Llais Llafur

op,. 1 Castle and Temple Streets, j SWANSEA. + .Aa. 1 Id. THOMAS I 1 Jeweller, r Has REMOVED to temporary premises at f r I 26a Castle Street I t -———- ? t + F I Absolute Clearance of all Stock i I Great Reductions in every t i Department I  ,??,????<??«.??*????<?**<?*<??*?<??*??????**<t??*<??*<?**<?**?**<??*< r t v '1 Gymry, Cofiwch am y Cyrpo. t

Drym Mountain Ownership WHAT COUNCILLOR S. J. THOMAS THINKS. Councillor S. J. Thomas, Gurnos, writes as follows :-In reference to the paragraph which appeared in "Llais Llafur" last week dealing with owner- ship of Drym Mountain, in which Coun- ..cillor D. R. Morgan stated that he had discovered that Palleg had been sold to the Tredegar family in 1739, I would a.sk Mr Morgan from whom did the Tre- degar family buy it? Thos. Morgan, of Tredegar Park, who died in 1674 was the descendant of Llewelyn Ap Ivor. His son was Wm. Morgan who is reputed to have been the builder of Tredegar House. Wm. Morgan married the only daughter of a great Breconshire landowner by the name of Wm. Morgan, of Dderw, near Brecon, and that was how the Breconshire estates were brought into the family of Sir Mor- gan Ap Meredith. The Drym Mountain :e.rid the Paeg and the Forest of Brecon are separate estates. Councillor David Lewis pointed out that the ground rent of the Half-way Public UtoA", wa paid mi Vestry Day aif the Yniscedwyn 'Arms Hotel, and he further mentioned that the rent was paid; to the Rector of Ystradgynlais. That is not correct. The rent was paid to the warden of the Parish, and they after- wards distributed, it amongst the poor. Mr Lewis stated that the Commoners re oeived the rent now. Who are these people? If they are rated above 28, the rent does not belong to them, so that if justice were done the rent money should be handed over to the chairman of the Parish Council. If this were done the mjoney might be placed in the bank and allowed to accumulate for some com- mon purpose. Then there is the rents for the telegraph poles crossing the Drym Mountain. Who receives this ? At least, a nominal rent of Is. per pole should be paid. The people who get the cream of the Drym Mountain are the few farmers. In the "old days'' the rent was paid by the distribution of 50 pints of beer from the Half-way House, but that custom has died. I do not think that Mr John Dyfrig Owen is quite correct when he states that his father received assistance from the late rector, the Rev. Walter Williams, derived from money received from the Drym Mountain. I believe that the Revs. Timothy Davies, Walter Williams, Thos. Walters, E. L. D. Glanley never re- ceived a single penny from the Drym. For many years Joseph Claypon, Esq., paid to the parishoners of Ystradgyn- lais in r espect of wayleaves over the Drym. The Rev. Walter Wiliams had no control over the money, but it is true that he did help the poor by giving hundreds of pounds to the poor out of his own funds, and was assisted in this charitable work by R. D. Gough, Esq., of Yniscédwyn House. There were in those days, jnany charitable minded people, and amongst them might be mentioned the late Wm. Watkins, of Tymawr, Aber- Geo. -Graixe, aird Patrick Moir, of yHissdedwyn Iron Works. All good men in their day." »»

There is so small a demand for silk hats in Blackpool that one local out- fitter is offering a portion of his stock at 6. each. A local auctioneer who had some to dispose of knocked them down at 2d. each They were quite new and clean, and marked at 15s.

PONTARDAWE and ALLTWEN GLEANINGS [BY BIRKS.] "Let the soldier be abroad if he will, he can do nothing in this age; there is another personage perhaps insignifi- cant. The schoolmaster is abroad and I trust to him, armed with his primer, against the soldiers in full military array. "—Lord Brougham, 1828. In addition to the schoolmaster, other teachers have been in action—working conditions. Hence, to-day, an injury to one is looked upon as an injury to all, and 1,000 ,men are idle at Pontardawe, in consequence. "Beneath the rule of men entirely great, The pen is' mightier than the sword. —Lord Lytton. There were stirring times in Pontar- dawe on Saturday, and rarely, if ever, has a Saturday night audience demon- strated such a spirit of earnestness as was observed in the Public Hall. There was plain speaking and quiet at- tention—but the fires were working underneath. Speaking to members of the All Saints' Church Choir, Mr F. W. Gilbertson is said to have stated that the present strike has been caused by the action of those least able to lead the men. Mr Gilbertson knows, or at least ought to know perfectly well, that the men are NOT in any way responsible for the pre- sent state of affairs. Perhaps, after he has read the report of last Saturday evening's meeting he also will admit that such is the, case. Of course, now that it has happened, everybody agrees that hydrants should have been provided years ago—yet up to recently the Council opposed the pro- posal in fact some of the councillors laughed at the idea. Faithful to their system, the Council remained in a wise and masterly is i- activity in so far as the provision of fire appliances and hydrants were concerned. More than 12 months ago, as reported in this column, Mr Josiah Griffiths raised the matter of providling hydrants at Allt- wen at a meeting of the Chamber of Trade. In the frivolous work of polished idle- ress the Chamber of Trade compares favourably with the Council-in things that matter. Had the suggestion made by Mr Griffiths been acted upon, the members of the Alltwen and Pontardawe Co- operative Society would have held their quarterly meeting on Wednesday night. Considering that the Cray Water Sup- ply Mains run through Pontardawe the failure to have the necessary fire ap- liances handy amounts almost to oriminal negligence. Suppose a fire occurs in High street, Herbert street, Tawe terrace, or any- where where there is a length of build- ings—how many buckets will have to be requisitioned to carry watteir in order to save the street ? The death occurred at Briton Ferry on Saturday, of Mrs. Bibbs, an old native of Llanguicke. The interment took place at St. Peter's on Wednesday. The death occurred at Ynismeudwy on Sunday of the wife of Mr Thomas Davies, tinworker. Deceased ha.d been in in- different health for some time. Recently her son met with a serious accident,and the shock of hearing of it undoubtedly hastened her end. The funeral took place at Alltwen on Thursday. Playing against Ammanford on Satur- day, Pontardawe returned beaten by two converted tries to nil. At the Works Institute on Monday, Harry Bevan made a 44 break. On Tues- day he secured a 51 break. At the Public Institute., Wm. Thomas scored a 81 break on Friday. Fifty and 60 breaks are becoming monotonous. At the Pontardawe Registry Office on Saturday the marriage was solemnized between Mr James Adams, of Quarr rdi, and Miss Catherine Ann Williams, of Church Street. Mr S. J. Edmunds gave the bride away. This is the first wedding that has taken placei at the new office. Playing against Morriston at the Mag- net Hall on Monday evening, Pontar- dawe Institute were defeated by 100 points the games resulting as follow Pontardawe. Morriston. 138 H. Jones E. G. Nagg 200 200 W. Ivor Jones J. Morris 178 60 J. W. Lewis M. Jones 200 200 A. Clatworthy J. Grey 124 155 C. Thomas D. B. Thomas 200 200 E. Edwards D. R. Morgan..174 165 H. Davies Ed. John 200 100 A. Phillips B. Howells 42 1218 1318 The Rev. T. E. Waters, of Swansea, late of the Isle of Atnglesea, was inducted on Thursday last, as pastor of Mount Elim Chapel. Dr. Gomer Lewis, Swansea, was assisted by a large number of local ministers who delivered addresses. In the evening sermons were preached by Dr. Lewis and the Rev. Fred Morgan, when there was a large congregation. THE STRIKE The dispute at unDertson s, which has been described by some contemporaries as a. "one man strike" is still unsettled, and there is a livelihood that the pre- sent deadlock w-ill last for some time. Acting upon a resolution passed at the mass m eeting on Saturday evening, the secretary of the Industrial Council com- municated with Messrs. Gilbertson, and a reply was received to the effect that the firm could not deal with the, matter, but that Mr Clement, secretary of thel Employers' Association, would deal with the dispute on behalf of the firm. The Dockers' Union have taken the matt-or up, and Mr Hughes, the local or- ganizer, addressed the members of the affected branch on Tuesday, when a cer- tain line of action was decided upon. The men claim that, be fore recoirimencing work, they should have an undertaking from the firm that the question, relating, to seniority shall be conceded that the summonses which have been issued shall be withdrawn, and that the money stopped at the office in connection with' the dispute shall be refunded. On- Wednesday evening the Industrial Council met, and discussed the situation, and after bearing reports from the branches it was unanimously decided to call a mass meeting for Thursday after- noon to be held at the Pavilion. The whole of the men employed at I Gilbertsons' are not affected by the dis- piite, as both the new works and the ittel works are still busy. It is stated that some of the men employed at the new work? hav?- becUl approached br official.-?, and asked to load plates from the galvanizing department, but that the men refused to do so. I understand that the Steelsmelter's Union intend claiming damages from the firm in respect of the whole of the mem- bers of No. 2 Branch of the Stoolsmelters who were, it is alleged, stopped without sufficient notice. The summonses issued by the firm againsct certain employees in the galvanizing department are down for hearing at the Police Court to-day, but whether the same will bet proceeded with by the employers or an adjournment asked for by representatives of the men is not yet (at the time of writing) known. The men are solid, and are receiving moral and practical support from mem- bers of the Dockers' Union on the Swan- .a Docks. It is likely that the dispute will spread, but in what direction it is not definitely decided. Undoubtedly, the men are out to win, as the principle at stake is a most important one. THE PALACE ,I iVliss V Na ijeii, singer and dancer, nas pleased large audiences at the Palace, Herbert street, this wefek, and Sidney Brinn, ragtime singer and dancer, has kept the audiences in good humour. The pictures have been excellent and have been thoroughly enjoyed. Next week Giltans Comedy Duo and Fred Rodgers, comedian, should draw the crowd. That great picture "Through the clouds" has be-en exclusively engaged, and will prove a b ig draw. The picture is full of sen- sational incidents. One of the incidents shown is that. of a young lady actually jumping from an aeroplane on to the guide rope of a balloon suspended 3,000 feet in the air! The pictures tells a great detective story, and should not be missed. W. A. WILLIAMS, Phrenologist, can be consulted daily at the Victoria Arcade (near the Market). Swansea

Schoolboys at Football I SWANSEA VALLEY v. SWANSEA I SCHOOLBOYS. This Saturday morning teams repre- senting Swansea Schoolboys and Swan- sea Valley League Schoolboys will turn out at the Recreation Ground, Pontar- dawe, and a really good game is expec- ted. The following team will represent the Swansea Valley League Full-back, G Davies (H.E.); three-quarters, J. Davies (Cwmgorse) 0. Morgan (Cwmgorse) Capt. Emrys Williams (Alltwen), and D. M. Jones (Alltwen); half-backs, H. Jones (Pontardawe), and Griff. Jones (Alltwen); forwards, Tom Evans (H.E.), A. Jones (Pontardawe) 1. Davies (H.E.) E. Williams (Pontardawe), L. G. Hodge (Trebanos), T. G. Williams (Alltwen); E Gale (Pantteg), and E. Bodycombe (Pant- teg). It depends upon the manner in which the members of the above team play whether they will be represented in the team s elected to play for Wales against England at Swansea, on March 14th. They are out to give Swansea a good game on Saturday, and it will be sur- prising if at least half-a-dozen of the Swansea Valley boys do not obtain the much coveted distinction of winning in- ternational caps.

The Revival of Roller Skating being now an accomplished fact THE L.B. SKATING RINK, PONTARDAWE, WILL BE OPEN EACH EVENING, MONDAY TO SATURDAY (Inclusive) From January 6th, 1914, from 7.30 to 10.P.M. DANCING ON SKATES EVERY THURSDAY EVENING. Admission and Skates, Sixpence. Late 'buses leave for Morriston, Neath and Ystalyfera each evening. Late trains on Saturdays for Swansea at 10.10 p.m., and Ystalyfera, Gwys, and Brynamman at 11.30 p.m. An Ideal Floor and Beautiful Music. PUBLIC HALL PONTARDAWE. Thursday Evening, Feb. 19, 1914 Grand Miscellaneous Concert by the Pontardawe R)ale Voice partp Conducted by Mr. DAVID DANIEL, Assisted by the following Star Artistes MISS CARRIE LANCELEY (The Famous Australian Soprano), MR. JOHN COATES (The Great English "Caruso"), MR. POWELL EDWARDS (The Popular Welsh Baritone), MR. GEORGE KENDALL (The Celebrated Elocutionist and j Humourist), At the Piano, Mr. T. J. DAVIES, A.R.C.O. Chairman: F. W. GILBERTSON, Esq., J."9. Admission, Reserved and Numbered, 5s. and 38: Unreserved QE. and Is. Concert to oom- menee at 7.30. Seats may be booked and tickets ob- tained from members of the choir, or from the secretary,- W. THOMPSON DAVIES, Grove-road, Pontardaw*. BOOK EARLY.

THE FIRE FIEND AT PONTARDAWE Alltwen Co-operative Stores Gutted WHY THE BUILDING COULD NOT BE SAVED. "It's our shop that's on fire" wm a remark made by an old ludy at the top of Alltwen Hill, on Monday night, and, she added,, "It's our food that is burning." And yet hundreds of joint owners, of the large stores belonging to the Alltwen and P,utard,swe Co-operative Society situate at the top of Alltwen Hill were power- less to lend the -slightest assistance in subduing a fire which destroyed thousands of pounds worth of their property. Owing to the deplorable fact that the district possesses no up-to-date fire- appliances, and that there are no hydrants connected with the mains it was impossible to pour sufficient water upon the burning stock before the fire had obtained a thorough hold. Mr Richard Walters, the capable and respected manager of the stores left the building about 10 p.m. on Monday, and everything appeared to be safe. Shortly afterwards Mrs. Rosser Davies, news- agent, was leaving her shop when she de- tected that something was burning, and she turned back to her own shop. Find- ing there was nothing wrong she again locked up the shop, and then noticed that smoke was issuing from the stores opposite. She immediately raised the alarm, and Messrs. Gerson Thomas and Tom Sutton proceeded to the stables and liberated the, two horses. In the mean- time, a large. number of people had con- gregated, and the front door was broken down, and all kinds of receptacles were brought to the scene of the fire, and plenty of willing helpers were anxious to assist in extinguishing the flames, but in a few minutes the volume of smoke was so dense that it was impossible to get near the building. Attempts made to throw water on the building were futile. An attempt was made to obtain the books from the upstairs room, which is used as an office, but the police, who were quickly on the scene, under In- spector David and Sergeant Wood, con- sidered the risk too great, and would not allow the building to be entered. By the time a ladder was placed in position the fire had obtained such a. hold that it was humanly impossible to enter the building. The police, however, had difficultv in keeping the crowd back, many of whom were anxious to make efforts to save some of the stock. The fixe is believed to have commenced in the basement, where a large quantity of oil, lard, butter and similar highly combustible articles were stored, and it is thought that rats were the responsible agents for the outbreak. The building was over-run with rodents, and it is assumed that the rats must have gnawed some matches1, and thus started the fire. Immediately the dcors and wWlcws were broken down, causing a draught, the flames issued from the basement with such fury that there was no hope of gaining access to the building. For hours the crowd, composed of people drawn from all parts of the district, steed near the place in helpless attitude, whilst the sky was illuminated for miles, and the fire was easily seen at Abercrave and from other parts of the Valley. For hours the flames from the burning building were a menace to the surround- ing houses, and people living in the ad- joining cottages sought shelter in neigh- bour's houses to which th*y carried their children. After the T fell in the nre. somewhat subsided, b it was still smouldering on Thursday morning. Nearly everything had been destroyed, and even a huge stock of hardware was rendered absolutely useless, although some of the residents in the vicinity were allowed to remove some of the damaged articles. A new bacon slicing machine valued at L40 was rendered useless, and a cash register till, worth £ 80, was also destroyed and the total damage to the building, and destruction of stock must amount to many thousands of pounds, and probably the total loss may not be covered by £ 4.000, as the building an stock were only partially insured. A safe, containing important documents was saved, and, fortunately the contents were found to be intact. Al- though many of the books were destroyed, copies of almost everything exist, so that there will be little difficulty exper- ienced in preparing a statement of the loss. Of course, seme time will necess- arily elapse before everything is pla-ced in working order, but. with the co-opera- tion of the members this will be rendered much more easy. With admirable promptitude, the com- mittee and officials decided to use part of the drapery establishment situated in the centre of Allt-wen Hill as a grocery de- partment, and stock for the purpose was quickly obtained from the Pontardawe stores, so that Alltweai members were but little inconvenienced as a, result of the fire, despite the fact that the stock in the burned building was probably the largest in any similar stores in South Wales. Mr H. L. Wanrrsn, of the C.W.S. has placed his services at the disposal of the Society, and is rendering yeoman assistance. W The quarterly general meeting should have been held on Wednesday evening, but this has been postponed, until some- thing definite is known of the position of the Society, ajid a full report will be placed before the members at the earliest opportunity. • • » « »

W. A. WILLIAMS. Phrenologist, can be consulted daily at the Victoria Arcade (near the Market), Swansea. Welsh Flannel and Wool Stores LONGTON HOUSE, Herbert St., Pontardawe. Stockings Re-footed on the Shortest Notice. !0d. per pair. Post Free Send for patterns and price lists for all kinds of Wool and Fla.nnel. Note Address- J. W. MORGAN, Pontardawe & Seven Sisters. GRAND theatre SWANSEA. 1 Lessees The Exors. of the late Mr. F. Mouillot. Resident Manager Mr. T. Byrne. Monday, February 2nd, 1914 For Six Nights at 7-30, and Matinee-Saturday, Feb, 7th, 1914 At 2-30. Personal Visit of PERCY HUTCHISON in £ | Personal V.s)t of PERCY HUTCHISON in  OFFICER 666 A Farce by Augustin MacHugh. ) recede I by The Drums or Oude An Episode of tli,- Indian Mutiny of 1857. Week commencing February 9th- I MOODY MANNERS OPERA CO. USUAL PHICES Seats reserved by telephone and not paid for cannot be kept after the advertised time of commencing the play OLYMPIC MA4) ?Fopo ST., \f??ITj VI MiViPtTi.f ? \fyTiNjL? FIjiMVijA ML) SWA.NSEA. Resident Manager Mr. Arthur Eldon. Continuous Performance, 7 to 10-30 p.m. LioorS open, 6-30 At Every Performance during the Week, The Vivaphone iSinyinif Picture TO-NIGHT, a Grand Two-Part "I.ubin" Drama- THE RENUNCIATION And our usual Interesting Series of Pictures. Trams Pass the Doors. Prices-3d., 6d., and Is. 'ant A I App ?C?:r'??:rt Street jLmwALJAC*O'E J Proprietor Mr. Rowland Williams. The House of Unrivalled Merit. Entire change of programme twice a week. Renowned for Star Pictures and First Class Varieties. Popular Prices: 3d., 6d. and 9d.  ]PREMIERIan t ?t??aB?SNb<at?BjrM Y S? A L YFERA_ Proprietors Messrs. Mathias & Evans Mauager Mr. Temple Evans The only All-Star Picture H,,ti.e in the Vajicv. CHANGE OF PROGRAMME MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS. Tip-up Chairs in every part of the Building. Pictures absolutely Flicker k-ss. The Hall is properly Heated and Ventilated. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30th and 31st— GREAT ALL-STAR PROGRAMME, including THE GIRL AND THE GANGSTER (Pathe), and BRITilMNTIOOS A magnificent Coloured Feature Film dealing with the Life of Nero. Superb Setting. Finest Spectacular Film seen in Wales. NEXT WEEK'S ATTRACTION— Git A NDMO Til EltS L A MP Full of real human interest and thrilling scenes. Prices 0f Adnilsslon-3(i., 6d. and gd. Matinee every Wednesday Morning for ightrneu. MATINEE FOR CHILDREN ON SATURDAY AT 2-30 Prices for Children—id. and 2d. Full Programme. AUCKLAND'S Ltd., The Largest Boot & ghoe Merchants in Wales. 8/6 The Best Value in Wales JfSjHH1 Stocked in Box Calf and Chrome Leather. Small, Medium, and Square Toe stock- ed, Guarantied Waterproof. Send for a pair now. Mention which leather, shape and size. oil, receipt of P 0.0. for 8/6, we will send by return of postf carriage paid. Auckland's Ltd., HIGH STREET, CWANSKA ST. HELEN'S RD., SWANSEA wbeD you dJreet fro. liS, and we die tree go your dew lamedittely you pay the trining sun of leA. We arethel&P" .rpn finn i. tke world. Year. ky.Y"r thoulaaride upou th? W%PdpKk.-ta tàe ?NN?jO???N?????tSM??? wortd'a mo?t te!«wtMMt?!B?tit<?j* *o jj|jp infinitely  why we.Sro,em). to give'lonkt.' dw term. thal2 ti :t,¡, < ?!!BB?? HX?K&SEESS??S .K??xMrso!a-  1k1IUI wr .eot to. s\)1.00I1'.L;; ft:. a=. t tWQegutiat?6?)D aWÐva1. UÍÍe Ior 12' .ti. ,2 Yeaw I  all tIw ..n r:í pel Teum& 91 BOLB AGENT: MARTYN THOMAS, am, tf)u.eRD 8SBSEET (Opposite the Empire), SWANSEA.