Llais Llafur

LAND FOR SOLDIERS A London correspondent writes:-I have the best- authority for stating that a Bill settle discliarged sold- i ?c,m on t)?. land in Li?nd is in a I forward state of drafting, «Jid that similar legislation is to be brought in for England. Scotland and Wales. The experiment:)! colony for South Visiles iu Peinbrev will he taken over by the Board of Agriculture at Michaelmas next, and the North Wales experi- mental colony will probably be of about 1.000 acres in the Dee Yidley. | It may ceruiinly bo taken for grant- od that, t'ho setiilome-iit of soldiers on the land on ar. extensive scale is the considered and settled ]v >I iev of the Government.

SUGAR FOR TINPLATERS. Sir Charles Bathurst, the Sugar Controller, has sent a telegram to Mr Ivor Gwynney of Swansea, who recent- ly headed a movement for getting a tfonoefision of sugar for the milking of summer drinks for tinplate workmen, stating that sugar for this purpose vi-ill be supplied through the Welsh Plate and Sheet Manufacturers' As- sociation. A further wire has been re- eeived by Mr Clements (secretory of the Welsh Plate and SQieet Manufac- turers' Association stilting that the Suga-r Commission are sending on six tons oi sugar, and asking for the names of grocers through whom it may be distributed. Employers are to ece that onJy men at the works, are sup- plied.

G LAX AM MAN SLANDER CASE. The- si-ction brought at. Canaarfchen- shire Assizes by Oswald Thomas, butcher -,i,nd farmer, Pantglas, Der- wvdd 1-0;ikl, near Llandilo, against W. l>ewis, retired faamer, Powell Ddu VilLI, Glanamnuui, and William Jen- kins, Powell Ddu Farm, Glanamman, to recover damages for slander, was eoncluded on Monday. The jury re- turned a verdict for plaintiff in both actions, and awarded. 1dm £ 20 damages against Jenkins, and one fartfamg against Lewis. Judgment was enter- ed accordingly with costs against- botfli defendants-

DEWI SANT IN PALESTINE. A copy of the 1alestme jsews (the weekly newspaper of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force of the British Army in occupied enemy territory country) which has been sent to the 'Labour Voice' by Lieut. Archibald Smith (Vine House, Ystalyfera) contains a glowing account of the celebra- tion of Dewi Sant Day by the Cymric soldiers in the Judean hills. The organisers were the of- ficers and men of the Field Am- bulance. A large room was secured, and literally within the sounds of guns of the sullen foe—patients and staff and Tom- mies had a real good time. Fav- ourite hymns tunes, 'Aberyst- wvth: 'Crugybar,' and 'Cwm Rhondda,' were sung with hwyl, though these were, it appears, 'interspersed at times with chorus- es that an yone but a Welshman or a soldier would find incongru- ous." The address of the evening was delivered by Lieut-col. Evans, himself an ardent and Welsh- speaking Welshman, and; of course, a good portion of the speech was in Cymraeg. file miftic was provided by the in- evitable dee party (eenductor, Pte. W. T. Ferrer) and a number of soloists. "Phere were competi- tions galore; and a eousageous attempt was made to reproduce- the leek-eating scene from Shak- speare's ITeiiry V. though the scenery there was none, and the the players had recourse to the old Elizabethan device of using signingboards.

Appealing to Ashby-de-la tri- bunal a gardener produced photo- graphs of six brothers serving, and was allowed three months' exemption.

SWANSEA BARBER AND r DRUGS FOR SOLDIERS. William Ernest Jones (36), barber, was charged at Swansea Police Court on Monday with unlawfully supplying a certain drug or preparation to Henry Brown, a. member of his Majesty's Re- serve Forces, with intent to enable him to render himself, or induce the beJief that he was, unfit for service, contrary to the Defence of the Realm Regulations. He was also charged for committing acts preparatory to such offences with regard to Edmund Rhrydderch Evans, John Charles Jen- kins, Percy B; Jones, and Edmund John Butler. Mr Rupert Lewis, who prosecuted, outlined the police trap set. for de- fenda.no who made advances to a man named Hudson to keep his friend Brown out of the Army by means of medicine. He tokl Hudson that he could give him something which would result in his being immediately re- jected. Hudson gave information to the police and at the instigation of Detective-inspector Hayes wrote de- efndant a letter asking for further particulars and expressing doubt as to the effieiw y of the medicine. In re- ply (II-Afell(taint wrote:- The medicine has proved success- fid in every case, myself inoluded. I will defy anybody breaching to find out wluat is the matter if it is taken eight or nire mornings before visit- ing the medical board. Anybody got out of the Army by it will go down on their knees and thank God. Don't be afraid of anything; one ckxve of Epsom salts taken after it will put you right in 24 hours. My fee is #5— £ 3 down and P, 2 afterwards. If not successful I will return the money at once. An apointment was made with de- fendant, who was taken by Hudson and Brown, his pal, to the house of Detcetive-inspector Hayes, where the latter and Detective Gubb were listen- ing in the back-kitchen. Defendant produced a tin box, with a dozen pills in it. Brown offered him £ 1 and asked for a receipt, which he gave with his name and address at Neath A'bbev. The dotecyfaivcs then ap pc-a-red and ended the interview. The p:lb Imd been analysed ajid found to contain 40 per cent. of nitroglycerine with one or two other substances. The medical dose of nitroglycerine was one fiftieth of a grain, whereas these pills contained two grains each. They were, therefore, dangerous to the lwart. Mr C. A. Seyler, borough analyst, testified to the contents of the pills. Mr Edmund Evans, solicitor, Aber- da.re, .said defendant came to his office and said he could give him some stuff that would keep him out of the Army. Witness ordered him qat of the office. Defendant, in a long explanation, said tlie stuff was given him by a Htranger in the street at Neath. He boliewd it was harmless. The Bench sentenced defendant to six months' imprisonment each in the oaaos of Brown and Evans, the terms to run coucunently.

A resolution, submitted by the West Wales Eederation of Free Churches, urging the justices at the next vottrt of quarter sessions for taimiarfheiib;liire to impose the maximum compensation levy upon licensed public-houses was carried at nearly all fee Iiwimii- forfl clitvroliei oil Sunday. In Tiew of the new stamp tax the Bish#p of Manchester has in- timated that he will not be "of- fended" if postcards are used for communications to him. It has taken 30 years to break down the feeling against postcards as in- fringing the privacy of the post. Mr. Gladstone did his best to popularise postcards, but few pub- lic men have followed his ex- ample. Now with the rise of postal rates postcards at Id. will, certain- ly become a general necessity.

AMERICAS SACRIFICES I Official reports which have reached ) the Ministry of Food from the United States Food Administration show that j considerable success is attending the whea/tless campaign which is now pro- ceeding on the other side of the. At- lantic. The State of Texas has de- cided to forego for the time being the use of wheat so that the exports to Europe may be maintained. This has drawn a warm message of congratu- lation from General Pershing, the American Commander-in-Chief in Europe. Twenty million women art, to be urged to abstain from the use of wheat till the next harvest, and the proprietors of 300 hotels, restaurants, and a number of clubs in Pennsylvan- ia have given an undertaking that they will use no wheat till the autumn.

MINERS' MONTHLY MEET INGS. The meeting of the Anthracite Miners' Association was held at Swan- sea on Saturday. County Councillor D. ThlNies presided. Mr John James (agent) gave the story of the strike at Tirydail Colliery, involving 500 men. The miners had been asked not to take steps to extend the strike to other collieries pending the sitting of the Disputes Committee. During the proceedings the delegates were in formed that a telephonic oommunica- tion had been received from Mr Chas. Cleevess stating that owing to fho seriousness of the cene-ml situation and in the national interest, the man whose case had involved the stoppage would be re-instated efili Monday. I his was regarded as highly satisfactory, and work at Tirydail was resumed oil Monday. For a week 400 men had been on strike at Rhos Colliery, and hopes were entertained t-iitt, similar influ- ence would be brought to bear so as to remove the difficul'ty, and that an early settlement would be effected. At a meeting of the Western Mirers Association at Swansea, presided over by Mr W. F. Owen, a proposal sup- porting the appointment of a fun-time colliery examiner was submitted, but ■failed to get sufficient support. The meeting agrxMxl to a resolution in- structing the agent to triug bejfore the Federation Executive. the importance of negotiations with the coalowners to argee not to employ in future any men of military age, except bena-fido mi ners.

-_u_ AMAZING INCIDENT AT A LONDON HOSPITAL. A remarkable incident has oc- curred at an East End, London, hospital. In 1915 a North Lam- beth family lost all trace of their only son, who was fighting on the western front. He was posted as missing, and his parents, after the long silence, presumed lie had been killed. On Ftiday his sister visited the above hospital to see a wounded friend, when she noticed at the end of thfc room in a chair a soldier who, whenever she looked towards him, jerked his head. The visitor thought'he was suf- fering from some form of shell- hoek, and beyond this paid no further atoteutÏon until a sister came and said he wished to see her. She accompanied her to the invalid, anxl then found that he was her miing Wither. He had lost both arms and legs and was (ki-mb.

_L --A" In the summing tip of a case at Carmarthen Assizes, Lord Cole- ridge said lie once heard of a man who said very uncharitable things of other people. His excuse was that he had a very small voice, and that unless he said something unpleasant nobody would listen to him! That might be the reason why some people were very apt to say unpleasant things, said his lordship. I

MINERS AND ABERAVON DJYISION. At a meeting of the Avon Valley district of the South Wales Miners' Federation, held on Saturday at thie Dockers' Hall, Port Talbot, Mr Toon Thomas (Skewen) pix-sidiiig, the ques- tion of a Labour candidate for the Aberavon Parliamentary Division was again discussed. The official report silma-k-d states ''that the question of the selection of a. candidate itar the Aberavon Division, which had been pta-eed on the agenda, was again con- s idpmd, and it 1\S decided, ia Tiew of the refusa l of t-be kxni Lalxmr P«rty to aceede to the democratic principle ot a bdliot rrrte, to ask pcrmissios of tv Central Executive Council of the Min('.rs' Federation to support the can- didature of Mr William Jenkins, and a deputation was appointed to wait upon the Executive Council at an early d.-Lte. I

The Coal Controller has decided that coalowners may deduct the war wage for days on which miners are absent for medical ex- amination by the military autho- rities.

I ABEIGftAVE Anniversary Services.— The fin i meeting of the Baptist' anniversary 8t:. vices was held at Noddfa on Saturday night, when Dr. Morris, D.D.. F.R.G.S., Treorcky, preaohed to good auddenoe. On Sunday following the aiternooo and evening services were held Camel C.M. (kindly lent for the oc- casion) when Dr. Morris- agai. preached eloquently. Iilness.— Tlie friends of Mrs. R. J. Da vies, Cefnymensydd, will be pleases to learn that she is making satisfac- tory progress after a recent serious opemtion at an Edinburgh hospital. Home on Leave.—The following boy. were home on leave during the las: ;—Pte. Bryohan Richards, S.W.- &on of Mr and Mrs. D. Richards, CaR, bout, juid stationed at Nottingham Pte. John James, R.W.F., son of M und Mrs. J. James. Caerlan, home owing to his mother's illness. Sappe Rosser Williams, son of Air and Mrs. D. R. Williams, Paintycwrt. Pte. E. Watkins, S.W.B., who is home in sic;, leave having been wounded the serond time in the left arm. He is trea.ted a", a hospital in Chatham. In Hogpital.-We are pleased to learn of the progress of Lieut. Hamil- ton Morgan, eon of Aid. and 1T¡;. M. W. Morgan, Bryntawe, who is ly- ing in an ItaJian hospital suffering from the effects of poisoning. Sevoii ether officers were also victims. An Unusual Visitor. Tlw wood" near Craig-y-Nos have proved gretr: attraction during the week, a nightin- gale with its melodious nvtu d raw inc. crowds of people to the top of tnc Valley. Some, Ivowever, disap- pointed, for the bird on he.triiig noises ceased singing, and they wore oblig^ to return without hearing it. Left for Service.—Mr David PoweH, second oon of Air and Mxv. Joseph Powell, Treftateing. leit or Tuesday for Camiif to join dw Air Service. H*: was formerly assistant nia.vter at the Abercrave Scliools. 1 wo othv brothers are serving with the ooloui*-

MINERS' DEMAND. HIGHER WAGES TO MEET COST OF LIVING. A national conference of the Miners' Federation of Great Bri- tain on Wednesday at which most of the members of the' Welsh ex- exutive were present, unanimous- lv decided that a request be made for a further increase of the war wace, the increase to be Is. 6d. for men and 9d. for youths. The question was referred to the ex- ecutive committee to press forwarl expeditiously. Mr. Smillie. who presided, re- ferred to the increase in the cost of living since the last advance was secured. In consequence of this a large number of district, had sent in proposals asking for a further advance. YOUNG MEN AND THE RIG Hi APPEAL. It was reported to the confer- ence that an Order had been issuei* bv the Government -n-der whieli men between tlii, s of 20 au.1 2-i were not allowed to appeal foi exemption from military service exoept in the care of the last Sur- viving sen of a widow, who had lost rrl least one soii in the war. Indignation was expressed a. what the conference described as the 'inhumanity' of such an Ordej and the executive committee was instructed, to request its withdraw- al and the return of any young men taken into the services who were denied the right of appea] under the Order. The conference unanimously decided that the necessity had not arisen for any modification of the Miners Eight Hours Act.