The Rhondda Leader

High Church The High Church Papers papers of a week ago and the make curious read- Education Bill. ing. They are in- tensely angered at the application of the Cowper-Temple clause to the schools and colleges provided by the local authority. The weakness of the High Church party in the House of Commons has never been laid bare with such effect as during the debate on 'this Bill. The Church Times" says: The miserable weakness of Churchmen comes out very clearly in the debates on the Education Bill. What might have proved a measure that attempted to do something like jus- tice to Church schools, is in process of being transformed into one that will per- petuate the worst grievances, of which we have had to complain in the past. The Government is so manifestly suffering from panic, and so priest-ridden by Dissenting sacerdotalists, that at any moment we may expect to see it, transform its Educa- tion Bill into a measure for establishing universal undenominationalism in all the schools of the country, voluntary or other- wise." Another Church paper, "The Pilot," is just as angry. The establish- ment of undenominationalism. the pro- scription of all religious teaching, which is associated with any known Christian society, is made universal. The one great vice of the Act of 1870 is not only per- petuated by the Bill of 1902, but it is made to cover the whole field of State education. The result, is a fair sample of what the Church has to expect from the present Government and the present authority. They are in reality her worst enemies. We prefer to say plainly that we hope the Bill will be de- feated. At the moment this may seem > dream that can never come true. But the chapter of accidents may yet have surprises in store; and until the Royal Assent has been given, we shall not despair of seeing what has bee Jim < thoroughly bad Education Bill meet the fate it deserves." All this, furtoi s pro- test is made against simple Scriptural teaching. The dogmas of the High Church party are the only reaiiy leligious twehing in their estimation. One Ohm oil- man, in a very simple manner, said that the Bible does not readily lend itself to teaching the dogmas of the party. When I we find the organs of the Church of Eng- land speaking in this strain about the Educatipn Bill, and the recent concessions made in the course of the Bill through i the House, it must give us pause. The Bill must be cutting both ways. The power of Nonconformists has been felt at every stage, and unless further concessions 1 are granted, the Nonconformists can make it unworkable. Men like Dr. Parker, Rev. H. Price Hughes, Dr. Clifford and Pro- fessor Massie have said that they will not pay rates: and one of the members for Manchester—Mr. Peel-lias said that they must go to> prison or pay the rates. If these men go to prison, they can then claim to be in the true apostolic succession. In 1700, Dissenters in comparison to Churchmen were as one in twenty-two in 1800, they were as one to eight; in 1900, they were as one to one if not in a majority. Nonconformists were a great power in the past, although in such a minority. It will be a disgrace to their progeny if they cannot make themselves felt. now.

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Louis Goldstein LOUIS GOLDSTEIN, Dunraven Street, Tonypandy, is still buying Ladies' and Gentlemen's Left-ofl Clothing for Export; also Second-hand Furniture highest prices given. OR SALK.—A Splendid SIDKBOAKP; ly,62 10s. Bevelled Glass Fronts.— LOUIS GOLDSTEIN, Dunraven St., Tony- pandy. OUIS GOLDSTEIN'S lie(.[, Bolster and JLJ Pillow, complete for 8/9. Dunraven Street, Tonypandy. 1019

Federation Meeting at Porth. The monthly meeting of the No. 1 (Rhondda) District of the Miners' Federa- tion was held on Monday at the Imperial Hotel, Porth, Mr. Harries, Tylorstown, presiding. Mr. Watts Morgan dealt at length with the dispute at Marcly Col- lieries respecting the screening of coal and the refusal of the management, to receive the checkweighers as a deputation- The award made by Mr. Hood and Mr. Abraham on the screening Question was carried out for some time, but the manage- ment had resorted to the old system, with the result that the men absented them- selves from work as a protest. Deputa- tions had waited upon the management, and he (the speaker) had warned them that if the award were not adhered to the workmen would probably takei the case into their own hands. The refusal to receive the checkweighers brought the matter to a deadlock. The question was then referred to the Executive Council, and when the management refused to meet a deputation from the Goupcil, they were told that if they continued dping so, the workmen would probably beaiven support, and that the strike would be coiitinued oil the checkweighers' question withput re- gard to the screening pf the coal. Tfra management subsequently suggested that the matter be relegated to the Sliding Scale Committee, but as it had already been before that body, the Council did not feel justified to ask the workmen to agree to this, and decided to give them permis- sion to tender notices upon both questions should they decide to make an application to that effect. The men had been idle for ten days, and acting upon the advice of the Council, resumed work and decided to ask for permission to tender notices. The Council, though in full sympathy with the men, could not, grant financial support to them, but he had since received a letter from the workmen asking for support from the district. For a long time, he added, much dissatisfaction and a good deal 01 irritation had been caused at Mardy, es- pecially since the establishment of the lIst. of prices for the Bute seam. After a brief discussion the ar'olication for support was referred to the collieries. Upon a division, it was decided to send only two representatives to the annual Trades Congress in September. The Chairman and another delegate rw ported that their audit of the accounts of the Cambrian Lodges, Clydach Vale, dur- ing the strike showed that the money had been spent in accordance with the rules, and that the local officials were justified ti in the steps they had taken.

Tonypandy. The large plate glass window of Messrs- Gibbon & Co., Pandy Square, was on Thurs- day evening completely wrecked by a horse and dray, which, failing to stop on its way down from Clydach Vale, crashed into it. On Saturday, the horse and cart of Mr. II. Quaint, greengrocer, Tonypandy, by some means ran into the shop window of Mr. Bees, butcher, Clydach Vale, smashing the pane aIJ< doing damage to about 25 pounds of meat- Owing to severe injuries the horse will veiy probably have to be destroyed.

DALE, FORTY, & CO. for PIANOS AND ORGANS, FULLY ILLUSTRATED LISTS FRJJE on application Special and Liberal Discounts for Oash, or Payments arranged for 1, 2 or 3 years Tl A T <TT! TTOTJTV AV /t Dealers in and Importers ofa't xXj-J-Li j A v/Al;JL JL Oy Vy'vJ#} kinds of Musical Merchandise* High Street & Castle Arcade, CARDIFF. gSli

At the conclusion of 1 Why a Strike P the strike in the South Wales coal trade in 1898, an agreement was signed that the Sliding Scale should remain in force until January 1st, 1903, and thenceforward, un- less six months' notice to terminate the agreement be given. As the first Sliding Scale agreement was signed in 1875, this system has been in existence in that coal- field for a period of twenty-seven years. The colliers have long desired to abandon this automatic regulation of wages in ac- cordance with the average selling price of coal, and the South Wales and Monmouth- shire Miners' Federation have given six months' notice to the employers to ter- minate the Sliding Scale agreement, sub- stituting therefor proposals providing for a conciliation board with an independent chairman, and for a minimum wage of 40 per cent. and maximum of 70 per cent. above the standard of 1879. The character of these demands may be extensive, but we fail to see why an amicable arrange- ment cannot be effected. In the event of selling prices falling so low that the 40 per cent. minimum could not possibly be adhered to without incurring ruinous losses, we do not suppose the workmen would turn a deaf ear to reason, and really the question of fixing highest and lowest wage rates should not cause serious diffi- culty. Some of the leading newspapers (says the Science and Art of Mining) affect to see in the proposal to establish a Conciliation Board reasons for an outbreak of hostilities. The course of reasoning is none too clearly defined. Conciliation Boards do not usually lead to friction. Rather, they have been found to work beneficially in coal districts outside the Principality, and calm, statesmanlike de- liberation and arrangement should lead to a solution of the problem satisfactory to both parties. These Boards, and thp in- creasing competition of other countries, will ultimately bring the employer and the employed closer together, and reduce the probabilities of recurring conflict be- tween capital and labour. Then the em- ployer will take a more active interest in those he employs, and those who labour will regard it their duty to do their best to give a good return to those who employ them. -:0:- Swindling is not so Light Weights uncommon as it might and be among persons False Measuresusing weights and measures in London. It appears that the total number of unjust weight and measure appliances seized by the London County Council during the last twelve months was 63,950. We learn from an article in the Royal" that it requires the persistent efforts of ninety- one inspectors to limit the possibilities of the various appliances being tampered with. And it must not be concluded that all the shopkeeping rogues are brought to book some succeed in evading Nemesis for years. If eventually caught, their only punishment for the first two offences is being mulcted in a comparatively small fine—which, considering all things, they can well afford. The dodges of the dis- honest shopkeepers to evade detection are seemingly without limit. The collection of seized appliances includes a machine once used for weighing tea. To the customers' side. of the scales a string was attached, running down a hollow socket and through a hole in the counter, a weight being fastened to, the end of the string. The weight could be supplemented by a pull of the shopman's fingers when

considered necessary! A particular point about this contrivance was that the string could be detached at a moment's notice on the advent of the L.C.C. inspector. Among other devices which may be men- tioned is a dial scale which favoured a marine-store dealer either in buying or selling. The registering hand was so fitted as to move backward or forward by a touch of the finger. In buying goods, the ingenuous proprietor naturally kept the dial register low in selling he merely, with a casual and unobserved touch of his forefingers upon the back of the dial, pushed the hand on a few points. But, as we have said, the ingenuity of the dis- honest, trader knows no bounds.