The Cambrian

,BL £ TH. S'rEYE:'iS.-On December let, 1906, at Le Vay, afe, Blacfcpill, the wife of John Ed-ward; Stevens, of a daughter. 31T3Caml3-15

In of the evolution of Mr. Moy Evans into one of the bitterest opponents of the Church shoe's at Swansea, it is somewhat interesting t<J know that when he came for wa'd originally as a candidate for the St. Helen's .t his principal supporters wt-re Church people. The football team of the Swansea Coal Ex- change, which enjoyed its brief season for one da.y in March last, has distributed among local charities the sum of L42 10s. Od. ék, the proceeds of the match with their brethren from Cardiff. This is a subetan- j t-ial result for a fixture of the kind, and Mr. Rutherford and his colleagues deserve to be congratulated upon the balan-ce and the use made of it. curious origin is a/.triouled to the out- bieak of diphtheria at Llandebie, where 63 cases disclosed themsclvos, seven of which have proved fatal. The medical officer is of opinion that the diphtheria was first com- municated by a, cat at Bwllch Farm. It would be interesting if research couM be carried a step furtlier so as to ascertain how th ca-t became infected with the diphtheria poison. The total amount of rents received from the Corporation cottages in Well-street dur- ing the year ending M-irch last was £60, of which sum not less than £ 28 had to be har.ded over as rates. As the cost of con- struction exceeded £ 1.000, and the interest ani sinking fund in respect of the same hardly falls short of the whole rent collected, it clea.r that as an experiment in munin- prd housing this has proved a. disastrous failure. Mr. J. JFLY Williams has not yet defin- itely abandoned hope of some day repre- senting the Gower Division in Parliament. At all events this is a fair deduction from certain remarks offered by him to a Gower- ton audience on Saturd-ty night.. There was a rumour abroad pointing to a possi- bility that Mr. John Williams might be in- duced to withdraw so as to enable the Lon- don Welshman to come forward as a, Labour enndioa-te but the miners' agent gave this its quietus in a. statement to a reporter tha.t he was absolutely and definitely a candidate for the division. The Mayor of Swansea, in a short speech lie made at the Royal Institute on Friday afternoon, offered unflattering comment upon the architecture of Swaaisea. The re- proach implied is doubtless deiserved, but 1. Worship's manner of illustrating -e point was scarcely happy. To him the buildings suggested Mandalay temples or tombs. From an architectural point of view, the Burmese temple .with its pagodat, is generaJly a thing of beauty, and if the Swansea buildings could truthfully be de- sciibed as possessing its qualities it would b- a matter not for reproach but for con- gratulation. Unfortunately they can not.. The English team fared somewhat worse against the New ZeaJanders than the Scotch or Irish their line was crossed five times, and on the merits of the play the critics arc agreed that the score might have been sutstantially more without injustice being done to the vanquished. Having so de- cisively defeated the three other national nis, the hopes of the Colonials of doing likewise with the Welsh naturally run high, and we are froe to confess that in a. large measure their hopefulness is justified. This is a poor season for Welsh football, as is evidenced by the fact that the selecting body has been compelled to bring old play- ers back from retirement. Considerable differences of opinion exist as to the expe- diency of the step taken in reducing the forwards by one, so as to strengthen the backs. We shall have to wait unti Ithe li)-b December in order to have trust- worthy data by which to judge the critics aIlti criticised. Swansea Education Committee has now openly developed a policy of direct defiance to the Board of Education. Expectations formed upon the advent of a Liberal Ministry are doubtless chiefly responsible for this. How far these expectations are likely to be realised in the result the immediate future will show. Mr. Martin and his colleagues engaged in the vendetta against. the volun- tary schools, confidently count upon having their own way, regarless of the existence of the Education Act. In this they may find that they are reckoning wit-bout their host. The administration of the Act is in the bands of the lermanent officials, and it would be a strange Minister of Education who brought his influence to bear upon them with the view ot stultifying the will of Par- liament as expressed in legislation. Months will hy to elapse before a new Ministry ca.n attempt any change in the Act, and un- less possessed of a clear majority over all other parties in the Houee, any tinkering wrth the measure would be a perilous pro- ceeding, capable of bringing the Government to an abrupt ending. In the meantime, the voluntary school managers can persevere with their ivationt efforts to secure the law- fui rights of the voluntary schools in the full assurance that the Board of Education will not. sanction lawless acts on the part of any locaJ education authority. "Nations have found out in the past the I folly of '.hrottling the Press.—Extract from lecture to Swansea Jews on Sunday. "The New Zealanders won their match against Scotland by their ability to put in extra, work in the last four minutes, so jot us make this final effort to pay off the debt at. St. James."—(Swauisea Parish Magazine's "sporting" appeal.) "When there were wolves in Gower," is the title of an article in the "Gower Parish Magazine." We do not gather that it deals with the campers-out who find on arrival at Southgate that there's only a tin of cream- crackers and a shilling can of sardines among seven of them. Trade at the Western ports was during the past week ad\-trsoly affected by the had weather Prevailing At Swansea thi.s caused a drop from the six figure weekly re- turn which has been customary of late. The aggregate of imooris an.1 exports was only 73,000 tons, but this was better by 6,000 tons than the aggregate for the correspond ing week or last year. At Llanelly, despite the weather, there wa" an increase in the shipments, but at port Talbot freightage was very weak the total was nearly 3,000 tons below thst of the corresponding week of 1904. Mr. J. M tells, m a re.p'y to certain criticisms delivered against his address at Swansea, on municipa[ trading, by Mr. T. Merreiie, suppl'^ a,concrete example justi- fying on argument that there would be no pecuniary di&"rer'Co to a manufacturer be- tween paying profits to a private company for his gas or e'e^tricity and profits above actual cost price to a Corporation, where the latter is retailing light or power. The chair- man of tliq Jamf-s Cycle Company stated at a meeting of his company in Birmingham that whilst they paid JD60 to the surplus profits of the Cas Committee annually, they only obtained a compensating reduction uf £12 10b. Til is is a cöy, where the gas en- terprise is profitable. Were it otherwise, as is the case in towns leS6 fortunate than Bir- mingham, and what would not this company have to pay to Weet the deficit ii, even whera the municipal undertaking prospers, they are losers of £47 10s. annually by con- suming its gas. Swansea Association has been active 01 la to. s-iiit a deputation on Wednesday to Swansea C uildhall to attend a Locd Government Board inquiry into an application to borrow various sums, ranging from 1;180 ior a ce&spooi exhauster and to £14,627 for water supply works. There was akl) a small sum of for a sanitary convenience in Quay Parade. The first and second of these projects occur to one is bsing matters the of which should be defrayed out of current revenue, instead of placing it to capital account. The object in borrowing for even such minor matters appears to be to make a pretence of econ- cwnv, bv throwii'S the burden off the direct rates to the funded debt, where it will not be so readily aPParent. Mr- Cory Yeo raised a protest against this practice, which is simply robbing Peter to pay Paul, it is desirable to keep rJowl; committee estimates as much as possible, one admits; but the unpleasant financial position of the borough is only lHphaslcl yet once mors when t is actually discovered to be only possible to keep the estimates ut a standstill and restrict their upward climb by borrowing money to defray the oort of what may be termed purely routine Purf»ie*ss. Germany does not yet appear to have rivalled the success of America in estab- bshiiig a tinpia-t-e industry that can supply all home demands, fortified with the help if a protective t.uili, without any imports horn abroad. A syndicate of the Teutonic Tinplate V\ orke was formed with the object of enabling to co-opcrat-e m their bids for home and foreign markets it is now at'gu that it has failed to justify its eS-Qte, inasmuch as it has i charged 50 per cenc above Welsh prices, and hampers the consumer also by deliver- ing in as many riionths as a W elsh firm would require Meanwhile the de- mand far the home supply that Welsh plates have to be imported. One suspects that the t%lUijcai difficulties of Hie procs of nvinu^ac'-lu'e have considerable ef- icct upon the failure to adequately the recjui^i^Bts of a home market, men with the aid of a tariff. The Ame.i- cans were aided in the solution of this diffi- culty by the immigration of Welsh wors- men, of course- P is significant, however, that in Germany tl^-re i.s no complaint against the q«alltV of tli; goods. Ameri- cans admit t-hat belr tinpiates, in point of quality, can.rot rivul tht Welsh manufac- tured article- General Booth is due to visit Swansea dur- ing Saturday evening and Sunday, and to conduct mission service*. He will be the guest of Mr. John White, J.P., during his stay. General Booth has just concluded a remarkable tour in Germany, where he re- ceived almost as many marks of public 6ym- pathy with his work and official honour as have lately befD bestowed upon him in England. He has previously visited Swan- sea and left v'ith disappointing impressions of the place as a field for a campaign. No doubt, however, as will be evidenced even more strongly on this occasion, his audience was drawn froco the classes chiefly interested in making personal acquaintance with the originator and leafier of a remarkable refor- mative moveunent. Verily the Cxeneral has lived to triumph over his old-time traducers and the assailers of his methods, which are now seriously considered and appreciated in the identical quarters that were formerly loudest in ridiculing them. The army's "revival" work, as it may be termed, died down to a great extent, after the first wave of religious emotion but it bequeathed an organisation, whose social work, on its ma- terial side, if one of the most successful de- vioes that have yet sprung into existence to cope with the myriad problems of the wretchedness of city life. It does not lack critics even nowadays, but their animad- versions are chiefly concentrated upon the centralisation of control in the hands of an individu.tl who cannot ahM»y>s expect to oc- cupy his present position, and will, on death or resignation, leave no adequate guarantee, so it is contended, for the wise administra- tion and conduct of the army. In general, it is held that a semi-military organisation is unsuitable for a society engaged in such work. But none can depreciate the infinity of good that has been achieved,- no matter how crude the means to the end may appear even to tastes that are not fastidious. The General presents a remarkable example of activity in his old age. His tour thipugh Germany has been of a character divided I between train and platform that imposes an exhausting strain upon much younger speakers. Iscoed, Ferryside, was the residence of General Piotoi. It is now groaning under thi tread of crowds of strangers gatherk1 together to pick up bargains from under tht auctioneer s hammer. in an upper room there 's a, strong, iron-hooped ::hest, which had lain in cue of the Carmarthen banks for forty years It is jealously guard- ed as an heiroom, for it contains the mas- sive silver plate of the veteran warrior. The collection ;nciades tc" Is, silvers, cande- labra. etc., which bear historical inscrip- tkns relating to the heroic deeds which came to a close on the field of Waterloo. I. The lay of the completion of the Cray Water Works has been so frequently fixed and so frequently deferred that the rate- payers of Swansea might be forgiven for accepting in a spirit of scepticism any pur- ther promise in this respect. The latest de- velopment is a secret consultation with Mr. Hill, the consulting engineer, for a purpore which the nw-mbc-r.s were pledged not to disclose, as publicity was. calculated to be detrimental to the public interest. With- out pTobing any further into the matter the conclusion seems warranted that the need of such secrecy is not indicative of a speedy completion of the work. "The Business Peer" is the name by which Earl Cawdor, the First lAird of the Aomiralty, is generally known. Totally un- expected, his appointment as successor to Lord Selborne at the Admiralty was almost universally approved. Up to that time he had taken no leading part in politics, a.1- though he had sat in the Lower House for many years as Lord Emlyn before passing automatically to "Another Place." But since 1895 he had ruled over the destinies of tha great industrial concern, the Great Western Railway Company, and it was a brilliant idea of the Prime Minister to summon him to the charge of the Navy. "Daily Mail." Tinplate manufacturers are sorely traub-I led by the increasing scarcity of tin and the consequently rapid rise in the price. A chiri issued by Ricaid and Friewald shows that whilst in 1897 uie stock of the metal in the London warehouses was 18,COO tons 3. :u the world's visible supply was 37,000 tons, in November of 1905 the stock in the La noon warehouses had nearly disappeared, while the world's visible supply of the metal was only 12,000 tons. On Wednesday tin price of tin in London was JB160 10s. pf ton, without carriage t-o WaJe. which might be put at between £1 and 25K. pet ton. As the metal approximately repre- sents one-fourth of w.e total cost of pro- ducing the tinplates, the effect of this rise in the price of tin is very serious—in fact, so serious that if the manufacturers to-day had to buy their raw material at the ruling prices they could not produce tinplates ex- cept at a loss. Fortunately the immediate effect is to some extent neutralised by con- tracts entered into for raw material when the latter could be obtained more cheaply. The cloud which has been hanging over the Welsh coalfield for some time threaten- ing to give thousands of people an anxious rather than a. merry Christmas, was dis- persed on Saturday evening last, when the representatives of the colliery proprietors at:(, the workmen arrived at a settlement which ensures peace for the next four years. Each side entered into the conference armed with formidable demands for amending the existing agreement, but after much negotia- tion and consultation the new agreement LS ,substantially the same as the old. In one respect only has an important clause been varied. In future evidence as to the selling price of large coal is to be confined to targe coal delivered i.o.b. A fresh element in- troduced into the settlement is an under- taking that hauliers' wages shall be dealt with by the Joint Board at a convenient date It would appear, therefore, that so far as the old agreement has been varied th. variation is favourable to the workmen. Ip the matter of the minimum and maxi- mum wage both sides had to be content, with the existing arrangement. To the general prblic, so many of whom are directly or in- directly aifeeted by the condition of the Welsh coal trade, the important point is not whether this or that side has had the better of the higgling, but that, the peril of 19 a general strike has been definitely averted. The Swjansea Education Committee con- tends that although in possession months ago of the plans for the remodelling of the National Schools, its demands in this re- gard failed technically because the eleva- tions were not shown. Now the Board (.f Education intimates that the local authority ¡ is not given any power to require plans to be submitted for its approval, and goes fur- ther to inform the local authority that un- le-.o it acted upon the suggestion of sending its architect to consult with the Depart- mental architect the Boa.rd of Education will dispense with its advice. In the words of tne letter —The Board are unable to re- gard the delay which has occurred as rea- sonable, and they would not feel justified in corsenting to any postponement of admit- tedly necessary improvements. The Board trusr that your authority will arrange for a responsible representative to meet the Board's architect on the 5th inst. But should it be necessary for the Board to give formal determination 'pf the appeal under Section 7 (3) such determination will be finjaC and when the plans have received _e approval of this Board the managers will he able to proceed with the work without further reference to the Local Education Authority." The place of Mr. Llovd-George in the interim Libel al Cabinet—which is unlikely to be changed as a result of the election in January—is the chief subject of interest to Welshmen, who, whatever their political creed, are united in the belief that Mr. Lloyd-George merits, if he does not obtain, Cabinet rank. The new Premier has, how- ever, a large progeny to provide for and his task is one of the most ungrateful a-nd distasteful that falls to the lot of politicians. "I make one uncertain friend and a dozen enemies," said one premier upon making a Cabinet appointment. Perhaps Mr. Lloyd- George may be amongst the rejected! No Welshman, Conservative or Liberal, but would regard that as an injustice. Of late years Wales' part in high politics has been one of "might have beens," so far as concerns the active participation in them of one of her own sons. Hitherto there is nothing more trustworthy than rumour t" go upon in divining Mr. Lloyd-George's posi tion. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman w4li not present his list before Thursday iext. It is said by the gossips, however, that Mr. Lloyd George may go to the Local Govern- ment Boa.rd another report that is also fav- oured credits the Premier wit-h the intention of placing him in the Irish Secretaryship. This last report may be treated humorously, however. The spectacle of the Prince "t Revolvers combatting an Irish revolt, led by the formidable Mr. Redmond, is one of the grimly amusing ironies of pol itics that are hardly likely to materialise. The former position is, of the two indica-ted, the more likely. j Where's Sir Wilfrid Law son ? A Cardiff 1 contemporary s:ys that "Pontardawe beat Ogmore Ya'e bv 16 pmts to nil." A Cardiff journal made an addition to the Army list on Friday—choosing ite recruit from the ranks of the Swansea Towu Coun- cil. It refers to Mr. J. H. Lee at the Swan- sea. Caledonian banquet as "General" Lee. Mr. Leo is "generally" and better known, howev-er, as an alderman -+ The Swansea Prison is a model of cleanli- ness aud order. NA-,hile the jurymen were waiting to go inside on Monday, a "black Maria" drove up. and though to all appear- ances no one inside could see the arrival; the gates were thrown open in a couple ot scconds, and returned back through the scconds, a.nd returned back through the gates, having discharged its burden in less than ten seconds. The police authorities are than ten seconds. The police authorities are quite Ain-e-ricau in their smartness. By the selection of Lieut. Hehne as the Urionist candidate for the Gower Division, tae contest in the latter gains a great access of interest. The three political par- tu, which now confront one another in tne United Kingdom will in the coming contest in Gower have an opportunity of disclosing their real strength. Lieut. Helme, as a scion of an old Gower family, is an excel- lent representative of the Unionist party. A ge.r.tleman with a most genial personality, he Ls bound to make friends wherever he is km wri. He requires no better credentials Z"S tj his personal merits than the members of tho Glamorganshire Yeomanry arc ready to furnish. A11 example of loose thinking has led to a controversy in the Swansea evening news- papers as to whether the rental to be paid by the Tramwa.ys Company over and above the interest upon the capital laid out by th<' Corporation on tramway extensions re- presents profits for the benefit of the rate- jiayers. Ihe sum in question is put at about £ 5,000 a ve-ar, and will be more taian swallowed up by the necessary contribu- tions to the sinking fund. Since no allow- ance whatever is made for the depreciation in the value of th property during the 20 years of the lease, the conclusion is really irresistible that to call this money profits fur the ratepayers is misleading and untrue. it is wonderful what people will do and ixy under the influence of party orejudicf. One can hardly conceive of a body of men liKc the members of the Swansea, education Committee associa-tchg themselves in private lif) with the misrepresentation which has been habitually practised by them in regard t) the voluntary schools of the borough. The committee is known to be engaged in tljc. task of frustrating in every possible way the purposes of the Education Act, but when the devices adopted, all of them more or less transparent, are seen through a;1i! defeated by the Board of Education, which has no aim except that of securing effect for an Act of Parliament, statements a made which arc not only opposed to the truth, but which are easily proved to be co. In the protest against the action taken by the Departmental Authorities it was stated that the National Schools managers hi-I made no reply to the Education Com- mitted when the latter submitted its ridi- culous apportionment of the fees. Since tlior the actual letters have been published, including a. long letter in reply to the pro- posal of thf committee. The chief plea of- fered by the spokesman of the committee m attempting to justify the protest, was tha.t the of Education had interfered be- fore the two parties of the dispute had been given reasonable opportunity for negotia- tion whereas in one of the letters sent to the school managers months ago the plain intimation was given them to write no more on the subject, as no purpose would be serv- d thereby. The deadly -parallel method of demonstration employed in the "Daily Pest" to bring out in contrast the state- ments made by Mr. Moy Evans, with the replies thereto, was as effective as anything in that way could possibly be. When preachers disagree, who shall decide? 'More so when it is a question of beer, which is in dispute. Gower Guardians on Tues- day discussed -whether their charges should have beer to sweeten their Christmas dinner, as has usually been the rule. But the Rev. D. Davies, of the Mum hies is a stern and uncompromising tomperajice enthusiast. No beer for him, at all costs or under any pretext. He promptly moved an amend- ment that no beer be given to solace the paupers' Christmas. A supporter hailing from Rhossiiiy, added that it was br which helped to fill workhouses, gaols, and hos- pitals. On a vote, opinion was just even- six votes to six either way. But the Rev. J. V. Roberts, who is chairman of the Gower Guardians, holds more liberal views. On his casting vote the situation was saved, and the nut-brown liquid will rejoice the hearts of the Pejunaen establishment at Christmas. Well, 'tis little the, "harm," that one or two of the Guardians feared will be done. Doubtless to a few the extra ration will re- call feasts, not wise but over well, of the past- But their Christmastide beer and a.re the redeeming little luxuries that at the festive season turn a workhouse into some semblance of a "human" institution, and render its atmc-sphere a little less cheer- jess than its outward seeming, as of a fireless grate. Suicide in gaol is a rare occurrence. As a. rule, it is a physical impossibility so far as the orthodox cutting weapons available are concerned; and though the walls arp abundantly stout enough for one to dash out one's brains against, the latter is a tedious and painful "method, and one in which no suicide is known to have persisted until he had attained his object. HoweveT, a prisoner in Swansea Gaol on Monday hap- pened to have material at hand wherewith, not only to strangle himself, but to cut open an artery, had he so desired, and he util- ised it, though his sentence was not a severe one, some eighteen months in all. He 'eft a last message behind him on the 6late with which prison cells are equipped. And its tone set many bethinking themselves of the "Ballad of Reading Gaol." Alexander Montrose, the suicide, w'?s a social Ishmacl- ite. who would proba-lily have spent the re mainder of his life in earning and in serving sentences of penal servitude whilst his cut- burst of violence against the police who ar- rested him betokened a nature grim and sinister, that might not inconceivably have led to the scaffold. He, as his character was revealed by the spirit of his letter, was a type of a class which seems sworn to a feud against Society, and absolutely "impos- sible whom punishment but embitters, and upon whom no reforming influence is of any avail. Still, it is a thousand pities that this mentally benighted type of criminal ir> st-ill subject only to the restraints and methods of an antiquated and exclusively punitive system that sorely needs a little scientific enlightenment. Possibly there would then be a glimme.r of hope for these poor fellows, whose instincts are confirmed and sharpened to a. great extent by the exist- ing means of dealing with them. Perhaps the earliest record of digging for conl in South Wales Is that in the charter granted by William de Breosa to Swansea, in 1305. In i he reign of Queen Elizabeth, about 1595, the Lord of Ccntaes, one of the first and most accurate of geologists, de- scribed the coal of the district as "stone coai," and 'ring or runny coal," and says th s coal "may be number'd as one of the cl eefe commodities of the countrey, and ;s so necessary as without it the countrey wculd Le in great distress." "We reta,in our racial prejudices, too. and, unless some alien nation threatens our insularity, we glower at each other across the little fences of our respective patches" (sighs the "Daily Chronicle. ') "In spite of Mr. Barrie and 'Wee MacGreegor' we hol-cl-a,outli of the Border-that the sur- gical operation is still necessary to make a Scotchman see a joke. We are quite con- vinced—this side of Monmouth and Shrews- bury—that all Welshmen are liars, forget- ting that their native tongue lends itself to poetry rather than to accurate statistics." ..& Colonel Philip Jones, eon of a Llangy- feiach farmer, was born in High-street, Swansea, about 1618. He joined the Par- liamentary Army, was created colonel in 16E,h, elected High Steward of Gower in 1659, sat in Parliament as Philip Lord Jones, and died in 1674, aged 56, and was buried in Penmark Church. A contempor- ary pamphleteer says: "At the .first of the wars he had about J67 or J620 per annum, but, like all the Joneses, "he made Hay whilst the Sun shined, and hath improved his Interest and Revenue in Land to £ 3.000 pt"' annum, if not more. All have not loet by the cause, though some have." Mr. W. M arsden Williams, the young ex- Morriston baritone, who took the part of the Herald in the chorus from "Lohengrin," al last week's Philharmonic concert in the Leeds Town Hall, received a fine compliment from Dr. Richter at the afternoon rehearsal prior to the concert. Dr. Richter played the a:comp&niments on the piano himself, and when Nir. Williams had finished the famous corductor enthusiastically exclaimed "Bra- vo! bravo! bravo! I have never beard -t sung so on the stage!" Mr. Williams is the son of Mr. Robt. Williams, i'leasant- tcirace, Morriston. He has been booked for Spohr s "Last Judgment" at Whitby, and "Ihe Messiah" at Lincoln. SWANSEA'S MODEL MUDD-LES. We're a<bsolately, positively going to do the trick, We're going to put up houses, democratic to a, brick; We're going to baJiish villas, and incident- ally slums, Talatial comfort he who to our houses ccmefi. Of course, there ma-y be errors at the very start, The stairs may be omitted, but we'll take it in good part The entrance may be one foot wide, and tihe <:eHarr on the roof, But the general tout ensemble will be quite beyoiul reproof. I We shall let 'em at three bob a week-a. .democratic fee, With bath and thirteen other rooms—all perfect as can oe. They'i! cot-,t £8tX! to tuild; it's pleasing sport, -a,nd funny; There's nothing spicier, friends, than spend- ing other people's money. Mc JENKINS. Hon. and Rev. W. Talbot Rice, writing in the Swansea Parish Magazine, observes great crowd showed unmistakably what an interest the visit of the Archbishop arointed, and the eagerness of a vast num- ber of people to hear the Church side of the education question from the hps of her chief Ktimster. The presence of the Archbishop, his manner, and hie message have done un- told good. Wo thank him ten thousand tim.es for coming." A note from St. James' Church in the same magazine claims that "The Archbishop spoke with his characteris- tic force, candour and, at the same time, re- serve Perhaps the most telling portion of p his address was that in which he .spoke of our 'Nonconformist brethren,' with the truth and justice of a judge upon the bench; he recognised their good points (even of the man who dAScribed him as 'a pigheaded ostrich!')" It is not uninteresting to know that one of Signor Zenatallo's (the Italian tenor) ear- liest patrons was an Englishman, namely, Lord Grenfell. When Zanatello was but a boy of nineteen he made a solitary appear- ance at the opera-house of Valetta, and Sir Francis GrenfeU (as he then was), imme- diately discerning the beauty of his voice and his highly promising talent, invited him to the Palace to sing to the Prince and Princess of Wales. The young artiste re- mained for some little time in Malta, being frequently honoured by the patronage <f It:" Excellency Miss Dolores Grenfell com- posed a song for him to sing at his "bene- fit," and Sir Francis so strongly recom- mended him to the Covent Garden authori- ties that an engagement was offered be fcllowing year, which Zenatello, however, could not accept at the time. Miss Ma.be 1 Manson, the New Zealand soprano, who will sing at the Swansea Police Ba,nd Concert on December 14, has only been in England for a short t'me, but has stepped into the first rank of our concert artistes. Miss Manson is the fortunate po- sct-sor not only of a highly-trained viice of beautiful tone and sympathetic quality, but of a keen perception in musical matters which can only be acquired by compara- tively few artistes. Her great opportunity came at the Harrison Concert, Manchester, when, in the absence of "Madame Patti, she was assigned the latter's place, ind "I thoroughly pleased it critical audience. In addition to being possessed of a marvel- lously musical and flexible voice, she has a most charming presence. The Swansea Police have on several occasions introduced to Swansea artistes who have become gen- eral favourites, and in introducing Miss Manson, believe they are presenting an artiste whom Swansea will wish to hear again. The arrival of a. new tug boat now creates but little interest, but years ago it may be said that "he names of tugs and their skippers we household words in the mouths of thousands of Swaoisea people. In those days, when ships could not come into the port only on high tides, it was a com- mon sight to see half a. dozen ships at anchor in the Mumbles Roads, waiting or the necessary water, and the tug boats were the craft who took off the landfolk to see their homeward bound friends. Scores and 6cores took advantage of the kindness of the various skippers of the boats, who allowed anyone who knew how' to behave themselves decently to visit their friends a.float. And when they arrived 'longside Itwa.s a sight, says an old salt, to see the kissing, handshaking, and exchange of pre- sents,°the tar receiving his bottle, his fruit, or loaf of soft tack, while the landfolk re ceived perhaps a bag of cocoanuts. a. Cuba leek or some other tropical product.. Yes, then almost all the town knew the Tartar, Has well, Beaufort, and other boats, and their skippers, Captains Mitchell, Robinson, Ellery, Dews-bury and others. A pretty sight is to be seen at the HM Field School, Kidwelly, just now. A robin redbreast is a constant attendant at school it flies in and out through the windows at its own free will. Needless to say the robin is well fed by the teachers and scholars. The late Watcyn Wyn and the vicar oi Brynama.n were bosom friends. When min- ister of the Congregational Church at Bryn- amnn. the vicar had once « preaching en- gagement at a small out of the way chapel. On the evening on which he was announced to preach there was a fierce thunderstorm and the preacher well knew that the con- gregation. would be very sparse indeed. Calling on his friend Wat-cyn Wyn he fe- lated to him hia trouble, and at the same time showed him elaborate notes of the ser- mon he had prepared to deliver. "Nevar mind," said W atcyn, returning the notes, "You have j how insured your sermon." It transpired that the notes were written on insurance paper.

SWANSEA AND THE GENERAL ELECTION. Since our last issue the political situation has undergone a complete change. After Mr. Chamberlain' ssipeech at Bristol, appar- ently inspired statements in the "Times"- and "Daily Telegraph," prepared the public for the possibility of the resig-tion of the Premier, and consequently of his Ministry. But the element of certainty was absent, especially after the reassuring speeches of Mr. Austin Chamberlain and the Chief Unionist Whip. But on Monday last all doubt was dissolved by the official an- nouncement that Mr. Balfour bad tendered his resignation, and that Sir Henry Camp- bell-Bannerman had undertaken. to form a new Government. This settled more than one matter, which had been the subject for disputation. The ex-Premier had not ad- vised an immediate dissolution of Parlia.- ment, and his successor had not, as was once suggested would be the case, refused to ac- cept office. Furthermore, it rendered cer- tain a General Election within a few weeks. For the new Ministers could not hope to carry on business with a strong adverse majority, and, on the other hand, constitu- tional law requires each Minister accepting an office of profit under the Crown to sub- nut himself to his constituents, for re-elec- tion. Hence it naturally foiiows that the action of the Liberal party virtually involves a6 a correiary a General Election in time to enable the new members to attend the House of Commons, and take the oath early in Feb- ruary. The pro-b-ability is that the first of the contested elections will occur the second week in January. Until the last few days, it seemed to outsiders as if the Unionist party in and around Swansea were prepared to let Liberals be returned without opposi- tion. But this was never the case. Lieut. Helme is formally in the field for the Gower Di-viision, and for all practical purposes it may be assumed that Sir George Newnee will be opposed by Colonel J. ti. Wright. The suggestion, rarely mistong on these oocasions, that the Colonel is coming forward after a laborious search fr.r a can- didate, is a.musing to those farc^fx the facte, since it merely denotes U. p. cess with which the party secret kept. And there may prove I.' 1e surprises in store. In Swan: ? V- the resignation of the Governi- t ■ "c. a special apait from the geœl.¡ -n consequence of the hopes en that with a Liberal Minister of Edur will be possible to squeeze the voluru schools out tf existence despite" the" Education Act. Such hopes are based upon a low conception of the spirit with which respc;; .,I,, -Nlinisters of the Crown regard the wi: 'rliament constitutionally expressed in Act. We venture to predict that unti xe Education Act is either repealed or nended there will be no material difference^ in the atti- tude of the Board of Education in respect of local education authorities seeking to evade or frustrate the ends of that measure. To imply that the Minister of Education will either sanction or condone lawless irregu- larities is to convey a reflection upon his character which hardly any self-respecting si at et; man would for a moment tolerate. It has been the fashion with the opponents oi the Educa-tion Act to describe the depart- mental authorities as mere tools of the bishops; what will be said, therefore, if, when a Liberal Minister is at the head of the Department, it should be discovered that substantially the same quiet determina- tion was being shown to enforce the obvious purpoises of the Education Aat.

Swansea and the Fruit Trade. What promises to be the inauguration of a, regular direct fruit importation mart at Swansea took place at the Harbour Trust Granary (West End, Prince of Wales Dock), on Thursday, when a cargo of 1,066 cases of Valencia oranges and 500 cases of onions were disposed of under the hammer ex the s.s. Nordetrand, by Mr. John Burned, man- aging director of the Bristol Fruit Brokers, Ltd., Bristol. Cases of 420 Valencia. oranges averaged 3s. 3d. and 8s. 6d. and 714's 10s. 6d. Four tier boxe6 of onions fetched 5s. 6d. 5 tiers 6s. and 6s. 3d., and 6 tiers 6s. "Fairly satisfactory," was the auctioneer's comment to a 'Daily Poet" reporter at the conclusion of the sale. It is anticipated that with this start other cargoes will be regu- larly sent to S<wansea. Another boat is due next week with another cargo.

Madame (Bernhardt Mobbed at Quebec. Ottawa, Wednesday --N,lme. Sarah Bern- hardt and the members of her company were pelted with eggs and other missiles as they were leaving Quebec for Ottawa last night. The "divine Sarah" escaped injury owing to the protection afforded her by her com- pany, but some of the members were structc, and two of them were injured about the head. The attack was due to an interview pub- lished in a French Canadian paper, in which Mme. Bernhardt was made to compare the Canadians with Iroquois Indians, who made no progress in art and literature. A sting was given to the criticism by the admission that they did, however, know something about agriculture. Mme. Bernhardt, who appears here to- night, has written to the newspapers to ex- plain that she meant nothing derogatory to Canadians at a.U, and that, as a matter of fact, she did not compare them with In- dians. "What I did say," she writes, "was that they had made great progress in agriculture but not in art and literature." Finally, she asks: "Were these young men who assailed me Canadians? I don t believe it I" I)aily Express." Note.-Aladarne Bernhardt was only re- cently in Swansea. She had to abandon a visit to Cuba from an alleged statement at- tributed to her that the Cubans were "only savages in dress coats."

_—. An appeal is to be made by the Llanelly Urban Council against the proposed new assessment of the Water Works. Rees Price, haulier, Coronation-road, Skewen, wat> seriously injured at Bryncocr, [pit by a "fall" on Saturday. It is feared that he has sustained spinal ui^swas.