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,. UP AND DOWN THE COAST.…

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UP AND DOWN THE COAST. -r.r.J'" AN ELECTION. There have been elections for Guardians of the poor at several places, and among them at Aberystwyth. An election for a poor-law guardian is an antiquated piece of business, affording ample opportunities for doing those things which ought not to be done, and leaving undone those things which ought to have been done. It is said that the law has not been|observed as strictly as it might have been, and that, in fact, the election will have to be gone through again. To fill in voting papers is a dan- gerous proceeding, and one well calculated to bring the accommodating officials intojdifiiculties. If there had not been a tie between two of the candidates, the irregu- larities would probably not have secured that attention which is now sure to be bestowed upon them. It is sheer love for the poor and nothing at all in the world else that has brought forward so many candidates this year. If then had been no talk whatever about a County Govern- ment Bill, they would all have been as anxious as they are now to have seats on the Board. To sit among the county s I'ureiets what would some people not do. They will go through a good deal for a remote chance' of securing this brilliant honour Gossip is very busy with the way this election has been managed. It is not true that my Post in North Parade voted for four of the candidates. Had it done so the vote might have been truly called wooden support. One or two of the gentlemen are not expected to survive defeat. WANTED A FLOOD. The illhabitantsfin thej neighbourhood of Trawscoed Ion,, felt the need of a bridge over the Ystwyth, a swift and dangerous river liable to rise suddenly when rain falls heavily on the mountains. A committee was appointed, and the noble owner of Crosswood gave a very handsome subscriotion. Other gentlemen in the district also put their hands in their pockets ungrudgingly. "Our Saxon father3 built a bridge is a line of a first-class song that joes on to say that this bridge will safely bear us over. Now the Crosswood bridge is not like the one built by our S.«:on fathers. It could bear us over, for it is handsome I and strong, and in every way reflects credit upon the com- mittee but it is in pawn, and we-are not allowed to cross it. The committee are determined that the cost of its erection shall be defrayed before the bridge is used, and some of the small people who promised liberally enough when there was no prospect of a bridge think that per- haps the rich landowners who have already subscribed liberally will pay the remainder. Shame upon the people who hang back If it was a church or chapel that was in debt, one might get up a bazaar, or a concert, or a Christmas tree, or even a lecture.; but what can you do for a bridge, except charge a toll, and then the receipts would perhaps not pay for collection, and would fall most heavily upon those who hiive already paid heavy sub- scriptions. Nothing will do but a good heavy flood. Here is a suggestion Let a dinner be got up, and the hat sent round. Another whip round would clear the bridge. A ROOD SCREEN AND A RUDER LETTER. There is somewhere near Usk a church in want of money. So far the church near Usk, is not unlike churches nearer home. A three barrelled letter partly lithographed, and partly written, has been sent to people in this district. Ihe first application is "for some little assistance towards completing the restoration." The next is to meet the people who like to get something for their money besides the mere pleasure of helping to restore a rood screen. Here is the bait. "A fine large engraving of the screen, will be sent to each subscriber of 5s. (who may desire to have one)." A lithographed view of the screen 4 inches by Si inches, which, of course, is neither large nor fine, is sent with the letter, which con- cludes with this impudent, and not very grammatical re- qucst-" failing which (a subscription), will you send us Is. in stamps, the price of the enclosed lithograph." The price of the lithograph for which a shilling is charged would be dear at half a farthing. Cheek is not without its Talue in these days. A VALUATION CASE. A Merionethshire Board of Guardians, as everybody knows, have been struggling for a long time with the assessments. Here is a little story, and I ask my friends after this, whether some members of Boards of Guardians always serve the public for nought. This is not an imaginary case, but one that can be proved. Nor is it a case which can be passed over lightly. Indeed it cannot be passed over at all. It is bad enough to waste public money by granting extravagant nut-relief, but it is worse to make assessments th&t cannot possibly bear investigation. Is there not one member of the Board who will make a plain statement of facts, and who will steadily keep this matter before the public until justice is done? Here are the facts Absut forty years ago Rocky Farm was valued at k200 per annum, and Clay Soil Farm,lin the same parish was valued at C160. Now it happened that four portions of Clay Soil Farm were taken away from that farm and are now assessed separately at £30. This left the assessment of Clay Soil Farm at 2130, From time to time during the past forty years the assessment of Clay Soil Farm has been raised until it now stands, notwithstanding the taking away of the four pieces, at £ 190. My readers will see that if no land had been taken away from Clay Soil Farm it would now have been assessed at 2220. This is fair. We now come to Rocky Farm, whose history is not nearly so satisfactory. Forty years ago Rocky Farm was assessed at £200. Since that time no pieces of land have been taken away and assessed separately.^ The land has imnrnved even more than that of Clay Soil Farm. and yet the present assessment of Rocky Farm is 2160, or k40 less than it was forty years ago Do my friends believe that railways and increased population, and improved methods of agriculture, and additional markets, can have had the curious effect of increasing the value of Clay Soil Farm and of reducing that of Rocky Farm ? If things of this kind are to go on at Dolgelley, and else- where, I will not say unrebuked, but unreversed, there is no hope for that and similar bodies. The struggle may be an arduous one, but it must be waged. Public life must be purified, and jobs of this kind must be exposed until those who perpetrate them are glad to hide out of sight. It is all very well to sing hymns and to turn up the whites of your eyes, but when the collection plate comes round, keep in your pockets the unclean gold that soils whatever it touches. MACHYNLLETH UNION RELIEF. The Chairman made a speech at the last meeting of the Board which I read, and as I read I laughed. Hisapology for the high rate of pauperism was not an effective one but it was comic. The reasons he gave for the low rate of pauperism in other unions—namely mills, mines and quarries—are usually given as reasons for high rates of pauperism. The chairman's speech reminds me of 'the men who in summer take a glass of brandy to cool them, and in winter take a glass of brandy to warm them. It is generally admitted that where there are large works there is a large population subject to the fluctuations of business and liable to come on the rates. Dolgelley uses its quarries to prove that pauperism ought to be higher there than elsewhere. By the way, are both the Llan- brynmair guardians rated high enough to qualify them for seats on the Beard? MACHYNLLETH PAROCHIAL COMMITTEE. This committee is still in existence and has its weather eye wide open. That eye is looking for a period of two months when no rain shall fall at Machynlleth. Happy committee, and still happier town. The Coast. WINKLE.

A CARDIGAN BREACH OF -PROMISE…

[No title]

THE TOWYN BIGAMY CASE.

MACHYNLLETH.

PWLLHELI.

PENRHYNDEUDRAETH.

LAMPETER.

DOLGELLEY.

ABERYSTWYTH.

BALA.

CRICCIETH.

THE CRISIS.

. THE PROPOSED RAILWAY TO…

.--THE BOAT RACE.

-"--TIABFRTim^J0E ABERYSTWFTi^…