The North Wales Weekly News

EVANS' CELEBRATED LLANDUDNO TOFFEE, obtainable from leading confectioners or direct from nlaaii.,fa-twer, Mostyn-avenue, Llandudno. Tel. ny. 1107

Liberalism and the Budget. To THE EDITOR OF THE iveekly News. £ £ Sir, Mr. Duckers seems anxious to propagate those principles that make sure of obtaining the voice of the people entire, and the integrity of the Empire, the stability and prosperity of the Church, the protection of our commerce from unfair competition, and above all the dire effects of Socialism." That is a policy all Liberals can heartily sup- port, and it is a pity Mr. Duckers spoiled the effect of such Liberal sentimenrts by adding after Socialism the words with which the whole Budget Bill was saturated." Those words dis- close the cloven hoof of prejudice and ignorance —prejudice against the Budget and ignorance 01 Socialism. Mr. Duckers appears to have been reading the Daily Mail." Or perhaps he was horrified by Mr. Lloyd George's concluding words when introducing the Budget. They were as follows This is a War Budget. It is. for raising money to wage implacable warfare against ,poverty and squalidness. I cannot help hop- ing and believing that before this generation has passed away we shall have advanced a great step towards that good time when poverty and the wretchedness and human de- gradation which always follows in its camp will be as remote to the people of this country as the wolves which once infested its forests." One can well imagine- Mr. Duckers, on read- ing those words of Mr. Lloyd George, throwing up his hands in holy horror and exclaiming, "Why! that is rank But Mr. Duckers need not be alarmed. The Budget is not Socialistic it merely represents the policy Liberals have been advocating for a generation or more, but the Lords have always blocked the way. What does Liberalism stand for. Gov- ernment by the people for the people the in- tegrity of the Empire, by giving self-government to the various peoples comprising the British Empire; the stability and prosperity of the Church by granting religious liberty to all and equal treaitmerft for all denominations; the protection of our commerce from unfair competi- tion, by freeing British manufacturers from beavy ,nd customs, du, and tariffs, thereby enabling them to obtain raw materials, machinery, and other requisites for their industries at the lowest possible cost, thus assisting them to compete with the foreigners in their own protected ma.rket.s and to give the British working-man higher wages, shorter working hours, and better conditions of labour than prevail in any Protectionist country in the world the protection of the country from the dire effects of Socialism, by giving to the people healthy homes, insurance against unempolyment, and security against the evil effects of poverty." That is what Liberalism stands foi. Perhaps Mr. Duckers will tell us what Toryism means? Yours truly, S. THOMAS. Colwyn Bay, December 27th, 1909.

The House of Lords. To THE EDITOR OF THE Weekly News. Sir -Dukes and Earls and Unionist candi- dates in all parts of the country admit that the House of Lords needs reforming. Then why should Mr. Duckers be troubled at the sugges- tion? It is true some wicked Socialists would abolish the House of Lords; but there are others, not all sycophants, who dearly love a lord and would not like to see their noble lord- ships' House abolished. What Liberals insist upon is that the House of Commons, as the elected oody representing the people, shall be supreme in any dispute be- tween the two Houses. That is to say, if after a General Election at which questions such as education, and licensing have been pro- minently before the electors, the House of Com- mons drafts and carries through Bills dealing with those questions on the lines advocated dur- ing 1Ihe election, the House of Lords shall have no power to. destroy them. The Second Chamber may have power to send Bills back to the Commons for re-consideration, or the Lords may suggest amendments; but if the House of Commons insists on the Bills pass- ing in the form originally sent up to the Lords, then the House of Lords, not being an elected body, shall have no power to stand in the way of the wishes of the representatives of the people. That is, briefly, the contention of the Liberal party, and I shall be glad to learn what argu- ment Mr. Duckers has to urge against it.— Yours, &c., A CaLWYN BAY LIBERAL.

A Colwyn Bay Suggestion. To THE EDITOR OF THE Weekly News. Sir,—I think the authorities in this beautiful but high-rated town might have cleared the snow from the pathways early on Monday last. Luckily, the snow took itself off on Wednesday, and luckily for myself I had a pair of snow- shoes to wade through the slush on that mom- in,g.-Yours, &c., T. Colwyn Bay, 24th December, 1909.

The Lords and the Land Tax. To THE EDITOR OF THE Weekly News. Sir,—The biggest part of the United Kingdom is held, rightly or wrongly, by the large land- lords. By taxing them on the land they hold and by giving them receipts for such taxes, we acknowledge them to be the rightful owners thereof, and give them a title some of them never had before and never should have had. Before presenting the Budget to His Majesty for his signature, a clause should be added to the effect that on or before some prearranged date all landlords must deposit their title deeds, plans, maps, and any other documents relating to their lands and its situation at some public institution, such as the General Post Office or Revenue Office in their districts. Those having no title-deeds, &c., to deposit, we should conclude were holding that land which did not belong to. them; namely, the common land or people's lands, and all such lands should at once revert to the State. TitLe-deeds deposited should be thoroughly ex- amined to be sure that they were got by fair moans, not by fraud, theft, &c. We do not want to rob any man of his land if he has obtained it in an honest, straightfor- ward way, but we should once and for all pre- vent those who have taken, the people's land or those who have such land in their possession, from perpetuating the robbery that has been committed against the people. The election is close upon us; everyone should get the sixpenny edition of "Our Old Nobility." It is well and plainly written, and contains the histories of all the large landlords. If kings a little while back bad bastard sons, and robbed our forefathers of the land to give it to those sons, is that sufficient reason for our allowing their present descendants to keep that land and compel us to pay what rent they please for it? By their actions, they say to us You must have a little bit of land to live upon. Well, you can have it, but you must come to mr terms. You can have just enough to' build a brick cage upon it to live in, which you must build yourself. You must make all private im- provements and pay all taxes. You must pay me ground' rent upon lease for 60 or 09 years, and at the end of that time you must give it up to me or my descendants in good condition and without prejudice." W hat rot! What a nation of fools we are to submit to such tyranny j Let us put an. end to it at once Every elec- tor should demand from his candidate a promise to demand such a clause as suggested being added to the Budget. Ground rents and mining royalties should go to pay the taxes of the nation, and should al- ways remain State property. Land for building purposes should be let by the State upon perpetual lease, and rent should vary with the value of property. For instance, a house worth /30 per annum would pay, say, 30s. tax if its value rose to /50 the tax would rise to 50s. if its value fell to £20 the tax would fall to 20s. They say the unemployed are always with us what is the cause? Look around. On the one hand, thousands of acres of land are lying idle. On the other hand, thousands of people are starving for want of the I food that could be grown upon that land. Let us demand our rights, cultivate the land, and make it profitable and beautiful at the same time. Why do we put the unemployed to do useless labour? We have scientists who can tell us the best and most profitable cropsi to grow on this or that piece of land, what crop will pay and what will not pay. The Lords have been weighed in the balance and found wanting. Let every reader see to it that some such clause as I have suggested is urged upon his candidate, and let all editors of progressive newspapers copy the above.—I am, &c., Cardiff. LLENMIRT.

The Unionist Meeting at Colwyn Bay. To THE EDITOR OF THE Weekly News. Sir,— In attending the Conservative meeting last week I much regretted to observe that some local politicians are in danger of forgetting that to hamper a public speaker by irrelevant and sometimes abusive remarks is to the principles of free speech and fair play which are still supposed to be two of the iiitilonal virtues. Unfortunately, it appeared as if the stewards had been unable to stem the inrush of numbers of irresponsible yourths, who, anxious to air their immature wit and lack of courtesy, iruuist have brought considerable odium åill th-i, Liberals present. Sam Thompson certainly showed remark- aDiy good nature, and I would suggest to our lively amateur politicians that this should not be traded upon in future, and that if they really desire to assist the Liberal cause thev should leave legitimate questioning and hackling to those electors: who, by age and experience, are qualified to enters in it. I am glad to see that already all influential local Liberals have publicly dissociated them- selves from the discourteous, not to. say dis- graceful, conduct of lastt week, and that Sir Herbert Roberts has also publicly, through his secretary, expressed Ms d&saoproval of ihe^e methods. While we must naturally make allowance for the turbulence and excitement of a General Election, the methods referred to are entirely unnecessary, and should be discouraged by both parties, fvery speaker being given his chance and having extended to him thai courtesy of an orderly hearing which is. only fair and legiti- mate. 0 I trust that there will, not be the slightest re- peftitition of these methods of interrupting meet- ings in our district in the future, as they eeT- tanly lead to a rupture in friendly relatioits all round.—Yours, &c., Swarthmoor, E. ERNEST ELCOCK. Conway-road, Colwyn Bay,

li I 1 Choose your Gifts early. Choose them rightly." '"il') R. E. JONES & BROS. t y Respectfully invite your inspection of their CHOICE SELECTED STOCK of f\i New Year Presents and Novelties, Vi\ WHICH ARE NOW READY, { 1" CONSISTING OF V, Leather Goods. Children's Annuals. P»rses. Writing Cases, Wallets, "Bo-Peep," "Child's Own Magazine," ({ (|J Fnoto rrames, Alburns, Birthday Books, "Children's Friend," u Chatterbox," f Poets, Fountain Pens, etc. Little Folks," Prize/1 etc. j n Playing Cards. New Year Cards. I'V 11 De Lz, Rue's, Whist and Bridge Scoring I i Choice Selections; also Boxes in great and Invitation Cards. variety. MI' VI| Table Decorations. Fancy Stationery. 111 Dish and Dessert Papers, Japanese Block and Fancy Calendars (latest LI1 111 Serviettes, Ham Frills, Confetti, etc. designs.) VI'I -,1,1 DIARIES & ACCOUNT BOOKS of every description for the year 1910. i\ j Sample Books of PRIVATE GREETING CARDS sent out on » application to any address. Prices from 2s. per doz. 11 11 CALL IN NOW AND CHOOSE FOR YOURSELVES. All orders receive prompt attention. ((j I'I'I Note the Address; ( R, E. JONES & BROS., "Weekly News" Office, 7 S, STATION ROAD, ) And at ROSE HILL STREET, and COLWYN BAY. K BANGOR ROAD, CONWAY. uV

Abergele Council and their Critics. To THE EDITOR OF THE Weekly News. SIR,-NVilll you please alliaw me a small space in your paper to defend myself against the nasty remarks made by Mr. W. P. Morris and Mr. Pricihiard in the last Abergele Urban District Council about me? After a lot of ungentletmeiniy remarks from both, Mr. W. P. Morris proposed that I be asked to make my contention, good or else publicly withdraw a remark I made in St. Asaph Coun- oil, and this was agreed to. But I have heard nothing officially from the Urban District Council about the matter, only what I have seen, in the local papers. I will not withdraw, but I will easily sub- stantiiate my remarks at St. Asaph, Rural Council. Last Wednesday, I saw a few Counoilloirs at Abergele, and I asked them toi come to see my grievance. When the., came on the spot tihiey were surprised. One of them said "If it will cost us a thousand pounds we must stop it at once." It was quite amusing to watch Councillor W. Jones in sea boots carrying the Chairman on his LIEUT.-COL. C. H. DARBISHIRE, D.L., J.P., C.C. back through sewerage and water amongst the corn stacks. If Councillors W. P. Morris and Prichard were there, no journalist would ever have a chance to report any more of their speeches as there was enough water for both. The old Welsh saying is quite true Os cregin fydd yn y sach Cregin ddaw allan. Youtrs, &c., THOMAS EVANS, L Pentre Mawr Farm, Abergele. Dec. 28th, 1909.

Timely Precautions. To 1HE EDITOR OF THE Weekly News. Sir,-In connection with the. present kind of weather, I shall be very glad if you will insert this letter, and also glad if other newspapers and journals will take note of the contents as well. The birds would be rendered very timely as- sistance if every house would put out a few crumbs, &c., before the afternoon. Also, al- though I recollect very few instances of horses, cows, &c., being exposed all night without suit- able shelter in frosty or very cold weather, it is to be hoped there will be no such cases this season or any other season. Also allow me to repeat the oft-times men- tioned fact that one or more folds of good, dry, brown (or other paper, probably) placed over the cheat over flannel or other clothing provides an excellent protection against chill.—Yours, &c. HERCULES. aswt-ip" • —

The Colwyn Bay New Year's Day Eisteddfod. To THE EDITOR OF THE Weekly News. Sir,—Allow us a corner in your valuable paper to state that the following entries have been re- ceived for the above Eisteddfod —Eight choirs, three brass bands, the entries for solos, duets, penillion-singing, and recitations. tbiry-five. The harp-playing and penillion-sirij^ing com- petitions are new features, which promise to be popular items. •• To avoid any waiting at the entrance of the Pavilion, the Committe.e have issued reserved seats tickets, which are on sale at the" Weekly News" Office, Station-road, Lolwyn Bay, 2s. each. The other admission charges .ar: I Lounge, is. and 6d. body and balcony, is. Meetings to commence at one and six o'clock.— Yours, &c., T. C. DAVIES D. E. JONES, Secretaries.

Frightening the Farmers. A Story of Coercion in Wales. The Real Secret of Landlord Intolerance." There are rural districts in Wales where the whole of the farms are owned by Conservative landlords, and these landlords are sej" bigoted that tenants dare not confess their Liberalism, Lest they should be turned neck and crop out of their holdings. Right away until 1868—the year in which Liberal Wales was born—this country returned nearly all Conservative members of Parliament, who went to the House of Commons to repre- sent, not the common people," but the landed interest, the pheasants* and the hares, jrame be- ing considered more important than mere human beings. There was no voting by ballot in those days, and the poor farmer had to give his vote under the eye of the landlord or the estate agent or the clergyman, so, he dare not support the Liberal candidate. By 1S68, however, the down-trodden tenant farmers were sick off this slavery and determined to break the fetters which bound theim. In that year an important election took place—the elec- tion in which I Mr. Gladstone gained such a sweeping majo-rity-and although, for the last time, it was still a case of open votir.- the Welsh temlalllt farmers had the courage of their convictions and, knowing full well the serious consequences that would follow, dared to vote Liberal." Several Liberal candidates were re- turned, among them being Henry Richard, who proved to be the first Lloyd Gieorge. The landlords we.re furious, and revenged themselves by evictiThg a large number of tenants in. a manner familiar to those who have fol- lowed the (course of ievents in Ireland. The farmers and their families thus lost their only means of livelihood and many were forced to emigrate. IN DIG N ATI ON IN PARLIAMENT. An account of what followed is given in the splendid Life of Henry \;r.hard, M.P. by Mr. Charles S. Miall: — "When the session of 1869 was consid-etabiv advanced, says the biographer, Mr. Richard found another much-desired opportunity of serv- ing his oppressed., fellow-countrymen on the floor of the House of Commons. The landlords of the 'Principality were greatly enraged, at their defeat in the polling booth, and the language they used at their consolation banquet was, said Mr. Richard, similar to that resorted to by the assembly of defeated heroes commemorated by Milton, in his Paradise. Lotst.' But their anger was not restricted to words. That their tenants—mostly tenants at wiiI-should pre- sume to act independently in the choice of re- presentatives was unpardonable in the eyes of the territorial magnates, and without hesitation or delay they w-ere made to feel the iron hand of the owners of the soil. No less than two hundred notices of eject- ment were served, after the election, upon tenants who had dared to give Liberal votes, and some of the cases involved much cruel hard- ship. A storm of indignation arose throughout the Principality, and/ it was .-resolved by the Welsh Liberal members to bring the subject be- fore the House. To the new member for Merthyr was entrusted the responsibility of moving a resolution condemnatory of the conduct of the Welsh landlords. Mr. Richard brought forward his motion at the evening sitting of the House on Tuesday, July 8th. There was a good attendance. Facing the hon. member was a. phalanx of the very men w,hio,se offences he was aibout to expose. But with full command over himself and his mat- ei iais, and sustained by his moral courage and high patriotic purpose, he spoke for about an hour with perfect self-possession and fervid eloquence. It was felt for the first time, on both sides of the House, that Welsh Nonconformists had an adequate representative in Parliament. Th. resolution he proposed was as follows: — That in the opinion of this House the. proceed- ings of certain, landlords, in Wales towards their tenants, on account of their free exercise of the franchise at the late elections, are unprecedented unconstitutional, and an infringement of the rights conferred by Parliament upon the people of this- country.' THE SCENE AT ST. STEPHEN'S. A description of the scene in the House on the occasion of that historic debate was written scon after by Mr. Miall, M.P. (the father of the biographer), whos:at near Henry Richard. This is what he wrote — Much that Mr. Richard told to the House must have been new to. the ears of those who heard it, but simply because Wales has not, until now, sent a member fit in all respects to represent her. His description, of the political and literary sympathies of the Nonconformists, ür, in other words, the people of the Princi- pality, the depth and consistency of their pol- itical. feelings, and the extent of their reading and their education-, was listened to, we are afraid, with that sort of curious interest with which persons always listen to entirely new information. When the speaker proceeded to describe how education and political intelligence had spread amongst the people, but how the landlords could not, or would not, understand this, he hit iipon what we believe to be the real secret of land- lord. intolerance. l,oT if we were to get at the hearts of these men we should,, no doubt, find them to be very 'little different from our own. But their feelings have been warped out of their normal course by the fact that they have, for many generations past, and until very recently, stood in a position in all respects superior to that of their tenants. Just now, we imagine, these positions are re-Tersed, The statements of the member for Merthyr, given as they were with names, dates, and every proof of authenticity and truthfulruess, with no violence of manner, tone or temper—any of which would, under the circumstances, be ex- cusable—made a singular impression. Those on th Liberal benches who- sat around Mr. Richard very soon acquired confidence, not only in his strength, but in his case, while those who sat opposite were dismayed by the marshalled array of evidence which was brought forward against them. The speaker could well afford to be moderate. INSULT ADDED TO INJURY. "As he detailed case .after case of almost un- paralleled cruelty, as 'he told of conscience be- ing overborne, of homes deserted, of fortunes lost, of the fruit of industry being thrown away, an .indignarut spirit arose. "Onoe there was an attempt to sneer him down. This was when the speaker described how stalwart .men, who. were compelled to leave their homes, had been seen with tears in their eyes. Then the base and hardening influence of harsh and base actions was seen,; for the recited excited in "he Opposition, not disgust, nothing but jeering laughter. C When Mr. Richard sat down, it was felt that he had won his case. The Welsh landlords who rose to speak in opposition had nothing substantial to say in their defence. The moral sense of the House was against them, and they spoke perhaps, even wexflse itihsan 'they usually QpeaJ-c. It was not necessary to- push the resolu- tion to' a division." THE MEMBERS FOR DENBIGHSHIRE. Ihen Mr. Charles Miall, the biographer, proceeds: The honourable member for Merthyr was well sunnorted in the debate by his Welsh col- leagues. Fo-reanost amongst them was Mr. Os- borne Morgan, who seconded the resolution, and who, while exonerating Sir Watkin Wynn (representing Denbighshire with himself) from undue influences, siuppJemenfced his friend's staite-inents with regard to Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire, remarking that while nine landlords out of ten in Wales were. Conserva- tives, ninety-nine out of every hundred tenants Liberals. Mr. Leatham, Colonel Stepney, and Mr. E. M. Richards effectively supported the motion by citing cases of oppression that had occurred in other counties; but perhaps no one did more to show the necessity of the motion than Mr. Charles Wynn, a thorough-going Landlord, who said that if Churchmen were Conservative the Obvious course for a Conservative landlord wais to let his farm to none but Churchmen. Mr. Bruce, tihe Home Secretary, was very complimentary to. his honourabLe friend the mover of the resolution, who had, he said, made a powerful and remarkable speech, and had proved that there were cases of great hardship, and that injury and iloss had been inflicted, on Welsh tenants in the most open; manner, and in flagrant violation of wb,a,t was just and honour- able as between man and man* But he hoped Mr. Richard would be satisfied with the result already obtained. This appeal cou4d not be resisted, and the motion was withdrawn. Its immediate effect was :the abandonment of a large number of the threatening notices of the landlords. The intimidation practised by Welsh land- lords became one of the chief topics of news- I paper comments, nearly all the Liberal journals, even the most moderate, strongly condemning the oppressive acts exposed by Mr. Richard Aid his colleagues, pointing to the Ballet as the most effectual remediy, and hinting also of the need of a Tenant Right Bill for W.ale2c. At that time there was a Select Committee ,sitting to take evidence as to the prooeedino-s at elections, which eventuadly reported in favour of secret voting. The -country had not long to wait be- fore this remedy was formally proposed. Mr. W. E. Foster, in 1871, brougnt in the Govern- ment Ballot Bill, and it was carried through both branches of the Legislature, though in a somewhat mutilated form. MONEY FOR THE VICTIMS. In the autumn of the same year (1869) the question of the relations of Welsh landlords and ienaurs assumed a more practicil form. It was thought necessary that a fund should be started with a view to provide compensation to tenants who, at great pecuniary sacufice, had been obliged to give up their farms. With this view a Committee was formed, andj Mr. John Griffith ("Gohebydd")—ait ardent Welsh politician.—undertook to organise an as- sociation for the purpose, with. the active a,s- sistance of Mr. Richard and Mr E. M. Richards. Assessors were appointed to ascertain the losses in each county. They made their reoort to a general Conference held at Aberystwyth on November 16th, delegates having been appointed throughout North and South Wales during the preceding week. There was a very influential and crowded attendance at the Conference. Few Liberal M.P.'s were present. hut. most of them sent a"n roving letters, and Mr. E. M. Richards presided. The first resolution was moved by Mr. Samuel Morl-ey, M.P.. who all through had shown the greatest interest in the moveimein/t; and a subsequent, one was proposed by Mr. Richard, who was received with several rounds of applause. It proposed that a Guarantee Fund of /20.000 should be raised, by means of subscrip- tions and by collections in every chapel in the Principality, not only with a view td compensate sufferers, but to restrain those, who- were dis- posed to trample on the consciences of their fellow-men,. The object Mr. Richards had in view in suggesting collections in Wales was that his countrymen might show that, iÍn the first instance, they were prepared to help them- selves. 'In the course of his address- he in- dignantly referred to the slanders upon the Non- conformist ministers of Wales which were then rife in the Tory papers, and expressed his pro- found sy,map,thy and earnest hope that in con- nection with this work of charity the pulpit would not be converted into a stage for political declamation. The Conference appointed com- mittees for the respective counties-, and several donations of £ 1,000 each were promised. "At an overflow meeting in the evening, pre- sided: over by Mr. John Roberts, of Liverpool, Mr. Motley expressed! his profound sympathy with the tenants who had suffered for having harped to give the leading statesman of Europe— one of the most sincere, enlightened, and earnest men in England '—so- large a majority in the House of Commons. This vigorous movement was not confined to Wales. There were great meetings in Liverpool and Manches- ter. and an influential committee was formed in London to: promote the eviction fund, with Mr. Morgan .Lloyd for treasurer, followed by a final meeting at the Hanover-square Rooms in February, 1870; Mr. Richard, Mr. E. M. RiiCJiards, Mr. Sergeant Parry, and Mr. Osborne Morgan, being the chief speakers."

__0_- Tariff Reform Methods. The tactics of Tariff Reform advocates are shown up in the annual report of the Angle- sea Liberal Association :— The Protectionists continue to spend money like water in advocating the claims of Tariff Re- form. The Bermondsey election, where the successful candidate failed to secure a clear maj- ority of the electorate, showed the need for the alternative vote or for some reform in our system of representation, and illustrated the specious character of the Tariff Reform argument. At Bermondsey the Protectionist boldly advocated a tax on foreign leather, so as to catch the votes of the tanners. The same speaker would never dare to go to Leicester or Northampton to advo- cate a tax on foreign leather to the bootmakers there. Here we have the weakness and the fall- acy of the Protectionist argument in a nutshell. Their arguments change to meet the demands of each district, and they confine their attention at each place to the special cry which they think will catch the electors of the district in which they are speaking." ¿, 1" l

maker that he may now have the chance of di- verting his energies in other channels or get back to the land and cultivate a cabbage patch. I also know of shrewd commercial men who are vicious Free Traders. Why? Because their warehouses are in this country and their fac- tories abroad. To them Fiscal Reform is a perpetual nightmare. A tax on their foreign goods would create a revival of that particular industry in this country, and they would have to fairly meet their competitors on this side, so that alii ideas of grab and profit are not confined to Tariff Reformers, and there is often more be- hind the statement of Free Traders than they will honestly admit. They generally prefer I blaming the other side with their own failing. I quote no mass of figures, neither have I any conundrums in percentages or figures .to offer. The plain everyday evidence is enough for the man who will see. When. men place ranges of goods before you of which they were once the manufacturers, but now simply the importers, or, in other words, the salesmen of the foreigner, when one sees foreign goods on the shelves or displayed by retailers great and small and gradually taking up the space which formerly represented home manufactures, there is some- thing wrong, someone is unemployed and wants another man's job. Still, our Free Trade politicians say all this s very good, and men like Alderman Hickson,, whom Mr. Thomson, quotes, defy the world and reckon to beat all comers. This is a very Larsre order, and is very much like treating your com- petitor with supreme contempt, which is bad business policy, for the simple reason, whether orur foreign rivals have reached us yet or not need not be argued that they mean to. do so is evident, and there are plenty of men abroad as shrewd and clerver, if not more so, than the President of the Northampton Boot Manufac- turers' Association or anyone else who indulges is similar bombastic twaddle. A competitor who is in earnest, I do not care whether at pre- sent he only imports [100 annually of similar wares to our own, wants watching keenly, for unless he is, he has a very .strange habit of growing quickly. At the present moment the wage-earner has a big loaf held so near his eyes that it looks twice the size and obscures his vision. Some day, like the Bermondsey tanners, he will find his particular trade slipping abroad and the likelihood of purchasing a loaf of any size gradually diminishing. Like the tanners, he will then want a change also he will view the big loaf at a more reasonable distance, only to find it no larger than the one sold at the same price in protected countries. Apologising for trespassing so gre Iatlv OIn your valuable space.—Yours, &c., J. F. W. C olwyn Bay, 24th December, 1009.