclusion that there must be a blunder somewhere, without even waiting to ex- amine the facts. Being a. poor hsnd at ngureci myeelf, I generally give the subject a. wide berth, but I am unable to detect tie glaring inconsistency alleged between what Ministers had suggested might be possible and what they have actually done. They gave tho miners' representa- tive's to understand a week or two ago that they noped soon to take two ehillings a ton off the whole consumption for inland purposes. Instead, they have taken five times that, amount off about a fifth of the consumption—that part of it wnich is burned in the kitchen or the parlour grate. A HUMAN PROFESSOR. I When I remember Sir Auckland first lie Capt,.iiii A. C. Geddes, of the Uni- versity Company of the Queen's Edin- burgh, a brilliant student and a keen volunteer, wno used to spend his holidays taking his men on route marches. I lost eight of him for twenty years or so, and was surprised to renew the acquaintance with Sir Auckland G<;ddce, Aji.'ustcr of National Service. I suppose' it is essent- ial for a man who attains a University Chair while he is still little older tnan the men he is teaching to assume an extra- professorial air, and that has been rather a drawback to Sir Auckland. But the I idea tnat he is a mere brain-machine does I him an injusticc. It is true that when he addresses the House he seems to have m his mind's eye a benchful of students, struggling to get as much as possible of wnat he is saying into their note-book.0, in order that they may be able to repro- duce it at the next "exam. and that im- pression is strengthened by his habit of winding up his speeches with a careful summary of wnat; he ha.s said. But he j. a very human person, with a merry humour, an. insatiable appetite for work, and a shrewd judgment which his col- leagues values So 1 shall continue to be- lieve that he is substantially rignt about coal until he is proved to be wrong. DR. ADDISON'S BLUNDER. I He j. a much older man than ins academic colleague, Dr. Addison., who stumbled sadly the other day wnen he sought to excuse his own s hortcomings by censuring his predecessor 111 otliee, Lord Downham, who used to be Mr Hayee Fisher. That gentleman was never sus- pected of being prono to turn his cheek to the smiter, so that no one was surprised at his prompt rejoinder. If the duel de- velops, my money will be put on Lord Down nam. But the problem of housing is too serious for personal recriminations. As the House showed when it last debated tno matter, it is seriously disquieted by the Jack of progress, and prepared to support, the Government in almost any policy which will provide houses quickly c vei-i in that of subsidies, which a few months ago were regarded as out of the question. Dr. Addison will do well if ne enlists that spirit in his support instead' of wasting timo in complaints about other peop-'e. RURAL HOUSING. I ? I A reply by the Prime Minister to an in- terruption from Dr.Murray, the Member for tire Western Isles, suggests that the n.ew Iiouijig subsidy ma.y be of great valuo to housing in t-ao rural areas. Small landholders and Highland crofters, who have been accustomed to build their own houses will be entitled to claim the threepence per cubic foot if their buildings are of t;?e requisite standard. It- follows tl-iat riiril landowners will have the same right, and there must be many cases m Nii le',t the new grant, thought it will not enable cottages to be produced on an economic basis, will encourage landowners c,con,om i c ba,sis, (- to siKHiider the reduced balance of loss. Lord Robert Cecil and Mr iPrctyman greatly impressed the IIou.se by their warn- ings of how serious the housing shortage is in the country districts. I am afraid it is a defect of the Ministry ot Health that its personnel is more conspicuously acquainted witn the urban side, of the problem. "FCSIO." I In tli-) lobbies, the talk about fusing the various parts of tho Coalition into a per- manent political party is regarded with a good deal of scepticism. The present Coalition has been in being for just under tnree years. It would net have continued 60 long had not each of its elements made eomcc^sions in order to preserve a united front, and restrained its own supporters who were, impatient with what they re- garded as tcnipora.sing. Political combi- nations cannot be permanent when they are artificial, and it would therefore be highly dangerous to attempt to force the movement. If it is to succeed, it must come from the constituencies, not from Westminster. It. should never be for- gotten that the Conservatives and the liberal Unionists worked together for [ tirirty years before a permanent fusion was found possible, and even then it required delicate handling. SIR JOHN SIMON'S EGG DAXCIXG. It is evident that Sir Jolm SImon 16 doing his best to be all things to all men in tne Spen Valiey. lie is even protesting that he is not committed to any person as leader, and it would almot seem as if ho were keen not to commit himself to any principle, so cautious and qualified is he about such questions as the capital levy and nationalisation. I doubt ït: all Sir John's sa-ponaceousncss will gave him from defeat. Yorkshire has a hereditary pre- ference for plain, blunt men, not for dia- lectical gymnasts, and Spen Valley has yet to prove it has an opposite preference. COALITION DEFECTIONS. I I am glad to see that Major Barnes, ot Ne wca-stle, bus announced that he can no I longer support the Coalition. He has seldom done so since ho was elccted, and it is 8-S well that ha should make nis posi- tion clear. But ho owes his constituents an opportunity of saying what they think of his change of front. Tney voted for him as a supporter oil the Coalition. Mr John Wallace, the member for Dunferm- line also shows .signs of changing his quarters. He is greatly excited about the Anti-dumping Bill, as is also Mr Leng Sturroek, who only the other day was ap- pointed Mr Shortt's private secretary. But I learn from my friends among the Asquith Liberals mat they have in tact only the modest hopes as to the number of Coali- tion members who will oppose the Bill. ELECTRICITY EXPERTS. I In the House of Commons, a.s el-owhere, electricity is a matter for the experts, and members generally are treating tho Elec- tricity Bill from that point of view. The man who knows most about the subject on the practical side is Mr George Balfour, t.10 number for Hanipstoad, who has been a pioneer in tramway development ill manv parts of the country. He has great- lv impressed even those who difter fioni him by the way in which he has subordi- nated his personal interests to the of the public. Mr Neal, Sir William Pearce, and Sir Archibald Williamson (who was Chair- man of the committee on whose report the Bill is based) have also rendeTed useful ser- vice in licking the Bill into shape, thougn they do not claim to speak as experts. There is now every prospect that the Bill. afte,r a. tedious Parliamentary career, will become law this session.

I IX THE LORDS. I The main business of tJlC week ill the House of Lords has been a discussion on the state of Egypt, in the course of which Lord Curzon gave a lucid and, if one may use the expression, charming exposition of tho British policy towards our newest and moist difficult protectorate. Thereis no .subject on which Lord Curzon dis- courses that he does not adorn with the arte and graces of real oratory. He has the grand manner, but he is never pontifi- cal. He is always authoritative without being pompous, and he has definitely taken the place which Lord Roseber.y held for Po many years as the most polished and cul- tured speaker in Parliament. I VITAL TO THE EMPIRE. I The essence of his survey was that stabie and ordered Government ifn Egypt "stand- ing at the door of Afric-a. and on the high- way to India" i, vital to the interests c-f the British Empire. Egypt left alone (ould not guarantee a strong internal Gov- ernment- far it,7.9 protect her frontiers; and the sipnatory powers to th,e peace treaty by ratifying the British Protectorate had imposed upon thi" country a ditty of which we could not in honour wash our hands. I THE STRIKE WEAPON. T I I I T I The present unrest m Egypt dated nach. to August.. Fundamentally the caue was economic, but the trouble was fomented bv agitators who had not. been slow to recognise the value of the strike weapon. On September 2nd an attempt was mado by a young student to assassinate the Egyptian Prime Minister, and there was no doubt that the oaUlSe was political. The

THE FAUNA OF NORTH WALES. To the- general reader no less than to the naturalist, Mr H. E. Forrest's "Hand- book to the Vertebrate Fauna of North Wales'' (Whitherby and Co,, 526, High Holborn, London: price 6s net-), wiii be an intereting and concise account of the birds, beasts and fi lelse North Wa!es. I le,i of -_N7(),I- t l l l? It is, in fact, based upon the author s more elaborate work published in 1907, supplemented by such records and other particulars as have come to hand during tho past twelve years. In a handbook brevity is, of course, essential, but" so fascinating is the subject that one would wish a little more detail. However, Mr Forrest has treated the matter with dis- crimination, and the volume throughout bears the trace of a keen observer and a naturalist who has made a careful study of the fauna of North Wales. An index to the English names of the various species greatly facilitates reference. Mr Forrest includes in tho text various interesting data regarding both well known and the less common species, the observa- tions of nialiy lovers of nature being judiciously used by the author. Reports have frequently appeared in our "columns that fanners, especially down in South Carnarvonshire and parts of Merionethshire were complaining of depre- dations by foxes. We learn in Mr For- rest's book that in 1815 the Festiniog vestry used to pay 20s for every fox, and 10s for every cub killed, the price being reduced. fifty per cent, in 1817. Up to 1863 this money was paid from the" treth Eglwys" (Church rate), but since then from. tolls taken at the market hall. Whether the custom is still in existence we cannot say. Another mammal common on some of the Welsh mountains is tho mc,.tuitaiii hare," an introduced species. The hares in the Snowdon district turned down by Lord Penrhyn were, it is stated, brought from the property of Captain Dewar, adjoining the Drummond Castle estate, near Crieff. The section of the volume dealing with birds records over 250 varieties. The barred warbler is a rare visitor, and one killed at the Skerries Lighthouse, Holyhead, is the first record for Wales. A specimen of tho Richard's Pipit was alo only obtained once—at St. Aa li. fflic golden oriole, another very rare summer migrant, is said to have nested in Merioneth. Of the eagle tribe the white-tailed variety is a rare winter and spring visitor, and an immature specimen was captured at Abersoch in 1910. Reptiles and amphibians found in Wales are comparatively few in number, but the variety of fishes, sea and river. which are recorded, amount to about 150.

RECENT FICTION. I Murray's Library of two-shilling novels includes stories by some of our iiiot popular writers of fiction. Among the latest additions is "The Lost Naval Papers," by Bennet Cojjplestone. The author deals with the English secret se vice, and the reader's interest in the stories is sustained throughout by the clever manner in which the machinations of Ger- man spios and traitors who helped the enemy were promptly discovered, and the plotters laid by the heels. In tho astute and resourceful methods of William Daw- son, tho Scotland Yard officer, and Madame Gilbert, the female detective, wo obtain an insight into the methods em- ploye-d to circumvent the enemy. "The Lost Naval Papers" is one of those books Wo Jo not care to lay aside until tho ]ast chapter is reached. Another volume of the series. "The Broken Road," by A. E. W. Ma.<on. is a captivating romance of the Indian frontier. Tho character of Shero Ali, tho son of a native ruler, presents a peculiar psycho- logical problem. Educated in England he returns to settle down in his n ati ye State, After a few years in England treated as an equal, will such a inui be content to adapt himself to his status at home: It is a good story with plenty of Eastern colour. "Dick" by G. F. Bradby, tells of the holiday escapades of a public school boy, and is delightful light reading. In "A Mysterious Key," by Elsie Grey IA. H. Sitockwell, London), the reader ha.s not long to wait before he is immersed in the "mystery." An accident discovers in a cavern under the crypt of a church the mysterious key, around which an interest- ing story is woven.

WINTER'S PIE. I The ever welcome Winter's Pie," edited by Mrs W. Hugh Spottiswoodo, an advance copy of which wo have received, will bo published on Iollday. From an artistic and literary point of view it. main- tains tho high tai, da i-d ct merit which hos been so characteristic of this publication". The literary contents include stories by Mr Harry Graham, Sir Henry Lucy. W. Pitt Ring-e. U. 13. Burgin, Geo. R. Sims. Keble Howard, William Lc Queux, Hamil- ton Fyfe, J. D. Symon, Arthur Lambton- and A. A. Thomson. Drawings, coloured and black and white, arc contributed by John Hassall, Law son Wood. H. M. Bate- man, A. W. Mills, Will Owen. and numerous other artists. "Winter's Pie" is published at 6, Great New-street, Lon- don, KC., and is obtainable at all book- sellers and bookstalls, Is 6d net. Readers would afford much pleasure to others if. after they have finished with their copies they -(,zit theiii on to hospitals, convalescent homes, camps. or to the army of actua- tion and the navy.

NORTH WALES WILLS. I REV. U. E. MORRIS, WREXHAM, I The Rev. Richard Edwards Morris, M.A ot 23, C.'rosvcnor-road, Wrexham, left £ 4,194, 1 with net personalty £ 3,501. MR W. LONG. COLWYX BAY. I Mr M'm. Long, of Ascot Lodge, 15, Victoria I Park, C'olwyn Bay, bank correspondent (ro tired), formerly of Wilmslow, left estate I valued at. S:1,413 with net personalty £ 528. REV. DR. GOODRICH, C'OLWYN BAY. [ Rev. Dr. Albert Goodrich, D.D., Candor, WhitehaU-road, C-olwyn Bay, )cft estate ?z, ued at ?17,699, with net personalty ?16,C2j. I MR T. O. BT/ACKMORE, I I Mr Thomas Gardner Blackmore, of Bryny- nior, Upper Bangor, left £ 27,631, with net I personalty # il9,275, MRS DE RANGE, RHYL. I Mrs Ann Betenson Do Ranee, of Bleak House. Ranger's-road, Bromley, Kent, form- erly of Stonehnrst, Rhyl, widow for many year, a member of the St. Asaph Board of Guardians, damo president of the I'rimroso J,eag-IIl" and president of the Rhyl branch of the Flintshire Women's Unionist Association, left Xl-i,857, with net personalty £ 1,707. LORD GROSVENOR'S ESTATE. I Captain Lord Hugh William Grosvenor, 1st Life Guards, who was killed in action in France on October 30th, 1914. aged 30 years, oighth son of tho first Duke of Westminster, left unsettled projxnty of fhe gross value of EZ2,347, with net person- ally L- 16,638.

THE DOUGLAS PENNANT I INQUIRY. QUESTION OF COST. I Sir John Butcher, in the House of CuMi- mons on Monday, asked what was the approx- imate total cost of the recent Douglas Peu- nant inquiry. Mr Bonar Law said it was not possible at present to state the cost or what proportion would fall on tho public purse. The ques- (ioll of whether persons made the subject of- unfounded charges in the course of such Ill" quiries iniglit bo protected was being consid- ered. Sir John Butcher asked whether iho right lion, gentleman would consider the propriety of making provision that the evidence given before such committees of inquiry should not be regarded as privileged. Mr lionar law No one knows better dun my hon. friend that that would be making a very big departure.

I DISESTABLISHMENT AND AFTER. I HOW IT WILS. AFFECT THE CATHEDRALS AND THE PARISHES. I (By a Member of the Governing Body). I have no desire to mislead your readers, and it is better to admit at the outset that nothing authoritatively can bo said at tlie present moment. Practically evervthuisr denends oii \1) Tho rooommexidations of the Repre-i sentative Body and on (2) Tho response made by Churchmcrt to the appeal for annually, t'ilat is to be issued shortly b that Body. It is pretty generally known that the schemes arrived at by the Representative Body aro fairly we.h advanced, but so far tho details .have not been allowed to leak out. 'lhi,'J is rigntiy so, as all schemes suggeste d by the Representative Body; must first of all be submitted to, and 00 conhrmod by the Governing Body, before they become operative. At the same time, the gifts of a prophet are Dot required to form certain conclu- sions on date already known to the pub- lic.. THE APPEAL FOR FUNDS. The. Stat-e has deprived the Chun h of £ 50.000 a year 'more or less). The Repre- sentative Body intend to appeal for £ 160,000 a year. Even if rhe figure aimed at will be forthcoming i.there is no reasoik to fear that it will not), peopie must not jump to tho conclusion that it is intended to treble the stipends of the clergy. The net lo-ss of £ 60,000 is exclusively in sti- pends: but the £ 150,000 appealed for. covers a wide field. It includes the de- ficit of £ 50,000 in stipends, but it also includes a.n Ordination Candidates' Fund, Dilapidations Scheme, Pensions Scheme, etc. The last three proposals named are not. less essential to the future success of the Church in Wales than the provision of adequate stirênds for the maintenance of its ministry. It is well known that tho enormous expenses of preparation for tha minis;try have remained a burden on many a clergy main's shoulders during the major part of his ministerial career; the deplor- ably hact 10 arrangements for dilapidation expenses have crushed hini and the need for an equitable Pensions Scheme to en- able him to retire when active work was beyond him, ha.s materially helped to crush the Church. ADEQUATE STIPENDS MUST BE SECURED. the provision of these three schemes then are essential, but not at the expense of inadequately providing for the main- tenanre of the ministry, The Representa- tive Body does well to recognise this. and I rejoico tJIat it has placed it first and foremost amongst the needs required. But what is £ 150,000? Last week tho North 11 ales Chronicle stated that the rzzto of the cost of Jiving to-day is 131 p c. higher than it vas ii July, 1914. ltlcill <p, <e SM o/ E151,5<)0 c requiri, therefore, the sum of £131,51)(} a year to maintain the stipends of the elere/y as they were in 1914, leaving a balance of only £ 17,500 a year for the other absolute- ly neice-sisary objects. That amount 13 ridS < ■ulously inadeq uat e. Has the Representative Body been weit advised in fixing the sum of £ 150,000 per, annum, as a.n adequate amount to meet, the needs of the Church in the present div? It is i UiSt as well to sound a note of warning. Several clergy, being alive to these facts, are beginning to be alarmed somewhat at tho possible future situation. They are getting uneasy at the possible— and the probable prospect, unless thesa hguvc-s are arnejid-ed-thai-, their means of livelihood is to be sacrificed on the altar of some of the more fancied objeets. It would bo well if someone, witih a uthoritv. should allay these fears with the least delay. PROSPECTS OF THE NEW FUND. But will even the inadequate sum aimed at be secured? I think so, on conditions. 1 yenturo to answer in the afifrmative m spite of t.ho recent failure of the whole Church of England, with tho authority of the Archbishops behind it, to form a cen- tral fund of £ o00,000. I am confident, be- cause I am convinced that many of the anomalies which have estranged the finan- cial support of laymen in the past, must bo removed under the new constitution* Nothing could restrain tho generosity of murch'np? jn t.ho pa?t, as the c?ont??nuanoe of anom-a.hc? —wjthout any apparent effort to r-emo"o them—?o Churchman could dc- ito rcmol,4-) tb f?ui-lio (- h urL-h iiiazi cotill de- THE PAROCHIAL SYSTEM. "e have Jived for centuries under & system that allowed large and handsome stipends to men who ministered to a mert i l?5tere d to a nici-d handful of -people, whereas the man who had thousands of sou s under his charge had t-o exist on a mere pittance. True, it was 0110 of tho weaknesses of the paroch- ial endowments, but if the Church ha4 been more active and forceful, the evil might at least have been mitigated. L nde. the Disestabiisument Act, all bene- ficed clergy will retain choir present sti- pents so long as they remain hi their pre- sent cures. But tite stipends of the future 1 -7' 1 1 L will be arranged and allocated by the Re,- to the im- portance and need of each parish. That will mark a great step ia advance. Ali tho parishes, we j>re«umo, will be divided into grades-A, B, C, D, E,-aiid a fixed sti- pend will be apportioned to each grade. Generous laymen will see tho justice of. this new grading, and will the more liber- ally respond to the appoa! of the Church for financial support. AMALGAMATION OF PARISHES. Under tho new system,- parishes that can be conveniently supervised by one priest .can. and must, be amalgamated. The in- cumbent can be assisted to perform t>he duties by curates or laymen, as the needs be. Personally, I think the Church will be compelled to utilise the services of com- petent. faithful laymen, far more in tho future than she has done in the pasti By this mcana^somc of tho palatial man-, sions that have been allowed to grow aa residences of clergy, can be disposed of to the advantage of the clergy and the Churdi. It will be a great blessing to get rid of these "white elephants" that have been such a dram on the pockets of the working clergy for generations. AND WHAT OF THE CATHEDRALS? It is contemplated to continue the office of deans under the new constitu- tion; but it is another matter whether tho De-ml, of the future will be restricted to their present- limited duties. 'There are excellent spheres for Deans in tho Church, but she cannot a,tiord to pay them, at any; rate for some years to oorne. What 19 there to prevent the Bishop acting as Dean of his Cathedral? What is there to prevent a Dean having parochial charge? •There is no reason why, say, the Dean ot Llandaff. should not also act as Viear of Llandaif, English modern dioceses, t.fl., Liverpool, manage to get along very pros- perously without Doans. The Welsh Church is likely to cou-tillue the title, but the duties must be re-arranged. We will cling to the odd title-jf only for the sake of honourable traditions-but the emolu- ments attached to the office must go. WHAT OF THE CAN ON S Whatever becomes of them, the pr&scnfc of t l i(,,in !Nothing has system must be abolished. Nothing haa cieatiyj su(,n prejudice amongst Dissenters, and infuriated loyal Church people to tho same extent, as the extravagance of talent at the dusjiosal of the CatheuriLl authorities. At St. Asaph and 6t. David s Cathedral, the Yioars-Cnora.1,—as they arc designated 111 those two Cathedral cities,—have pax- cehial obaigcs. Thus inu ,t become generaT. The Mmor Canons of Langor and Llandaff inust a-iso become liuiiibl > curates in two it is well for them, and well for the Church, that this should at last be- conic absolutely inevitable. The Canons the majors-still remain, and will re- main. Yes; but not as at present constitu- ted. A re arrangement might have been brought alio.it ages a,go, without an A JU of Parliament, without Disestablish- ing and without robbing U10 Church, but the "powers that bo" turned a dcaf ear to the entreaties of loyal Church- men. Now, a change has to be made; it is long over-due. What the changes to be made arc, nobody seems to know. But this much is certain: No man will be pailt for abandoning his parochial dudes JVI: three months in the year. It is impossible. I do not expect there will be very much economy secured under the new system, be- cause eanome like other folk must be ade- quately paid. But the present system will be abolished; that will be a great gain. Let mo sa,y this: I have unlimited faitli in the future of the Church. Without any semblance of doubt, the future is ours. But we must deserve it. We must be just .Just. to our laymen, just to our clergy. W»- must- remove scandals in parishes; we must remove anomalies in palaces. Then, by a united effort. lay and cleric working hand in hand as brethren, by a sacrifice of love, time, energy, money, as never beforet equalled in the history of our dear old Motliea- (Jhurch, her sons will rally rOlUHt her. succour her, cherish her, until the day will dawn—when we are gone-when all truer worshippers of the Almighty will oneo more gather round her sacred altars tOl- offer their united praise and thanksgiving to Him who loves all, and roagncth ovrf ad. =

I CARNARVONSHIRE LIBERALS*, I A meeting of the newly-formed Carnarvon- shire Liberal Association has I-OIISM!«IT<I I draft of rules, submitted by Mr l'entir Wil- liams. which, with somo modifications, were adopted, and will be submitted to tho next meeting of the association for Onal discussion.

Government had attempted to meet the legitimate grievances ot the workers by conciliation Boards, whicn had not. been uiisuccesstul 111 ameliorating conditions of Labour. An impetus had been given to the extremists by a telegram stating that tho United States Senate had decided that Egypt. was to be considered as neither un- der Turkey nor Great Britain, but as inde- pendent. This report was denied at the time, but had left an impression. America had in fact recognised the British Protec- torat-e long before the peace treaty. THE MILNER MISSION. The idea that Egyptian aspirations or Egyptian nationality were to be eru-hed j was aiti extravagant misconception, but Egyptians could not be too clearly shown that, whatever tc peace terms imposed on Turkey, recognition of the British Protec- torate wou'd be cine of thean. Therefore it was not to Turkey that Egyptians could look for the future of Egypt, nor could any provision in that treaty alter the task with which Lord Milner wa5 dha-rgeci. He was not going to Egypt with a constitution in his pocket. The Milner mission was going to Egypt to consult with the Egypt- ians as to the best maims by which they could co-operate in the management of the country under British guidance. J.F.