Evening Express

Telephone, National, 502; Post-office, 95. Telegrams. "Express," Cardiff.

Bill Banter's Budget We are goin' on a journey to a better bally land We 'a.s girded our loins to do a guv; We are shakin' Cardiff dmt Off our footsteps, for we Find a corner where we aiiit ASSESSED so high. Chcreou-JE: — T';I*en, away, over Jordan, You ehould he.r our boys go marchin1! Away, over Jordan, W here assessments ain't so 'igh! We are lookin' for a place to Gave a crown, To save a lialf-a-orov. n. Then, away, over Jordan, To Newport we are trampin'! Away, over Jordan, To save that 'arf-a,-crown. BILL HICGINS. For an atrocity the above shameful parody upon one of our sweetest revival melodies i,3 hard to beat. When a poet abuses his heaven- born talents in order to vesty our anguish as ratepayers it is time we made him Laureate that ihis muse may stop for ever. I have hitherto been kind to Higgins. I have upon occasion lent him the wherewithal to suitably soak his muse, but this evidence of ingratitude "touches me to the quick," as the man said with his thumb under the eteam-I-ommerr at the recent Exhibition. There IS nothing at all to laugh at in the demoralisation of Cardiff trade by the new assessment. If t,hŒe guilty of rhe aisessment realised the malevolent in- fluence it has already exterted over various businesses in Cardiff they would purely pause, and, without waiting for appeals AND quarter sessions, make some effort to stay the threa- tened devastation. By-and-bve, when some of our most useful commercial enterprises have been forced out of town, it will be too late. The "Express" 1.1 not the only works on the road lo Xewport and elsewhere. There has been no movement made as yet- The aggrieved ratepayers Lave dcided to wait :m rppeal. But they are not neglecting the necessity of forea-runng- them- selves Their even are directed tnwards suit- able positions upon the ihorizon in the event of the appeals being lost. The "Mail," through the public spirit of Newport citizens, HA- a pka.-ant Newport site Already laid out. The Great Western Rail- way may consider the advisability of looping Cardiff, and pitching ITS Cardiff Station at Llantrisant. The Gas Company will move to St. Fagan's, and devote its .attention to FCHA lighting of the road along through Fairwater. The Tart Yale Railway, if all that ;s said be true. will devote its future enterprise towards the opening of Central Africa to trade and commerce. Tho Rhymney Company is bent upon the Transvaal, whilst they heartily agree with Mr. May that South Africa IS over- stocked in many ways; tliey state that in the matter of railway enterprise it ITS lie high road to fortune. i MESSRS Spillfr." and Bakers, mindful of the exceptionally high prices obtainable for their products in Cape Colony and in Western Aus- tralia. may move their extensive factories to those lucrative quarters. IN West Australia I BISCUITS fetch 3". lOd. per lh. without any fancy sugaring on the top. Dog biscuit are prized by the African natives for their staying qualities, and fetch twenty times their European valu& in ivory and other African products. Howell AND Co will probably take the direction of the North Pole, under the guidance of Nansen, and will remove their mammoth winter show ot the season's goods to the Nortli of Spitz. bergen. The explorer will undertake the management of the Arctic branch. We shall soon see the Esquimaux climbing the northern icebergs in all the glory of the warm, clinging jerseys which the Cardiff Preiki team found so Ii serviceable. IT IS reported that Messrs. Jothnm and Sons arc heady to remove their Cardiff emporium to Madagascar in the event of the ASSESSMENT robbery being continued. A suitable site has been booked for the Dowlais Works in the neighbourhood of Tokio. The Japs, far from attempting to extort three times the value of Japan in the way of assessment, are READY to assist the works with a State subsidy. As for the "Express," we shall probably migrate to China, where the population, since the visit of Li Hung Chang to the Lon- don end of the office telephone, has been yearning for an intellectual outfitting department under the management- of Banter. These probabilities are interesting. May they sorve to open the assessors' eyes. Another New Year's crank sends me the fol- lowing this morning:—A Dear William,—I am in COMPILE accord with your correspondent, who complains of ehe hooters and the like that celebrate my advent twenty nvnutes or half an hour before my arrival. But now I have a little puzzle for your leaders. We are told (and it is correct) that I arrive at Greenwich twelve minutes 40 seconds before I gelt to Cardiff. In other words, I get, say. to Greenwich then in about thirteen minutee to Cardiff, three* minutes later to Swansea, and so on, till after some hours I arrive in New York, several hourse later OT San Francisco, and so on. Where do do I stride the earth first?—Faithfully yúUnI, THE NEW YEAR. Solar System, Jan. 4, 1897. j

The Political Situation i CHATTP REVIEW OF THE I WEEK'S EVENTS [BY WESTMINSTER." 1 The awiul solemnity of the formai reviews of political matters in the bygone year with which the newspapers fill their columns at tnis season strikes the ordinary reader as quite unnecessary and unreal, because the termination of one year brings no political question to a conclusion and marks no natural break in the movement of human affairs. The pause for reflection afforded bv the tran- sition from 1896 to 1897 is, no doubt, useful, .,s it provides an opportunity for the display of sentiment in various forms, from the gush- ing and not quite disinterested message of the Emperor of Russia to President Faure to the sincere and riotous hilarity—more appro- priate, perhaps, to the occasion—of the per- fervid Scotchmen who celebrate the birth of the New Year in front of St. Paul's Cathedral, or, as the "Daily Graphic" shows in its funny sketches this morning, in the night express from Glasgow to London. It is a curious thing, by the way, that Scotchmen seem to be the only people left who at the beginning of a New Year fling decorum to the winds, and enjoy for once in a way that "delight of happy laughter" which is the best antidote to the morbid tendencies of our age. But, apart from these little episodes, the world rolls on in 1897 much as it did in 1896. A few more people have been made knights or baronete, with the usual result of raising the question with regard to each recipient of such a. dis- tinction, "Well, I wonder what lie paid for it 1" for it is a rare thing to see in the honours' list the name of any man of real merit. The Radical party in England is still floundering about in search of a leader, and the Unionist party has made no perceptible advance towards the adoption of a firm and uniform policy. Want of faith has become the chief characteristic of public men, and public opinion is in danger of being drowned in a flood of twaddle. Naturally, therefore, Eng- lish diplomacy has ceased to carry much weight abroad. We have pacified the United States, so the Venezuelans t;ell us, by consent- ing to terms of arbitration which amount to a surrender of all the important points in dis- pute h regard to the boundaries of British Guiana. In the East, if we except the vigo- rously conducted Soudan campaign, we have accomplished nothing, and in South Africa we have gone a long way back. Abdui the Damned and Kruger the Victorious remain the und-sputed and despotic rulers of the terri- tories which they respectively govern; and the one carts no more for the long and lucid dispatches of Mr. Chamberlain than the other does for the lectures of Canon M'Coll and the sonnets of Mr William Watson. The conclusion of the calendar year, how- ever, although not coincident with that of the financial year, enables us to take stock of the actual state of the nationSi finances. Sir M. H. Beach made a very prudent, not to say timid, forecast of ths yield of the prin- cipal sources of revenue for 1896-97, and, as three-fourths of the year have now expired, it is possible to say with confidence that he will have a good surplus at the end of March. Sir Michael estimated that he would have a surplus of less than half a million, but the total, receipts of the Exchequer in the nine months just expired exceed those of last year by no less a sum than £ 2,300,000. • This is not all available for Imperial purposes, as the grants in aid of local taxation show an increase of JS500,000, chiefly, I suppose, on ajc-count of the coming into force of the Agri- cultural Rekef Bill. But the national account shows a balance to the good of a million and three-quarters, and this is not likely to suffer much diminution in the coming quarter. For nearly all branches of business are doing weif, and the consuming power 'of the mass of the pe-ople, which swells the revenue derived from • us 1.0ms, excise, and the postal and tele- graph services, is as large as ever it has been. The prospect of a return to cheap money, again, will stimulate enterprise and increase the recocts from stamps. Sir M. H. Beach, then. '??J view with a good deal of com- placency the results of his stewardship of the finances. Of course, the time is at hand when he will be eagerly pressed to sanction all kinds of fresh expenditure. He will not be asked to make provision this year for ex- traordinary expenditure on the Navy. The Government since it came into power has put the Navy, a-s regards the number and quality of i&ea-going ships, on a thoroughly sound footing, and the only anxiety Mr. Goscinen has Is to maintain a sufficient number of trained sailors to man our fleets. He indd- cated, however, last year that the increase in the number of men would be made gradually, aid at no great cost. Various suggestions have been made for strengthening the Army, but there is no strong force of public opinion to back them. The public feel that we already spend a gigantic sum of money on our Army every year, and that, if the results are inadequate, it is not because we do not spend enough, but because the military system and its administration are at fault. The m-osl difficult task of the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be to resist the new Irish demand, which is pressed with such extra- ordinary vehemence and unanimity bv all classes of the population of Ireland. Lord Dunraven, I s>;e, writer to the "Tunes' to-day to say that, although he presided at the re- markable meeting in Limerick at which Mr. John DaLy was allowed to pa.t Lord Castle- j town 011 the back for having threatened to imitate tine example set by the Bostcmians at the outbreak of the American war of indepen-! denoe, he himself has "expressed no opinion whahever" on the report of the Financial Rela- tions Commission. Thw is ii, somewhat puzzling declaration. Lord Dunraven, I .suppose, will say that he merely took the chair at the meeting ,as lord-lieutenant of the county, but ought lw in thai opacity to'; have lemained silent while Seps- r'st speakers exulted in the prospect of the coming inde- pendence of Ireland, and one at least of them preached open disloyalty? A great manv of the Irish Un ionics sea-a to have lost their heads over this finnnr-'al business, and to be wiliing to join with their natural enemies in order to revenge themselves for the betrayal of ? the landlords' in- terest I>t"t year by Mr. Arthur Balfour and his 'brother Gerald. But they will find that spite is a bad counsellor. Lord Londonderry. I am glad to observe, has not yet committed himself to tha support of the new agitation. He is the real leader of the II ish Un;onis!s, and Mr. Carson, who has deprecated the action taken by some members of the paitv, nrobablv represents his views I No En ;lis'n party can listen, as Lord Dun- raven suggested at Limerick, "with open mind and sympathetic ear" to the intolerable demand that Ireland, while remaining within the Union, shall be treated as a separate entity, enjoying the privileges of slight, taxation and excessive representation in Parliament. Equality between the two nations is all thai, we want. and that we mean to have. But there must be some underhand intrigue going on, or the agitation would not have '"been carried to the lengths it has already reached. Watchful observers of the present state of political parties must have noticed that none of the many sections of which the House of Commons is composed seems to have got a firm grasp of principles or to be guided by a resolute will. In appearance, you have an immensely strong Government on one side of the House and a feeble Opposition on the other. But when any new question is raised the whole House is thrown into a state of confusion, having no compass to steer by, and the most conflicting views are freely ex- pressed on all sides. Hence has sprung the impression, which prevails, I find, verv widely, that we are < 11 the eve of a gieat re- construction of political parties. At the bottom of this Irish agitation there is an idea which a clever party leader, anxious to make a bid for popularity, might iay hold of. The protest- against the heavy taxation of In whisky, which is put forward as if it were merely an Irish grievance, raises the whole question of the equity of the existing distri- butionof direct and indirect taxation, and the desirability of shifting the burden of taxation more and mere from the consuming to the desirability of shifting the burden of taxation more and mere from the consuming to the capitalist class might be put in a very alluring light before the English democracy. Has | I this thought, I wonder, yet passed through! the mind of any one of our prominent public men ? In the course of a few days Mr. Rhodes will be on his way home, "bringing rebellion broached upon his sword," and with the acclamations of all South Africa, with the single exception of the Transvaal, ringing in his ears, not to be received in triumph by his fellow countrymen as a maker of empire, but to be put upon his trial before a Committee of the House of Commons, on which his most vindictive per- sonal enemy, Mr. Labouchere, will sit as one of his judges. There are not many politicians in town just now, and I have not been abie to exchange views on the subject with mem- bers of Parliament who take an interest in South African affairs, so you must take it as only the expression of my personal opinion when I say that, as far as I can judge, the feeling grows apace that the South African Committee ought- not to be re-appointed, Neither Mr. Chamberlain nor Sir William Harcourt wanted the Committee to be appointed last year, but they gave way to the importunity of Mr. Labouchere, who posed all last session as the most devoted admuer and patron of the Colonial Secretary, and, conse- quently, deserved some reward. What object can the Committee achieve, beyond that of providing Mr. Kruger with the materials for making out his bill of costs?—and he needs no assistance in that way. Can we forbid Mr. Rhodes to return tc South Africa, or destroy his handiwork, the Chartered Company, against the wishes of tho Colonists, both Dutch and English, who still owe allegiance to Queen Victoria? Whatever feeling may have eMsted against the Chartered Company must have been completely dispelled by a year's experience of the fruits of administration from Do wmng-stieet. Most of your contemporaries seem to have thought it necessary to begin the New Year by writing in dithyrambic strains about the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. I hope this sort of thing is not to be kept up without intermis- sion till June 21, when the Queen will have completed the sixtieth year of her reign, or, loyal subjects as we are, we shall have grown heartily sick of the whole business. It is a distinct misfortune that two of the great daily papers—the "Telegraph" and the "Standard —keep each a poet ou the editorial staff, and that Sir Edwin Arnold and Mr. Alfred Austin think it necessary to compete with one another in the rhetorical diffusiveness of their loyal raptures. None of the projects put for- ward so far to commemorate the great event of the year seem to me to rise to the dignity of the occasion. Why does not some paper start a correspondence on the question, How can the Queen's reign be most worthily com- memorated? Surely we cannot go on for ever multiplying hospitals and increasing the num- bers of professional nurses. At the rate we are proceeding, England ten years hence will be a country given up entirely to schools, hospitals, and pensioners. All the income earned by the nation at large will be required to maintain these institutions. I need hardly say that I have no sym- pathy with the Indian National Congress, A body which is distinctly anti-English in its tendencies, however profuse it may be of expressions of lip loyalty to the Queen. But the Congress is justified, I think, in com- plaining of the strange disinclination of the Indian Government to accept any outside help in the relief of the suiferers by famine. I am convinced that the Government is doing its best, and all its plans, as explained months ago, were excellent, and seemed to cover the Avhole ground. But the results have failed to answer expectations, and the Indian officials are unwilling to acknowledge that in some parts of the country the famine is beyond their contfol. The great fault of the Indian bureaucracy, as of all permanent officials, is their innate and intense dislike of outside in- terference. and this extends even to the bene- volent offers of aid which have been pressed upon them. What possible harm could result from the immediate opening of a subscription list by the Lord Mayor ? The money need not be spent till it is wanted, and it would be placed in the hands of the officials themselves for its distribution. Lord George Hamilton is incurring a heavy responsibility by his inaction.

DOCTORS' AGITATION AT MEHTHYR At the weekly meeting of the Merthyr Board or Guardians on Saturday observn- tions of the guardians were requested by the Local Guvemment Board upon three .letters which had b?e.n sent to them by Dr. D. K. DrafBn, Dr. R. M'Ghie, and Dr. J. A. Cola- clough, protesting against the recent appoint- ment of Dr. Cromwell Jones as parochial medical officer and public vaccinator for the district of Trocdyrhiw, on the ground of non- re"idence within the district.—Mr. David Davies characterised the obtru on of these gcitlemen as impertinent-, and pointed out that of all the candidates who applied for the appointment Dr. Jones Ava.s the only one who could understand and speak committee was eventuaily delegated to draft a reply to the Local Govern- ment Board.—Inasmuch a-s it appeared that complaints had been made to Mr. James Da-vies (relieving officer) by several people as to the inconvenienco suffered ~n consequence of the vaeancy not [mving hccn tilled up-the appoint- ment of Dr. Jones- not having yet been sanc- tioned bv the Local Government Board-it was rcsolved that. pending the confirmation of his deetion hy the authorities ill London, Dr. Jones should be appointed to perform the duties temporarily.

FIRES AT CARDIFF At a late hour on Saturday night Mr. William Joi,e-, of the- Friendship Hotel. Bute- teirace, Cardiff, reported to Police-constable Latham that an outbreak of fire had occurred at a grease works in Homfray-st-reet. The con-stable forced rpen the door of the premises, when ho found that a quantity of coal and firewood stored ia the basement was burning. This he was able to extinguish with a. few buckets of water. There Wbre several barrels of grease stored clo. by, and but for the for- tunate circumstance that the outbreak had tx.'I'<1l discovered at its inception it would, in all Probability, have eventuated in a sericus con- flagration, At midnight on Saturday information, was received at the Bute-street I'olice-station that a five had broken out at No. 3, Patrick-street, Cardiff, a lock-un nrocer's shop in the occu- pation of Mr. E. C. Da vies. The reel, in charge of Act.ing-s^rireaiit Green and Pol ice-constables Adams and Singer, was turned out, and on arriving at the .ieene of the fire they forced 01 ion the front door, and found the shop full d smoke and a fire rag'n? in ;1. small room iTI the rca-r used an office. The reel was at once crot to \vor;- frmn a hydrant ÍlI the street, hut the outbreak was not extinguished hefnre considerable was CIon", té). tnp office furniture, and also to the stock on the premises. ?.?

? _?. NEATH WO UK IN G-M E N 'S CLUB On Saturday afternoon memorial stones in connection with the Neath Working Men's Club were laid by the mayor (Councillor A. R. Thomas), Mr. W. H. P. Jenkins. of Baglai), piesident 0: the club; Mr. Walter j Rice .Evan?, of Eaglesbush County Councillor \v. B. Trick, County Councillor E. Hail I Kediey, Por. tarda we and County Councillor E. Evans Bevan, Oadoxton. The club is one of the most successful institutions of its kind in the county, and the new building will be more capacious and better adapted to the needs and comfort of the fhembers than the old. The architects are Messrs. Lambert and Rees, Neath and Bridgend, and the con- tractor Councillor Abraham George. The gentlemen who laid the stones Avere "ch pre- sented with a handsome silver tro-vel. suit- ably inscribed, and the mallets, w*ich were given by the contractor, were made out of old oak procured from the former building. The new premises will have a pressed brick front, and contain spacious reading-rooms, a library. billia.rd-room, skittfe-alley (97ft. long), bar. and committee and caretaker's rooms. Cticques amounting to over £100 were laid on the stones on Saturday, and each of the officiating gentlemen spoke highly of the institution, and expressed a hope that it would long exist for the promotion of legiti- mate social intercourse among the Avorking men of the town. Among those present were Mr. J. D. Porter (treasurer) and Mr. H. W illiams Secretary). °

Dc. Lasker has won the sixteenth game in the match with M. Steinitz in 42 movps. The score now stands —Lasker, 9; Steinitz, 2; ùrawn, 5. Sir John Puieston. in his capacity ps con- stable of Carnarvon C.istle, last week teeeived a visit in London from Mr. J. R. Hughe-, Carnarvon, chairman of the committee appointed by the toiv.i council to apply for the location of the Welsh University offices in that town. Plans were submitted of suggested alterations which would adapt some of the castle apartments for the purposes of the new offices, and it is -.r (erstood that Sir John PuifViton heartily approves of the scheme.

Football Competition a LAST WEEK'S WINNERS. I There was again a large increase ir the numiber oif the competitors in our competition lasti week, but the great majority of them expected tall scoring by Swansea and Newport and low scoring by Cardiff and I.lineily, and thus gave their forecasts the reverse to what actually LOOK place. Only the two competitors who-e names appear below gave two scores absolutely correct, but a number gave partly correct scores. After a careful scrutiny we have awarded the first prize, a Bound Volume of Stocldart'S Portfolio of Photographs of Scenery and Cities, value 1& to Mr. J. H. LEWIS, 3, Paradise-place, Cardiff, whose forecast rea.d:- Probable win- Points Points Wun ning team. for. agst. poinre. Cardiff 13 0 13 NEWPORT 16 0 16 SAVANSEA 6 0 6 LIANELLY 19 0 19 And the second prize, "Beautiful Britain," A'.alue 12s. 6d., to Mr. JAMES JAMES, 12, School-street, Deri, whose coupon read;- PROBABLE win- Points Points W'NG NING TEAM. for. AGST. POINTS. Cardiff 13 0 13 NEWPORT 13 0 13 SWANSEA 6 0 6 Llauelly 13 0 13 WHILST the actual result wa-s Winning team. Points Pointy W'NG for. agst. points. Cardiff 13 0 13 NEWPORT 9 0 9 SWANSEA 6 0 6 Llanelly 20 0 20 RESULTS OF SATURDAY'S 'MATCHES. CARDIFF V. NEATH. G. T. M. Cardiff. 2 12 NEATH 0 0 1 NEWPORT V. BRISTOL. G. T. M. X ewport 0 3 9 BRISTOL 0 0 0 PENARTH V. SWANSEA. n. T. M. SWANSEA 0 2 2 PENARTH 0 0 1 LLANELLY V. OLD MERCHANT TAYLORS. G. T. M. LIANELLY 1 5 0 Old MERCHANT TAYLORS 0 0 0 PONTYMOILE V. MOUNTAIN ASH. Mountain ASH 1 2 0 PONTYMOILE *110 DROPPED. MORRISTON V. PENYGRAIG. G. T. M. MORRISTON 0 1 2 PENYGRAIG 0 0 0 CARDIFF RESERVES V. NEATH SECONDS. G. T. M. Cardiff RESERVES 1 1 1 Nettli Seconds 0 0 2 BRIDGEND V. ABERWON. Ð. T. M. ABERAVON — 1 2 0 BRIDGENED 0 0 0 BARRY V. RISCA. C. T M. BARRV 0 2 2 KISI-A. 0 0 2 GLAMORGAN TIMES LEAGUE. LLWVNYPIA A V. TREHERBERT A. G T. M TREHERBERT A 3 1 0 Llwyny-pla A 0 0 0 ROATH V. ABERGAVENNT. G. T. M. Abergavenny "1 0 a Roath 0 0 1 ^Dropped gcai, ASSOCIATION. ST. MARGARETS V. KELSON. Coais. ST. MARGARET'S 2 NELSON C SWANSEA V. I LANWRTYD WiELIÆ. GKXNLS. SWANSEA — 3 LLANWRTYD WELLS 1 I SO'TH WALES AND MONMOUTHSHIRE CLT TIE. 2ND DEVON SECONDS V. PEMBROKE DOCK. GOALS. 2ND DEVONS 2 PEMBROKE DOCK 0 NOTEiS ON SATURDAY'S MATCHES BY "WELSH ATHLETE." Taking Saturday's football as a whole, our local clubs by no means did themselves justice. Perhaps Lianelly were the only exception :n this direction, for their victory by one goal and five tries to nil over the Old Merchant Taylors appears to have been a thoroughly deserved one, and, from what I understand of the game, the score docs not one wliit; exaggerate the supariorily of the tin-plater.S. At Neath the matter seems to have been different, and I am assured that Cardiff were exceedingly lucky to have put on so large a score as two goals and a try against Neath's nil. Newport, too, do not 'appear to have been quite in their usual form. Admitting three tries to be a fairly good-siz?d victory, and also that Bristol have improved considerably of late, still I do not consider- speaking apart from the day's form, Avhatever that may have been—that the score indicates anything like the difference between the two teams. Allowing, too, that Penarth are hard nuts orack on their own ground, Swansea's victory by two tries has not come by any means as a surprise. Facts that, doubtless, made consider- able difference to the two teanie were the stand- ing down of Banorofk in view of next Satur- day's match and Clemenoe through injuries. The suggestion offered by the narrow victory of Mountain Ash over Pontymoile is that bebter football talent obtains amongst our local clubs tha.R. we -ARE disposed to give them credit for. Monistori and Penygraig I have dwaYiI looked upon as beirg fairly evenly matched. Playing on one's ou N ground is generally worth a try, and as that was the margin by which Morris ton won we may ASFUME that there is not much between the teams m question. I append the usual record up to date:- Club. MN VLIC?. Points. P. W. L. D. For. Ag. Liar. ell 16 15 0 1 154- ^5 Llwynypia 18 17 0 1 312 14 Newport 16 14 1 1 219 5r.2 Mountain Ash. 18 13 1 4- 232 28 Aberavon 15 13 2 0 170 23 Swansea 18 14. 3 1 224 34- Cardiff 15 10 4 1 146 08 Penarth 17 9 5 3 84- 611 Neath 20 7 10 3 82 119 The TUMULTS of the Glamorgan League competi- tion up to date are as follow — CiuK Matches. Points. W. L. D. P. A. L P. TREHERBERT 6 0 1 105 10 13 MOUNTAIN ASH 4 0 3 84 15 11 LLWYNYPIA 4 0 1 89 9 9 PONTYPRIDD 4 5 0 30 106 8 PENYGRAIG 3 2 1 ..S\5 7 7 BARRY 2 5 2 24 32 6 FERNDALE '2 4 0 10 65 4 Merthyr 1 4 0 11 84 2 I Treorky 1 5 0 12 84 2 A game that would, doubtless, have been of the most interesting description had climatic condi- tions allowed of its being fought out was that arranged to take place at Treherbert between the home club and Llwynypia. As I winted 1 out on Saturday, there was a good deal at stake in this encounter, for whichever team won practically gained the champion- 1 ship of the Glamorgan League. There was a big crowd of some five or s:x thousand; people present, and undoubtedly the inability to bring off the fixture caused the keenest dis- appointment. Still, under the circuiastancis, playing the ga-me was quite out of the ques- j tion, for the ground was as hard as iron, and to j play would have simply meant risking life and limb. No foothold could have been got for running, whilst turning or dodging was a matter of absolute impossibility. Starting an exhibition game was, of course, an attempt to, in some measure, mitigate a dis- j appointment to the crowd. Welsh footbslll crowds, however, know a thing or two, and J felt confident that the people would soon object ,to any foolery of the sort. They did so before five minutes had gone by, and stopped the cari- cature on football by flocking on to the field of play. I have no word of blame for the crowd, for, apart from an eagerness to see the game played under any comFtlons, they behaved in I remarkably sportsmanlike fashion. There waf;, of course, a few expressions of disapprove, but I fancy that was more the result of a natural pique on the part of the crowd at the attempt to bamboozle them by an exhibition game than any bad feeling towards the players. I con- sider there is soma blame attached, however, I and that is to iUe Treherbert officials, who, in company with the Llwynypia men, ought to have visited the ground and decided as to its fitness to play upon before admitting the crowd. I am glad to hear Miat Llwynypia are willing to treat the matter in a thoroughly sportsman- like fashion, and give Treherbert another date as recompense for the disappointment. The match between Neath and Cardiff was, my Neath correspondent says, very disappoint- ing. The game, for the most part, was made up of monotonous scrimmaging, and really inte- resting incidents were few and far between. The Neath team" knowing the dangerous quality of the Cardiff quartette, had previously decided to make the game a forward one, hoping this would keep the Cardiff line as inactive as possible. There is no doubt that the tactics adopted tended to keep the score down. The Neath pack went off with a bang at the commencement of the game, and they sustained the pace almost up to the finish. They were, if anything, superior to Cardiff in the tight scrums and the loose, and it was a source of surprise that the halves were able to give their backs as many chances as they did. Selwyn Biggs and Heavan had by no means an easy task. Playing behind a beaten pack is naturally a great disadvantage, but when you also ha.ve opposed to you a smart couple like "Williams and Cross things are likely to get awkward. It was more par- ticularly at three-quarter that the falling off of Cardiff was most marked. Their play, except on isolated occasions, was characterised by < rror after error. In the early part of the game they didn't get many chances, yet it may be safely said that at least two tries were thrown clean away "by erratic passing. The 'last two rounds in passing, which resulted in ten points being registered against the homesters, were, however, in Cardiff's very best style. Every man con- cerned* handled beautifully, and as A conse- quence of the skilful maneuvering Hussey and Driscoll were given clear courses an. The absence of Gwynn Nicholls was felt. He is the piA'ot. upon which the whole mechanism of the third line Avorks. To my mind, Nicholls at his best is, .probably, the finest three-quarter Wales ever had. That is saying a good deal, I know. The closeness of the game may be shown 'by citing the fact that up to five minutes of the call of time Cardiff only led by a try. And if the score had remained such it would have been a truer index to the character of the game. Neath did by far the greater part of the pressing, and had they only a quartette of speed and class Cardiff would have sustained defeat. Unfortunately for Neajh, they have not. Their forwards worked grandly, and, despite his penchant for kicking, Alec Cross did better at half than for some time. W. J. Williame was, however, the thorn in th" side of the Car- diff couple. Time after time he spoiled their efforts. The Neath quartette, the best of whom was Harry J ones, dId very well; that is, if they wero not brilliant on the attack, the\' were sound in defence. But they lack speed a.,d A resource. At full back Brooks and Thomas both played a safe game and kicked with irood jud¡"'1Il<:nr. Prominent among the Cardiff for- wards Avere Dolxson, Blake, and Emery, Avhiie on the Neath side the pick of a sterling pack seemed to he Jim Reynolds, Tom Thomas, Jim Thomas, and S. Davies. I was quite prepared for a smaller score in the Newport v. Bristol game than was the east: in the initial match on Novembef 21. It came about from two reasons. Newport Avas con- siderably off colour, and Bristol played a hard, plucky game. Added to these considera- tions was a run of bad luck which attended the efforts of the Uskside backs." Dauncey espe- cially had hard lines. After getting his first try within five minutes of the start, he again had an identical pass, but just AS we was getting over he threw forward. Bad luck of this sort dogged the Newport play throughout. Dauncey in the second half got over AND claimed a try, but the referee ruled that he lost possession of the ball before it AVAT; grounded Llewellyn Thomas grounded a foob from the line, Gould took four or five aborti\'e kicks at goal, and Boucher made three unsuccessful place-kicks. These Avere genuine misfortunes, but after they are all taken, into account it must be confessed that the play of the Newport forwards was a bit ragged, and that the- halves were palpably BE^OW par. The forwards hadn't the dash and den'In:>" aboufe them which i,: their usual .characteristic, and even when they gave the ball out to the halves the latter were so much off colour that they made a poor show with it. Mat Hannan was suffering from a badly ibrnised hip, and rlqllv ought not to have been playing and Parfitt appeared to be out of condition. LleAvellyn Thomas, who took Pear- son's place on the right wing, played a capital game, and R. L. Thomas, the Newport full back, OOMT up once again to all his early pro- mise. He played with great coolness, and all his kicks had length. The Bristol people were quite satisfied with the performance. It wasn't exactly a moral victory that they claimed, but that the hemp team had emerged from the ordeal quite as Avell as could have been ex- pected, and that they have about them the pro- mise of ch-vdopiiig into a first-class LOI—which is undoubted. The pick of a smart set of for- wards were Jarman (the captain), Bingham, and Iiiskip. At half-back Needs, a former Newport second-teamer, did A ery well, and Par- sons, the left- wing, was the most conspicuous of the three quarter line. His fine turn of speed came in handy several times. Aberavon managed to defeat Bridgend by one goal and two trie. to nothing. Both teams Avere poorly represented, Aberavon being with- out D. Jones and two or three of the forwards, while Use homesters lacked the services of Fred Smith, Brown, and Hitt. The game was played at a tremendous pace all through, and there was quite sufficient fine, open play and plenty of sensational. runs to make it specially interesting from a spectators point of view. On the day's form Aberavon was, undoubtedly, the better tea-M, playing with more dash and vigour than the homesters. In tho scrimmages both sides were pretty equal, but the wheeling of the visitors was very suc- cessful. and the half-backs were enabled to get the hall away time after time. The visiting wing three-quarters—WIIL Bees and Cocking-— were in grand form, and the latter more than once gave evidence of a wonderful turn of speed. Rees Lewis at full back Avas safe, a ad kicked a good length. The home forwards were not in such good form as on Christmas Day although THE fine tackling of Hayman Avae greatlv admired, Deere and Mahoney also play- ing well. Ball played a good game at half. but was well watched, while Tom Emery, at three-quarter, played his usual *marc g-sme, Tvor James and FITZGERALD also being very safe in defence. The splendid footwork and following-up of the visiting forwards were a treat to witness. The encounter at Morriston did not prove so one-sided as the partisans of the home club had been led to expect. When the homesters took the field the difference in the size of the fif- teens made it appear AS if it wef" impossible for the homesters to come out of the ordeal suc- cessfully. Despite this thev managed to secure a victory of three points. The game itself was verv fast and open throughout, more especially in the sc-concl half, when it was of a most rambling character. The Penygraig for- wards sustained the good opinion which they had made whilst playing against Swansea a few days previous,, a.nd, indeed, but for the good dis- play made by them on Saturday a very heaARy score would have been piled against the Rhondda team, for the display given by their backs was mediocre in the extreme. The Morriston forwards v/or; out wfoll AGAINST such weight, and in the open their display was Aery smart. Brazell, who was played as a: sub- stitute. made some very usefud runs, and once the ball was among the backs he joined as a fifth three-quarter- ° Tom Roberts. Llewelyn Thomas, and Cooper were the pick of the homesters, whilst .Tones, Griffiths, and Evans figured very prominently among the visitors. At half Franks and Granville had an easy time, for they had to hunt, but very little for the leather. Despite the many chances which they gave their three-quarters hardly anything was gaiined, the backs fumbling pitifully. Glen- denning Avas probably the best of the four, although IT. Thomas put in some very useful kicks. T. Jonea was very safe, and kicked well. Among the Morriston backs Ross Thomas at half played a sound game. It was in the three- quarters that the homesters excelled, the four men pflaving a very pretty game. Willieombe and J. Da vies in the centre did a variety of smart things, but the brilliant run of the latter which secured Morriston's only try must be ranked as the finest bit of individual play yet seen on the Morriston enclosure. It was magnificent play, and deserves praise. Ellis, the tin-platers'latest '"find," had but little to do. Although neither Swansea nor Penarth were fully represented on Saturday, the fixture re- sulted in an open and interesting game. At fir?t it appeared AS if the seasiders were going to hold their own, but when play settled down it liaa seen that the all whites were continually 1 securing the bail in the scrum arid heeling out with regularity to the halw. This was due in a great measure to the tricky way in which the Brothers James threw in the leather. For a long time Penarth Avithstocd the offeusiva tactics of the Swansea backs, but before the first [ half Avas over the combination of the Avesterners proved too good, and Gordon got io with a very pretty try. The second half opened in much the eama way as the first. Penarth, if anything, having the best of matters. Towards the end, how. ever, Swansea attacked hotly, and Gordon was again responsible for A try, although he did not himself cross the line. It well for the defence of the seasiders that they only had six points scored against them, inasmuch as Ticariy all the attacking was done by the all whites. It was only occasionally that the ball came out on the PÉmarth side of the scrum, and then the backs did not make the best of the opportunities which pre. eentecl themselves. Shepherd and Sweet-Eseott Avcrked well together, but thf) three-quarter line is still in a disorganised state. Alexander has llDW taken centre position w1th Knight, and they, as well as Angove on the left wing, did remarkably well individually, but Rudd. ou Saturday's form, was not a success on the right. With a. little more practice he may im pr0Yoe. The home forwards, in spite of the fact that they were beaten in the tight scrums, played a plucky game throughout, and in the op^n were quite as g-ood a- their opponents, among whom Jackson, Rio?, and Williams were the most prominent. With the advantages they possessed, the Brothers James were not so marvellously clever-indeed. Shepherd and Sweet-Escott beat them time after time—but when they did get the leather away tbe three-quarters passed it along Avith promptitude and precision. Gordon was. imdoubtedly, the best three-quarter on the I field, riut he was well backed up by his con* freres. Smith made an exceedingly good substitute for Bancroft, and C. Thorniey. the Penarth cus- todian, promises to make a capital full back. Originally, a half-back in the second team, he was tried in the Fame. position in the first detachment, but found Avanting. In the three-quarter line he was not a success, but as full back he gives promise of a successful football career. Ha filled the position with credit to himself in tha Christmas tour of his club, and his oerfcrmance on Saturday was almost faultless. It cannot be expected that at the outlet he can rival Clemenoe, but his tackling in the match against Swansea must be an encouragement to the com. mittee of his club. A-

Eisteddfodd at Middles- borough When Welt.ii ironworkers first settled on the banks of the Tees (says the "Yorkshire Daily Post") they brought with them and fostered in the hearts of their children, not only love for their native country, but a strong affeotion for its old-time ballads. This fact partly explains the institution of an eisteddfod in tha populous district of which Middlesborough and Stockton are the centre. Those who ha.ve advanced with the times are responsible for so interesting a method of encouraging the culti- vation of artistic instincts here. They ha.ve looked after their fellows, and the result is a kind of Wales on Tees-side. Webhmen. rioIt and poor alike, are trying to keep up the old bardic tradi1, iOH., even though they are no longer residents of Uymru's fair vdleYd. For many years past a musical and literary contest has been held. Last year the eisteddfod was under the auspices of the Welch National Society, of which Hir Lewis Morris is president, and the same society lends its name to the undertaking which was brought to a head in Middles- borough Town-hall on Friday afternoon and evening, in the scarce of numerous and highly appreciative gatherings. Sir Hugh Gil- zean lleid presided over the afternoon meeting, and the Mayor of Middlesborough (Colonel Sadler) took the chair at night. Dr. Roland Rogtrs acted as adjudicator, Miss W. Richardson was tha accompanist, and Mr. W. J. Da vies the conductor. There were some interesting competitions, but the Welsh solo for female voices was not ? satisfactory an affair. Dr. J. Parry's setting of "Hoff wlad fy NgenedigaetL" ("The Land! of my Birth") was the task set, but, largely on accuunt of nervousness, none of th'3 three singers succeeded 1n doing justice to it. The rendering of Miss M. Evans (South Bank), however, was adjudged to be the best. The Grange Juvenile Choir won the choral com- petition for children of fifteen yearn and under.- Three choirs competed. They had to sing both with and without pianoforte acwmpam. ment, in the first case, Pinsuti's "Rhine Raft Song," and, in the second, D. Emlyn Evans's arrangement of "The Bell., of Aberdovey." The Grange Choir thoroughly deserved their suc- cess. The parte were well balanced, the sing- ing was bright, and the time, on the whole, admirably kept. The choral contests for female voiees, the singers to be not youngel than sixteen years, would have been as inte- resting as anything heard during the afternoon if only there had been more competition. Thi rest pieces were Emlyn Evans's arrangement a "The Ash Grove" and "The Gentle Bird," ant the choir from Middlesborough won. Th literary adj lldicators (the Rev. W. S. J oneil Mr. Aueurin Williams, and Mr. E. T. John, awarded the prize for the essay in Welsh Ú, Mr. Thomas Williams, and half the prize foj translation into English to the only pntrant "Acklam." In the course of some observation! on the ei3teddfod, Sir HU6h Giizean Reid said lie understood that the aim of the organisation was to cultivate, to strengthen, and to maintain the practice of Welsh music in that great dis- trict. Such musical gatherings formed a striking exemplification of what the Welc-h people were in character and aspirations. Wherever the Welsh were found there also was the spirit of industry. His experience of the Welsh settlers on Tees-side was that they were sober, indus- trious, and Avell-intentioned lJeüple, good fathers, good mothers, aud g-ood ciLzens. He admired their lov6 of fretÙDUl and their devo- tion to every movement that tended to human progress, but considered that their crowning glory lay in their music, and this was a language that everyone could understand and appreciate. WTales3, he thought, took a fore- must place among the musical nations of the world. He hoped the Welsh representatives in Cleveland and Durham would continue to cultivate their national music, at the same time keeping alive the national sentiment, strivir. g to be g-ocd citizens, making their homes brighter and the lives of their fellows happier and betier.—The prin- cipal item of the evening's programme was a. ehoial competition for mixed voices, the test pieces beirlg l{{)b6l.ts'g part s'ong, "What ili Fair," unaceompánied. and Mendelssohn's "All ye that cried unto the Lord," with piano- forte accompaniment. The first prize of £10 Avas fairly won by the Tees-side Vocal Union. con ducted by Mr. T. Nicholas. The South Bank Glee Singers, under Mr. T. Evans, were a good second, and carried away £ 5 5s. If these two choirs only combined, the adjudi- cator said, there could be no doubt thev would take a high position in any national èompcti- tion. The Welsh solo for male voices Mr. .'ohn Da vies, of Middlesborough, won against eleven other competitors. Literary work was repoited upon in the case of Mrs. Humphreys, of Stockton, who took the first prize for trans- lation from Welsh into English, and Mr. John Mcw-ui, of South Bank, the writer of the suc- cessful essay on "Notable North Country Welshmen." Mention Elhould be made also of the artistic singing of Miss Jennie Pritehard, who contributed songs alike in Welsh and 1111 English at both meetings. To sum tip, tha most gratifying features of the eisteddfod were the successes of tbe winning choirs and the efforts of the youthful infitmmentnbV+s. One 0,. tw f fhe vocal solos were remarkably good, but this department, as tho adjudicator him. self justly hinted, was rather too generouslv enrooT-igprl in comparison with tpe competi- t1Nls for ann. Another Arear the promoters w-nihl do well to increase the* prize money available for plaverg of instru- ment*. AfJ regards the choral pieces, the rich. ness of thp altos anrl tn" nurit" nf tlw tenors were matters nf spec:'1.1 notp. It onlv rpffiaimJ nnW to ickooiidodgp the soundness and straight- forwjirdnew nf Dr. Rolmd Roger's decisions, :11'1 the estisfactorv ¡..l':1M>rvi:f'" of the nr!l1lfle. ments made by ATr. B. J. Rowen. the hon. 8ef're!fl1"V. and ':1H ns-ociated with hinl.

(TOT•.T'T?W ^TFT\T 017 TTFLR OVFEX'S HETCJV DISTRIBUTION OF CIVIC HONOURS. The London correspondent of the "Leeds Mercury" f»avf -I bear th'1t 'n conne¡>f;iotl with t'he celebrations of the Queen's reign this year there will "be a further creation of Lord Mayors in the large proA'ineial towns, supple- mented by a generous distribution of eivia knighthoods. In fact, according to tha present intentions of those in high places, there will be an absolutely unprecedented scattering of titles and decorations amontrst all classes of the community. Her Majesty is said to be anxious that all Avhose repre- sentative capacity, or whose personal con- tribution to the triumphs of the Victorian' period justifies it. should receive some sort of recognition on the celebration of an event without a parallel in English history, and the knowledge of this fact may be depended upon to stimulate the energies of those asso- ciated with the various schemes already de- veloped for celebrating the reign.