Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

21 articles on this Page

LOCAL AND GENERAL GOSSIP.

News
Cite
Share

LOCAL AND GENERAL GOSSIP. The Bwllfa Dda transaction is still the topic of local conversation. On dit that an offer has been made to the Corporation to pay back the £2,020 on condition that the farm is given back as it was when taken over. But this the Corporation cannot afford to do. They must keep the land at all costs for the sake of the purity of the water supply. Meanwhile preparations are said to be going on for placing the matter before eminent counsel for legal opinion. Mr. Cousens Hardy, Q.C., or Sir Horace a vey, Q.C., is likely to be the counsel chosen. Un 1 expert opinion is obtained, it is idle to speculate as to what the Corporation should do. The question is, as we saId at the beginning, very much of a legal conun „ not appear clear whom the overpaid £ a y belongs to, and therefore it is argued it should go back to the Corporation exchequer, whence it was t,ken. >If< The members of the society of Friends in the South Wales district, true to their convictions, have presented a petition to Parliament, through Sir Hussey Vivian, against any increase in the naval armaments of the Empire. As the result of the great change which is just now taking place in local government-the substitution of the County Council for the old County authority, and the elevation of Swansea Borough into an administrative County—Swansea will this year lose the Government grant in aid of the Police, which amounts to something Ul der £ 2,000. But if we lose on one side, we gain more on the other side. There is good news to the effect that the large Landore Steel Works are about to be restarted. It will be re- membered that, at the sale recently in London, they were bought in by Mr. Werner Siemens. The old stock is being cleared off the premises, and it is said a new start is to be made at once. The old Landore Steel Works are also ex- pecred to come into full work shortly under the manage- ment or tierr iriau auu nerr monat, tor the manutacture ment or tierr iriau auu nerr monat, tor the manutacture of steel piping under the patent and proprietorship of the Ma une.stiiiiri Brothers. Tbe local copper works are now stated to be working double turns, as the result of the beneficial change following the failure of the Copper Ring. These are all welcome signs of returning and increasing local prosperity. The Rev. Oscar Snelling has taken the initiative in the work of petitioning in favour of a mitigation of the sentence of death passed upon Thomas Allen, the blackman, who murdered Mr. Kent at the Gloster Arms, Swansea. The argument used in extenuation is that the murder was apparently a wholly unpremedi- tated one, and that, therefore, the guilt of the convicted man is in degree less than in cases where life is taken in hatred and in cold blood. Our readers will find a letter from Mr. Snelling on this subject in another column. We heartily hope, with him, that the town may be spared the horror of another execution, the details of which, published or unpublished, only serve to stimulate the morbid emotion of the public. *#* It appears that the Guardians of the Gower Union will not oppose the Swansea Boundary Extension Bill in Parliament. They intended to do so, we are in- formed, and gave notice to that effect, but, finding that they could not charge the whole cost of such opposition to the district of Oystermouth, which is chiefly affected by the scheme, they have decided not to proceed with the opposition. Mr. Roger Beck is properly regarded as a lucky as well as a genial man and able reciter. Henceforth however, we may expect to find him still luckier, and' "argal" still more genial. He has just become possessed of a "lucky sixpence!" The piece of silver money which one of the conductors of the Mumbles Railway Company refused to take in pay- ment of a fare from some passenger unknown, refused because it was holed and much worn-that identical coin Mr. Beck has possessed himself of and has attached to his watch chain. It came from the mint a great many years ago, bearing the image and super- scription of Victoria, -then Victoria the Young—and it has evidently been worn most lovingly by some poor wight, who bored it and hung it to his watch chain, and kept it from all hurt save from inevitable friction, regarding it doubtless as a compeller of good luck. One hopes so much devotion was well repaid with Dleasure and prosperity. One can only pity the dis- tressing straights the owner must have been in when he was forced reluctantly to detach the coin from his waistcoat front and offer it as a common sixpence. There is a whole pathetic story in the parting with the coin and this is why no doubt so poetical a heart as Mr. Beck's treasures the trifle. # "if<. The Swansea Cymmrodorion Society has this week undergone a rupture, which is much to be regretted. The members are divided into Unionists and Separatists. The Unionists wish to benefit the society by the admission of English blood and English scholar- ship when it takes an interest in Welsh subjects. The Separatists will have nothing to do with what they deem to be a hatefnl Seisnegyddiaeth. And so we have, according to Athan Fardd's letter in our columns of this week, a fission, which threatens to divide the one society into two. This is assuredly a mistake. Such a result can only arise from misapprehension and distrust. We would suggest a conference in which the whole subject should be reconsidered. Unity is strength; division is weakness. We cannot believe that, on the one hand, the Unionists wish to turn the Society into an English one nor, on the other hand, do we believe Athan Fardd and his tollowers are so bigotted as to refuse such help as English students of things Welsh can occasionally afford. We suspect it is personal temper rather than principle or opinion upon which this difference has arisen; and therefore we would recommend a calm re-consideration of the whole question. "if<. It is stated on what claims to be "the best possible authority," that the Government will recommend her Majesty to appoint a Royal Commission for the purpose of inquiring into the working of the Welsh Sunday Closing Act. Pending the report of the Welsh Com- mission, it is probable, we are told, that the Government will be indisposed to allow any further legislation in favour of Sunday Closing. *#* Our elementary teachers and school children are to be relieved at last from some of the hurtful overpressure to which they have been subject during the last 16 or 17 years. The Draft Code of Minutes ot the Education Department for the regulation of the Government grants to public elementary schools and training colleges will lie upon the table of both Houses of Parliament for two months from Wednesday last for consideration, before the Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council will take action upon it. The changes proposed are larger and more important than any that have been introduced since the passing of Mr. Foster's Act. The leading features of the new proposals are the substitu- tion of the general grant for the payment for percentages of passes; the abolition of the Merit Grant in schools for older scholars; new special grants for poor schools in thinly-populated rural districts; the demand for increased teaching power for a given number of children; greater liberty of classification of children larger freedom in the choice of class subjects; a higher standardof schoolgrea; andreduced restrictions on the work of evening schools. These Proposals would be brought about by cramming evus *#* Swansea has had to buy most of her open sna™« • Cardiff gets them given The Marquis of Bute having presented to the town of Cardiff 130 acres of land for another public park, the Corporation have accepted the plans for laying it out. The park will possess many picturesque features, and ample provision has been made for outdoor games. With reference to Swansea parks it is freely said by some East-Siders that it will cost more money to lay out the new ground there than it will be worth as a place of recreation, as the place is unsuitable. With reference to Victoria Park, Swansea, the Council wisely refused to spend more money on railings to keep the public off the grass. Many of our Councillors have yet to learn the difference between a private garden and a public park Why don't they put up a few forest trees, which in time to come might 05ij from sun and shower at that place. This would be mu«h better than th« present paltry shrubbery.

—♦ REVIEW.j

[No title]

--MRS J C VYE PARMINTER'S…

» CYMMRODORIAETH.

THE MORRISTON TIN - PLATERS'…

[No title]

THE COPPER TRADE.J

. OUR LOCAL TRADE, MANUFACTURES…

LOCAL RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.

SWANSEA POLICE COURT.

DEA.TH OF MR. JOHN BRIGHT.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

. LIVERPOOL TIN-PLATE MARKET.

[No title]

- COUNCILLORR A. THOMAS AND…

+. THE CONDEMNED MAN THOMAS…

CYMRODORION ABERTAWY.

--:-:-SWANSEA COUNTY COURT.

[No title]

Family Notices