Evening Express

THE EARL OF DUMFR!ES I '\Vhen the Earl of Dumfries was born, on the 4th of August Ia.-t. widespread rejoicing the eveut, but the Marqlless Bute pOf-t.pcne.d enterta.inin? the te'n'antry and councy and hurg-h cotporalioHs at Bute tiJU it c-0TI,:enient far them. His lordship gave n, dinner in the Queen's Hotel, Rorhesay, cu ? 'rue.<da,y night, when abeut 14() g'entleme.n. compriain.g' th? agTK?uItua*a,l tena.ut.ry, Buteshire oounty councUIors. Rothesay and MiUport town councillora, a?nd others, including' Lord Colum Stuart, sa,t down. to th'p toasL "Te House of Bute a.nd th<} Burghs of Reotheaay and Mill- Mj-. James Duiican. who baebeen for 58 years a Tenart farme)', made a very racy speech. He said that although the second <iid work in Cardiff that only limited companies would under- nowaday?, he was equally far-seeing' in fc-gLC-rins B.)-Lto a.gTit'uiture. kno'wia.g' his tenantry intima.t&Iy. and furthering their well-being in various ways. The island waastHl ftouri",hing. He remarked how proud the Bute pec'pJe, of all politica.1 creeds, would he to see Lord Ninian to the front poetically. a,nd he co'nciu'ded with folicita- tions T.o Lord and Lady Bute on the birth of their h'eir. His sedimeiats were loudly cheered. The Marquess of Bute acknowledged the con- gratulations offered at the time of the birth of to thin-k th.a't the Bute faTTners had a better year than those of many other place's. He and they were bound tog-ether by com.mo'n interests, and their good fort.u'ne m'anthis own ha.p'picess. He would ever be ready to join in p'romoti-n? the wel- fare of Roth'esay a'nd MiHport. He pressed the c's-isia of t.he new Territorial Army scheme. Mr. M'Dou.gall. a Cum.bra.e fajTner. the gecond olde6t tenant, humoroualy 8'agge6ted that the yeaiT had no.t been too prosperous. 3.e stroTig-ty imp.re.g.sed on his lordship the d'esira.bility o.f ma,kin.g Mouiit Stuart the faniily headquarter.?. Farmint.- was getting' so 'bad tha't soon landlords wotiM. ha,Y€ to p.ay men to 'work their fanna. Speeches made to other toasts referred to the prosperity of Rotheeay and MiUport as water-ing-pi aces. She'ria' M&rtia thoug-ht tha.t Rothesay w&s declining in popularity, but Provost R-urne- eaphatitaUy d'enied a,ny- thir.g e'f th'e sort.

ELECTRiCtTY OUSTS GAS I At a meeting of the public works comrftit, tee of the Mcrthyr Bo'roug'h Ootmcil held on Tueaflay ev>enil1g, at which Mr. J. M. Berry, J.P., presided, it was reeotved to substitute electric !ig'hting for ?s.s on the main roa.d from Swain-street, Merthyr, to the New-roa.d, DowlaM. The B&3,rd of Trade wrote informing the ,'F h ?e Bo- coTincil that they were adviaed that there was no da.ng'er to be apprehended from an ovet-h-ead main for lig-hting purposetJ ccrnveying a continuous cnrre'Dt, and it waa agreed, to a.Uow the Me-rthyr EYeotne Trac- ticn Company to ca-rry the current by a.n overhead main. It waa mentioned tha,t the present ccet of lighting the rond frofu Swan-etrect to the Bush Rctpi. Dowla.is. by gas and electricity was S-364 10:3., and the new system, which would provide double the number of lights. would only be .€321. The committee approved of !t scheme far d-øalL'g with storm water, which in times past had caused oonsidera.ble difficulties in various parts of the borough.

I WELSH WtNTER ASSIZES I The LcTMlon Gazette" contains the fol- lowing:—Days and places appointed for hoid- ing winter aeaizes. North and Sou'tL WaJee and ChestCT CiTcuit (Mr. Justice Bray and Mr. Juatico January 11, at Iia.wrfo.T-dwest; Saturday, January 11, at Wei&hpool; WMn.esd!aY, January 15, at Lampet: Wednesday, January 15, at Dol- ge-ii-y; Thursda.y, J.HUia.ry 16, at Cama.rYon; Friday. January 17, a,t Ca-nma-rthea; Monday, January 20, at Beaumaris; Wednesday, January 22. at Brecon; Wednesday, January 22, at Ruthm; Saturday, January 25, at Presteign; Monday. January 27, at Mold; Saturday, March 7. at Cbeate'r; and Satur- day, March 14, at Cardiff.

THE POPE !ND!GNANT I The Va.tK;a,n has received many leliters from England asking wh-ethpr the report was true a<t«.rding to which the Pope, while addressing the members of the Anti-slavery Oo'n.g'reas. recently said:—"A Government in order to govern weli mnis-t be despotic and tyrannica. On learning of the report the Pope indignation, and remarked th&t sach words could net paae his lipe, as the idc-Li was totally opposed to his prin- ciples. Hia holLn.css has given instructions for the igaue of a, categorical denial.—Reuter.

FARMER FROZEN TO DEATH I Herbert Swanbrook Garner. 31. a. fajTn<r, was found frozen to death in a neld nea.r his farm at Halla-ton, Market Ha.r. borough, on Sanday. He was grrasping' a poker, and it was stated that, being in weak health, he wa.s under the impression that burglars were about, got out of bed. and went in search of them. A coroners jnjry on Tuesday found that Garner died from I heaj't failure, due to exposure.

GIRL KILLED BY MOTOR I An inquest was held at West Croydon on I Tuesday fvenicg on Lilian Wright. aged tliirteen. who on Saturday night was knocked down by a m&tor-car. The evidence showed that thb driver waa not to blame. and a verdict of Accidental death" was returned. I

ASSESSMENT OF NEWPORT DOCKS Newport overseers considered on Tuesday I the question of a re-assegsment of the Ales- I a.ndrn Docks and Railway Company's pro- perty. in view of peceTit d.evelOP'1De71tB. but the matter wa,8 adjourned to a futare meeting for further inquiries.

RUSStAN ANARCHtSTS ARRESTED I Two Russia. Anarchioot£,; tftI.?e 1ling from I 8'witMTia.nd to Busaca, w€Te arre&t,-d at the frontier st,ati<>u of Buoha (Austria,) on TM!e- day. Four trunks which belonged to them I cont-a.MLed aj-ms and M.O-ja caxtridges. -iteuter.

STRIKING MOTOR-'BUS MEN. I APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC: THEIR I DEMANDS SEEM REASONABLE. I The majiifesto of th-e mot-oj'bus drivers who a,re on strike states that if the journey ¡ system comes into operation it would raeaa a loee to the men of nearly one-third of the weekly wages they earned under the old j system. An a-ppea.1 is m?de to the poMio for' pecuniany support. It ia a?ded tha-t the ) men wMt f&ir wagee. reasona-Me oonditioaa' of work, protter meal times, and the eeaB<? tion of what they regard as uo?ajr dedue- tions fm their w-ag-ee. The London Road Car Company anmmne-si that nnless the atrik&rs retnm to work by to-morrow (TTnirsd?y) they wiU <??6< to t? aerYanta of the compajiy.

"LINSEED CCMTCUyD," TTtdt m?? of KaY"¡ Cmpotind Eamuce of Li for Congto ..d OD ST:EVE.iiS' BRBA!)— Ccm:sumer8 II per!ect1œ. I6I15&-i

Ihe Man in the Street' —— ? j?— 1 bear that several members of the CardiS Wa-tch Committee have become Imbued with the mis- takenly gooti intention of enforcing portions of c-bsolete Acts of Parliament. When bull-baiting and bear-baiting, with cock-iighting land other sports were the chief Sunday delights of pert youth, the wiseheads of the time of Charts 1. and Charles II. legislated against the cruel pursuits, and at the same time attacked the Sunday trading thus encouraged, with the idea of forci ng people away from the bull ring and the cockpit into church or chapel. The Lord's Day Observance Acts may' have been required then, but when common-sense and the universal weekly half-holiday killed the baser pastimes, of the people, it was considered that the! Acts died with them. And, now that we have the milder vices of cigarette smoking and Sunday parades of tailors' dummies, there seems to be no further: use for the Acts. But reports speaks otherwise concern- ing some members of the Watch Com- mittee, and in Glamorganshire we have witnessed tyrannical persecutions of the poor in the name of these obsolete Acts. It makes one w'Onder, rub one's eyes. and think one must, like Rip Van Winkle, be awaking from a long, long sleep, with the important difference that the revelations awaiting the sleeper's return to consciousness take him, not in advance of the old times, but a few cen- turies back. Verily, this must be an age cf cant, humbug, and wricked sham if a community can rest content, with such a backward state of aNairs. It appears to be the only blot upon the fair fame of Glamorgan, and it will be pitiable in the extreme if Cardiff, after. h21' giant strides forward, is allowed toj be seized with the blight. The Acts are bad enough in their entirety, framed as they were for another and a vastly di5e- rent age, but the suggestion that only sections should be put in force is as ridi- culous as it is wicked. Recently the Llandaff magistrates refused to convict' two or three small shopkeepers brought before them for Sunday sellings, and it would be inte- resting to watch the CardiS stipendiary lift his eyebrows when a, poor widow is hauled before him because she has to. confess her inability to earn enough to. keep body and soul together in six days. The worst feature about it is that the. Acta aim solely at poor people who work on not because they like it, but because they wish to avoid becoming a charge on the rates. The victims are the weakest part of the community, and the more inuuenrial folk who. sit at homo and draw their dividends from concerns. run en Sundays not only escape, but are glorified by people who now see virtue in this resurrected legislation. The Corporation itself runs Sunday) trams, chieny for the convenience of church and chapel goers; well-fed golfers joyfully sling their bags of clubs upon their shoulders and hie them to the links; motorists go snorting about the country; work is going on in dry docksj on the railways, in newspaper omces, fac- tories, and a. hundred other dividend- ma-kwg concerns; and the members of the Watch Committee probably smoke their after-chuj-ch cigaj- m Roath P&rk while the struggling widow is making a farthing pro&t by a bottle of orange champagne. The Acts are cart- cat ures of justice, a.ud to put in force the proposed sect-ions will mean nothing less than most unmitigated, un-Chris-tliko persecution of the .poor. And now to a. pleasanter theme! The development and the pro-spenty of Car- din' Hero's to the city of coal, of fair! women and beauty, bright parks, arcades, the Tan, international kickers of the oval ball, and last, but not least, new development committee! The! 11ast-nwmed is not actually in being, but its birth Is only delayed for a short time. For at yesterday's meeting of the Cardlif Parliatmentary Committee it was resolved that the city clerk's draft scheme should be sent to member of the council. Thts means that the capital ideati whic-h oo-me from the fertile brain of Mr. J. L. Wheatley will inspire alder-! men and councdtors to think their hardest, and best in. the fctnuulation of an organ.i.sation which is to make CardiN even more prosperous a.nd lovely than she is—though Cardimans off the city council who do not trouble road-widening and other similar little oo'8tly affairs will be slow to admit that much improvement is possible. I Quite propeTly, the maiji idea. of the scheme is the of the continued industrial prosperity of the city, and all; citizens will be gLad to put their I shoulders to the wheel to help in the development which is to make CardiS a.; second Glasgow or Liverpool. It may not t be- that the Cunard lhners. will so<m be' start mg from our docks in their races across the Atlantic, and it is possibly too mu<?h to expect that we shall rival the! Clyde in its shipbuilding fame. The f cotton mills of Lancashire may not be brought bodily to the heights of Penarth, and East London oajinot be expected to disgorge its miles of soap (ugh') factories. Possibly, will still claim the right) to divide the honours of the channel, and the rest of Wales may net consent. to centralise the country s wealth of; inditstry on the ban'ka of the TaS. Bat there are very niajiy ways in winch the city's best interesta can be fostered and encouraged, and it is jusrt as well to have a body which wdit be really and able to grasp opportunities and improve upon! them as they arise. There is plenty of room for the deveIop'iiM'nt cotfuaittee, a.nd I jOMi in wishing it a happy inauguration and a oaretM' of prosperity and usefulness, It cannot be said that the Britishers defending ashes" Down Under have not got a tail. Yesterday, when the Australians were beaten by a wicket, it wagged to great eSect, providing a really excithig conclusion to the most interest- uig cricket match of all time. The tih'ree tailnaen, Ba,mes, Humphries, and Fielder, rose to the occasion and their country's need. The only failure in the lead, Goo. Gunn, had cruel luck in being given out "leg before" twice, and the cables say he was by no means satisfied with the &rst decision. Next to that other centurion, Kenneth Hutchings, Gunn is probably the most reliable bats-, man on the side, and we expect some-! thing great from him at Adelaide on or after Fruiay next in the third test. The side Has dons remarkably well for a new set of internationals, and tihis great victory, with the game and close struggle made at Sydney, should inspire and give them con&ience for the other three matchfe. They have now been bapti\8led by the &re of greatness, and the old folk at homo expect their representatives, as at Trafalgar, to do their duty. It is Not at alf that tho decision vili be postponed to the last match, a-nd that wOuld do Australian cricket a lot of needed sood. t'

Mount Royal Safe UNERARR!VESatQUEENSTOWN The Canadian an<t Pacific Baalwa,y Com- pa,ny's lin-er Mount Royal, with 300 emigrants on board, arrived safely at Queenstown on Tuesday morning. The steamer was several daye overdue on a. voyage from Antwerp to &t. John, New Brunswick, and there were some fears as to her safety. Indeed, 20 and 25 guineas per cent. had been paid for re-insuring her. She left Antwerp on the 7th of December, and was signalled passing the Lizard on the 10th of the same month. She was 110.1 beard of aga,in until Tuesday morning, -when she was sighted on' Kinsa-le unattended, and Tinder her own steam. It transpires that a.fter leaving Ant- werp she encou.ntered terrinc weather, and on Christmas Eve her boilers became disa.bl?d. It waè then deemed prudent not to continue the voyage to St. John, a.nd she, therefore, bo:'e up for Queenetown. The breakdown occurred in latitude 24.50 N., longitude 45 W. on the Tuesday, when the boilers commenced to leak badly, and it was found impossible to keep up sumeient steam, to propel the engines. The engine-room eta,n set to work and did a,ll they could to rectify the leakage, and succeeded so far as to permit the engdnea being used, and to obtain a moderate degree of speed. The weather was such, however, that the westward voyage could not be continued, and it became necessary to make for the and 1+ be( ? *he crew and passengers are all well. The nrst news that the liner was safe was brought by the Spanish steamer 'Vivina, which arrived at Liverpool ou. Monday evening. Her captain reported thaft on Jannfa.ry 3, in lati- tude 51.20 K\ and longitude 16.25 W., he mghted a four-masted one-funnel steamer. Her funnel was cream or rose colour. The veaeel flew a name signal which the ca.ptain of the Vivina oould not make out, but from what he saw of it there w-ae a strong resem- blance to that of the Mount Boyal. It was getting dark at the time, and the subsequent signal appeared to be that the vessel wished to be reported to a railway compa-ny. Although the veasel was sta.tiona.ry, she gave no eig-ns of being in da-nger. The master of the Vivina, was, of course, unaware that the Mount Royal was missing, and the news was a surpTMC to him. There w-is a full supply of provisions on the Mount Royal, and at no time was there the least anxiety, although many of the pae&engera who had friendjs awaiting them at St. John expressed dieappomtment at the abandonment of the voyage. On Saturday last a.n outward bound stea.mer offered assistance, but this was, declined. On arrival in Queenstown Harbour the passengers assembled and thanked Captain Parcels a,nd his omcers and crew for all that had been done for them. The aame company's steamer La-ke Mani- toba reached Queenstown from Liverpool to-day (Wednesday), and, in all proba-bility, the passengers will be shipped on board that vessel for conveyance to their destination. The Wrecked Housatonic Wreckage from the steamer Honaa.tonic, lost at Portmuck. near L&rce, haa be&n wuhed ashore at the Mull of Kintyre. Sktpper Drowned _I The crow 01 tne nsain? t)oat Judith. of CaHen, reported at Buckie on Tueeday after- itocm that her ekipper. Ja-mee Findlay, had been washed overboard and drowned.

A FROZEN WELSH STUDENT A ludicrous adventure, which, however, might ha.ve been tragic, has befallen "Towzer" Evane, one of the most popular of Bangor University College students. The details have jost been related with great gTisto by "Towzer" himself. He went to Idwal Lake during the recent froat to skate. and fell in through the iM. He scramblel out safely. and made his way to the nearest! cottage he could &nd in that remote region, but, to hia dism&y, found no a.ocomjnodation for travellers there, and ha-d to tra,m.p five milea to Betheeda.. During hiB tra<mp his cjothes were frozen. Arrived there he was taken in by a kindly housewife, who It him to bed while she melted and dried his frozen garments. When this was done "To?zer' dressed, bat could not And his stockings. Tbt. fact was hia hostess ha<t overlooked them. Time wa8 pressing, and aa "Towzer" had to catch a. train the old lady lemt him two of her own stockings, one all white and the other half white a.nd half gTeen. "Towzer" is UBuaJIy a well-dreeaed youth, ajid on this oec&sioa wore knickerbockers. Ha-ving no time to spare, Towzer" hastily donned the odd stockings, and then darted through Beth- eeda at the top of his famous sprinting powers, hie legs twinkling blue and green, to the amazement of the quarrymeo. His pic- tupescme appearance was added to by the fact that his overcoat was still frozen, one of its sleeves projecting etinly at right angles. He carried it under hia arm a,B he raTt. He is telling the story with great relish to aJI his friead-s, and the town ic laughing uproariously.

DONT CARE !F! GET HUNG" I There waa a pathetic scene at Olerkemveul Police-court on Tueada.y, whem WaJter Fen- sba.Tn was charged with the murder of his step-mother at 15, St. James's-road, Barns. bury, on Decembe.r 28. James Christopher FeTjaha-m, the father of the accused, bold of his aon's visit to the; house, and how. when he (witness) h&d nnished a ooaafetrence with the landlord, be saw hiB son. who 6a.id Good-nig'h.t" as he parsed, ImNe. He went on into the kitchen, and there found his wife on the noor bleeding. His daughter was bathing a wofun<d in her throat, and he took the knife out of his wife's neck. Here the old nMm oonunetooed to aob, bu't controlled himself with an eBort. &nd nnished h.is CYidence by sa-ying in a. subdued voice: He wouldn't have dona it if it hadn't been for the drink." Florrie Fenaham, the dfbugbter, repeated the evidence which she gave at the inquest. telling how Fenshajn sadd: I don't oaire if I get hung for my poor father's ea-ke—what be hae to put up with. She aJso described how he took a, knife from his pocket, and, holding his step- mother's neck with his left h&nrl, put the knife to her thfroat with his right. Asked if she considered her step-mother sober, the witness replied. "No, I domt; sh& waa not very often Bober. That M the caupe of our home being upaet, of our home being pawned, and one thing and another.' The ci,-e was adjourned.

FORTH PASTOR HONOURED I On the occasion of hia departure to take up the pastorate of the English Cong.rega<- tiona.1 Church at Scarboroug'h the Rev. A. Penry Evaine. Perth, was made the recipient of a, va.lua.ble suite of fuTTtitrure, together with a. handsome wrtting-dask, ppeeemted by the Porth Welsh CongregatioDnal Church, on Tuesday night. Aldermaa W. H. Mathias, J.P., Tycy. cyTniHer Hall, preaided over a la-rg'a ga.ther- ing. VeLledjctory addresses were delivered by Measra. W. H. Mathiae. J.P., E. H. Da.vies, J.P. (Pentre), J. Owen (DyfnaJIt), the JteT. J. Edwajda (8a.lem). the Rev. W. Thomas (Bethleheni), the Rev. R. Hughes (Tyioretown), and the Rev. RichM-ds (Tonypajtdy). 83vera<l of the speakers referred in M&retful terms to Mr. Evan.s.'s .resolve to oon&ne his future niinistry entirely to the English Ch-nTchee. The presenta.tdoB wa-s made by Mrs. J<]shua, E. WilKa-iuB. B.ron)-glyn, Forth. An exceUent Tnuaieal proer&nMne was gone thr<Migh, to which Miss Grwem Mathias and Mr. W. D. Lloyd cotttrLbuted, a. noteworthy feature btaBsr MiBs Mathiae'e magnifieent rem- dering of MaJte new friendf;, but keep the old." Mr. D. J. Thomas was the aGeompa.that.

CHIEF ENGINEER CHARGED I A special meeting' of the Cardiff Local 'Marine Board was held on Tuesday to inres- tig'ate a charge against T. Winter, who was alleged to have been drunk and unBt to dis-! charge his duties as chief engineer of the steamship Abbot, of Newry, at Swansea, on July 1 last.—Defendant denied the charge. —Captam Da.viee, dockmaster, and Captain FiaMey, assistant-dockma.ster, in their evi- dence elated that the vessel. whilst in the North Dock, Swansea, collided with the dock waM, as the result of the engines being put in the wrong direction. The caee couhl not be further proceeded with in the absence of the master of the vessel, and was adjourned for his attendance.

REFUSAL TO QUOTE I At a. meetingr of the wa.ter and sewera oom- mittee of Swansea. Corporation on Tuesday the T-lork reported on the Bilt for the formation of a. water boa.nl for Lla-nelly a.nd BTicry Port, &n(i it wW decided to take any TMcossary ateps for pTOtectiDt? the interests of S-wa.aeea,. Mr. W. H. Edwao-dB (Morriston) ag=,rlwmte asking the cotnmittee to &x & prtoe for the ira,Wr auepty to biN prodebed new worke, bnt the committee felt they eould not matte any ptpomiae of a. redaction of pTesont pric<e, ao the town was ztot all as yet TOQW.Ving a cometant enpply.

'Copper King' Arrested GRAVE CHARGES AT NEW YORK Mr. Augustus Heinze was arrested at New York on Tuesday on a charge of illegally certifying a cheque on. the Mercantile National Bank He has been held on jElO.OOO bail, after p!eadiT!g not guilty. The ch&qne was for £12,550. The indictment waa found by the Federal gramà jury on December 2 last after investi- gation into the affairs of the Mercantile National Bank. Prisoner will have to appear before Judg'c Chatfield m the United Sta.tes Circuit Court to-da.y (Wedne&da.y). His cO'uu.:s3l d&cja.r<'d be had no intention of 'violating' the law. Mr. F. Augustus HeiTtze. who waa known 2,s the Copper King, resigned the presidency cf the Mercantile National Bank on Octo- ber 17. His career in Montana in developing the copper mines in opposition to the Amal- gamated Copper Company rendered him famous beforo he embarked as a financier in New York Ci[y in connection with the United Copper Company and the presidency of the Mercantile National Bank. Mr. Remze is aiao aroused of the illegal certification of other cheques, amounting to o 11 or about October 14. The penalty. B.coording To thE\ United States law. for the commission of the offence alleged against Mr. Heinze is not less than Sve imprMonment if found g'u.ilty.— Reuter.

INSURANCE MENIN TROUBLE ASSESSOR CHARGED WITH DOCTORING RECEIPTS. For some years Charles Fuller Russell, of Ba.rcombe, Sussex, has acted cs clanns aaseasor to the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation, of 'Moorg'a.t'e-stj'eet, and it was stated at the Guildha.11 oTi Taesda,y. where he was charged with forgery, imisappropria- tion, and hbification of accounts, that it ha<d bct*u his duty to settle claims o'f perso'ns insured, ItiniT) stuma of money being given t,) him perio-dioaUy for the purpose. It had been discovered, it was alleged, that he had been settling cla-ims for smaller amounts than those appearing' on the T'eceiptB, and had mis-&ptyropriated the balajice. Five caaws were merttioned in. which the prisoner w?.,f5 said to have put £48 10s. into his pocket. Ho was reminded on bail in two sureties of .E100 each. AGENT HELD FOR FORGERY. William. Gray, late insurance agent, of Macduff. forinerly for eight years in the detective aervKe of S-cotland Ya.rd, Txmdon, was arrested at Liverpool on a, charge, t.ha.t on December 6 he bad, by meams (tf a. {or?c<t cheqnp, received from the National Bank, Banff, the sum of .E460. Gray was disco-vered at Livfrpool through changing some Scotch bank notes into notea of the Bank of Eng- ¡ land.

SUGGESTION OF ARSON, DID MOTHER CAUSE THE DEATHS OF HER THREE CHILDREN? The adjourned inquest on the bodies of the throe victims of the fire on Boxing Day in Wardour-etreet, Soho. was held on Tnes- day at the W<'&t'minster Coroner's-court. The three children lulled were— Eetsy Plotska, I Barn-ey Plotska, and. I Hym&n Pkttska.. The mother of the children sa.id her furni- ture wa,9 insured for .JE200, but admitted the best part of it ha,d been sold for .E16. Police-aerg-eant Wood said from the time the alarm wrus raised until Mrs. PIotska. was brought out only nve minutea could have elap&ed. I' DuriBg the evidence, it was anggœted that the fut'men were not sober. The Coroner sfud.hc thought no one w<MH<j a.ttaoh a.ny ynpoAance to t.he statement, which was ridiculoua. MedtcaJ evidence was given beatring out the coroner's statement, and the firemen u,lso gave evidence of their sobriety. Superintendant Williame said, in his o'ptntc'n, there were two, or. perha-pg, evaa three Mpa.rate firea in different pa,rta of the building. Tho Coroner. at this poioA, said there waa KM're thaji a, suspicion tha.t the Are waa not accide'nta<Uy caused, and on his 811ggestion the inquiry was a,djoarned for a week. It was stated the police have dennitely taken up the matter. The ooromer and jury will visit the eceme of the fire before the next inquiry.

UNIQUE TRAIN ACCIDENT. I HELPING ENGINE TELESCOPES REAR CARRIAGES. A singular accident occurred on Tuesday I morning between Chequerbect and Athertoa, near Manchester, on the London and North Western Railway. A passenger train from Athertom was bedng helped up a steep inline by an engine at the rea,r. This, becoming detached ondea.voirred to catch up the train, a.nd dashed a.t great speed into the rjar of the <X!<M')hea it was pursuing. A heavy mist prevailed at the time. A Sah truck a-t the rear of the train was completely smashed, ajtd two of the carriages were pa,r- tia.lly teleaooped, while a great many win- dowa in other carriages were sma.,J7-d- There were between twenty and thirty passengers in the tra,in. an-d. of these four ptiartejayers were injured .———— t

LLANELLY AND THE SHOP HOURS ACT. At a mpetmg of the Manelly Urban District Council it was reported tha.t the staildineg joint ccHnm'ittee had stibmitted a liet of ser- geants and t-oostables in Ltl&in-.Hy who might be appointed by the council as inspectors to enforce the provisions of the Shop Houjia Act, 19C4. Mr. 8. H. Bevan: What will be the cost of a.ppointins; them inspectors? The Chairman (Mr. E. T. Jones): There will be no <!<hst. We have only to a<gree to their being appointed in<?pectors. Mr. William David; I doh't think it is f3at,isfa,etory that we should aot pay a nomi- na.l sum. for the wofr'k- The payment need not neoessa.rily go into t'he pockets of the police, but the chief-consta-ble might give it to some institution eonn'ected with the police. If the councdi paid something they w<mld have a good clai-m on their servicoe. Mr. Tom lLarriee said that a nne of £5 could be imposed in respect of a nrst offence and J510 for a second offence. It was decided to appoint the whole of the sergeants and conata-bles in the town ae inspectors to enforce the Act.

SOUTH WALES COAL TRADE I TIBDONKIN ARBITRATORS IN I DIFFICULTY. I .L "T" Aroitrato'ra sat af. E-uu -o.'otci Metropole, Swansea., on Tuesday in co'nnectioji with the oolli-e-rs' price-list at Tirdonkin. Mr. A. H. Thomas sat as umpire, and Messrs. T. Griffiths and Onions for the masters and men respectively. The conference oame to nothmg owmg to the id&nt-ity of the &ea,in' worked being questioned, which Mr. Griffiths would not allow. and Mr. Onions stated that the proceedingB <'ouM not be oontinned Timlesa the tenna of reference were altered.

PONTYPRJDD GIPSY DROWNED. I A young gipsy named William Price, who resided in a Tan at the Mill Field, Ponty- pridd. waa drowned in the Rhondda. River on Tuesday through attempting to reach a. piece of timber. Ther<& being a stTong carrent at the time, Price, who was wadingup to his waist in the water, got into diSicultiee, and was carried a-way. A woman gave the &larn!, and &very effort was made to reacne the man. Hia body has not yet been recovered.

TEACHERS FOR DEFECTIVE CHIL- DREN. At a. sp<'ci'a.l m¿f the schools smb- oomTnittee of the Cardiff Education Ocmi- mittee oc j.uesda.y, Mrs- Cant.ill<m pTesiding, fuuj applications for the post of assistant- TDdstresa of defecti-ve cla&Se8 a.t Virgil-street School were considered. It was decided to ask Mrs. S. A. Gibson (widow, 39). 28. Gramd- pa.rade, St. Lenna-rda-on-Sea,, and Miss Agnes A. Mauley (30), 38, Cha-tto-roa-d, Clapha-m Common, Ijondon, to appear before the next meetiag of the educa'tion committee.

NEW DEVONPORT CHIEF- I CONSTABLE. Mr. W.a..t.60n. chief-co<n'sta,Ne of Consletoc, was cm TTMOday appoTLted obiq-oonoteible of DevonpoTt. There were three selected candidates, one of wh&m was Inspector RsLnkin. ohdef derk of the Cardiff City CooBta.bnla.ry. The Conservative mombea's of the oaoMnittee r<rcd on the motion being DMMie tba<t 3fr. Wa.æon should receive the a,ppoiBt.ment.

MNSEET) COMPOUND for cOUlDf a" opl" Of proven ef&cacy. Of ChemJste. MOUNTAIN "FLAX (Lhxnm Ca.U:1vtJcam) TnjM. AB agremblo i4terie" WOIU 4 UU4 lid.

KtNG AND VETERANS HEADS SUBSCRIPTION FOR THEtR RELIEF The King, as patron, has subscribed 1,000 guineaa to an influential movement for the relief of veterams of our wars which has been deanitetly launched in the following letter, which was circulated by Lord Roberts on Tuesday:- "Within the last few weeks the attention of the public has been. drawn to the sur- viving veterans of the Crimea and the Indian Mutiny, and the aad fa@t has been made only too clear that the closing years of these old servants of their country are in many oases embittered by poverty and destitution. It may be granted that the evil has in the past been wrought by want of thought rather than by want of heart, but the slur upon our good name will be all the greater if now that it is recognised we take no steps to remedy it. A few days a.go, when inspectfng the Indian Mutiny vetcTans in Hyde Park. I found, to my regret. that no small number of them had come up that morning from the workhouse, and at the end of the day had only the workhouse to look forward to for the remainder of their lives. A strong feeling has been aroused in many quarters that it is in every way dis- creditable to our country that such a state of things should be possible, and it is most desira.ble that an effort should be made without delay to remedy it. I can state that the movement has the entire approval of his Majesty the King, who has graciously coTieented to becoTne patron of the Veterans' Relief Fund,' and to open the list of subecribers with the donation of 1.000 guineas. It is proposed to collect a sumciently large sum to ensure every Crimean and Indian Mutiny veteran being released from the workhouse, and then to make him such a weekly allowance as will enable the old sailor or soldier to spend his remaining days in moderate comfort and respectability, or enenre BOrne of his eircum- stances if, from age or innrmity, he is obliged to remain in the workhouse infirmary. A Noble Committee An influential committee is being formed to organise the echeme, and amongst those who have already intimated their willing- ncoB to join it are the following:— "Patron:—His Majesty the King. "Vice-patrons:—His Royal Highness the Prin<-o of Wales. K.G., his Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught. K.G., and his Royal Highness Prince Christian of Sohleewig-Hol- stein, K. G. "Committee: —The Duke of Richmond and Gordon. Lord Salisbury. Jjord Ripon. Lord Rosebery. the Bishop of Chester. Lord Tweedmouth. Lord Rothschild, Lord Iveaph. Lord Stra,thcona, Lord Burnham, Lprd Cur- zon of Kedleston. Mr. Haldane, Mr. Balfour, Sir Ernest Ca&scl, the Lord Mayor of Lon- don. the LorcL Mayor of Liverpool, the Arch- bishop of Westminster, the Bishop of Oxford. Sir Joseph Dimsdale, Admiral Lord Walter Kerr, Admiral Sir John Fisher. Admiral Ix)rd Charles Beresford. Field-marshal Sir! George White. Field-marshal Su- Evelyn Wood, Generals Sir Dighton Probyn, Sir George Higginson. Lord Grenfell. Lord Metbuen. Sir Neville Lyttelton, Sir William Nicbolaon, Sir John Preach, lieutenant- generals Sir lau Hamilton, Sir Charles Douglas. Colonel Sir Edward Ward. and Lieutenant-colonel Sir Arthur Bigge. "Contributiona may be sent either to the account of the Veterans' Relief Fund. at Moasws. Cox and Co.. Oharing Croee. London, 8.W.; Messrs. Henry S. King and Co.. Pall MaJI. London, &.W; M83SD9. Grindley and Co., Parliament- street, London, S.W;. or to the hon. sec- retary and treasurer. Colonel Harlock Prit- obaxd, at Eagleaneld. Oamberley, Surrey, or to myself at Englemere, Ascot. "I oppeal to everyone to assist me in Baring those who have fought for their country in their youth from the ignominy of the workhouse in their old age and the humiliation of a pauper's grave.—I am, air, youra faithfiinv. -'n "ROBERTS, P.M."

COTTON LOCK-OUT AT HAND The Feder'ation of Master Cotton Spinners' Aeaociatlona issued a letter on Tuesday night to the non-a.mlia.ted nulls on the subje<!t of the ec-tton trade Icck-out. They point out that nnns owning 96 per cent. of the spindle in the federation are prepa.red on their maJting-up da.y in the weak ending January 18 to g" their workpeople one w-e&k's notice of their intention to close the,ir mma. The circular says there is reason to believe that dTtrin? the next few d&yB this percentage will be increased, amd on Monday inetructions were forwa-rded to all federation nrma to tender notices to their workpeople next week. Halving already received ptrocuaaB from the rutb-com- niitteo of the federation ba<d decided to ask for the oo-opeTa/bion of nnos ou-tside the fede- ration by the closing of their mills. The nulls at present on strike were fighting the battle of the whole trwe on questions which were of vital importance, and they were entitled to the whoLe 'muted support of the industry. Continuing, the letter declares that every non-a.Siliated mill which continues work during the stoppage of the federation nulls is adopting the surest method of prolonging the dispute by ena-Ming their o.pera.tiveB to provide assistance to those operatives who aj'e stepped, amd every mill continuing work is fighting a/gainst the federation. The cir- calar concludes, The delibera<te ignoring of the agreement can only be effectively dealt with by the trade as a whole standing tD- gether."

MICROBES V. RATS Several experts in the extermination of ra'ta left lo-ndo-n on Taeaday night to open a oa.mp'aign on an island in the Clyde oaJIed Little Cumbrae, which is teeming with rodents. The island is the property of the Marquess of Bute. Every one of its 900 acres swarms with them, and they have become so dangerous amd deatracMve that a systematic cajniMUgTi is to be opened a-gain&t them. The extermina.to'ra are mrrying with them bait-food that contains nulliccs of microbes. "The rats will be fed with it," said the maaa-ger of the Ba:tin Laboratory to a press representative, and, no doubt, they will nna?ne they t are to have a feetrve thne. For' mamy years tney have been living o?n the farm produce of the island, and, despite the Btrenuons efforta to redooe their numbers. they have eontmued to increaee alarmingly. "When they eat the prepared food we are sending the specially bred microbes in it will communicate disease to their systems, Mid it is so OMitagiona that thousands of them will be rapidly destroyed. "We can clear the island of all its rats. When the weaker ones have died and the hardier veterans a<re left a more virulent microbe will be placed in the food to deaj with them. It is not at all impossible to annihilate the greatest tribes of rats by the modern treatment."

GOODS STOLEN IN TRANS!T William. Fanthorpe Eggleston, a railway inspector employed by the Great Northern Railway Company at Retford Passenger Station, was. committed for trial at Ret- ford on Tuesday on a charge of stealing goods in transit. The value of the goods alleged to have been stolen amounted to jB196, and evidence as to their despatch and non-arrival at their destinations was given by witnesses from various parts of the country. In reply to the formal charge, prisoner said he was guilty, and waa eorry he took them. His son, William Picker Eggleston. who was charged with receiving a portion of the goods, knowing them to ha.ve been stolen. pleaded not guilty, stating that the goods found at his house were given to him or his wife by his father, and they had no sus- picion they were stolen. He also was com- mitted for trdaJ, but the bencth allowed bail in his case.

WELSH CHURCH INQUIRY Our renpeaenta-tivc is officiall-y infcnned the,t the Welsh Church Oommieaion will resume its &Htimgs on Tuesday week, the 21st inst., a.nd thaA it is proba.Me that it will sit in a,ltetrna<te weeb after that week. Ouir eayrre%vndmt M %leo Mtfoftned, cm relialble a,Ttth<M'ity, th&t the evidence of the Welsh OoQgTe?aAi<MMLHgt)e is a<bo.ut being comp.Ieted. It is nDdepstood that the Coagre- g"io-nsii&t,s Ita-ve sobtfled the coui-ae they will 4\dop.t in tha event of oertain portione of their evide&oe being rejected oT deleted.

"LINSEED CMtPOTIND" of 40 yem" provM <B5eacy, for Coughs, Colds. and BronchtaJ troubtM. DCTCH CA!'T5, c<&y 4tu-eet Bt"ion, eM of I Ihe Quaintest in the world. Teø With cur delicIous Bread and Butter-Stevese. CoafwtimelA lln? C*rtt& *? ? ?*' <?M?

 Vafue of Urban Powers ¡Value of Uban Powers GELUGAER'8 HISTORICAL MOVE I A Tiff Between Councillors A Glamorgan County Committee met at Hengoed on Tuesday to further consider an important bid by Gelligaer for urban powers. The mundcipa,! oha.nge, if brought a.bout, will do away with that famous body known as the GeIIigaer Parish Council, and give gre&ter repreee'Bta.tion and added sbrength to the district oounciJ. It is a. subject that has concerned the parish for a long time, but the wonderful growth of Bar- good and other places in the valley has malCle the matter more urgent, rural powers bejrhg too meagre and too cumbersome to meet progressive requirements. The present inquiry, it should be men- tioned, is to decide what should be done with the parish of Rhigo6..t remote district now tacked on to Gelligaer, and upon which Neath is casting longing eyee. I CONFERENCE IN CAMP. neiore the inquiry opened, the parish a,nd district councils met to arrange a plan of campaign. Mr. Sydney Jones (the parish council chair- man) argued that G-elligaer village ward would shortly increase in unprecedented fashion, and so he feit it incumbent to pro- vide for that increase, though he, in the mrst place, opposed alteration to Bargoed. Mr. D. C. Snell said he also opposed altera- tion on the gromid of delay to the scheme. Mr. Walter Lewis (miners' secretary) was arguing against the parish council proposal to detach Gilfach from Bargoed, a<nd for united action, when The Chairman (Mr. J. Aureliue) interposed some remark. Mr. Edward Lewis: Order! order! Let the man have fairplay, or I shall get up as well! Mr. Lewis Edwards (Bedlinog): He mustn't waste time. Mr. Walter Lewis (indignantly): But I am not responsible. You just turn your face that way (motioning towards the chairman). Eventually it was agreed that Bargoed should apply for five members and Gelligaer Ward four. instead of six attd three respec- I tively. Mr. S. Prout (Bargoed). however, refused to make a unanimous vote on the point. I THE INQUIRY. I The county coimmitt-ee was composed cf Alderman W. H. Ma-thias. Mr. 0. H. Jones, I and Mr. Morgtajn Williams, with Mr. Mansel Franklen (clerk). Mr. Edward Powell (solicitor) represented the Neath District Council, Mr. John Evans held the Bargoed Ghanibeir of Trade brief, and Mr. T. J. Thomas and Mr. W. Ebeworth aoted for interested ra-tepa.yers, of whom thprc wa-s a large crowd. The commissioners heard evidence as to the separation of Ehigos from the Gelligaer parish. Mr. F. P. James, clerk to the Gelligaer District Council, handed in a resolution passed by the joint meeting of the Gelligåer Dietrict and Pa/ri<sh Councils, euggesting cer- tain alterations in the basis of representa- tion of the various wards. THE ANNEXING OF RHIGOS. ihe nr&t point considered was with refer- ence to the disposal of Rhinos, which :it present is linked with Gelligaer Parish. Althoug'h strenuous efforts have been made by prominent people in Rhig&s to oppose the inclusion of that parish in the Neath Union, no one was present to support such opposi- tion. The Clerk of the GeHig-aer District Council asked Mr. Phillips (who represented the Neath authority) whether Rhig-os would be liable to the enactments of the Neath Council's Water Act. Mr. Phillipg said that in any case Rhigos would have a right to appeal to the .Local! Governmentt Board if any grievance arose in this respect. The commissioners promised to Ece how the Act in question would affect the parish of Rhigos. Mr. F. T. James (clerk to the Gelligaer Rural District Council) submitted a resolu- tion passed that day by a joint meeting of GeJIig?er .Rural and Parish Councils recom- mending that the proposed number of repre- sentatiyes for Bargoed be reduced to nve from six, and that the representation of the Hengroed Ward be increased from three to four, on the ground of future prospects. A further suggestion of the joint meeting was that the county council should make the elections! triennial, instead of the retiring of one-third of the eouncillors every yea.r. Replying to Mr. F. T. James, Mr. Mansel Franklen said the county council had the power to grant the request, but as a matter of policy they had @et themselves against gT-a<ntm? such orders. The Msistant-overseeT having sworn to certajn ngures in regard to population a.nd ratable value, Mr. T. J. Thomas, Bargoed, on behalf of seveml lafge ratepayers,oalled! evidence to show that Bargoed was fully entitled to six members by .reason of its! prpaent population and its prospective! increase, I THE QUESTION OF REPRESENTATION. %.I r I'?, ?. jm.ms. aroniM'ct, (jilta?h (a. p.roini- ?ant member of the Bargoed Chajnber of iTade), said that, taking into consideration the opening out of the present pits and the sinking of a. new one, Ba,rgoed would in the next nve years increase its population from 8.000 to 20,000. He estimated that the increaae in the population of the Hengo&d Ward in the same period would be about 10,000. Mr. John Evans, solicitor (secretarv of the Ba,rgo-ed Chamber of Tra.de). called Mr. Gus Jones, jewf-ll&r, Bargood (president of the chamber), who gave similar evidence to that given by Mr. W. Hairris. Mr. T. J. Thomas said that on the ngaree before them it was absurd for the council to aak tha-t Hengoed should ba,ve four mem- berB for a po-pulation o<f 4.000. and to suggest that Ba,rgoed, with a po.puLa.ti<m of 8,500, should only have nYC membora. He sub- mitted that Ba.rgo.ed deserved moyie than six I if that town had the reprcsanta.tion due to it Mr. John Evans submitted tha-t it was omiy equita.b!e for Barg-c?d to ask for six metmbers. While he adfrnltted tb?t the Hengoed Ward would largely increase, he claimed that, in addition to t,he increase that would result from the opening out of the Groesfan and other pits, many of the people who would work at the Penalta Pits would live at Bar- goed. Mr. Sydney Jones (chairman of the GeIIi- ?aer Parish Council) was caJIed, and spoke to the probable great increase that would take place in the Gelligaer Ward in a short tinM. He deemed in toto that the increase of build- ing consequent upon the Pen?lta sinkings had taken place in the CaerphiIIy area.

ADJOURNED SINE DIE. I TWO FAILRRBS INVESTIGATED AT NEWPORT. At Newport BankmptCY-Conrt on Tuesday (before Mr. Registrar Horoby) Alowyu Jonf, who had been in bustLneaa as a ?ro<?er at Newport. Bargoed. and Llanhilletb, a-ttemded for his adioutaed publK; examination. His statement showed that after sixteen weeks' trading at Newport, up to last &epted'ber, he had lost about .2440. After asking him a number of questions upon this denciency. the O&cial .ReoeiveT asked that the cxa-mination be adjourned fdne die. as the matter had been left in so unsatisfactory a position. The Registrar aesentod. Quinton Dick, late of Pan.ta, Farm, near Chepstow, was called to undergo his public exa-'mination. but there waa no response. The Official Receiver said he was informed that the debtor had abomuded, and he a.sked that the matter should be adjourned sine die. The Registrar I

FELL DOWN HOTEL STEPS. AN AGED COLLIER'S DEATH AT YSTRAD. Mr. B. J. Rhys, coroner, held an inquest on I Tuesday at the Workmen's-haH, Ton Pentrf, t R.h&ndda, tou-edung the death of William -MerriBum, 69, a coUiery la.boure.r, 18. Gelli-' croesmg, GeJU, who fell down a. fligh,t of stonie steps a.t the Gria-ndwr Hotel, Ystrad. The evidence was Utat the deceased and his s&n were drinking together. The former left the room and injaj-fd himself by a. fall. AccordiBg to Dr. E. W. Thomas, the injury. followed by shook, was the causo of dearth. A verdict was returned a<x;ordiBgIy, no Ma-me being attached to the landlord of the hotel. FELL ON HER WAY TO CHAPEL. j'<Mto'wmg tAlS the oor<mer inquired into the death of Saj'ah Jarman, 44. of 8, Alex- a.ndrarroad, Gelli, who sucoumbed to injuries received by falling down in the street on her way to chapel on the evening of December 29. W. Jenkins depo'sed that he &a.w the woman on the ground, and, with the a?sista.'nce of oo.mpanions, took her to a neighbouring house aud went fof a, doctor. Dr. E. W. Thomas stated that deceased had annered from turn our and hernia. The ca-TJBe of dea-th was oajdiac syncope. I A verdict of "Death from. na-tu'raJ causes" was recorded.

I UNINHABITABLE HOUSES AT CAERLEON. A <e-ae of overcrowding was reported to the oa,e1'leon District Council on Taesday, i'n which three small houses in Mill-street were inhabited by sixteen persons. The medical officer agreed th&t the houses were unfit for h&bita<tion, ajtd it was deeded to serve the I owner with the necessa.ry notioea.

"LDfSBED COMPOUND" for COuPs. CoMe/ taA I IIkWebial TroRlbWo. 9td. and I*. UN.. of CatMnjtttt. sl"gvzwgl BREAD- CoD81111UII8 IIU 18 tføD.I tIII68

I MR. DAN REE8<&H!S DEPUTY A Warm Discussion. There was a, record attendance of CardiS magistrates at a, meeting held on Tuesday, when further consideration was given to the clerical stan'. The Lord Mayor (Mr. Illtyd Thomas; occupied the chair. As usual. the proceedings were private, but the interest taken in the proceedings was shown in the fact that 42 justices attended, and at times the proceedings were of a very heated character. li,-hat appears to have given rise to the commotion is that Mr. Dan Rees, magistratea'- clerk, has given notice to his deputy. Mr. Naeh, and a majority of magistrates, includ- ing the stipendiary (Mr. T. W..Lewis), were favourable to the retention of his services. Natura.lly, the argument turned upon whether the magistrates'-clerk had a right to dismiss his deputy, and it was argued that as Mr. Re&s receives a salary of JB1.500 a/year and provides any assistance that is neces- sary, he had a .right to select his eubordi- nates. This was the crux of the situation, and, after a discrasion lasting two hours and a quarter, during which the ordinary police business was suspended, Mr. F. J. Beavan proposed a resolution which smoothed mat- ters over for the present. The eifect of the resolution, we understand. is that by 27 votes to 16 it was resolved that the services of Mr. Naah be retained for the present. The question, nrst arose at a meeting of the magistrates held on January 2 to con- aider other matters. It was. then asked whether it was a. fact tha-t Mr. Rees had given 'notioe to terminate Mr. Nash's a'ppo'intme'njt. A long discussion took plaœ, and many of the magistrates arp1)ealed to Mr. Raes to withdraw th&t Tiotice. Mr. Rees, however, considered that in fairness to himself there should be a full body of magistrates present when the matter was discussed, and a special meeting was, there- fore, called for Tuesday. This was attended by nearly all the magistrates on the com- mission of the pea<*e for the city. At the outset the magistrates knew they had a difficult position to face, and, after a. few preliminary remarks, the leaimed stipen. diary commenced a speech which lasted the best part of an hour. At the outset he sta,ted that the assistant magistrates'-clcrk'a salary WOs of small matter compared with the due administration of justice. Mr. Lewia proceeded to review the whole case. and alleged reasons why Mr. Da.n Rees desired to part with his assistant (Mr. Nash). Mr. Rees: I think I ought to say that I have no desire to pa-rt with Mr. Nash. but I have given him a friendly intimation that ha should look round and get another situation within, say, six mo'nths. A Promised Post "Why?" asked the Stipendiary. "If Mr. R&as will not say it I will. It is because eig-ht years ago Mr. Rees promised Mr. Edward Hayward that he should have the position which Mr. Nash now occupies. Mr. Hayward was articled to Mr. Rees, and the situation has been reserved for him." In continuation, the Stipendiary stated that it was alleged that Mr. Bees could not afford to pay Mr. Naah JS500 a year, but that was a salary which had been nxed by the corpo- ration when Mr. Rees's sa.!a,ry was advanced to .61.500 a year. In the nrst place, he con- tended that if the promise had been made to Mr. Hayward—and there was no question about it-justice required that other arrangements should be entered into. There were other considerations which might over- ride. and properly override, the arrange- ments of the There were such things as the proper administration of justice, and even public convenience was not to be left out of the question. He (Mr- Lewia) had not a word to say against Mr. Rees, but there were many reasons why the services of Mr. Nash should be retained. Mr. Rees said be could not afford to keep Mr. Nash..At a previous meeting of magdstratea it was pointed out that on the 30th of March. 19<H. a resolution was parsed by that body and oonnrmed by the council fixing Uie deputy-magistrates'-clerk's salary at £300 a year. That was to be paid out of the salary of -El,500 which the mag-istrates' clei?k received. It followed, therefore, th&t who- ever took Mr. Naah's place would get JB300 a year. it wae not in the power of the nmgistpa.tes'-clerk to say he should not receive that salary. Higher Expenses Mr. Dan Rees (magistra.tea' -clerk) pointed out that., a-part altogether from his deputy's salary. the expeuser. of hia oB&oe had gone up. He was given a estlary of dBl,500 a year, out of which he was supposed to pay JE:50:) in salaries, but, as a matter of fact. the salaries amounted to .S125 beyond the JB500, with the result that his income was reduced to .S875. The magistrates in 1905 suggested tha.t he should receive 11,000, leaving JE5QO for assistance, but the latter sum had been increased by CI2,5. The Stipendiary stated that this nnancia.1 aspect of the case was one for the corpora- tion to consider. He argued strongly that the power to provide and pay a staff did not necessarily carry with it the power to dis- miss. He furnished many examples in sup- port of this argument. For instance, a judge of assize could appoint a clerk, but could not dismiss him. He could appoint an asso- ciate but could not dismiss him. The cor- poration paid the )tblary of Mr. Naeh, ard they alone could dismiss him. Several justices who spoke tvùk up the p()f;,iton that the magistrates'-clerk should be master in his own house, and have power of employment and dismissal so far as his etaif was concerned, but the majority took an opposite view. The Stipendiary proposed that the corpora- tion should be asked to veto -e msmisaal of Mr. Na&h, but this was not considered to be quite in or r, inasmuch as the justices had no power to control the corporaton. a. Monon tor Hetention Carrted Alderman F. J. Beavan then proposed "that in the opinion of this meeting of magis- trates Mr. Naeh. the assistant justices' clerk. should not be parted with, as he is not seek- ing any additional salary, but suggests to the magiatrates'-clerk that if in the interests of justice the assistance he requires will exceed .8500 per annum (outside his ;E1,000 salary) the magistrates be asked to respect- fully place the matter before the corpora- tion for their consideration." This was seconded by Mr. Tom Andrews. Alderman Robert Hughes proposed an amendment that the meeting should be adjourned to allow him to give' notice of motion to consider the powers of the magis- trates respecting their clerk and his staff. This was put and lost, and Alderman Bea,van's resolution was carried by 27 votes to 16. Mr Rees's Position Mr. Bees, during the meeting, stated that he had no feeling whatever against Mr. Nash. On the contrary, he thought very highly of him, but intimated to him that he had better look for something more pro- mising. Mr. Nash was an able and emcient man. He ought to say, however, that when Mr. Nash was appointed it was understood that that appointment would be for four and a half years only. The Stipendiary remarked that this period had elapsed. and again referred to the promise made to Mr. Hayward. His worship paid a high tribute to Mr. Rees, but the fact remained that, in order that Mr. Ba.ywa.rd should be induced to remain, he was promised Mr. Nash's -position. Aider-man Beavan said that if it could be shown that the m.agistrat,es'.cferk required any increased or additional assistance it would be for the nuance committee of the corporation to consider the matter. He could not make any promise, but the matter would receive careful consideration. There \'tere many warm passages during the meeting, and one magistrate who got rather irritsted asked. "Who's the liar." There were cries of "Order," and the Lord Mayor even- tually indeed the justices to get to business. So heated was the discussion at times that one gentleman ttadd. "We cannot throw etonee at Aberystwyth after this." Mf. Lambert suggested, sarcastically, that Mr. Nash should be appointed the Stipen- diary's clerk, but this was not taken seriously, and it was felt that Alderman Beavan's motion was the beet method of deferring an awkward situation.

A DELAY IN JUSTICE Ponce-court Business Suspended Respect for the administration of justice is likely to suifer if there are many more such meetinga. Hie hour for the court to begin is eleven, and, so far as the public was aware, that was the time on Tuesday. But a magistrates' meeting was on in an adjoin. ing room, and lasted until after one o'clock. and public business meanwhile was sus- pended and hung up-a state of affairs and of inconvenience to the public which is entirely unnecessary, since with a little fore- thought and re-arrangement aach an un- toward contingency might be avoided. This is the view the poor prisoners might weH take of the great unpaid. When the J.P.'s had finished their pro. tracted, and from their demeanour evidently exciting, proceedings, many went to their merohandiae and all of them to luncheon, a/nd an adjournment was ordered until two. And then appUoatiocs were made <n cajnera. and it was nea.rly 2.30 when MeMrs. T. Andrews, F. H. JothAm. and Gothin Ijewia took their seats on the bench and buaiaeea got at last under weigh.. It is not every da.y tha.t a. court tK!jou<tW before the business bo<Eins.

I Jurymen in Revolt I ANOTHER PHASE OF A DIFFICULT PROBLEM I At Wrexha-m on Tuesday the East Den. highshire coroner (Mr. Hewellyn Kendrick) informed a. jury that the police had made a. statement to him that they had great diih. jculty in obtaining jurors, the same jurors being depended upoj to attend inquest after inqueet. This was hardly fair. The police also informed him that the excuse was made that as they were not summoned they were not under obligation to attend. He intended to alter this in future. He should issue summonses, and if jurors disobeyed then they must a.bide by the consequences. At the close of the inqueet the Coroner intunated to the jury that he required their attendance at Wrexham Workhouse, a. quarter of a mite a-way. !'ieTeral jurors dis- eented. Mr. Caldicott declined to go, but the Coroner informed him that it was not a. case of declining, but of being excused. Mr. Caldkott retorted that as summonses were necessary they ha.d better be sum- moned. The Coroner rejoined that he could summon the jurors there and then. However, as they ha.d attended voluntarily, he wished to aoTi- sider their convenience, and would not pr&ss the matter. Having taken advantage of the oner of the reporters present to act, the Coroner excused several jurors. On arrival a-t the workhouse for the second inquest, however, it was found impossible to proceed in the absence of ma-terial witnesses. The Cor reluctantly informed the jury that he was compelled to a<djo.urn the inquiry, and required their further a-tteTodance next Friday.

THE RAILWAY AGREEMENT I In addition to the letter written to the I President of the Board of Tmcle on Monday by Mr. Bell. M.P., in which the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants' secretary protested against the action taken by the London and North Western Railway in con- nection with the election of the conciliation board's, several resolutions to the &a.me effect have been addreaaed to Mr. Jbioyd George from bra.nche6 in important centres on the line. j* In an in?terview with a press representatiTe ? on Tuesday Mr. Bell said he had received a. letter in which it was stated that in one place the etation-ma&ter, together with an oBiciaJ from the district superintendents oSice, stood over the men as they were filling up the ballot-papers, and advised them to sign. Yes." Another point Mr. Bell called attention to was that during the neg-otiations the society had failed through the oppo<-i- tion of the companies to enfranchise all the employes. After considerable bartering the companies were prevaiied on to accept the age of twenty, Now the Ix)ndon and North Western were issuing papers even to lade of sixteen. He held that if those below twenty were not c<nnpetemt to be elected on the boards they were equally disqualiRed from expressing an opinion on any other question regarding them.

M!NER8' EtGHT HOURS Ai, the Westminster Palace Hotel on Tuee" day a meeting ot ooa.lowners forming the Mining AaBoeiation of Great Britain was h, under the pregide-mey, of Mr. W. E. Ga.rf.orth, for the pujrpose of making preliminary arrangements in regard to the deputation to the Home Secretary, the inght Hon. H. Gladstone. M.P., to-day (Wednesday). on the subject of the Government Bill for regulating a minera' working day of eight hours. There was a strong representation of South Wales coalowners, including Sir Clifford J Oory. Bart., M.P., Mr. Fred L. Davis (ohair. man of the employers' side of the South Wales Conciliation Board), Mr. W. W. Hood, and Mr. J H Fox Tallis (chairman and vice- ohairm'an of the South Wales and -Kon. mouthahire OoalowneDB' Association), Mr. Gaeocyne Dalziel (secretary), Mr. E. H. Grey. Mr. E. M Hann. Mr. H. Cleevee, Mr B. NMholaa, Mr. Jj. Llewellyn, Mr. W. Stewart. Mr. S. L. Greg-or. Mr. WiIIi&m Smith, Mr. J. P. Gibbon, and Mr. D. Hannah. It was decider that the deput.a.tioo should be introduced to Mr. Gladstone by Sir Clifford Cory, M.P., that Mr. Fred L. Davis should present the case for the South Wa-Ies ooalownera, and thaA Sir IAnd6ay Wood should speak for the North of England, Mr. Parker Rhodes for Yorkshire, Mr. M'Caeh for Scotland, and. pfoba'bly, Mr. Fr&nk Brain for the Forest of D<Mm.

THE THAW TR!AL r. NEW YORK, Tuesday. The process of securing the rejection of accepted talesmen in the Thaw caee began at this morning's sitting of the court, when two of the jurymen previously selected were excused. Daring the same Bitting two more jurors were provisionally accepted, leaving the net results the same as when the court adjourned last night. The .nrsf peremptory challenge, of which 30 are allowed to either side, was exercised early in the afternoon, w.men Mr. Jerome. District Attorney, stopped a juror who had just completed his examination before he could take his aea-t in the box. At the opening of the afternoon session a talesman created a sensation by announ- cing that he had lost a gold watch and chajn, valued at ZM, since his arrival in the court. Mr. Jerome took a lively interest in his mishap, and instructed two detectives to investigate the matter. The detectives subsequently arrested two loungers in the court-house lobby on a charge of picking the talesman's pocket.—- Press Association Foreign Special.

UNEMPLOYED AT NEWPORT AldeTMan Mark Mo.rdey. J.P., presided a.t a meeting of the Newport Distress Committee oTi .Tuesday. It was decided to make a.ppli- ca.tton to the corpora-tion for a, further sum. of .E1<M fr<Mn the ha.lfpen'ny rate which they were entitled to levy for the purposes of admiciistra.tAon. The Chairman stated that th)ey now had £39 in hajid. In Tifis TmoTithly report the Registrar (Mr. J. 0. Phillips) eta.ted that t&n men had regis- tered during the :month, ajtd thirteen :re-re.gis- tered. Sev-,ra-I of these had o'bta.ined tem- porajy eanplotyment. The LocaJ Government Board h&d been a-pplied to for a grajit out of the ElOO,DDO voted by the Government, but bad rep-lied tha.t, o'n the information at present before them, they considered that the dietre&s was not of sach aai exception a.l chaj'- a.cter as to wa.rra.nt a gTant. They suggested that ajiy deficit that might occur through engaging the iinemp-loyed on pu.Mic works Should be made up by an a-PPee-I to the towns- people.

THE INDIAN DROUGHT The aeereta-ry of State for India. has recei-v,p,d a telegram from the Governor- General, dated the 6th inat., stating that moderate rain fell during the week in a part of the Madras Presidency, and slight rain in Burma. Eastern Bengal, and Assam, Bombay, and Hyderabad. Elsewhere the week wae rainier, f'o marked increase of crime or' wandenag has yet appeared in the United Provinces, and the measures taken to meet the situation are adequate. The total num- ber of persons in receipt of State relief in the whole of India is now 140,000. Prices ehow a tendency to rise.

i IS IT ANOTHER NEW CRtME P -1 At Newmarket on Tuesday William Butler, stated to be an Automobile Association ecout. was charged with wilfully obstructing the police by signalling to motor drivers the presence of a police trap, and thereby render- ing abortive the efforts of the police to catch motorists exceeding the speed limit. Sir Chafes Mathewe. for the defence, con- tended that there was no physical inter- ference or obstruction on the part of the defendant, and his actions were calculated to bring about the reeult the police aimed at, viz., the prevention of a breach of the bye-laws. The case was dismissed.

METROPOLITAN BANK The directors of the Metropolitan Bank of England and Wales have decided, subject to the nual audit Qtf the ajc<xMiDte. to reeom- memfd the payment of a dividend for the past ha.If-yea.r at the rate of 15 per cMit. per a'mru'm, free of income- tax, b&i)ng at the safme yearly rate aa before; to transfer J&2,401 to bank premises T&domption fund; .E2.500 to ofncers' pension fund. to write .e5,000 off bank premises account, to provide ,£20,000 to meet further depreciation in investments, and to carry forward a balance of £43,418.

'STRUGGLE WtTH THE SEA Two Briton Ferry pilots who had put out to sea. on Tuesday night found that the wind had so mqcli increased that they o<yuld Bd get baek, a.nd thMr bo&t drifted in the direc- tion of Port Thibet. The anchor \taa txied wittmitt ancoees, and aftpr a thTUlinjr expe- rience the men managed to pet into Port Ta<Ibot, landing there in ac €xha.asted COlt- diHon.