The Rhondda Leader

FROM THc Editor's Chair. I 1 Mr. Chiozza Money, M.P., is always i illuminating when dealing with social < questions, and he has that rare ability 1 of supporting his suggestions with facts und figures which are never seriously controverted. He lives among the Blue ] Books of the nation, and it is wonderful i how very interesting he can make them. In his last weekly contribution to the British Weekly," he deals with the basis of wage advance, and constructs his article on the report of the House of Commons Select Committee on Wages ?nd working coiuli tions in the postal ser- vice of the Country. "I am not," he says, "concerned here to discuss in detail the recommendations made. As has been published in the daily Press, an all-round increase of pay has been recommended, and a number of suggestions of value made, such as that, in the general case, boys should not be employed under four- teen years of age. For the general public the chief thing to noteabout this report is that here we have in working order one admirable way of dealing with what has been termed 1 labour unrest,' and it is a way which is obviously only possible because of the status of this particular industry. We have had a railway strike and a miners' strike, but we have not had a postal strike. We have had enor- mous sums lost through the big strikes mentioned, and through many others that I might name; not a penny has been lost to the nation through a postal labour dispute. Surely that is a lesson to be taken to heart by the nation. The mining and railway services are every whit as much public services as the postal busi- ness. Nay. the mining and railway indus- tries are basic, and British wealth is but a superstructure erected upon British coal and and British railways. Pity it is that the conditions of labour of miners and railway men. who perform such dangerous and honourable functions, cannot be handed to a non-party Parliamentary Committee to deal with as the postal ser- vants have just been dealt with. Sooner or later it is a thing which must be done." There is no doubt that the importance of maintaining to the nation these basic industries will result in having a similar Committee authorised to investigate the wages and work conditions of the very industries upon which the superstructure of* British wealth is more or le,s blillt. hese Committees ;ir<eL'<'t'd to repre- j 'Ht all parties and are not for the pur- )Sû of legislating. They collect the facts [}On which Mich possible future legis- y 1 .J '}'1 ,E ,tion is based. The wages question to- ay all round Is a burning matter. 'fhf'l'I' ?? as be(Ill a I'llt' III tlle COST Ot' ving since the last Committee on postal Vii llg i lli(- (,Ilillllttk.,o oil 1)4)."tat L f Trade return sh?\v.? that taking rents ?) nd prices together, that there has been J1 n all-round 11 per cent, rise on an k verage. As Mr. Money puts it, the cost f living alone i< lIet a true wages basis, )r, as genera l wealth iffcreases, the post a irvants, like other workers, are fully ei)- j itlffi to a rise in the actual standard of omfort as well. b The Chesterfield Parliamentary Elect1011 not barren of reflections to the man rho thinks independently of mandates .nd decrees. Mr. Onions, in a recent v pening ceremony of an Institute, noted g lie tendency that leadens were no longer j ho only thinkers in a crisis. He hailed his general widespread tendency which ho work of Institutes aimed at fostering :1 imong the workers. This is just what I ] Las happened in Derbyshire by the return of Mr. Barnet Kenyon with such an ( mphasis. The maintaining of the forces )f progres.s solid in the Derbyshire clec- ion encourages the. hope that- there will )e less üIf these divisions in the future. [t proves also that the social legislation vhic-li has been so prominently associated ( vith t,he present Government's term of ( iffice is not thrown away upon an un- grateful deniocraey. The people unqucs- f ionably rea lise that the spirit of the Par- iaments which we have known since 1906 .s one off determined effort to better the condition of tho working population of this country. This election reveals that among the miners of Derbyshire that Socialism pure and simple ha. but a feeble hold upon that elect-orate. Here Conscr- ratism had only 40 per cent, and Socialism per cent. The miners of Derbyshire were forced inio the Labour Party, and Mr, Ramsay Macdonald thinks it was a. great mistake to liave forced them before they were convince:! that tho Labour policy was the right one. Mr. Robert 5millie illustrates a very common mistake I in his criticism of the miners who voted Ho -L-olls tis t,liat the for Mr. Kenyon. Ho tells us that the miners formed the Labour Party, and that having joined that party, the miners had a duty to be absolutely loyal to it or get out of it." If the miners had not joined the Labour Party, there would in all probability have been no Labour Party, or it would have been a very feeble body. The miners created the Labour Party, and it is a strong demand that they should be servants of their own creation. The Labour Party plainly failed to carry the Derbyshire miners, for what they want is a say in these matters of apportioning seats. Tli? leaders of the Labour Party blundered on this occasion. The essence of political organisation is that leaders should bo certain that they have the support of their members for any programme upon which they deeido to concentrate. The mandamus to the Labour men not to appear on a Radical platform has no countenance from the bulk of the miners, who are followers of Mr. Lloyd George. The old taunt of the Socialist pure and simple, that the two parties are just the same, will not hold. Tho present-day predominant poli- tical fact in public life is the consuming hatred off Mr. Lloyd George, the Chan- cellorr of the Exchequer, by the Tories and the idle rich. This is the fact and while it lasts it is futile preaching to the demo- cracy that both parties are alike and must be boycotted. The Labour following are generally very loyal, but to ask them to set aside their humanly emotions is fI little too much. Chesterfield said "Halt. and that is the moral of it all.

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Funeral of Mrs. d. Harris, Wattstown. ii'Vino illmwv rln+.inor frnTTl "L" .1 ,J"L" 4- ?-'L.b last or Tuesday last, Mrs. Jane Harris, if" of Mr. John Harris, Bailey Street, V'attstown, who is well known in the dis- ict. and who has for many years been niengineman at the National Collieries, assod away on Wednesday, tho 20th ist. Mrs. Harris was 49 years of age, nil was known for her sympathetic and indly nature. The death was a release rom a long and painful illness, but was severe blow to the sorrowing husband nd children, the one losing a valuable elpinato and the others a fond and loving votber. Mr. Harris was for seven voars a mem- ier of tin1 Executive Council of the South Vales and Monmouthshire Enginemen's, tc., Association, and the cnginemen in inference passed a vote of condolence vitli Mr. Harris and his family. He is ilso a trustee of the Star of Wattstown. jodge of Ivorites, and a similar vote was Kissed at a meeting of the lodge. Tho funeral took place on Saturday last it Llethrddu Cemetery, Trealaw. The Rev. James Williams, Carnwl, Watts- own, officiated both at the house and graveside, where affecting scenes were witnessed. The chief mourners were:—Mr. John Karris (husband); Mr. and Mrs. Sam Tones, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Davies, and Mr. and Mrs. Tom ReeS (sons-in-law and laughters); Mr. and Mrs. Simon Jones son and daughter-in-law); Mr. William John Harris (son); Miss Susie Harris (laughter); Messrs. W. Pritchard and T. Priteliard (brothers); Mr. and Mrs. John Lewis and family, Foelvriw, and Mr. and Mrs. James Jones, Deri (brothers-in-law ind sisters-in-law); and Miss Maggie Harris, Bargoed (sister-in-law). llic-re were several wreaths sent, The family desire M thank the numer- nus friends who extended their sympathy.

At the Last Bugle Gall. Military Funeral for a National Reaapve. Tho funeral, with militarv honjjrs, of the late Sergeant S. Chapman, of the National Reserve, whoso death was re- ported in our last issue, took place on Friday afternoon at Portli for interment- at Llethrddu Cemetery. Chapman, who was residing at Lincoln Street, Cymmer, with his father, had only been there a few weeks, when he had to undergo an operation with his arm, owing to a bullet wound received during the Boer War. The operation, however, did not prove successful. Deceased was accorded a full military funeral, and Reservists from all parts of the Valleys were present, including Sergt. Jenkins, of Tylorsfown, and ex-Sergeant Harry Hughes, of the 5th Welsh. The eoflin was draped with the Union Jack, and the Ynyshir Drum and Fife Hand played the" Dead March en route. Three volleys were filed over the grave, and the last bugle call was sounded. The Rev. T. Parry officiated.

suffragettes interrupted at Porth, r.nn.,a^inir tho Dknnrfrfn. The women's Suffrage campaign is being pursued with determination in the Rhon- dda Valleys. The initial open-air meet- ing held at Porth on Friday night was, however, a stormy one, some of the speakers failing to secure a hearing. Despite the rain, there was a crowd of about a thousand. The chairman, Mr. F. Jenkins, was refused a hearing, and A. E. AN*Ililiins, Cardiff, fared little better. being continually interrupted. Occasionally the crowd became angry and menacing, and Mrs. Williams, was three times pushed from her footing upon a chair.. Eventually the campaigners, who declared their determination of convert- ing the R honrlda." were escorted home by police.