The Pembroke County Guardian and Cardigan Reporter

REPLY FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD. A meeting of the Fishguard Parish Council was held on Tuesday, Mr. W. J. Vaughan pre- siding. The other members present were Capt. Titus Evans, Capt. J. Howells, Capt. Aciaman, Messrs. J. R. Richards. D. Cornock, W. Patterson, M. Maurice, D. M. Symmons, D. Rees, L. Evans, and C. Slocum, and the Clerk (Mr. A. J. Hodges). URBAN AUTHORITY. The Clerk said he had received a letter from the Local Government Board that morn- ing, which completely removed any doubts that might have been expressed as to a peti- tion having been sent to the Local Govern- ment Board for disallowing the order. The letter was dated April 30th, and read as fol- lows :— Sir,—I am directed by the Local Government Board to advert to your letter cf the 21st inst., and in reply to state that they have not re- ceived any petition for the disallowance of the order made by the Pembrokeshire County Council for constituting part of the parish of Fishguard into an urban district, but they are not at present in a position to give informa- tion to show whether the time allowed by the statue for petitioning against the order has yet expired. The Board are in com- munication with the County Council on the subject. I am to add that the earliest date on which the order can now be brought into force will be the first of October next. The Chairman said that evidently some mis- take had been made somewhere, probably by the County Council confusing the date, as they were all under the impression that the order would have been confirmed long before this. Seeing that the delay was inevitable, he thought nothing could be done with regard to the drainage question before them. Mr. D. Rees said he thought the District Council were concerning themselves too much about the drainage matter at Fishguard. He was anxious to speak on this point because their next rate would be much higher than it had been before. The drainage in Fish- buard was not perhaps so bad as it was made out to be. TOWER HILL PATH. The Clerk said that his attention had been drawn by residents to the state of the path on Tower Hill. The contractors had damaged the path by the quarries and made it almost impassible. Some discussion arose as to whether it was a private path. Capt. Evans thought there was a right of way there. The subject then dropped. PDBLIC LIGHTING. Mr. D. Rees next ailed attention to the lighting of the town, and said lamps were badly needed in several places where they did not now exist. Capt. Acraman thought it would be better to defer the matter till tMey could get gas all over the town. Mr. Cornock suggested that they instruct the Clerk to write to the Gas Company to see if they could take their mains a little fur- ther, or whether they could make some ar- rangement with the Council to do so. Mr. Richards said they could not expect the Gas Company to put out mains at a large cost unless they agreed to use their gas after- wards. Finally it was decided, on the motion of Mr. L. Evans, seconded by Mr. Richards, to leave the matter in the hands of the Lighting Committee to enquire how far the mains were now laid, to see how many lamp-posts would be required, and to report to the Coun- cil at the next meeting. PENSLADE. References were also made to the improve- ments at Penslade. Capt. Evans suggested that they apply the money, amounting to about £6, which had been subscribed some time ago for the purpose of erecting a fountain, and now lying in the. bank, for adorning Penslade. After some discussion the matter was al. lowed to drop.

NEtt PORT. Death of an Old Inhabitant.—Many will regret to hear of the death which took place on Sunday morning last, at her home, Pen-y- Bont, Newport, of Miss Eliza Griffiths, who had reached the age of 74, and was generally re- spected throughout the district. Old inhabit- ants of the place have many pleasant re- collections of the deceased, and will remem- ber the time when she used to be in charge of the ferry before the bridge was opened. Many a thousand passengers did she take across the river in those days, and she always had a pleasant and amusing word for all. She was a good and generous soul, and every- one who knew her will feel sorry that she is no more. The funeral took place at Ebenezer on Wednesday. A telegram was received at Newport on Mon- c day intimating that the sailing ship Astra- cana had arrived in London that morning on her voyage from Sydney. Capt. Griffith: and the other Newportiams he had with him on the Astracana have been away for over two years, and have visited many parts of the \\orld since they last saw their native homes. Death and Funeral < f Mrs. Nicholas.—The death of Mrs. Nicholas, of Grove Park, which occurred on Thursday, April 19, after a long illness, has thrown gloom over a large portion of the inhabitant:; of Newport, and cart her many friends tnd relations into grief. "All hope for her recovery was given up some time ago, but her death was none the Jess poig- nantly felt by her husband, Capt. David Nicholas, and their two young daughters, Mist May and Olive Nicholas. The deceased only 47 years of age, and was the sister of Capt. Thomas, Spring Hill, who, as well as Capt. Nicholas, her husband, happened to re- turn home in time for the funeral, though both were away in their ships when she died. The funeral look place at Ebenezer on the following Thursday, April 26, where deceased had been a faithful member, and had done much good work for years. The funeral was largely attended by members of all denominations. The cortege started from the house shortly after 2 o'clock in the after- noon. The Rev. J. G. Morris, pastor of Ebenezer, officiated throughout, and preached at the chapel. In the pathetic references he made to the deceased, he said that a void would be left in the lives of many when she was gone, and that they would all feel an irreparable loss. The chief mourners pre- sent were the husband (Capt. Nicholas), two daughters (Mis; May Nicholas and Miss Olive Nicholas), Capt. Thomas and her sister, Mrs. Morris, Mr. and Mrs. Evans (Cardiff), sister and brother-in-law of Capt. Nicholas; Rev. James Symmonds (Fishguard), Mrs. Evan, niece of deceased; Miss Gladys Thomas, Mr. Evan Thomas, and Masters Stanley and Ivor Evans. The following ladies followed carrying wieaths: Mrs. Griffiths, Misses Jones, James, and Morris. Wreaths and crosses were sent from deceased's two daughters, from her Sun- day School class, from Capt. and Mrs. Thomas, from Miss Jones and Mrs. Griffiths (Mrs. Capt. Thomas's sisters), Mr. Willie Morris (nephew), Mr. and Mrs. Evans (Cardigan), Mrs. Captain Marsden, Miss Sarah Harries, Mrs. Lewis, Miss Jones, and others. On Sunday last the Rev. J. G. Morris preached a special sermon from the text, "Byddwch chwithan barod, etc. nominated by the deceased before she died, and special hymns selected by her were also sung. Capt. Nicholas and his two daughters left on Monday morning to join his ship at Newport (Mon.).

CROESGOCH. Competitive Meeting.—A very successful com- petitive meeting was held at the Baptist Chapel on April 26ih. The adjudicators were —Music, Mr. W. E. Roberts; literature, Mr. W. Howells; button-holes, Miss A. J. Wilcox. The conductor was the Rev. R. Jones. The following was the list of awards:—Solo (under 12), 1, Eliz. Miles; 2, W. S. Miles. Solo (under 15), divided between Maggie Miles and Johanna Salmon. Recitation (under 12), 1, May Thomas; 2, Martha Hugh. Recitation (under 15), Maggie Roch. Recitation (open), Mr. Tom Reynolds. Soprano solo, Miss Emily Williams. Tenor solo, Mr. John Evans. Bass solo, Mr. Willie Davies. Duet (S. and A.), Misses L. Evans and E. R. Wilcox. Duet (T. and B.), Messrs. J. Evans and B. Phillips. Two stanzas for Croesgoch Village Mr. Edgar Francis. Button-holes Miss Maggie John. Quartette, Misses L. Evans, E. R. Wilcox, and Messrs. J. Evans, and B. Phillips. Welsh read- ing (under 15), 1, Eliz. Miles; 2, Maggie Roch. Welsh reading (open), Mr. Tom Williams. Un- punctuated reading, Mr. Hy. John. Im- promptu speech, Mr. Hy. John. Ear test, Mr. J. Evans. Answering questions in gene- ral knowledge, Mr. T. Williams. Chief choral, "Emyn Hywrol." Three choirs competed: 1, East (conductor, Mr. D. Phillips); 2, South (Mr. J. Evans); 3, Foresters (Mr. J. H. Thomas). The prize was awarded to the first choir.

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FISHGUARD AND DIS- TRICT. — » Enthusiastic Freemasons in Fishguard and the district must feel proud of their new lodge, the "Cemes," which, it is understood, owes its existence to a few devoted member; of this ancient craft who have worked hard throughout for the establishment of a lodge in the place and to make Fishguard a Ma- sonic centre for the northern part of the county. The cricket season now commencing will in- evitably introduce many changes in the forma- tion of the local teams. Some of the players have unfortunate y left the district since last year, and the captains are anxious to secure new ones to take their places. Supporter.: of the game will, therefore, be glad to hear of anyone ready to joia. As it has been noticed that a good game of cricket does not only provide recreation for the players, but gives much enjoyment to the spectators also. In fact it seems to have been more popular in this district in the past than either football or hockey. There seems to be a good opening for c dairy business in Fishguard and Goodwick. The scarcity of milk is a general complaint in these two places, and this commodity i:; seldom to be obtained here in any quantity for love or money. Vegetarians would have a bad time of it if they came to the neigh- bourhood, for in spite of the fact that there are plenty of cow keepers around, few of them seem willing to cater for the population in this respect. Perhaps we shall have to wait, as one inhabitant expressed it this week, the Great Western Railway's boats start run- ning, when the Irish farmers might be good enough to supply this need by sending over a daily supply across the Channel. The Rev. Rhys Williams, Maeneloehog, will preach at Tabernacle Chapel on Sunday next. A concert, under the auspices of the Fish- guard Choral Society, will be held at the Tem- perance Hall on Friday, June 1st. when the choir which is competing at the Haverford- west Eisteddfod, will render the test pieces. It is understood that the programme will be of a high class character throughout. Accident to a Little Girl.—Elena, the infant daughter of Mr. Williams, blacksmith, was playing with some other children on Satur- day last on Pen Wallis, and whist watching some sheep from the top of a hedge, her foot slipped and she tumbled down, fracturing her leg above the ankle. She was immediately taken home, where she was soon attended by Dr. Owen, and is now progressing as favour- ably as possible. Annual Meetings at Tabernacle Chapel.— There were large congregations at Talwrnadr on Tuesday night and Wednesday, when the annual meetings were held. Impressive ser- mons were preached by the three ministers selected. The preachers on Tuesday night were Rev. D. Lloyd Williamy (Machen), and Rev. Lloyd Morgan (Pontardulais). On Wednesday morning the preachers were Rev. D. Lloyd Williams and Rev. D. G. Williams (St. Clears). In the afternoon Rev. D. G. Williams and Rev. Lloyd Morgan preached, while in the evening sermons were given by all three ministrs. Leaving the District.—Mr. John Perkins, Park S/treet, left this week for Aberdare, where he has secured the post of assistant -uperintendent under the "Hearts of Oak" Friendly Society. His departure will be greatly felt, especially at the Tabernacle Chapel, where he was a most faithful member, and where he was also superintendent of the Sunday School, while the Rechabite Club will be a great loser by his departure. During Mr. Perkins' stay of five years at Fishguard he won the esteem of all he came in contact with, being most pleasant at all times. Many will join with us in wishing him every suc- cess in his new sphere of labour. Concern for Relatives in San Francisro.— The complete list registered at the Sons of St. George headquarters of British refugees from the San Francisco disaster was carefully perused on Tuesday by anxious friends and relations of natives in this district, who were residing in the stricken city. It was rum- oured that Mr. F. W. Jenkins, son of Mrs. Jenkins, West House, Fishguard, was on this list, but from inquiries made on Tuesday it was found that the names did not correspond, and though his mother and sisters have not yet received a letter from Mr. 'Jenkins since the disaster took place there is no reason to fear for his safety. Mr. Jenkins has been in San Francisco for 25 years. Death of Mrs. Morgan, Brodog.—The death occurred early on Monday morning of Mrs. Anne Morgan, Brodog, mother of Mr. Morgan, builder and contractor Fishguard. The de- ceased had been ill for a considerable time, and, in fact, had never perfectly recovered after the death of her husband, which took place three years ago next August. Mrs. Morgan was a native of Brynberian. She was well known in Fishguard. and was recognised by everyone as a woman of most exemplary character, and one whose virtues tended to bene- fit all others who knew her. She was a faith- ful member of Tower Hill Methodist Chapel, and her loss will be felt by many outside her own family circle, who will have reason to treasure her memory with love and care. She was 76 years of age. Her suffering during her last hours was very great, so that her best friends were almost glad when her release came. Lecture on Egypt.—The lecture on Egypt, given by the Rev. J. Davies, Cadle, at the Temperance Hall, en Friday last, had a pe- culiar interest to those who are fond of hearing of the ancient land of the Pharoahs. The lecturer showed numerous pictures, and de- tailed many of the sights he saw there, and give a chJatty accouilt of his tour. Mr. Peter Williams manipulated the lantern. The chair- man, Mr. W. R. Williams, who holds a very important office in Egypt, and himself lives at Cairo, was able to supplement the lecturer's remarks from his own intimate knowledge of the land and his long study of its people. He contributed a great deal of information of a wise, practical sort. It is a matter of regret that the high position which Mr. Wiliams ttceapies there prevents him, for obvious rea- sons, from giving a larger retrospect of his views and experiences of the country. At the end of the lecture the usual votes of thanks were given. Motorist Fined.—At Raglan Petty Sessions on Saturday an engineer, Cecil Windsor, at present living at Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, but whose London address is 23, Belgrave Road, South Norwood, S.E., was summoned for driving a motor car through Raglan to the danger of the public on Easter Sunday. The evidence of Police-Sergeant Jones (Raglan) corroborated by Police-Constable Jenkins and two witnesses was that defendant drove through the village at the rate of 22 miles an hour, and did not stop when the sergeant held up his hand. He was timed on arriv- ing at Abergavenny, and he had covered the distance at a speed of 26 miles an hour.— In defence Mr. Windsor admitted he was go- mg at a fair speed, but denied anybody was endangered. In fact, nobody was moving on the road. He said he had been driving motor cars for the past eight years, and had covered in that time 80,000 miles without be- ing summoned or even cautioned by the police He considered his opinion of the speed was more reliable than the witnesses'.—The Bench fined defendant £2 and £1 Os. 6d. costs.—The license was not endorsed.

NEYERN. At the annual meeting of the Parish Coun- cil at Nevern ,Mr. B. Vaughan, Penrallt-ddu, was elected chairman for the ensuing year, and Mr. T. James, Trefwrdan, was elected vice- chairman. The overseers appointed were: Fort he Morfa Ward, Mr. W. iJavies, Tre- drissi; Crugiau Ward, Mr. Dan Richards, Rhydywern. Trewern Ward, Mr. T. P. Davies, Llyston; Cilgwyn Ward, Mr. Thomas Harries, Ffynonwen. A letter which the Clerk (Mr. T. Thomas) had received was passed over on account of the death of the writer since the letter had been sent;

PRESENT A TION1 ITOD THE REV. LEWISI JAMES. At the close of the County Council at the Shire Hall, Haverfordwest, on Tuesday, the bulk of the members adjourned to the Grand Jury Room for an interesting little ceremony. This was the presentation to the Rev. Lewis James, of Brynbank, of a life-sized portrait of himself in oils, and a cheque for one hun- dred guineas, for his services to the cause of education in the county. Dr. Griffith, chairman of the County Council, presided, and there were present the Rev. Lewis, and Mrs. James, Miss Ada Thomas, Mr. J. Bancroft, H.M. Inspector of Schools, Mr. Williams, H.M. Assistant Inspector, Mr. H. E. James, Director of Education, Mr. John Morgan, headmaster of Narberth County School, members of the County Council, and a number of gentlemen from the outyling districts in the vicinity of Mr. James's home. The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, referred to the high esteem in which the Rev. Lewis James is held f cm one end of the county to the other, and then wei t on to speak in l-;tiil of th3 \alue of his lonf, public work, especially to the cause of education. All this has so recently been touched upon in the columns of the "County Guardian," in our gallery of "County Worthies," that the chairman's and subsequent speeches may be briefly summarised. He concluded by ask ing Mr. James to receive from his hands, on behalf of the subscribers, as a small recogni- tion of his long and valuable services to the county, a portrait of himself in oils. The pic- ture is the work of Mr. James Morgan, of Carmarthen, and is in a mai4sive gin. frame. A plate sets forth that it was "Presented (with a purse of gold) to the Rev. Lewis James, Brynbank, at the Shire Hall, Haverfordwest, on May 1st, 1906 by friends of education." Mr. G. P. Brewer vice-chairman of the County Council, said the chairman had pre- sented Mr. James with the shadow, and he had now the pleasure of giving him the sub- stance, in the form of a cheque for one hun- dred guineas. (Applause.) He had known Mr. James all his life, and he could only say in general terms, that he had been a most active servant of the county, who had devoted time and money and energies, and had taken the deepest interest in everything that af- fected the welfare of the inhabitants in county and educational work. Education had been the scheme of Mr. James's life, and he was never happier than when working out a scheme for fitting out young men and women for the responsibilities of life. (Applause.) It must be gratifying to him to have seen so many of his hopes realised during his lifetime, and he hoped he might be spared many years to .see fuller results. (Applause.) He had known Mr. James since 1864, and had enjoyed his friendship all those years. He could not say of him, as was said on another similar occasion, that Mr. James was still a promising young man. (Laughter.) They often heard ) the phrase fine boys, but in his opinion the best of all boys is a fine old boy. (Applause.) Mr. James had been true to the traditions of his youth, and his high ideals of life, an his love of everything that was good and true. (Applause.) Mr. Brewer then handed the purse to Mr. James. The Rev. Lewis James, who was very cordi- ally greeted, said he had often spoken in that room, but he had never before been in such a position as he occupied that day. He was rather embarrassed; he did not know how to make a suitable reply to the very kind words which had been spoken, nor how to express his thanks for the valuable presents which had been given him. He could only thank them most sincerely for the token of their ap- preciation of his humble services. Some of the happiest things in a man's life came un- expectedly, and that was one of them. If .e had been of any service to the county, and the cause of education, he did it without any expectation of suoh an event as had happened that day, as a matter of duty, without seeking praise or reward in any way. It was pro- verbial that public service was a thankless service, but the falsity of that had been shown that day. That presentation would, therefore, serve for the encouragement of men who were still engaged in public work, and was proof that those who tried to do good service would themselves not go unrewarded. He saw young men growing up full of public spirit, looking to the welfare of others; and he was happy to see this public spirit growing up in the country, for he looked upon it as a happy augury for the future of our country. He thanked them for the honour which had been done him that day. Mr. J. Bancroft, H.M.I., said he had known Mr. James for 20 years as an earnest and devoted worker in the cause of education. The Rev. James Phillips and the Rev. Cradoc Owen folowed with brief appreciative" addresses upon Mr. James' public work. Mr. Ll. Bees proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, to Mr. Levy Morgan, the sec- retary to the presentation committee, and others. Mr. W. Palmer Morgan seconded, and the proceedings, which had been hurried because of the inexorable necessity of catching trains, terminated. +

CAERSALEM. A concert has been orranged to take place at Caersalem en Whit Monday evening, when there will be a champion solo competition, the singer:; to choose their own songs, and an open recitation competition. »

LETTERSTON. It may be well to remind those whose intend to compete for the handsome prizes offered at Letterston sports this year, that entries will close next Saturday, May 5th. Important Sale of Freehold Property.—Mr. Walter L. Williams will hold an important sale of freehold property at the Jubilee Hotel, Letterston, on Wednesday next, May 9, at 3.30 p.m. The' property will consist of a dwelling-house, premises and garden known as No. 1, Upper Terrace, Letterston (late in the occupation of Mrs. Bowen, deceased), and provides one of the best possible positions for business premises in the district. It will probably be disposed of in three lots, viz., the dwelling-house, premises, and part of the garden in one lot, and the end of the garden in two building plots, with frontages of about 22ft. 6in. each, facing the Station Road. Temperance Gymanfa.—The gymanfa and demonstration which the Temperance As- sociation will hold on Wednesday, May 9th, at Letterston, is likely to attract a great num- ber of people to this place on that day. The proceedings will commence early in the after- noon, when there will be a children's meet ing and a procession through the streets, fol lowed by tea. In the evening there will be a public meeting, when the speakers will be Rev. J. H. Hughes (Blaenwaun), J. M. Saun- ders (Swansea), who will speak in English, and Rev. D. Williams (Maenclochog). The conduc- tor will be Rev. Dan Davies, Fishguard.

North Pembrokeshire Visitors TO Haverfordwest WILL FIND Excellent Accommodation AT Stannard's Old Stores,. Old Bridge, HAVERFORDWEST UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF John Eynon. j

BRITISH HOMES ASSURANCE CORPORATION, LTD. FIRST ANNUAL MEETING AT HAVERFORD WEST. The British Homes Assurance Corporation, an association whose chief object is to encour- age thrift and help people to become the owners of their own houses, held its first an- nual meeting on Tuesday afternoon of last week in the Temperance Hall, Haverfordwest. There was a fair attendaace of agents and members, who were interested in the address of the chief speaker, Mr. N. W. Hubbard, J.P., L.C.C. (chairman of the Board of Direc- tors), who had come down specially from London. He was supported by Mr. R. Parrish, the chief inspector for West Wales, and Mi. D. Jenkins, the district inspector. The proceedings were opened by a piano- forte solo by Miss Miles Jenkins, Pembroke Dock, and during the afternoon a song was rendered by Councillor Isaiah Reynolds. Mr. D. Jenkins occupied the chair, and said he felt proud to welcome the chairman of the Board of Directors. He was glad to say that the work of the Corporation in the district during the first year had been very successful. They had done something like £24,000 of business since they started, and he felt confident that by the end of the second year they would reach about £100,000 in busi- ness done. Mr. Parrish, who was the next speaker,, re- ferred to Mr. Hubbard's high position in the management of the affairs of'a company which had, in a remarkably short time, become known as one of the best in the United Kingdom. That meeting consisted of repre- sentatives from all parts of Pembrokeshire, who had stood shoulder to shoulder in the work of introducing the Corporation into all parts of the county. He knew that in Pem- brokeshire were to be found some of the keenest and most enterprising spirits for a business of this kind, and he felt confident that before many years had passed the British Homes would become a household word in Pembrokeshire. They did not seek to extend the business of the Coropration on any but the soundest business lines, as no business would succeed unless run on those principles. Meet- ings of that kind were most use- ful in furthering business; and the more meetings they had, and the more in- formation was given to the public, the greater would be" their progress. They had just heard what business had been done since April 8th, 1905; and the amount which Mr. Jenkins aimed at for the present year though a high estimate, would doubtless be attained. He had heard these forecasts made in other dis- tricts, and had a clear recollection of how often they had been achieved by dint of hard plodding work, and he knew how much of that spirit had been shown in the past year They could not, however, work single-handed; co-operation was as necessary in business as in all other affairs of life. Without co-opera- tion they could effect nothing else but failure, and he was glad that hitherto there had been shown much kindly and sound co-operation amongst agents and members. Might that long continue, and then they would see in this divisfbn a large increase in the amount of business done. Mr. Hubbard, who had a very cordial recep- tion, paid a tribute to the natural charms of the district, and said he did not wonder that his friend, Mr. Parrish, felt as glad to be heie as in the "Garden of England." He was not at all sure that Kent ought to be desciibed as the garden of England after his walk round the town of Haverfordwest that morning. The Board of Directors were expecting' a large amount of business from this district, and had ent down a first-class man from the. other side 'of the country, who had done good work in England, and would, he was sure, do good work in Wales also. He (Mr. Hubbard) had also been charmed by the singing of Mr. Reynolds which was quite as good as Rey- nolds' newspaper could sing. If he (the speaker) could sing like that when he went to a Council meeting again, instead of talking to the members, he would sing to them, and he was sure he would then get more of his own way. (Laughter.) The holding of these meetings was good policy. It was one of the reasons why the Corporation had been so extraordin- arily successful during the ten years of its existence. The directors went up and down the country attending meetings of that kind, and discussing with the people the methods and working of the Corporation. It had the effect of creating enthusiasm among the mem- bers, and engendered confidence. The chief object of the society was to encourage habits of thrift; and in doing that they had the support of such men as the late Lord Salis- bury, Mr. Gladstone, Lord Beaconsfield, and in fact of all the foremost statesmen of the country. Some people did not believe in thrift; they said get what you can and spend it as fast as you can. He altogether objected to that doctrine. None had the right to do what they liked with their own it by so doing they became a burden upon other people, when they could by a little thrift, and, if they liked, a little self-sacrifice, put by sufficient to take care of themselves. He did not ap- preciate the feelings of the man who was always looking about for some one to carry him, or seeking for crutches to assist him to walk. He liked the man who coud walk erect, self-reliant and independent. It was a fact, hIe was afraid, that in these days men were not so self-reliant or independent as they should be. One of the objects of the Corpor- ation was to make men independent. It was better to drink out of your own fountain, and eat your own sweet bread, than to be dependent upon the doles of others. At the meetings of the Corporation they had been singularly fortunate in having leading citi- zens of the various towns to preside. In Dublin the Lord Mayor presided, and spoke very encouragingly; and the other day the Lord Mayor of York gave an address at an- other meeting, in the course of which he commended to the thoughtful and hard-headed men of York, of whom there were many, the objects of the British Homes Assurance Cor- poration, and advised them to look into the matter, and if th'ey were satisfied with the soundness of the Corporation—and so far as he could gather there was no question about it— to embrace its advantages. The prospectus of the Corporation was understandable by a child in the fourth standard, and there was no ambiguity about it. Th«y issued certifi- cates of any number of hundreds, face value, and the premiums would be 5s. per month per £100; and when the payments amounted to £90 the Corporation would return £121 14s.; so that thtey gave interest on that £90 amounting to £31 14s. In addition to that they gave 80 per cent. of the divisible profits to the certificate and policy holders. The reason for that was that the directors considered that if the Corporation was successful, and earned profit;; above a certain sum, those profits should be di. vided among the members. He thought that was fair and equitable. In many societies the whole of the profits went to the share- holders and that, he thought, was unfair, be- cause the profits came from the policy hold- ers. Up to now the Corporation had de- clared a bonus every year of 10 per cent. on the year's work. and this had been paid to the certificate and policy holders. That spoke very well for the man- agement of the institution. Most of them understood the benefits of the house purohase system. They paid in for five years, and then if they wanted to purchase a house, say of the value of £300, they could have the money advanced to them, and they could either move into the house or let it, whichever they liked. There was a case in Cardiff, where a young man who was not married, and said he did not intend to be, purchased a house. When asked what he intended to do with it he said he had ret it, and was receiving sufficient to pay prin- cipal and interest on his advance, and some- thing for pocket money as well—(laughter)— and added that he thought of going in for another. (Laughter.) As a rule they found that hitherto the premium and interest worked out at less than had been paid in rent in most cases. The British Homes offered all the advantages of local organisation. For one thing, in every place, as far as possible. they took advantage of local professional know ledge. In Haverfordwest as soon as they re- ceived an application to borrow money to pur- chase a house they would ask Mr. D. Edward Thomas to value the property, for a gentle- man living in the town was bound to know more about the real value of property than some one at a distance. They would also employ a local solicitor to do the legal work: and Dr. Brigstocke would be their medical officer. Thus they would possess all the advan- tages of a ?ocal society, with all the most important advantages of national security. All those who had had any experience of a local society knew that they might have something which would cause "a slump" in trade, which would fall heavily upon a local society, and he had known societies come to grief in that way. Of course the British Homes would not like to fall upon evil days in any single district; but should such a thing happen it would only mean that while they suffered in one district others would be prosperous, and thus the burden of one would be shared by a great many. Where they had such a wide spreading risk it was almost im- possible for a society to come to grief. In his judgment there was only one thing that could bring the society to grief, and that wa bad management in London. Given propet management he could see no reason why the society should disappoint persons who had placed their money with it. (Applause.) He knew many people were looking to local au- thorities to house them. (Laughter.) He had been a member of both Borough and the County Council in London, and very naturally with his bent of mind, he had given some at- tention to the housing question. He would tell them candidly he did not care for local authorities going largely into house specula- tion. He did not say one word against a Council building houses for a certain class of people, who could not possibly do it for themselves. Where they had people working at starvation wages, who could barely find food for themselves, it was a mockc] y to tell them to put something by for house purchase. In his opinion in a Christian country like this it ought to be impossible to have such white slavery in their midst; but while they were preaching against the terrible social evils that brought such things about, they ought to try to bring out something which would provide a remedy for those who could help themselves For his part he would sooner live under a private owner than under a mu -cipal landlord, for the private landlord might be moved by feelings of pity, if he were hard up, whereas a public body would be bound by cast-iron rules. Mr. Hubbard in- stanced a case where a man was paying £33 a year for rent. He took out a policy in the Corporation, and had an advance to purchase a house. His premium and interest on his loan amounted to iE26 per year, so that he saved E7 a year on the rent- As instancing the generous methods of the Corporation, he added that the husband died after about two years, and the Corporation presented the widow with the deeds of the house, and a cheque for £50. (Applause.) A society that would do that was one that should liave the support of all right-thinking men. (Hear, hear.) What they wanted to teach people was that it was a Christian duty, and a citizens' duty to protect those he had been the meanl; of bringing into the world, and the woman he had sworn to love and cherish, from the possibility of poverty. The society in case of death couM not replace the lost one, but they could give those who were left some- thing to assuage their sorrow and help them to battle with life. They had brought out a deferred assurance policy combining house purchase benefits. By this means the regular payment of a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or yearly premium, accumulated a sufficient sum to entitle him to buy property to the value of £100 for each Zl5 paid in permiums during the first five years. This was a great advantage, and could be accomplished in a compartively short period. For example, a person aged 33 next birthday might, by payment of two- pence per day, obtain a whole life policy with profits for £ 100; for fourpence per day R.200, for sixpence £ 300; for eightpence £ 400; and for tenpence per day a policy for £500. Similarly, under Table C, for six- pence per day, a policy holder aged 25 next birthday, could obtain a policy for iE369, or under Table K he could obtain a policy for k261 payable at age 55. Sixpence per day was equivalent to 15s. per month, or £9 per annum. In five years, therefore, £45 would have been paid in premiums. On this margin of P,45 the Corporation would ad- vance £ 300 upon approved property certified to be of that value. In cases where a certi- ficate holder was unable to continue his pay- ments, he would be allowed to suspend pay- ment as long as he liked, and then pick up the policy at the stage where he left off. The advantage of this, in certain cases, would be perfectly obvious to all. The Corporation never refused a renewal, and a certificate lapsed under no circumstances. There were two points to be borne in mind as contribut- ing to the safety of an institution of that kind; one was the premium income, and the other was the accumulated funds. The pre- mium income was going up rapidly. Last year it was E134,109, as against £ <+3,354 in 1899. The accumulated funds in 1899 were £ 80,494; and last year they were £ 306,439. He submitted that that was good evidence of the stability of the institution. He could give them endless instances to prove that if they wanted a society where people could buy their own houses, and ensure their lives, the British Homes was one of the best, the sound- est, and the most advantageous it was pos- sible to select for the purpose. (Applause.) A vote of thanks to Mr. Hubbard for his address was accorded on the motion of Mr. LI. Brigstocke, seconded by Mr. Kennedy, the superintendent for Milford Haven. Mr. Hubbard's acknowledgements ended the proceedings ♦