The Cambrian

I Slje (^cimbxian FElDA Y, OCTOBER 28, 1310. .———————————————————. NOTES ON MEN & THINGS It Mrs. Lev's, Brynarau!, Ammanford, has, this year, grovn < ri a graiu a pear which I weighs 18 cunccs. inrncr, the g'P"œt painter, in 1775 toured from Swansea to Kidwelly, IJapttephsn, I.ghariTe, T-?nby and Pembroke. r 11 News is often ecarce iji small towns. A West aU:s weekly paper announces Nfr. J. Morgan has retaraed home to Cer- diff." One c: the first picUxres pointed hy Professor Hprkomer was puroh-^cd by Mr. Man^c! Levis, Stradcy C.'iiscie, Lianeily, :01: I j^aOO. m To-day ptopie enter college wiser than those who were turned out forty years ago. —-District Coun^iiicr R. Morgan at Pentrechwyth.) Keliy s South Wales Directory states that Swansea ts "well lighted hy ga. -and that the ft roots arc "wider and more convenient than in the majority of Webh tov/r.s. But Mr. D, Llcufer Thomas thinks that the Welsh National Museum, could do great ser- vice to the ration hy tabulating the pic- ture* and nort^ait-s of Welsh historical char- acters to he found in GLunorgAn a.nd Mcn- mouthshire mansions. Mr. T. Matthews. M.A., of IJaadebie. I i<s to address Cardiff (.'vmmrodorion on Welsh records in Foreign Libraries. He is an authority OIl the subject. A:t)d tLs-re must be many at Swansea who would like L,.J tear him. too. Verb. sap. Mr. Richard L. Edwards, who left Swan- sea for Canada on Saturday, is a grandson of Mr. T. Edwards, one of the earliest of the Welsh Patagonian settlers. His father was born in South America his mother was a- native of Argentina. His father left Patagonia aftd made his home in Manitoba. He sptiaks English, Welsh and Spanish flu- ently. Although he has attained fcur score years, Judge Bishop is as hale, hearty. and active ever he was at any period of his life. He met a Carmarthen friend in the White City the other day. and ascended and descended Sights of stairs with far greater facility than his companion, who is more than 40 years his junior. For upwards of two hours the ve-tr-ra.n did the sicrble with-r.it any apparent effort. The view at night eastward along the shores of the bay even from so remote a spot as Port Tennant is strikingly indicative of Swansea's progress. As far as the eya can l'eru-n lonj lines of electric la.mps twinkle in rows and ranks of blue, yellow, oranga and dazzling white light—eloquent testi- mony of the rapid extension of Swansea to- wards Briton Ferry. '"Football is a snare and a delusion to the workers of this country. It is one of the principal sprags in the wheel of progress, and is fostered by the governing classes in- asmuch as ths interest of the crowd keeps their mind on a pastime. Thus a Valley Socialist contemporary. Socialists have at- tacked most things, and now. apparently, they are going to make an onslaught on the innocent pleasures of the workcis. »- Lewis David ap David, who was Mayor cf Carmarthen in 1576, was fined 20s. "for ne- glecting to put in for."o the weighing of wool at the common beam in the Shire Hall." A tyier who offended the dignity of another Carmarthen Mayor (Griffith ap John. 1581) was fined JBS for sneaking thus to his Wor- ship Yt i< but an office for a yeare. and when vou are out of office I will talks with you. Judging by the length of the chairman's address at Mr. D. Griffiths' meeting at Swansea last night, one would have thought Mr. Gwilym Morgan was the candi- date. So much oratory was there there that it was generously announced that the Rev. W. E. Prytherch (who had come up for the purpose) would speak "next week." This must be cold-water comfort to an en- thusiast who ascended Constitution Hill and listened for two hours to others! In a few-days a new work— The Early Christians in Rome —by the Dean of Glou- cester will be published. Dr. Spence-.Jones is closely identified with Carmarthenshire. Mrs. Spence-Jones is a member of the famous family, the Joneses of Pantglae, and she has now succeeded to the estates. Her father and her uncle represented Carmar- thenshire in Parliament in the Conservative interest. -+- Said a S\< ansea ship's omcer However gratifying it may be to Britishers to know that we have built and own the largest ships afloat, stiii these huge crafts are looked unon bv seafaring men with anything but pleasant eyes. Too many captains, officers and engineers are thrown out of employment by thece leviathans, and it is a familiar saying by thc-se who earn their living on sea "No shin ought to carrv more than 2.000 i.m. In four of tiio greatest poisoning trials 1 of late years the ac need have been Ameri- J cans. Dr. Lamson, Neil Cream, Mrs. May- I brick. and Crippen. The wife of Dr. Lam- J son was a Swansea lady. the daughter of ;1, draper who had business in Temple-street in the Sixties. Mr. Montague Williams (who defended Lamsou.) in his "life," speaks I "t how the si £ ht of the little pathetic figure in black in the court urged him on to be more eloouent in defending the guilty man for the sake of the stricken wife. -+- One of the rno^t flourishing of the newer industries cf Swansea had supplanted what at one time in the long ago was quite a ia-inous and profitable source of employment foi- many in the neighbourhood. It is that of sea fishing. But how different is the new from the old The old fleet of sailing ves.<>eLs which sported the mystic letters "S. A." on their sails now lie at anchor off the Mumbles or rotting on the beach, while the same letters are displayed on the funnels of their modern useful, if less picturesque, steam i ivais. About thirty of these steam trawlers visit the port regularly, and their catches, brought from the coast of Morocco or from the West of Ireland or elsewhere in distant waters, are sold by auction and despatched to centre's of population where n-esh fish is appreciated. i I "The only profit we have made on our water supply is the profit wa have made out of the beer (sold at the cn-nteen)."—(Coun. M. Hop kin.) .\L1..s:; Stepney, who is eo popular in Llan- eky, has learnt Welsh. Her pronunciation of Welsh words is now perfect, and t.he rounds of applause extended her a.t the close of the Welsh portion of her speech at the Missionary Exhibition must have been same reward for n-er :tssiduous studies. Carmarthen Ratepayers' Association is growing beautifully less. It started with a I membership of 230, and the membership now I numbers 63 AtMl the worst,—or is it the best?—part, of it is that they a-re 63 of the I quietest pecple in the old borough. Wake up, Carmarthen 1 Bui there, Carmarthen will never do ubat. 1". -co Tlia P.'jrtuguese flag was one Lime a fa- miliar sight m Swansea Harbour, many I Portuguese "fruiters." that is fruit carrying sailing vessels, calling here for a ret urn cargo of coal after having delivered their >:argo of fruit a.t Fresh Wliarf. London, from the Portuguese Possessions, the Azores or We^-ern lands. A balance-sheet, of the receipts and ex- penditure of Llandovery Union in 1843 con- tains some interesting information. The 1 average weekly cost of maintenance of in- door panDen, was 2s. 2 £ d.. and clothing 4d. In the quarter ended Michaelmas, 183Q there were 129 illegitimate children charge- able to the Union, whilst in the quarter ended Lady Day. 1843, the number was only 25. and nine mothers. The workhouse had been recently erected at a cost of £3.{j)J. Sir Samuel Evans. President of the Pro- bate. Divorce, and Admiralty Division, oc- cupied the chair at a lecture on Divorce," read by Mr. \Y. Harden, of the Inner Temple, and recalled the fact that the first time be appeared in the Divorce Court he acted as interpreter. They would under- stand in what language. He was then a yor.ng articled clerk, and as the solicitor could not find an interpreter m Welsh he offered his services, and as he received a good fee for three-quarters of an holr''j work he was very well satisfied. Mr. John James, a Cardiganshire fanner, brought over a drove of cattle from Ireland to Fishguard and placed them in pens there previous to driving them home, a distance of seventeen miles. It was dark when Car- digan was reached, and the next morning a cow was found to be missing. It was traced back along the main road to Fishguard, and was found to have passed through the gate at. the harbour station and to have gone to one of the pens, which are at the extreme end of the sidings. This raw would be an ornament to one or two parish councils we wot of. But it is a pity these accommodat- ing animal did not commit suicide and di- vide itself into chops and steaks ready for the butcher's counter. A Cardiff bookworm has in his possession an old biography in the "Traethodydd," which records that Dafydl William was born in the parish 01 Llanedi, on the borders of Carmarthenshire. "I wonder." he adds. "if it is known generally that Dafydd William translated several of his hymns into English. He did ;'0. a.nd biought them out under the title of 'Joy in the tents of Zion. or a few Gospel hymns taken out of several taxts of the sacred scriptures," designed to comfort the weak- hearted on his journey towards the New Jerusalem, etc., by David Wiiliams. late of Liandeilo, Bridge-end. in Glamorganshire, Brecknock." It wae printed and sold by E. Evans, 1779. I ..arlit. It appears from tha report of Messis. A. B. Davies and Trevor Evans upon the Budget of Swansea for 1909-10 that the sum of C-,93 was expended by members of the Corporation in deputations, and PZ-6 by the heads of de- partments in attending annual meetings re- lative to their departments. This amounts i is t onearly a {d. rate, and though stricter 4 economv in this direction would not release an appreciable amount for the relief cf the rates, it would still place at the disposal of the Council a useful sum of money with which street paving imprcmevements, etc.. should be carried cut. The late Mr. Joseph Thomas. Haverford- west, was one cf several brothers wh-o sprang from yeomen stock in Uaneily neighbour- hood. Of his grandfather, whose surname was Roberts, a characteristic anecdote has I been preserved. Old Roberts was a deacon at Adulam Chapel. An old man need to come a long way to worship there, and one Sunday. because his clothes were poor and he bad only clogs on. he timidly remained at the back instead of coming forward to take his usual place. Mr. Roberts, remark- ing this, callthI out, VJhat do you want behind there? Our God respects you in your clogs and patched clothes quite as much as anyone here—and so do I." The old cJiap moved to the front at once. A British consular report mentions thai I tho t-inplato factories in Germany are booked up with orders for six months ahead. Apart t from the fact that this disposes -of the idea which Free Traders sedulously inculcate that Free Trade iô the one solitary explana- tion or the tinplate trade's prosperity, it is a remihder that we have formidable rivals upon the Continent, who. armed with the invincible weapon of a tariff, will m;ike short work of our commerce with many markets when they once enter upon a period of expansion. In Germany the industry is hampered by the absence of any very large home demand for tinned goods, such as the oil fields of Russia and the States, and the canned rrwsat factories of America supply: but here, us in Russia, we have all the ele- ments of competition in existence neverthe- less. and the hardships of a eooml McKinley experience will bo worsened by the ui- [ccpacitv of the British industry which has been so much developed of recent years to deal with the situation that will then arise. when there will remain no new markets to turn to at all. An application by Captain Lindsay for the addition of 28 men to the Glamorgan County Constabulary has resulted in an in- crease of only 20 being granted. The One Day's Rest in Seven Act will. however, ne- cessitate an increase of eighty men. and though the Standing Committee is docidedly shy of so expensive a proposal, it can hardly avoid falling into line with other bodies. In thus manner the hands of Capt. Lindsay will be very considerably strength- ened should a grave emergency arise and recent incidents in tho labour world do not encourage optimism concerning the con- tinuance of the orderliness wliich has hitherto marked labour disputes, notably in South Wales. The county police already are much below the nominal standard of strength of 1 per 1000 of population; bnt as a body of officials and of men they are an exceedingly fine co-rps. and a parade of the entire division would provide one cf the finest displays of disciplined manhood that could be witnessed in this country-- -or anv other—saving a review of a crack Guards' I battaligs^ Pentreehw yth. Cwm and Foxhole are practically integral parts .of Swansea-, but they suffer at present from an extremely imperfect sy.-Ttem of communication. The ra-itway is neither ohoap nor convenient, and though an effort bray be made to have a tram-line built in that direction, the expense would be prohibitive for the traffic which at present exists. The inhabitants of this dis- trict might, however, be able to guarantee a certain measure of .support tor motor- busses, and this would react beneficially upon the railway service. There is also considerable for a bridge aercrs the Tawe in this vicinity. At p-recent a very J long detour divides the inhabitants of these districts from the marketing centre of Swansea. I The distinctive feature of the Swansea ■municipal elections this year has been the absence of any real pressing issue. JL is impossible to consider the dispute over the Market reform as a real dividind issue, since even the bitterest critics of the Market Com- mitter have been driven by tii-e irresistible logic of facts t,> confine themselves to com- ment regarding mew details. The speeches made have dealt otherwise with matters which have little of the controversial ele- ment in them. On the theory that "happy is the country which has no industry, whose annals record a placid, unruffled jog- trot progress, th-sro is a bright augury for Swansea in the future, which is opened up cf the treatment of public problems purely upon their merits, with a u-iiiiir"-um of the spirit of faction and factiousness. I The a-npailing nauure of the so-called "bousing" in Welsh districts, even these des- tined by nature to be of supreme salubrity, the sites for sanatoria, is well indicated by a remark made at a meeting of the Welsh Housing and Town Planning Conference at Wrexham. It was stated that in the m.r..tter of the mortality from consumption the slums of Stepney were 6) per cent. to the better as against the hill slopes of Carnarvon, the houses in the Welsh district being deplor- ably insanitary, ill-ventilated, and impos- sible to clcansc. And the Rhondda. is an- other terrible blemish upon our national effi- ciency. There too the mischief hae beesn done the best that can be hoped for is some calamity which shall level whole towns to the ground and enable healthy and rational buildings to be erected worthy of the pecple that they have to house! The proceedings of the Veto Conference have at present a lively interest for a certain class of Welsh politicians if. as it is freely rumoured the conference itself has travelled far afield and is discussing a scheme of Federal devolution. It has been understood by Welsh Nonconformity—though nobcdy else has taken much notice of the proceed- ings in this respect—that the first matter j that the Government would take up once the House of Lords question was disposed of would be Welsh Disestablishment. With a programme of such momentous proposals as are being discussed to be submitted to Parliament, it is obvious that this measure must be thrust into the very remote back- ground and articles which have appeared the la.~t week or two in the Cardiff Radical crgan have the aspect of being feekrs thrown out to familiarise the Wcil.sh Non- conformists with the idea, that, their pet measure may have to be thrown overboard In any case it is not very plain whether in the future, should this measure ever re-entar practical politics, it will be dealt with by a local or by a national Parliament. That is on1.- of the little difficulties incidental to devolution. Some tiingular examples of arguments axo usually revealed in the cour&e of a municipal election ,but Mr. C. T. Ruthen's assertion; that a scheme of five hundred houses, to be built at from 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. a week is practicable, is about the most remarkable of the present contests at Swansea. Allowing the proportion of rental to income to be as j h as 25 per cent, and it is a little difficult, even in the face of considerable poverty i which prevails in the town, to imagine where five hundred fatmilies are going to be found which can fill these houses and have incomes of only ICe. a week. The utter impractic- ability of the scheme was trenchantly ex- posed by Coun. D. Davies, in an address at tiie Rhyddings Park-road Schoolroom. It is sufficient to cite the mere fact that the I utmost the Council has been abl-e to do, under the most favourable of circumstances, is to provide tenements at 4s. Sd. a week, I whilst, houses of the type indicated by MT. RrAhen are not to be leased from the Cor- poration for less than 6s. 6d. Possibly it would be practicable to erect some type or shed with four walls, a roof and a ficor, which might be let for the sum named by )11'. Rut hen. But the community taat wculd tolerate the erection of such shelters could serve the same purpose by putting up tents or corrugated iron 6heds with a weeden flooring. The Baptist Well tenements re- present the maximum of achievement that is possible with extreme cheapness as one of the principal goals in sight, and Mr. Ruthen. in his personal experience, as Coun. Davies was able to point oat, has erected buildings which have neither bath nor proper sanitary arrangements, and which possess but two bedrooms, and these cost seven f'hilling,<; a week apiev. The public has been a good deal lectured these last few days upon the "morbid and vulvar" curiosity it has exhibited in the details of the Crippen murder trial. But this curiosity has many phases and kinds, and a great murder mystery has at the worst when all is said in depreciation of it as a topic for public amusement, a grim fas- cination. The interest displayed in such sickening details as those of the remains in "the cellar and the poison in the intestines is of course morbid and unwholesome be- yond all cavil. But we do not think that the finest of contemporary novelists or philosophers could find a better theme for their observation and reflection than a Crippen in the dock. His was a master criminal truly, a weird and awful illustra- tion of the terrible incongruities sad cap. rocities of our human nature. His tale, however, is told soon "the reft is silence." Le Neve's acquittal squares with common aense. It is an altogether untenable idea that a commonplace girl should have con- sorted in the closest intimacy with a man well knowing he had not only poisoned his wife, but had carved her body to fragments afterwards. Some allowance must be made for the purely physical sensations of horror and repulsion which Le Neve would have experienced in overwhelming degiee had she been aware of the crime. Her fats is wret-ched enough without the intervention cf the law. Incidentally the trial has been vastly consoling to our national vanity. It has revealed our justice as, upon the criminal side at least, match- less for its swiftness, dignity, certainty and absolute, most" scrupulous fairness. French and American opinion has be-an loud in it's admiration, and there must be a few good Teutons in Berlin, their backs still smarting from a lusty thwack fiom a "SchutzmannV' sword, who must sigh rr- gretfully for twelve months of a British police regime in the capital of the father- land. I Swansea. Ls the best .seaport centre in ales for the storage and distribution of trozen most. and a visit by a representative of Messrs. Furness, We t hy and Co. and the Pacific Steam Navingation Co., lines which have regular services to Swansea, is credited with a certain amount of signi- ficance in connection with the possibility of a trade in frozen meat from the Argentine being developed. It is to be trusted that somethings tangible will result, as the mere opening up of a connection with so rapidly growing a producer of foodstuffs would con- tain potentialities of the brightest charac- ter for the post. (rsioc-raolo activity is being: shown bv the Y.M.C.A. movement in West Wales in the provision of buildings. At LLaneliv a hajidsome icst-itute is in process of erection. At Aboravon a finely equipped building, which has been modified for the purpose, has been opened by Sir A. Pendarves T\ ivia-n, and at Ammanford quarters arc also being erected for the movement. The Swansea Y'.M.C.A. is also contemplating a new home in place of the present adapted rooms in Dyne vor-pi ace, which are hardly adequate to the pa-rt that the institution play., in tiie social life of the young men in t<hj town. A few more years' experience similar to that which the various Welsh dertomina- tioiis have had since th3 Revival, and it is probable that the net harvest of that nmdr lauded movement will be dwindled down to something like insignificance. At meetings of the organisations 'of the various con- nexions complaints are constantly being made of heavy losses in membership, and this tyeek the quarterly meeting -of the. Calvinitjtic Methodist Association of South Wales, at Swansea, has been told by its moderator that besides a heavy list c-f revival backsliders there had been also no less than 16.617 secessions, for which no reason could be assigned—other than that the ex-members in question began to look upon their religious associations as simply' an irksome tie. Tho phenomenon has a certain polttica-i significance, as the cam- paign for Disestablishment cannot be con- sidered in indifference to the fact that- a wholly itbnormail factor-the Revival—gave for a few years a fictitious apparition of strength to the statistics of Nonconformist bodies, and that the latter have since been leasing very heavily in numbers. A valuable experience will be premded for the benefit of the poorer working classes of the town if Mr. C. T. Ruthen, the Pro- gressive candidate for St. Helen's Ward, can be induced to take up the challenge to build 55 cottages at JE:.12C each, upon certain conditions which represent the minimum 01 essential requirements. These are, tiiai the houses mu;'t ;t>e ie>asonably accessible, satis- factory to the Housing Committee cf the Corporation, a.nd in i-uli e-oonpliance with the bye-laws, v/ivh streets paved and made. Mr. Ruthen seems inclined to argue that this caai be done, but that it is only possible upon a large scalc. He names 500 ae the number necessary to be built jf his cal- culations are to be fuliiiied. ft will of course be an excellent thing for the workers of Swansea if :\1: Ruthen can make good tions which have a certain value as electioneering material. But it is significant that the Ba-ptist Well houses (single tene- ments) cost £ 185 each, and the rent which has to be charged to prevent them from beinc a- dead laas, is no less than 21;. a week in excess of Mr. iluthen's rentals of 3s. 6d.. cr 3s. in excess of his Iraii-crown cottages. This practical experience does net augur "¡ for the correctness of Mr. Ruthen s calculations, if it is sought to translate them into bricks and mortar. Last week's trade at Swansea docks was again of a quite satisfactory character and did a little towards retrieving the indiffer- ent position in wheh the port is likely to find itself when the aggregates for 1910 an made up. The imports were 13.013i ex- ports, 104, 132 tons, and total trade, 117,145 tons, against 118,962 tons the preceding week, and 110,572 tons the corresponding week of last year. There were 84.421 tons of coal and 8.580 tons cf patent fuel shipped. and the quantity of tinplate placed on board totalled 92, 251 boxes, which reduced stocks to 197,328 boxes, as compared with 197,828 boxes the preceding week. The improve- ment in the trade of the pert. however, wa; due to larger shipments to France, and it is unsatisfactory to note that in other branches of the port's commerce there was a diminution. Much improvement was also manifested at Llanelly. where the total of tonnage handed was 8,185 tons, against 4,370 tons for the corresponding week of last year, ccal alone accounting for a larger tonnage than was provided by all accommo- dation in 1939. The anthracite colliery trade is reported in an excellent condition and Messis. Richard T homas and Co.'s new works are expected to start within a week. At Port Talbot the trade improved by 6.869 tonsj on the preceding week by 2.711 tons on 1903. Over thirty-five thousand tons of ocoal were shipped, and in all 46,914 toils of goods were dealt with. The comparison v«th Swansea as for this week at lea.st is fairly reassuring to the larger port. Taking the remunerative undertakings of the Swansea Corp-nration in detail, the re- port of the public auditors enables us to form a rough estimate of the extent to which a contribution towards the rates as relief is possible. The Market yielded £ 2,739 clear, after alfl charges had been met. It is believed that an addition of £ 1,500 to £ 2.0C0 can be made to this sum by judicious charges accepting the lrgh sum, yielding a net income of about 2-i,d. m the JE. The Slaughter-house gave a net profit, of ii565, and would add a farthing to tbe above income. The housing of the working I clasises scheuic showed a net deficit of £ 815; and whilst the. rentals should be readjusted so that this should be wiped out and the scheme made to pay its way—this is the least the ratepayers of the town have a right to expect from their" stewards—it has yet to be seen to what degree a. profit can be obtained. After the rentals exceed a oertain point the houses will cease to fulfil the function for which they were erected— tJie provision of accommodation at a reason- able rate. and the Corporation will lay itself open to the reproof that, like the private lajidlord. it is profiting from the congestion which prevails locally in the housing ques- tion. So it would be unwise to deal with this remunerative property as being other than seiri-supporting in the future. The electricity undertaking last year gave a net profit of £2,7Z2, and may be' counted upon in the future Lo give 2d. to 3cL towards the relief of the rates. There remains anJv the Corporation estate with Ia/ge possibilities of income. The waterworks and other undertakings nnist remain in the ;j;turo as thej- aie to-day, sc-irrces of lose ranging from a w eighty to a batrely appreciable burden. It is extremely is-itisfaotory. bv the way, to note that whilst £ 4,?06' was spoilt upon the parks and recreation grounds, £ 787 was received in fees for the use of the bowling greens, ccc. In this case we have a striking example of a little judicious further expenditure producing a very appreciable revenue. At present nearly one-seventh of the cost of the parks is defrayed from tho greens and grounds. Practical work in connection with the Town Planning Act is at last to be com- menced at Swansea. The Borough Surveyor intimated to the Streets Committee on Wednesday that he had visited the Town Planning Exhibition in London, and gath. ered useful information, which would be utilised in planning the future development of the town in the western area. Contour maps, indicating the elevation of a large portion of the ground, had atreadv been prepared, and possibly a definite scheme will be mapped out which wili ensure the rational, healthy and artistic character ot, the rapidly growing residential district of Swansea. t The National Memorial Fund continues to make disappointly slow progress. A. total slightly under £ 20,000 has been raised since the original donations announced at Shrews- bury. Swansea has contributed nearly £1.000. and Neath over £500. but in the main it is clear the fund will have to rely upon the cheques of the wealthy rather than the pence of the masses. Large areas have, however, still been left untapped, but ai the present rate of progress the popular con- tribution to the memorial will not be of such dimensions as to justify a description of it as being erected by the people of Wales. The memorial, indeed, promises to provide rather a mute reply to the Socialist denun- ciation cf the misuse, or the non-use of large. fortunes. The report of Messrs. A. B. Davies and Trevor Evans upon the, finances of Swansea, in the year 1309-10, represents, with the limitations of such an audit, little more than a summary, which presents in an easily ac- cessible form the chief features cf the muni- cipal budget. Yet even this summary con- veys exceedingly valuable information that would otherwise be buried within the pages of official handbooks that are very rarely consulted. Swansea's debt is given £ 2.033,293, after the sinking fund has been deducted, or about £ 18 to J319 per head of population. The ratable value is £ 541,82i (an increase of £ £ 4,574) or -05 a head, and the income is considerably under L3 a head, of which the poor rate provides £ 1 (£1C9,396). the general district rate a little under Jul (£93,593), a.nd m'scellaneous sources of revenue, chiefly from "remunera- tive" undertakings, account for from 10s. to 15s.J a head. The water works brought in £ £ 33.571, and in this direction £ 62,056 wa paid out, so the classification of the £ 1.093,543 which has been spent upon water works as remunerative" is open to serious questioning. The Corporation es- tate yielded £ 11,545, the market and slaugh- ter-house £9,05B, and these two sources of income are the most important assets of the Corporation be:mnd .,the.rates. In payments interest and sinking fund a-jeounted for £ 91,635, water works for £ 62,065, the Ed- ucation Authority £ 47.550, and the Guar- dians £ 23,752, whilst works upon the reads, scavenging, etc. cost £ 26,030 or £ 34 0i0wi;h street lighting, salaries nearly £6,œO, and the parks and recreation grounds required a little under £ 5.000. They are all very im- posing figures, but it is a littl edishearten- ing to reflect that of the entire debt of the j town only about £ 250,000 out of C2,000, has been spent upon remunerative under- takings, and whilst the poor rate ajad gene- ral district, rate produce £ 232.030, no less than £ 153.000 out of this total is required to meet the standing charges imposed by the. unremimerative element and ehie.fly of water works.

THE SWANSEA MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. What promises to be the last election to be fought upon political lines, in which politics will be drawn upon as a last re- source. is being brought to a close at SWaJl- sea. In the St. Helen's Ward, Mr. C. T. Ruthen renews his attempts to gain the popular suffrage against Mr. David Davies for the Municipal Reformers. In the East Ward Aid Williams and Mr. Philip Davies are fighting a contest between themselves, in which such questions as are introduced are purely local and personal. The con- test here is to be regarded as isolated from tho main current of the struggle which is beipg fought out in the town. In Ffynone Mr. David Griffiths, a candidate who has been as unfortunate in his electioneering experiences as Mr, Ruthen, is carrying the "Progressive" standard against Mr. Eden, a gentleman who besides being one of the finest business men in South Wales, possesses a personality of a type in which the Council is not so rich as could be desired. Finally, in the Vic- toria Ward, Mr. L. J. Williams and Mr. Harry Rogers are the protagonist; whilst z, a contest. which would have been of a most resoiute character, was averted in the Mor- riston Ward by the withdrawal of Coun. Harris, who retired quietly from the field when opposed by the Mayor. As a whole, it cannot be maintained that the elections have reached the standard of popular excitement and interest which have prevailed in the last few years. As was tv be expected, the "Progressive" fire has been concentrated from all directions upon the Municipal Reform candidate for St. Helen's, though even here the contest has been less strenuous outwardly. Both sides have but half drawn their swords "from lack of argument." A rarity is a striking lack of any municipal matter for conten- tion. Within the last few years, since the advent, of the Reformers to a position of authority upon the Council there has been a marked change in the general conduct of public business. Discussion has been dir- ected into a practical channel, and has been much less marked by the *eat and re- criminations which the education question aroused in the years of its toilsome pro- gress. Business has been discussed in a much mo,re businesslike style, and the rate- payers have the consolation of knowledge that in these years no errors of any import- ance have been committed, and that the in- creasing expenses of municipal management have been carefully scrutinised. Though the era of th3 big schemes and enterprises is gradually drawing to » close, the need for this vigilance and judicious blend of economy with wise outlay remains as im- perative as ever, and whilst little is humanly possible for the giving of large relief to the ratepayers, the Municipal Re- form Party is in the light of the record of its past work entitled to give the rate- j payers assurances that their burdens are being minimised and circumscribed W the utmost degree that is feasible.

11 J NEATH NOTES. j The Yearly "Lib-Lab" Wrestle We are right bang on top of the Novem- bei elections, and yet there is scarceiv a suspicion of excitement. Really it isn't,*the slightest, bit like old times—those dear old days when Labour started struggling for wiiat it was pleased to terms its murueipai emancipation. We did have some fun then. I he ted flag fluttered in the breeze and later waved triumphantly over a battlefield gory with the Liberal slain. i>ut th.n,s xiave gradually but none the less surety changed. 'Ihe Liberal party pulled itself to- gether, reformed slowly, and began winning the lost ground again. They were aided in their fight because of the impetuosity of the Labour army, whose leaders, directlv thev tasted the sweets of victory, began a" peLey of bounce. "Wo are the people" sort of thing, you know. They wanted too much, and thereby "pipped" a good many friends. And now the Labour party is in. something like a sad plight, and I shall be very mucti surprised if they do not lose another seat on the glorious fifth. The only battle is in the South Ward which the sons of toil some nine years ago ear-marked as their own. It w»~»'$Aeir proud boast that they could return two members for the ward every year. ,W<l! they didn't keep the boast up long, for they soon discovered that Liberalism was jcal-ui --that Liberalism, which linked itself with Labour, on paper, but which fought It tooth and nail later on. And now we have another Liberal in the field fighting the two official nominees of the Labour party—Councillor David Davies (the Mayor) and Councillor Jonah Davies, the silent member. That gentleman is Mr. John Davies, a lccal coal merchant, whom no one has heard much of before except in matters connected with ius business. Yet he is a. liberal, and that goes a long way in Neath, and, I believe, a. sound, earnest, well-intentioned man. And, in addition, we have an independent candidate in the person of Mr. G. D. Trick, a relative of Councillor W. B. Trick, J.P. Everybody in Neath knows George. He used to be the captain of the Neath Football Club—used to make those brilliant, scintillating darts on the wing which won so many matches for the All Blacks. ;G. D." is a ready a mem- ber of the Neath Board of Guardians, and he was returned unopposed at the last trien- nial election. He has had a teste of public life, and. like Oliver Twist, wants more. And he'll get it, too. He is very popular in the Melvn. has mixed with his fellows, and knows their needs and aspirations as well as anyone abiding in that populous- area. It was thought a week ago that a Church and Conservative candidate was ne- ce-sary having in view the danger which threatened Aid. Davies' Schools. But "G.D." promised to support the policy of equality of treatment for non-provided schools, a.nd so the number of candidates is limited to four for the two seats. The Mayor is a strong candidate, and I hope to see him returned. He has faithfully discharged his duties and is not bound thieii and thin to an over-bearing and self-opin- ionated Labour party who would have all me usee as they do. I believe I am right in saying that he refused to sign the I.ju.P. ticket. That is in his favour for the think- ing working men have no liking for the local organisation cf youths, rich in theory, but woefully lacking m practice. Th-are were many who sneered when the Mayoralty of the ancient borough was conferred on Councillor David Davies. They made jokes about his lack of education and and hung on open-eared and open-mouthed eagerly and wistf-ully anticipating errors of spec-oil. But auv deficiency which Mr. Davies may have had in the direction indicated—a deficiency for which he certainly was not responisibk— he has more than compensated for by the shrewdness and the business acamen which he has brought to bear on the conduct of public affairs during his Mayoralty. In short ho has beau a good Mayor. And the burgesises of the Sooth Ward will be un- grateful if they do not return him to the Council for another three years. I hardly know what to say about Mr. Jonah Davies. We have not even heard a "wail" from him during the time he has sat on the Council, ut I'm told he is a useful man on commit- tee, and tha.t is all I can say about him. If I am any. judge of the state of affairs, I don't think hc'l1 have to trouble about the Council after ihe 1st. At this time of the year I am always expected to make a fore- cast. There has been up to the time of penning these nfctcs very little to guide me, but this is mv idea, of the roailt:— 1.—J. D. Trick. 2.—David Davies. õ.Jmuh Davies. 4.—John Davies. If this proves a. correct prediction, then Labour will have lost one seat, and the Church Party virtually gained one. In the North Ward, as you already know, there is no contest. Some kind friends nominated Aid. H. P. Charles, who retires on the 9th, without- his consent. And he promptly withdrew on Tuesday, leaving Dr. J. Thomas (L.) and Dr. D. Lie?. Davies (C.) return unopposed. liie Mayor gave a dinner to the police on 11 Tuesday evening at the, Glamorgan Hote!, Melincrvthan. And a very enjoyable affair it was. There was very little speech-mak- ing and plenty of singing. It is net gene- rally known. that every member of the force can sing, of course they are not Carusos or Folis, but nearly all of thean can give vent to a decent ditty. P.S. Morgan is a bari- tone who takes a bit of beating, while the silvery tones of tiro senior Sergeant were worth going a long way to hear. "Speak- to me. Thora, I mean Clerk J. Griffiths. And then there were P.C. WaJtham in his pia.intive Welsh airs, and P.C. Devereaux with his martial calls to glory. Oh I can "a tell you the "boys in blue" not, only enjoyed themselves, but made others enjoy them- selves as well. I had almost forgotten. I had almost forgitten. There was P.S. Michael, who said "A boy's best friend is his mother," and said it very well, too. So well. in fact, that everyone believed it. Outside the talent of the force we had Air. Ted Workmate, who rendered a number ot eongs in character. Mr. Workman was at his best, and I'm sure that Sir Griffith Thomas would have liked to have heard him. He is quite a favourite with the Squire ot Coun Herbert. But Harbour Trust busi- ness called him away to London, and we were de-prived of the pleasure of his com- pany. A lot of nice things were said by the Mayor. Aid. Hopkin Morgan. Aid. E. S. Phillips and the, Town Clerk about the pc,l,ce --til I-cgs which they thoroughly mer- ited. for they are a fine, capable and well- disciplined body of men. '"OBSERVER,"

LAY-UP FOR THE MUMBLES." MR. CUMMING EVANS' EXPLANA- TION. At Oyst ormouth Council on Tuesday night. Mr. J. Gumming Evans asked per- mission to make a personal explanation. Remarks he made at the recent Sailing Club dinner regarding the restoration ol the "lay-up" on the beach, had been incor- rectly reported in the "Daily Leader," with the result that they had drawn from the chairman of the Council a characteristic letter. The feports of the "Dally Post" and "Mumbles Press" were correct. He had desired to urge the expedition of the work while their principal material was at hand and before it was scattered by gales. The "iav-up" had been in its piesent dis- graceful state for upwards of ten years, and those interested were advised to remain satisfied with the poor assurance (he now quoted the chairman) "that our Council has given the matter their careful con- sideration and are doing ail they can to promote a scheme for that purpose."

FIRE AT YSTRADGYNLATS. Tycanol Farm, Palley, has beeu totally destroyed by lire. The fire originated in the barn, which was full of hay. The barn and house -were destroyed. The tenant, Mrs. Hannah Williams, saved all her furni- ture, etc., and the cattle. The farm is the property of Viscount Tredegar.

"ru. i GUARDIAN'S SILVER WEDDING. Mr. and Mrs. David Grey, of Sketfcy, celebrated their silver wedding on Thurs- day, and were in receipt of numerous con- gratulations from a host of friends. The ceremony was performed at St. Mary's PaP- ish Church, October 20th, 1885, by Rev. Canon Smith, who is now Dean of St, David's. Mr. Grey is a most roepeeted member of Swansea Guardians.

LAST WEEK OF THE ELEC- TIONS. MR. EDEN'S MAGNIFICENT MEETING. THE CANDIDATE'S OUTSPOKEN PLEDGE. Another largely attended, thoroughly re-. preservative and enthusiastic meeting on be- ( half of Mr. A. F. Eden's (Municipal Re- form candidate for Ffynone Ward) was held at the Waiter-road Congregational School- room on Tuesday night, and evidences were apparent on all hands of the popularity of tne candidate, and the cause, ana apprecia- tion of Mr. Eden's business ability. -N, Li, T. Howell Davies presided over a. packed attendance, amongst those present being Aid. A. Sinclair, Counciiiort; F. E. Tun- btidge and D. Davies, Dr. Knight, Capt. Leonard, Capt. Sherlock, — Williams (iron- monger), — Thomas (Whittingham and Co., shippers), Laugharne Morgan, S. Yorath, and G. C. Chalk. All sections of the ward were represented, and there were a num- ber of ladies present. The Chairman said it would be quite superfluous to 'say anything to introduce Mr. Eden, who was very well known in the waivl and the town, and one of the most prominent citizens of Swansea. Mr. Eden wa.s a most capable and thorough business man-(applause)-and the possession of this qualification alone entitled him to ask for their support. (Renewed applause.) The responsibilities attaching to a Town Coun- cil were very onerous amongst other duties was the management of a large estate. The principal duty of a town councillor was ad- ministration, and in administration the chief Lnl' qualification was a keen business knowledge. And no man was better qualitied in that regard than Mr. Eden. (Applause.) In looking at the personnel of the Council they could not but remark the absence of tho leading business men. He hoped Mr. Eden's return would be the beginning of a new era in which such men would take their part in the management of the town. (Applause.) CANDIDATE'S VIGOROUS ADDRESS. Mr. A. F. Eden, who received an ovation on rising to spealv, after referring to the courtesy in being allowed the use of the room a second time—remarking by the wiy that in all the elections, so far as be knew, when there was a room vacant for any can- didate he was granted the use of it— (applause)—proceeded to say he was de- lighted to see so large an attendance of rate- payers, which was an index of the growing interest being taken in the civic government of the town. And in passing, he observed that there was nothing more fatal—no ma.t- ter what one's views were—to the govern- ment of a town than the apathy of its citizens. (Applause.) When he first came to the town, many years ago now, there was r' l' .1 a iar greater disinclination men on Idle public's part to take part in the municipal elections; to-day he was happy to see that, disinclination disappearing. But there were some who had told him while canvass- ing, "Well. Mr. Eden, if we don't vote for you, we will not vote against you." That might be courteous, but honestly, he would rathsr a man vote against him than not vote at aJ!. (Applause.) And often it was those who did not, vote at all who were the first to grumble at the town's mismanagement, Since he started the campaign he had called upon a good ma; y of the ratepayers-bu,t they would quite understand it was a physic-ai impossibility to call upon 2,400 voters—and he did not think anyone could accuse him of being a sluggard oitce he took a matter in hand. (Applause.) He regarded it as a duty and a pleasure to call on as many as h.) was able, and so discuss any points that might want to be elucidated, and exactly explain his views on any ques- tion he might be asked about. He wanted to make one point quite clear and free from the chance of any misunderstanding.. At the outset he had written to th-e chairman of the Municipal Reform Committee to say that if elected he did not intend to serve upon the Education Committee. (Applause.) And he wished to be perfectly frank and give his reasons. The first was that in view of the position he took up in reference to the Church Schools, and the oonsequent antagonism to the majority of the Educa- tion Committee. as then constituted, he thought it would be inadvisable, if elect- ed, that he should sit on the Education Com- mittee, and his second reason was that he de- sired peace and not friction. "There is plenty of work on the Council for me," de- clared Mr. Eden amidst the applause which had greeted his plain and straightforward declaration and intentions, "besides educa tion, and I think you will agree that my reasons are sound" (Renewed applause.) The education question, be again took the occasion of observing, was now quite dead; all tha.t remain- ed was the decision of the Law Courts, and consequently the schools ques- tion did not enter into municipal matters at all. As regards the extension of the bound- aries question, it was stated at one time, through a supposed connection of his with a concern with which he had absolutely nothing to do, that he was opposed to the extension proposal. That was AN ENTIRE MISCONCEPTION, and he would pledge himself that if he be- came a member of the Town Council when the subject of the boundary extension came up ho would do his best to aid in carrying it to a. successful conclusion. (Loud ap- plause.) On Friday next he would send round to the electors a statement in which was the following sentence: "I pledge my- self, if elected; to do all in my power to as- sist in the extension of the town boundaries. (Applause.) And I don't care whose in- terests I find myself opposed to in so doing. I shall regard this and every other matter from the town's interest point of view. Is it for the good of Swansea.? That will be my sole consideration. (Applause.) In matters of this kind the end, in my opinion, can be achieved more readily, with better feeling, and less law costs, if one tries to bring them about in a pleasant way rather than trying to force matters." (Applause.) It could not be expected that people would welcome coming into increased rates and charges unless corresponding benefits could be shown; but he thought such benefits could be shown, and he looked forward to seeing the matter amicably settled, and to the day when Swansea would become a greater and l better Swansea. (Applause.) When he spoke of the housing question, it wa.s subsequently hinted in one quarter tha.t it was rather a new idea of his, and be had never been known to take any interest be- fore in those sort of matters. Apart from the suggestion being unkind, it was an injustice and was quite untrue. He had taken a real and living interest in all social questions, and he might mention his con- nection with the Swansea Church Army Labour Home, of which Mr. Cariyle, the head of the organisation, had said it was the best Church Army Home in the whole of the country. That Home, altnough it only touched the fringe of a large and com- plicated problem, provided comfortable lodgings for single men, and so it assisted— though in a small measure—to relieve the housing problem so far as a proportion of the men were concerned. The housing problem had so many other factors de- pending upon it that it was difficult to lay down any hard and fast rule as to the best way of solving a problem effectively. Three things connected with housing re- ference must be considered at the outset- the land, houses, and the mode and transit (if transit of course was necessary). He did not think Swansea had started the right way by building in piecemeal fashion a few houses here and there. It may have been done more as an object lesson, show- ing what could be done, but there was a fOo;, /greater matter to be dealt with in the housing problem, and they should see whe- ther from knowledge and experience of others they could net devise me-ans of over- coming the difficulty finally. (Applause.) Involved with that serious question was in other places of the town. Municipal Re- formers, he affirmed, all took a very deep interest in social reform. Mr. Eden then dealt with the increasing responsibilities thrust upon local governing bodies—service that was ever calling for more time and at- tention. And when elected some people seemed to thuik they had a kind of power r J } to do what they pi-eased. But that was quite a wrong idea. When elected a repre- sentative was a servant of the public, and the electors looked to him to carry out his duties in theiv interest and as representing them. (Applause.) No representative should be afraid of going to his eleeiors after three years, and any 11 who TOOK ADVANTAGE OF AX ALDERr MANIC SEAT to secure six years' service rather than face the electors was betraying his trust. (Ap- plause.) Real business men on the Council had in the past been conspicuous by their ajbsence and why? Because for some reason I or another it seemed to be assumed that the town did not need to be governed by the same principles as one would employ in private business. But that was just the point; the town was a business concern, and they wanted good business men there. A great deal of valuable time was wasted at the Town Council meetings, and nothing a business man resented more than wa-ste of time. (Applause.) Mr. Eden demonstrated the very great importance of committee work, and said the whole crux of the matter lay in the control of finance. He was in favour of a strict control of expenditure by the Council's Finance Committee, with an adequate system of audit showing profit and loss upon municipal undertakings all pro- posed expenditure to be submitted to the Council in a yearly budget, with such re- ports from the Finance Committee as would enable the Council to regulate its annual expenditure so as to avoid unduly pressing upon the ratepayers. Mr. Edeu then dealt in detail with principles governing successful finance, the necessity for full supplementary estimates when such estimates had not been included at the time they should be. and the (necessity, too, of a Government auditor who bad the power to surcharge for any improper payments. Why were their opponents ob- jecting to a Government auditor? He did not say a word against the present elecfiva auditors, who did their work well under the circumstances but the Act did not stipu- late any qualification. With a Governicenfc audit they could rest assured the town's fin- ances were being efficiently looked into from every point and guarded. If only the ao- counts could be kent in the way ordinary citizens could understand them without trouble, it would lead, he thought, to greater interest being shown in town mat- ters. After referring to the drain- age scheme and the Training College-- which latter, by the way, was now no issue, as the contract for construction had been let—Mr. Eden said the Reformers' policy wa.5 in the electors' hands, and he would not come forward if he did not think he could assist in putting municipal matters into better shape. (Loud applause.) Mr. G. Lloyd proposed a resolution of confidence, and Mr. S. Yorath seconded, the latter gentleman remarking he was the only Yorath in the ward, ana it was not necessary in Mr. Eden's case to go OUTSIDE THE WARD FOR SECONDERS. (Applause). Coun. Tunbridge appealed to the elec- tors to sink all questions of party and sup- port a keen, clever, and capable business man. At no time were business men needed more than now, and lie should be pleaded to see the Liberals bring out their best busi- ness men and say, "We will endeavour to conduct this Council at least > n business. lines." .(Applause.) If Mr. Eden was elected—and he was going to be—he wanted to see the new member for ffynone chairman of the Finance Committee. (Loud applause.) After alluding to the debt of the borough, which was over J32,000,000, Mr. Tunbridge said £ 300,000 passed through the borough treasurer's hands a year, ex- clusive of education grant. That amount used to be collected by two departments, but through the efforts of Coun. Da-vid Davies, it was now collected in one depart- ment'—the borough treasurer's. The coot of the collection of that £ 300.000 worked out at 1 per cent., or 2gd. in the £ and 2 that. economically managed. The rat- able value of the town was over £ 487,000. The loss of the water undertaking was £26.381 a year, and the loss on Alexandra- road stood at £ 3,365. Whereas m 1801 the education rate was Is. 5d. in che £ for the year ending next March it was 2&. 4gd., and they were paying in rates (including water) lOs. 5 1-5d. in the L. As a set off, as it were, Swansea had one of the most valuable estates in the country; tin Market yielded over £2,700 a year profit; the elec- tric lighting showed a profit of £ 1,748, and the rent roll of the Corporation Estate stood at £ 12,389. The total revenue was £16.920, or Is. rate. and yet in spite of this their rates were over 10s. in the E. They could not blame the Reformers for that. but the "predominant partner" of the past "Are you satisfied with this .stat-e of things?" de- clared Mr. Tunbridge with emphasis. "LET'S SINK PARTY AND CREED altogether, and set our shoulders to the I wheel to place our municipal affairs on a better level." (Loud applause.) Mr. Tun- bridge instanced large details of prospective expenditure, which, with several schools enlargement, totalled up to £ 551.000. ("Shame.") "Who is the man in Ffynone to appoint to .see into these things? Is it David Griffiths? ("No.") Then I eay it is Arthur Eden, and with all due respect for Mr. Eden's opponent. I say there is no com- parison between the two men." (Ap. plause.) As regards Castle-street, the Re- formers had largely been instrumental in effecting a 60ft. road, and but for Mr. Eden's opponent they would have had the projecting Waverley Coffee Tavern rounded off. They had to thank Mr. Dd. Griffiths' spirit of narrowness and short-mindednesa for that everlasting monument of parochial- ism. (Loud applause). Coun. D. Davies, who aLso sup- ported, evoked considerable laughter by saying that in the neighbour- ing ward cf St. Helen's houses were being offered at 2s. 6d. a week, and with a little greater persuasion and a little more election pressure one, he believed, could get a MANSION FOR 2s. 9d.. AND A CASTLE FOR 3s. Another issue brought out by his opponent was that if they voted for a Municipal Re- former in St. Heleii's- "your food will cost you mpre," (Loud laughter.) It seemed as if his opponents had bought up a large stock of handbills left over from the last General Election. (Laughter.) But the issues were not frivolous nor fanciful; they were to the Municipal Reformers real and solemn concerns, a large business community. The townspeople were the shareholders in a great undertaking, and the councillors were the directors, and it behoved the electors to select the motft capable men who offered their services. After speaking of what the Municipal Reform party had been the means of accomplishin-g. Mr. Davies spoke in the highest terms of Mr. Eden as a business man, and the possessor of sterling character, integrity and transparent honesty. He said he regarded Mr. Rden a.s one of the best business men in all South Wales. The electors in Ffynone were, in Mr. E-den, being offered what the speaker regarded as the best sample yet available in Swansea of what a Municipal Reformer ought to be. Some people said "Oh. ves. I believe in his irre- proachable character, integrity and so forth, but I can't vote for him because he is not a Liberal. Quite as reasonable to say I can't vote for a person becanse he has red hair or because he has no hair at all. (Loud laughter.) Dr. Knight asked Mr. Eden if a proposi- tion was introduced (at the Town Council), calling on the Government to give facilities for the pas.sing; of the Conciliation Bill into law this session, would he vote for or against it? Mr. Eden replied, "I should certainly vote against any proposition that the Swansea Town Council should call upon the Govern- ment in regard to any matters that do not affect municipal matters, as I strongly de- precate lin any way 'the introduction of politics into the Town Council. (Loud applause.) The resolution was then carried by the la.rge audience unanimously. Thanks to the chairman brought the pro- ceedings to a clase.