Llangollen Advertiser Denbighshire Merionethshire and North Wales Journal

TOPIC OF THE WEEK. REASSESSMENT PROBLEMS. IT is highly satisfactory to learn from remarks made at the meeting of the Corwen Board of Guardians, last week, that the Assessment Committee of the Union, that conducts its deliberations apart from the public gaze, is once more on the eve of taking action in the direction of securing a re-valuation of the Union for rating purposes. They had screwed their courage up to this point some mouths back; and then Mr. Walter Long's statement that the Government had in contemplation some alteration in the law as to assessment was considered sufficient excuse for relieving the tension. As we stated at |ihe time, governmental promises, in this as in many directions, are no more than the little bits of political fluff that are cast upon the breeze of popular opinion at the commencement of every session. To arrest progress in a direction, because "the Government contemplate intro- ducing at an early date" legislation that may make local action unnecessary, is the height of unwisdom. Evidently the Assessment Com- mittee have at last grasped this fact; but it is a pity so many months should have been lost owing to the action of those who dragged as a 119 red herring across the trail the vague promises of His Majesty's advisers. We are not aware of the influences that have been at work, in order to bring the Committee to its present way of thinking; nor is it possible to do more than conjecture as to the course it will pursue, or the modus, operandi, to be pursued, in effecting the very necessary reform which it has determined to secure. There can be no donbt, however, that the opinion of the majority of residents in the Union is favourable to re-assessment from one end to the other. The work must be com- pletely carried out, and there must be no selection of areas for special treatment. Of course there are difficulties in this, inasmuch as the Union extends into two counties, and the county rate is not the same in Merionethshire and in Denbighshire. This is one of the com- plex problems, however, that must be grappled with. As Colonel Parr-Lynes states, the task of the Assessment Committee, under existing conditions, is a very difficult one, and we agree with him that it might be greatly improved could the Government be induced to fall in with the proposal he makes in favour of the appoint- ment in each district of permanent officials entrusted with the work of bringing and keeping the assessment basis up-to-date. It is quite appropriate to endeavour to induce poor-law authorities throughout the kingdom to unite in petitioning Parliament in an endeavour to secure this result. At the same time it must be borne in mind that the wheels of the legislature, grind very slowly even when they are set in motion. Therefore a proposition of this kind can scarcely be advanced as a plea for once more relieving the pressure upon the screw of progress. It may be the means of securing good results in the distant future; but it is with the immediate future that we are primarily concerned to-day. Bearing this fact in mind it is imperative that the Assessment Committee should use, without delay, the means at their disposal, defective and antiquated though they may be, to attain the necessary ends. It is quite true that, in time, better instruments for readily securing equitable re-assessment may be forthcoming, but in the meantime the horse, if unattended to, will have suffered very severely from, if it will not have died of, starvation. Apart from the difficulty caused by the scattered nature of the Union, undoubtedly the chief obstacle in the way of obtaining a speedy re-valuation at a low cost to the rates, is that of securing the individual or individuals who will perform the work most effectively. The suggestion has been made that the Assistant Overseers should undertake the duties. There is a good deal of reasonable opposition to this course being adopted. These officials, being local men bound up with the life and interests of the localities affected and required to collect as well as levy the rates, would find their duties rendered by no means more agreeable should they find it necessary to go in for increasing the rating basis wholesale in any portion of their district. Human nature is human nature after all, and certainly it would be impolitic to do anything that will have a tendency to cause friction in carrying forward the work of any department of public service. The other alter- native, obviously, is to appoint an independent valuer, having no interest whatever in the district, to undertake the work. Colonel Lynes's suggestion that the Government should appoint officials of this kind with, we suppose, the corol- lary that they should be remunerated out of Imperial funds, is one that will commend itself to most ratepayers. The Government, however, is not at present in a position to make such appointments, and a good many years may elapse before Parliament places them in a position to do so. Obviously, therefore, if an independent valuer is to be appointed he must be selected and paid by the authority primarily requiring his services. The Corwen Union will have to pay the piper in this connection, and it is well that ratepayers should reconcile themselves to the fact that the necessary work which he will have to perform is not likely to be carried out without considerable expenditure. At the same time there is no disputing the fact that reason- able expenditure in this direction will be abundantly justified; and that, as a result of the largely augmented rating basis which we are justified in anticipating, the Union will be placed in a much better position to fairly raise the wherewithal to meet calls made upon its re- sources than it is at the present time. Further- more, there appears to be no reason why liabilities incurred upon work of this kind should fall entirely upon the present generation of rate- payers. The work will benefit future genera- tions and they should be required to bear their share of the cost of securing the benefits. Object lessons there have been, in the past, of how not to do the work effectively. There must be no attempt to repeat the experiment of appointing an official to re-value the Union on the understanding that he is paid a certain per- centage on the increases. These were the con- ditions upon which the work was previously carried out; with the result that a large number of properties, advanced to too considerable a valuation, had the assessment reduced on appeal whilst the terms of his agreement enabled the valuer to claim remuneration on the original sum. What is required is the establishment of a fair rating basis and this is hardly likely to be obtained unless an independent official be ap- pointed, and a fair amount agreed upon to recom- pense him for the work. It is scarcely necess- ary, we think, to reaccentuate the importance of securing this alteration in the rating basis with a view to increasing the popularity and prosperity of Llangollen as a residential centre. We have pointed out frequently that high rates" on paper" act as a deterrent to people contemplating taking up their residence in Llan- gollen and an effective system of re-assessment is the only possible remedy for this. The sooner, therefore, it is carried out the better. »

NOTES AND NOTIONS. Vron's Voice. IT is always an unpleasant task to censor correspondence, but that which has recently been reaching this office in minature shoals from the neighbourhood of Vron has gradually assumed a complexion that leaves us no alter- native. No possible good purpose is served by permitting correspondents, who persistently make use of nom de plumes, to slang each other in public prints. The spectacle is not amusing, and certainly it is not instructive. Therefore we are obliged to apply the closure to these very bellicose but remarkably modest combatants.

The Archdruid. WE feel sure that the people of Llangollen will hear with deep regret of Hwfa Mon's determina- tion to permanently sever his connection with Llangollen and, after residing for sixteen years by the sacred Dee," to remove his residence to Rhyl. The Arcbdruid is by far the most inter- esting and picturesque personality in the com- munity he is closely identified with the modern movement that has done so much to preserve the distinctive features of Welsh nationality; and he takes so prominent a. part in the great festivals that are the fine fruits of that movement that all Welshmen must, or should, feel keenly inter- ested in all that concerns his welfare. The venerable gentleman is advised that his health may be greatly improved by the change, and he found that the result of his visit to Ithyl some months ago was most beneficial. We sincerely trust that what will be Llangollen's loss may be the Archdruid's gain. ♦

FOB FANCY ABTICLBS suitable for Presents, &a.? go to Hues Joiqsals, Stationer, Castle Stseet, LIID- gelleu.

♦ Dynamite. IT was somewhat alarming to hear that four or five pounds of dynamite are constantly kept on the premises of the Corwen Workhouse although it is reassuring to know that the Inspector approves of the method of storage. This information was elicited upon the receipt of a communication from the Home Office with instructions as to how the explosive is to be treated in frosty weather. It is used in the quarry, where pauper labour is employed, and a small supply is kept locked up in a room to which the Master assured the Board that only himself and an old woman have access. It is an admitted fact that old women frequently succeed in settling poor-law problems; but we sincerely hope that the old lady at Corwen may never be the means of bringing the august body that sits in an upper chamber above the dynamite to an abrupt decision. It is a risky experiment to jump to conclusions. -4

.LONDON LETTER. [FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.} THE progress of the King and Queen through some of the streets of London on Saturday and Sunday brought to an end the events which marked the Coronation, and immense numbers crowded to see the King. London kept general holiday, but outside the county of London business operations proceeded as usual: On Tuesday Col. Pryce Jones entertained the Welsh members and the Premier to dinner, and it appears that all had a pleasant time of it. Col. Pryce Jones is very popular, and I believe his merits would be much more appreciated in Wales if he were not a Conservative. Whilst at Tokenhouse Yard the other day I noticed some views of the summit of Snowdon. They were displayed in the central hall so as to be seen by the numbers of property, buyers who frequent the Mart. On the 5th of November, Messrs. Fox and Bousfield will offer this natural and picturesque site under the hammer, and it is to be hoped the result will not interfere with the natural attractions of the place. The Education Bill continues to be the theme of discussion. The services at some chapels have recently quite altered in form. At Westbourne Park Chapel Dr. Clifford is cheered and interapt- ed with cries of hear, hear as if he were on a political platform. At Putney Chapel the other Sunday a worshipper with political ideas different from the preacher walked out and stamped his feet. I think it is a general opinion that the Liberals have lost a splendid opportunity by being too extreme. Some of the criticisms of the Bill have been quite inapplicable. The County Council contract for tramways in Tottenham and adjacent districts has been given to Messrs. W. Griffiths and Sons, Limited, a company mainly composed of Welshmen. The Quarterly Review has in its current number an interesting article on Welsh Liberalism The Mabinogion comes in for a share of notice, as well as. some recent Welsh works, or rather English translations or criticism on the Welsh. The Welsh Baptists at their chapel near Oxford Circus open the session of their Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society" early in November, and Sir John Williams, Bart., takes the chair. » ■—

LOCAL AND DISTRICT. Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Williams Wynn enter- tained a large shooting party at Coedymaen on Wsdnesday and Thursday. Good spor t was had. Mr. Wynn Evans, the coroner for East Den- bighshire, who was taken ill while he was away on a short holiday, has returned to his residence at Wrexham, and is much better. His breakdown was due te overwork. Mr. Herbert Roberts, M.P., and Mr. Herbert Lewis, M.P., were amongst those present at a confer- ence held at the Westminster Palace Hotel on Wednesday, to consider the grievances of British Indian subjects in the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies. Some interesting experiments are being con- ducted on the Coed Coch estate, belonging to the Hon. Mrs. Brodrick. in the vicinity of Llanelidan and Bettws, by a gold mining expert. Numerous pieces of blue stone or gold quartz have been discovered in the vicinity, and the expert states that there is every indictation of a heavy seam of gold running from east to west at a depth of 200 feet. Three members retire from the Rutbia District Council this year viz., Councillors T. J. Rouw, Joseph Davies, and C. D. Phillips. The seat vacated by Mr. Thomas Williams on his election as alderman was not filled, consequently there are four seats to be filled this year. Mr. Joseph Davies has retired, and three new candidates have been nominated, viz., Messrs. Benjamin Davies, John Davies, and William Thomas. Therefore there are five candidates to fight for the four vacant aeata on the Council. The election is to be fought on non- political lines. OnTuesdayMissKatieJones, daughter of Alder- man Thomas Jones, ex-Mayor of Wrexham, of Br?11 Melyn, was married to Mr. Thomas Trevor FrancIS, youngest son of Mr. John Francis, Nythfa, Wrex- ham. The bride was given away by her father- The bridesmaids were Miss Enid Francis, Miss Gladys Roberts, and Miss Mina. Williams. The best man was Mr. Selwyn Prichard. There was a reception at Bryn Melyn after the ceremony, and about 150 guests were present. The newly married couple had a hearty send-off on their departure for Llandudno. At the Vauxhall Collieries, on Wednesday morning, whilst the cage" was ascending, loaded with four heavy tubs of metal, and about midway in the pit, the rope broke loose from the iron bands or ''clamps" which fasten it to the carrier, the latter failing with terrific velocier.y to the bottom. Beyond the complete smashing up of the "carrier cage and platform at the bottom, little damage was done. Under the supervision of Mr. Saint, the manager, the work of restoration was so expeditously carried out that full winding was again resumed the following night. The Rev. James Daniel Evans, B.A., of Brynaeran, Carnarvonshire, has accepted the oall to the pastorate of Catherine-street English Presby- terian Church, Liverpool. Born in London, Mr. EvaRs received his early education at the City of London School, passing thence to Aberystwyth, and finally to Oxford. The former occupants of the pulpit were the late Principals David Charles Davies, William Howells (Trevecca), Thomas Charles Edwards (Bala), and the Rev. John Thomas, B,A,, who resigned the pastorate in 1899. It is confidently believed that Mr. Evans will worthily maintain the traditions of the church. On Monday afternoon there was a large atten- danca at a property sale at the Wynastay Arms Hotel, Wrexham. A block of freehold property at Ruabon, consisting ef two shops and a dwelling- house, two dwelling-houses and a butcher's shop, a cottage and a fully-licensed house, known as Franke's Vaults, was sold to Ishmael Evans, Wrex- ham, for £ 6,200. The Hand Inn, Wrexham, was offered, but was withdrawn at £ 4,400. The Glad- stone Arms, Plsrsgwyn, Minera, near Wrexham, was sold to Mr. Alex. Kinnair, of Tiger Inn, Wrexham, for £ 770. Mr. Capper, of Messrs. Frank Lloyd and Sons, was the auctioneer. On the arrival of the last train from the Wrex- ham direction, at Mold station, about nine o'clock on Saturday night, the engine-driver reported that shortly after leaving Coed Talon the engine came into contact with something on the line. On examination blood and hair were found on the buffers of the engine, and the matter was at once reported to the police. Superintendent J. Ivor Davies, accompanied by Police Constable Griffiths and some railway porters, proceeded up the line as far as Celyn siding, taking a stretcher and other necessaries with them, in case of emergency. To their surprise they found lying upon the railway the dead body of a horse, which belonged to some neighbouring farmer, and which had evidently strayed upon the line. On Sunday the Rev. David James, Calvinistic minister, Llanegryn, near Towyn, Merioneth, was officiating at Trawsfynydd, near Festiniog. He preached on Sunday morning at the branch chapel in the Prysor Vale, returning after the service to the village. About one o'clock he started in a trap for the afternoon service at Eden Chapel, a distance of about four miles on the Dolgally road. The road from the village is steep to the bridge crossing Prysor river where there is a sharp eurve to the left. Just on entering the bridge the horge took fright and rushed off. Mr. James, alarmed at the pos- sibility of being thrown over the bridge, seized the reins from the driver's hands, and the horse was turned by him over the retaining wall at the end of the bridge on the right side. He was thrown on to the stones on the river side, and was picked up in an unconscious state, and still remains so The Rev. Rowland Williams (Archdruid of Wales) has decided to leave Llangollen, and to take up his residence permanently at Rhyl. His deter- mination to take this step has been largely influenced by the advice of his medical attendants, who deem that the surest way of a complete recovery after his recent severe indisposition may be found in a removal to the bracing atmosphere of the coast. In addition to this Hwfa Mon states that he finds itfnecessary, in order to fulfil the growing demands of his bardic duties that he should be more centrally located than he has been for the past fifteen years during which he has resided at Llangollen. He is contemplating pre- paring his memoirs, which will form a most inter- esting narrative of the progress of the Welsh nationalist Movement during the past decade.

At Llangollen Police Court, on Monday, George Farrington was fined 2s. 6d. and costs for having been drunk in Mill-street. The Great Western Railway announce excursions to run to London for two, four, six or seven days onjNov. 4th and 8th for the Lord Mayor's Show. A correspondent states that it has been re- solved to publish a new Welsh Revised Edition of the Holy Bible, the work to be done by competent Welsh scholars. An open session in connection with the Rising Sun Lodge, I.O.G.T., Yroncyssylltau, was held in the Board Schools, on Tuesday. The programme was sustained by the members of St. Oswald's" Lodge, Oswestry. Afterwards the visitors were entertained to supper by the Vron members. -+- Lieut. R. V. Wynn, of the 9th Lancers, son of the Hon. C. H. Wynn. Rug, is expected home from Bombay, on or about Nov. 12th. He is on board the" Tirianna Lieut. Wynn, as it will be re- membered, was mentioned in a dispatch from Lord Kitchener for gallantry in South Afriaa during the war. On Wednesday evening the second of a series of lantern exhibitions was held in the Rhosymedre National Schools, when Mr. Bernard Hartley displayed a number of Japanese pictures which proved very interesting and instructive. The events have been arranged in aid of the- Sunday Schools. M.A.P. says :-Mrs. George Hill-Trevor has- returned to London. She was Miss Ethel Chapman, and in 1893 married the brother and heir of the present Lord Trevor. She is a pretty woman, with red-gold hair, and a slight, graceful figure, and her accomplishments are many she is a good linguist, very musical, and an exceptionally clever amateur actress. A competitive meeting was held in the Carinet Baptist Chapel, Vron, on Monday evening and proved in every respeet a very interesting event. The Rev. Thos. Morris. Vroncyssylltau, proved an able ehairman and the adjudicators were -Singing, Mr. Raes Glynceiriog recitations, eta., Mr. John Evans, and Mr. J. Roberta, Vron. The proceeds were in aid of the chapel. Shortly before 11 o'clock ou Tuesday night a large stack of oats belonging to Mr. Henry Dennis, New Hall, Ruabon, was discovered to be on fire Several workmen employed at the Vauxhall Collieries adjoining, under the supervision of Mr. Geo. Saint, assisted by the farm employes and other willing hands, were successful in confining the fire to the stack itself, which was surrounded by other large stacks, and a oorrugated-roofed hayrick, until the arrival of the Wynnstay fire- engine. The stack was totally destroyed. Beyond surmises, there is no elue as to how the fire originated. The Hon. Lady Biddulph died a Windso Castle on Thursday, after a short illness. She had been Extra Bedchamber Woman to the Queen and Lady-iu-Waiting to Princess Henry of Batten- berg, and formerly made of Honour to Queen Victoria. She married in 1875, General Sir Thomas Biddnlph, who died in 1878. Sir Thomas, who was the only brother to the late Colonel Myddelton Biddulph. and uncle of the present Mr. Myddelton was for twenty-seven years one of Queena Victoria's most valued and confidential servants, and filled many high offices at Court, amongst them Keeper of the Queen's Privy Purse. Lady Biddulph was the only daughter of Mr. F. W. C. Seymour and grand daughter of the ninth Marquis of Huntly. The term of office of the Corwen School Board terminates next month. One of the members (Rev. J. R. Ellis) has left the town, and another member (Mr. R. R. Roberts) has expressed a wish to resign. On Friday twelve gentleman were nominated to make a Board of seven. At the last moment, however, five withdrew their names, and the Board, therefore, remains the same as hitherto, with the exception of the Rev. W. Williams, elected in plaee of Mr. R. R. Roberts, and the Rev. J. Felix in place of Rev. J. R. Ellis. --+-- An interesting presentation took place on Friday evening at the Headquarters of the Saltney Football Club, City Arms Hotel, Saltney, the reoepiant being the head barmaid Miss Emily Edwards, of Cunliffe-street, Wrexham, late of the Royal Hotel, Llangollen. who is leaving Saltney on the occasion of her marriage. The present con- sisted of a handsome dinner service of 52 pieces and a silver teapot presented by the customers of the house, and a purse of gold presented by the pro- prietor, Mr. Jas. Knight. Congratulations to Mr. Edward Hughes, saddler, Bridge-street, Llangollen, upon his signal success at the Liverpool Exhibition. The splendid exhibit of Crown saddlery which he forwarded as an example of what Welsh skill can produce in this branch of industry has been awarded a first prize by the judges and all who had the privilege of inspecting the exhibit locally will agree that it is- highly creditable to the business enterprise and capabilities of our esteemed fellow townsman, no less than to the local trade. Long may Llangollen lead in this respect, with Hughes to sho wthe way Llangollen has been well to the fore at Liver pool. At the Welsh Industries Exhibitionthat isbeing held in St. George's Hall this week, Miss A. Parry, Chapel-street, won the first prize for three yards of crochet lace, not less than two inahes wide Mr. John Robert Hughes, Llangollen Board School, secured the first prize for a set of toys, various— this class was open to school children in Wales and Monnaouth whereas Mr. John Ellis was awarded the first prize for the best corner-cupboard in oak Host Godfrey Allen, of the "Wynnstay Arms Hotel, Llangollen, secured a genuine vegetable curiosity the other day. Amongst a load of potatoes, taken up from his planting at Llandyn Farm was one that, both "in form and feature," might have been designed by Dame Nature as a minature model of a hippopotamus. It weighs tenounces, and differs only from the African quadruped in that it lacks legs and has a thin skin. Mr. John Royle, one of the representatives of Collegiate Churoh Ward in the Manchester City Council, acceded on Wednesday to the request of the members of the Council that he would accept the office of Lord Mayor. Mr. Royle is well-known in Llangollen, to which town he has been a constant visitor. He married the daughter of the late Captain Paull, of Pentrefelin; and, with his wife, is taking a keen interest in the erection of the new English Wesleyan Chapel in the town, facing the river Dee. At Rhosllanerchrugog ten new houses, which were built alongside the public street, had walls which encroached on the public highway. For some months the encroachment was unnoticed, but the owners have now received an order from the District Couneil to remove their walls withia the proper distance.