The Cambria Daily Leader

j NO SUNDAY SPEAKERS. I Mr. T. Richards' Message to I Ammanford Free Churches. I At the annual meeting of the Am man- ford Free Church Council, the Rev. B. Ellis Jones, B.A., the last year's vice- president, became the president. Mr. R. W Davies (Penybank-road) was elected vice-president; Mr. Ellis Fox as re- jected treasurer an4 the l?evs.?D E. Harris and J. Meirion Williams secre- taries. A letter was read from the Right Hon. T. Richards, M.P., secretary of the South Wales Miners' Federation, replying to a message' of congratulation sent on the I Executive Council's decision not to sup- ply speakers for Sunday meetings in the nationalisation campaign. He stated that hI? hoped the decision would prove of great benefit. It is the intention of the Council to con- duct during the winter months a cam- paign against social evils in the town Already a men's puritv meeting has been I beld. addressed by Ti-r. f. A. Rawhngs (Swansea), and a similar meeting for WiJmen is now being arranged, as well as anti-drink and gambling meetings-

GLYN NEATH LADY. I The dea:h has occurred suddenly of Ifri, Ruth Thomas wife of Mr. J. Stanley Thomas. Stanley House, Glyn Neath, treasurer of Neath District Baptist Quarterly Meeting. Deceased was a native of Glyn Neath, a memter of Bethel Baptist Church, and was highly respected in the locality.

BURRYPORT PRESENTATION. On Sunday evening, at Bethany (C.M.) Church, Burryport, the Rev. D. E. Jones, B.A., Bethel, Pembrey, was presented by the sister church of Bethany with scimo handsome volumes. Mr. Williams, in making the presenta- tion, said Bethany was under deep obligation to Mr. Jones in looking after their church from the death of Mr. J. Owen until their present pastor, the Rev. Price Jones, came amongst tlicfti. The Rev. D. E. Joil jhA work for nothing, i

i«gapW" <• Half- a tcaspoanfu J a day, keeps the doctor away" —and gives you a buoyant fefeling of optimism — you arc fit for anything! Half-a-teaspooreful of Kruschen in hotrwater very morni-ag I Of all Chemists 1/6 per bottle. All British

Sun Rises 7.59, Sun Sets 4.14. Lighting-up Time, 4.4. HIgh Water, 7.27 a.m., 7.47 p.m. To-morrow, 7.57 a.m., 8,20 p.m.

TEN BOB OFF. Wo do not mind confessing th it there was- some confusion and a good deal of uncertainty in the Cambria Daily leader office yeslerdjiv afternoon when the first skeleton esage was telephoned through to us that house-*hold and domestic coal was to be reduced ten shillings a ton in price as from Monday next. Doubting Thomases expressed the opinion that there was a. mistake somewhere. Sceptics enlarged learnedly to the sub- editors upon the similarity of ten and two when heard over the long- distance t-elephone.. Anyway there was quite a lot of cynicism knock- ing about until a call'put in for con- firmation or alteration brought the definite news that the figure, was indeed TEN. And that same scep- ticism and cynicism expressed it- self on the part of the readers who hurriedly read the inforiiiat-ion the" Stop Press" on the way home! We are an unbelieving generation. We do not profess to understand the mysteries of the Coal Control Department. We are left guessing, -]:"k-e otl-ier ordinary people, when we are told-tliat it-is necessary to put up the price of coal six shillings a ton, and then, some months later, that the position having been re- viewed in the light of all the infor- mation available, it is possible to bring it down ten shillings. It is as if one watched the jumping ther- mometer upon a variable day m May. The Daily Chronicle to- day treats the President of the Board of Trade very gently when it says that it would rate Sir Sir Auckland Geddes's skill higher if he could contrive his changes less catastrophic-ally. Xor does the ar rangement to keep on the higher price for a week after the lower price has been announced appeal to us it seems calculated to occasion unnecessary dislocation and heart- burning. Nevertheless we shall be grate- ful for this small mercy. We may leave the economists to fight out the question why the extra six shillings was imposed, and to ap- portion for us the discredit; but to- day we shall keep in a joyful mood, saying, in the memorable words Gomer used so often when he went to the World 's Fair, and received gifts, Thank you kindly." The drop in price will make a big differ- ence in our family finances, <n which coal was featuring too pro- minently for our comfort of mind. Above all, it will come as a boon to I the large class of pensioners who now lead a hard life in Swansea and throughout the country. Mr. Stanley Cook has been devoting his evenings lately to personal investi- gation of the circumstances of local war widows, and he instanced yes- terday to the writer one case in which the weekly out-going on coal had to be 5s. 6d. Take that out of the pension, deduct rent-money, and precious little is left for main- tenance. Clothes and boots con- stitute a problem not comprehended within the limits of the allowance. It is to such as these that the re- duction will prove the biggeet God- I The present reduction is for domestic and household coal.' The problem of vhe price of indus- trial coal has yet to be tcikled; we J suppose it is covered in thie phrase that steps to secure modifications would be taken as rapidly as pos- sible." The one really effective step the country would like to see taken would be to get t4viepal trade j .1 out of the hands of the bureaucrats j | who have muddled every proposi- ( tion with which they have at- j tempted to deal. The six snillings rise—ten- shillings fail is a pretty object lesson in the efficacy of con- trol As to the reasons for the fail: The Coal Controller is better (YfC I than ho expected to be financially, because the American coal strike has prwented the anticipatd fall in the prices of export coal. On the contraiy, they remain extremely high: and the Government, having consequently a nest-egg to dispose of, have decided to give it to the consumer of household coal. as a [ direct aid to the cost of living in these abnormal times." A part of i it is aisp to be devoted to lowering I the prkie of bunker coal on ships trading coastwise—as one writer I says to-day, an obviously wise course in view of the need for en- couraging coastwise shipping to re- lieve our congested t should be borne in mind that house- hold coal is relatively a small part of the coal which we consume in- land, and coastwise bunkers are a very small part indeed of the coal consumed on ships,, so that, crivelil the extremely profitable price of export c<ical, there is nothing un- practical about the arithmetic d the propiosal. -————— —————

i [ HIGHER AND LOWER. e would not for the world inter- vene between those doughty an- I tagonists Dr. Stephens and Mr. David Williams: they x-an hold the stage with the ability of say the Macnaughiion Brothers. Neither would we dare, after yesterday's exchanges—wo believe that the technical term used for such dia- logue is back-chat—offer an opinion j as between the Staff Sub-commit- tee's ability to make all school ap- pointments, elementary and secon- dary, and the desirability of trans- ferring the Intermediate and Sec- ondary School appointments to the Higher Education Committee. But we realise the danger of which Mr. Williams spoke, and we know that there exists a very strong feeling that, nothing should be done to make a cleavage between the teachers such as stich a proposal might mean. We believe that the more fluid we keep the staffing appoint- ments, as between all the schools, the better it will be. Once an ele- mentary teacher always one, is a discouraging sort of proposition, and anything that tends to its con- firmation—of course we arc certain Dr. Stephens meant his motion to have no such etfect-.will not help ¡ forward the cause of education. '\f

I DRYMMA. I Swansea Mentally Defective Children. I Dr. Stephens at Swansea Education Committer on Monday suggested that steps he taken in regard to the use of Drymma for mentally defective children. The direl tor sauj there were 200 child- rpii in Swansae mentally defir-iorit capable of being edaoated in some form of special school, and probably 100 not so fit. The question was referred to the Mental  Committee. Mental ney Committee.

FISHER ACT. I New Committee to be Appointed I at Swansea. Dr. Stephens having expressed anxiety I at Swansea Bduoation Committc-e on Mon- day that the committee on Swansea's echerae under the Fisher Act should meet, the Director said the three meetings of the very numerous committee made progress I)raetica,liy impossible by discussing the question from their own point of view. It was decided to appoint a new com- rnittee at the next meeting.

"A SOCIAL FRAUD." I Dyfnallt's Sermon on Premium I Bonds. The Eev. J. Dyfnallt Owen. pastor, in an eloquent, sermon a-t Lammas-street Chapel, Carmarthen, on Sunday dealt with the betting evil, and fitrongrly condemned Premium Bonds as vicious. Men had been sent to Parliament, he aaW, who were frienda of gambling, and were endeavouring to exert their evil influence over the Government in order to set it. to a.doot the svstem of a. lottery loan, which owr a hundred year,4 ago was condemned by a Goveriiment committee 38 radicrily vieicus." If it wa.s oontended that money must be got, why not tlU: war profits mqflt when thousands of our young: men were I laying down their lives? Lottery wa a socia l fraud. At the close of the sarmon, which grea-tly impressed the congregation, a resolution was unanimously passed protesting against the introduction of Premium Bonds. It was decided to send a copy of the resolu- tion to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Mr. John Hinder the local Member

CANVASSING I At the s;wall"a, Education Cammitte* on I Monday. Mr. Milbourne W jlliams a-siked !ór the enforcement of the regulations against canvassing for educational appointments. If people asked them for support because candidate* were chapel or Church, Liberal or Conservative, they made It faroo of the whole thing. Mr. E. Harris amid he detested canvassing, but straight canvassing was a gooci dt-a.1 better than oasvaoeinz by the candidates' friend.8.

TRUCK SHORTAGE. Tinplate Manufacturers' Action. In the House of Commons on Monday, Mr. D. Matthews (C.L.) asked the Minister of Transport, whellior his atten- tion had been crclkd tu the situation brought about in the Welsh anthracite coalfields ov. i.n# to the shortage and distri- bution of wii^ons whereby over 50,000 tons of coal had been lost, to home ccnsuxners during the la,t two months, and to the othci.'il dtpment to the effect that an- thracite collieries were actually in a posi- I tion to largely increass supplies by thou- sands of tons per week; whether he will forthwith take such steps as will remedy this condition of tilings, and, having re- gunl to the urgency from a national point of view of further production of coal and keeping collieries working, would he c-nuse an immediate inquiry to be made as to the distribution of wjigons in the anthracite district, and adopt means to mitigate the grave ditfu-ultirs existing. SCARCITY OF S'HIPPING. I Sir Eric (.J-cckles: I am a-.vare of a short- age of wagons in the Yfplsh anthracite coallieklo, the principal reason being that owing to the scarcity of shipping a large proportion of coal which was formerly Sea borne has been diverted to the rail- ways, necessitating the uso of railway wagons, over lor.g distances, and thus shortage of wagons. The Ministry of Transport an*4 the railwaj companies con corned are making every i effort to improve the situation. ANTHRACiTE TRADE AFFECTED. Our Trado Correspondent writes;— Aiie (fiostion of the sUorUigu of coal v.a-.jiis, raised by Mr. Dd. Matthews in the House of Commons, is all importanl oue for the anthracite coal area. But the transit delays which affected South Wales are particularly hard on Swansea, ma*- much as the tinplate manufacturers and | oilicrs cannot got wagons and vans for use to out finished products. It lias now been decided to invite dis- i trict goods managers and superintendents of the railways to a meeting of manufac- turers to be held at Swansea on Monday, and that Sir Eric Geddes is to he asked to; send a representative to the meeting.

GIRL'S DEATH. Teacher's Sudeten Seizure at LSaticHy. A young girl named, Grace Elizabeth Brock (18). of 25 Church-troet, Pem- j broke Dock, died at Llanelly on Sunday night under htli. circumstances. She left her home last Tuesday for Barry, where she- was medically examined with the view of entering the Barry Training College. On the following day she broke her re- b-roke her re- turn journt-v at Llanelly, where she! stayed with her cunt, Mrs. Brock, 12,1 Tyisha-road. She then appeared to be quite well and cheerful. Accompanied by her cousin she went to chapel and school on Sunday, but after stinjoer she had a sudden seizure and died in a few rui, ntes.

BRANCH LIBRARIES. Swansea Suggestion to Use Old Army Huts. At the Swansea Public Libraries Com- mittee on Monday evening, Councillor John Lewis was elected chairman, and Councillor Matthews vice-chairmsn, for the ensuing year. Mr. Davies, of Morriston, attended and spoke on the need for certain educational books to be obtained for the library.* He stated that students had had to send to libraries in other towns for certain books because they were not obtainable locally. Mr. Davits was asked to send to tlp librarian a list of the books require,d. so that the matter could be looked into. Aid. James, after hearing an offer from Frorestfach to the egoct that a room for use as a branch library could be rented by the Libraries' Committee at E50 per annum, suyge&ted that it would be a inuch better plan to purchase huts. and instal them in the districts as branch libraries. He believed that in the long run a con- siderable sum of money would ba saved by this method. He moved that a sub-committee be formed to consider the subject. This was decided upon

FRIENDLESS SOLDIER. I I Swansea Hospital Patient to be j Buried by Federation. A friendless soldier nomr-d M. II Morrigan died at the Swansea Hospital on November 22nd, and is to be buried at Danygraig Cemetery on Thursday next. The N.F.D. and D.S. and $. are ren- dering assi^ta.nco. 1

HAFOD AMBULANCE CLASS. Presentation of Certificates, etc. I On Monday evening, at the flaffxl ambulance class, certificates, voucher, I Jmviallions, and labels were presented to I' me-mbers of the clas* who passed an examination in aid last June. Dr. L. I M. J ones-Powell is the medical practi- tioner in charge of the class, and Mr. W. II. Fisher'is the instructor. Mrs. Jones- Powell presented (he certificates, etc., and Dr. Powell, in responding to the vote of thanks, referred Ui the line run of suteec-s the class has had since its formation thirteen votrs agó. He also paid high tri- bute to Mr. Fisher as an instructor. The twenty students who ,5at successfully passed, their names being:— Certificates (ftrst year).—Thos. R. Davies. D. Trevor Jamas Ivor Thomas, J. Mor gan Lewis, D. Ivor Williamfl. Voucher (second vear).—D. R. Witlters.1 Medallions (third ymr).-W. Thorns Davies, Edward Wejitwood, Charles lly. Thomas. 1 Labels (fourth and subsequent years).— j D. M. Josepli, Keess Richards, T. B. Davies. I B. T. Rces, R. J. Sillick. Ivor Owen I Morgan, D. J. Griffiths, H. W. Fisher, J Phillips. W. Trevor Davies, and R. E I King. Features of the --ening were the receipt of his tenth label by Mr. D. M. Joseph. inct of he labels by Mr. Ivor Owen Morfian.

[TOWN TALK. Coal comfort; 0'- That announcement of Sir Auckland Geddes on Monday was grate news: A slight accident was reported in Wal- i let-road hist night. A mau said he had Iteen struck by the falling price of coal. He didn't mind, though. :0;- The cycle of love. In Monday's Leader" it was stated that a West 11-ales man a bicyclo so that he could go to see his lady love. -;0;- The Swansea Town Clerk on Monday mafic a number of gallant attempts to pronounce Pentre Estyll. It is suggested that his efforts should be set to music. The dialogue at Swaneea Education Committee on caste among boilermaleer* and doctors was one of the most enter- taining of its kind we have had in Swan- J sea Council committees for some time. On Sunday night we had a short hut I sharp November gale; last night we had j a drop of Swansea rain; but up to the present we have missed any mist vm rth mentioning in any shape or j'orm. Funny 1 On Sunday evening it was whirlwind*— la.t;t night it was torrential rain. Our pessimist has been heard to observe that; a sweltering hot Wednesday and a week- end snowstorm will round things off nicely. o: A police offieer at the local Court, when endeavouring to explain to a do- fondant that he was brought to the police station in the ambulance, said, lon were brought home in the am- bulance. —:o: — There -as at least one Swansea tram conductor last night in merry mood. la addition to the usual request for Any more fares, please:" he jovially added: Anybody here paid twice?" And there wasn't one! —: u: And so the champion solo has been con- demned again, this time by Mr. Ivor Owen, Swansea. The cliam pio no, now- jI ever. will continue collecting cups, just as some bards keep on adding to their stock of prize chairs. — rO.— A funny story us to'.d of a down-line motorist summoned for exceeding tho y speed limit. He pleaded that it was im- J possible for him to go too fast—the engine was old, the petrol was poor, et-c., etc. Then an unimaginative bench pro- ceeded to fine him for loitering. -u;- Ti," reduction in the price of coal is eminently good reading, but even at its high price it was by no means J), plentiful quantity, and it is doubtful now whether we shall have household requirements re- quited over the Christinas holidays so scarce is the commodity. to:— i A man in the Br.vumill car last evening exclaimed, on reading the announcement iu the "Leader" that coal was to l>e reduced ten shillings per ten from Mon- day next: "Although I'm short of fuel, I'll take jolly good (-are that no coal will drop into my cellar until the drop in » price takes place M — K>:— F Ex-Swaddy writes: "The Goverv meat has beeu very busy lately selling off surplus good-but. I and many others who have been anxiously scanning the pai>cr« 1 of late, have failed to find nny announce- ment to the effect that the surplus stock of that excellent stimulant with which we were issued at the front is ix) bo offered lor sale." Some of the old are rum "un, aren't they- — ? o. —XV- King Arthur is uot such a legendary figure after all. Professor Flinders Petrie, the great Egyptologist, uas been I looking int-o the matter, and the result is that he iinds the dates and events P:, VeTi in recognised authorities, both. Celtic and Latin, to be curiously exact. The evid ence all points to the fifth cen- tury as the epoch of the exploits of a real British Arthur. OC The Director of Education (consulting year book and endeavouring to fix a special day for one of the Education Sub- committees): 1 suggest the Tuesday be- tween the Monday and Wednesday. Dr. I Stephns (artlessly): It usually i,s isn't I it, Mr. Rees therefore had to explain that he meant the Tuesday of the week in which a certain sub-committee meets on the Monday and another on the Wed- nesday. ?:o:— In proposing to fix the prico of coal a? ten shillings below the present price, the Government said they were letting the general householder share in some mea- sure in the privilege which had long bet-w- enjoyed by the workers in the industry, and receive some benefit." Now, if they would only go a step further and say we could have it at the nominal price at which it is supplied to the collier, how- pleased we all would be. -)8:- Brinley Richards started his musical career very early. At the Gwent and Dyfcd Eisteddfod in 1833, when only 1, lis won a prize for the best set of varia- tion:; on a Welsh air, and was highlv complimented by the adjudicator. The Glamorgan Gazette." in an account of the competition, stated that Merlin Tudor was then summoned, and h fine boy named Henry Richards, of Carmar- then. appeared on the platform and re- ceived the prize with much a pp'I Use.' At a presentation by a number of Welshman resident in Swindon to tho Rev. B. Bodycombe, for some years senior curate of Swindon Parish Church, and now Vicar of Hui&h, in the Pewaey Vale, the Vicar of Swindon (the Rev. C. A. Mayall) recalled an occasion when he met in Walefi the Chaplain-General to the Forces, and how Bishop Taylor Smith remarked to him that he oacl been all over the w orld, and had never soen a prettier little spot than one little plac,« in Gower. it was the place where 1, (the vicar) had spent his honeymoon. The presentation, by the way. had been heartily taken up also by the Noncon- formists of Swindon. -:0:- The Rev. Owen Evans, D.D., who celebrated his 90th birthday within the past few days, is the Grand Old Msn 'f Weleh Nonconformity. Ordained m 1851. he has preached the Gospel for nearly 70 years, for the laat 30 at Fetter- lane and King's Cross Tabernacle, Lon- don, where he was succeeded in the pas- torate by Elfed. Dr. Evans is the author of a number of Welsh theological volumes, mainly dealing with the miracles and parables of our Saviour, and recently received recognition from tho Prime Minister for his contributions to Welsh literature. His brother," tho late Rev. David Evans, of Heol Awst, Carmarthen, lived in Cardiff after his retirement, and died a few years ago. —:o: — A string of grand functionaries were taking leave of Queen Margherita of Italy. A hugely obese minister, but- toned into the tightest of frock-coats, approached the Queen. With immenso difficulty he lowered himself on to one knee and kissed the Royal hand; butjio power on earth seemed equal to aising him to his feet again. The corpulent minister grew purple in the face; the most ominous sounds of the rending of cloth and linen re-echoed through the room; but still he could not manage to rise." Eventually, but not before the Queen was shaking with laughwr, the unhappy man was dragged to lis feet, when a perfect Niagara of oddments oi apparel, of tags and scraps of his most private under-garments, railed upon the noor. John o' London's Weekly."