The Cambrian

DEATH. JJJNKINS.—On Monday, uly 2nd, 1906, at the Vale of Neath Inn, Nea/th, Griff. Jenkins, aged 35. Military funeral Leav.'ng bhe Yale of Neath Inm for Lilansamlet on Sart-unitty at 2.30. 4aC90am.7-5

NOTES ON MEN & THINGS Sir D. Brvnmor Jones, M.P., the new knight, was born at tho Penirepoeth House, Morristotn, the residence now occupied by Dr. J. B. Giabe. Lord Grenfell, in "Tommy Atkins" phrase would bftve been "fed up" on Friday night if he had accepted all the invitations he re- ceived to the official dinners in connection with the King's birthday. Both the War Secretary and the Master of the Horse sent "invites." In his speech at the Swansea Telegraph Messengers' Institute meeting, Mr. C. H. Perkins grew reminiscent. He said he could remember the time, about 60 yearn ago, when the whole staff of the Fisher- street Post Office in Swansea, was the Post- master, a woman, and one letter-carrier. I The fees which have to be paid by Sir John Jones Jenkins in connection, with his elevation to the peerage amount to over JB560. There is no rose wi'i—t its thorn. -+. The proclamation of tho 1907 eisteddfod at Sw^ineoa on July 17th will be the first occa- sion for the new Arehdruid, the Rev. Evan Rees (Dyfed), to officiate in that capacity since his election. THE NEW WELSH PEER. 0 galon Liongyfarchwn ein newydd be rule fig. Gwr da, gwir ddoeth a pherffaith foneddig, Y Cyniro Cymreig aruchaf heddyw ei safle, Ei enw mwy fydd "Arghvydd Giant awe." Morriston. D.J. According to the "Llangyfelach Parish Magazine," onlookers say when St. Joiii's Church was struck on the 23rd ult., th;y saw a ball of fire descending which rmrst within eight feet above the chancel; hat the only thing damaged was the down-pipe on one side of the tower. The church in- side was covered with a thick layer of J'jst, which took hours to remove on Sunday morning. I It is a coincidence," says a contem- porary, which most people seem to have overlooked, that the new Welsh lord and the new Welsh knight were born in the same place—Morriston. Sir Brynmor Jones' father, the late poet-preacher, was minister at that place when the son was born." We have stated before, and we state it again, that Clydach claims the hononr of being the birthplace of Baron Glantawe. In explaining who the new peers are the "Sheffield Telegraph" says:—"Sir J. Jenkins is a naval surgeon with a distinguished record. He entered the Navy as assistant- surgeon so far back as 1841, and served in charge of the Naval Brigade before Sefcas- topol, 1854-5." in justice to the Sheffield paper it may be said that the new Welsh lord once belonged to the Naval Volunteers at Swansea, but he has never done any lighting except in general elections. Phenomena in eggs are increasing to quickly at Neath and district that they w.l! soon come to be regarded as such. First all we had the wonderful Skewen egg, whjch Ls being exhibited in the district. Secoidiy came news of an original bantam in Aifred- street, which laid an egg bearing a repre- sentation of a woman's face; and th-rily, a hen in Jolly-court added to the hu- man structure by providing an egg with an illustration on it of a leg and foot. By and by we shall by a piecing process be a,b!e to complete a human structure. The earthquake has been compared to:— Distant thunder; like a terrible pit ex- plosion as though a mighty power gripped and shook the houses; as though heavy j weights were being thrown down the build- 1 ing; like somebody working in the base- ment like a oat crouching under papers; like the bumping of a steamer against the pier; like a steel -vorks' explosion; like a movement overhead; as if heavy vehicles were passing; like furniture-moving opera- tions; like a train travelling over a rough line; like the swaying of floors; like a pass- ing train; like the tread of a heavy man; like cannon balls rolling; like foundations e giving way. Gower Parish Magazine," which con- < "aim an abundance of interesting matter < this issue, has an article upon a curious tombstone in Penmaen Church, with a >hotographic reproduction. The tomb is :hat of David and Lewis David and en- graved upon it are—(1) Three chevrons, the inns of the Davids' ancestor, Justin, Lord )f Glamorgan in the XI. century (2), the Paschal Lamb and St. George's pennon, the < rrest of Justin;- (3), three goat's heads, ( :he arms of the old Gower Bennetts; (4), ] i stag "lodged," holding a branch in his t south, the arms of Griffith of Gower, also JOrne by the Bowens of Slade in the parish 1 of Oxwich. There is also a curious figure, of unknown significance, something like f four triangles imposed on each other at dif- ] ferent angles. 1 c AN OLD PIANO. f [Mr. Gwyn Brader has come into posses- c sion of a pianoforte which there is some i reason to believe may be the one origin allv introduced at Covent Garden in 1767, and played by Dibdin.] 1 And cam you be the old original f Of the great army of pianofortes, ( Coming when harpsichord and virginal Thait ouce were the dclig-M of King"' courts Had passed into the silencc? Did you please The Covent Garden loungers of your day? g And as they heard the tinkling of your keys a Could they have dreamt of fingers that would play- If Of Effbenstein a and Paderewski's touch? a And from those masters down-the artmy t great Of "players," and of hearers suffering much And worked into a highly nervous sta.te? v Old inst-mment. how far this day of youra 1] Seems from our own. 'Tis well that kindly E folk Have laid their touch upon you. Time that 0 cures I All ills in tu.rn with his magician stroke, May now deal gently with yortr poor remains. 0, let them rest where there'll be no more fears Of thoughtless treatment or of wanton pains s To ve-s the term of your declining yeara. t ±ne nxsit piano heard on Bntush ground. With Dibdiin's hand upon your mellow keys- For yon at length will srrely now be found A long and honoured resting-place of ease. M. A complaint was made by the School Attendance Officers to Monday's meeting of tiie Swansea School Attendance Committee that the Bench reprimanded them for sum- moning, parents for not sending children under six yearb of age to school, the magis- trates considering that they were unneees- sarily conscientious in performing their duties. The magistrates, however have the law against them, as they are to be reminded by a letter from the clerk to the Education Committee that all children over five are called upon to attend. Unquestion- ably the magistrates are right in their en- deavour to impose a little elasticity and cammonsenise into the law. The kindergar- ten 6vstem now generally in vogue does ueeful preparatory work, but no serious start can be made with education below the age of six or even until the age of seven. Here is one of the manifold defects of t.he national system of education. It starts too early and leaves off too early. The English boy is done with school work as a rule when about fifteen yeans old. if he belongs to the I- working class, though in a few cases he at- tends technical classes and night schools. His Continental rival plods away until he has reached manhood, besides undergoing a more rigorous and thorough course. Re- verting to the question before the Attend- ance Committee on Monda.y, it was stated that a good many children were actually sent to school at three years of age. The parental idea is obviously to get them out cf the house. It is doubtful whether it is the State's business to discourage the shirk- ing of pa-rental responsibilities in this way, convenient as it mar be for parents with no very exalted idea of their primary duties. I When a dramatist or novelist wishes to depict a. ridiculous character he generally chooses a peer, said Lord Jersey at the Oxford Diooesan Training College on Wed- nesday. The Labour element on Llandly Council has made its power felt. Nearly all meet- ings are held in the eveaingo a concec&ioo to Labour members, and at to-night's meet- ing the ranks of the party will be reinioroed by Mr. Tom Harries, a well-known Social- ist. Does the Welshman, like the Scotsman "joke wi' deeficulty?" The "Tribune" seems to think 00. It remarks of a \Volsh- man appearing at a London Music Hal! that I "Evan Evans, as a Welsh humorist, -s dis- tinctly a novelty." The "Daily Telegrd.,?G" L is under just the same delusion. It say. "Amongst interesting events was the first appearance in England of Evan Evans; a promising Welsh comedian, who gojg a r good way to refute a popular belief that na- tives of the Principality are deficient in humour." Either London pressmen are mixing Wales with Scotland, or else "mix- ing their Scotch." Here's a theme ior "S. L. H." to enlarge upon! Lady Dillwyn Llewelyn and the Hon. Mns. BTooks gave a delightful ball on Thurs- day night at 50, Grosvenor-etreet, the floral decorations being quite lovely. Particularly striking (says the "Evening Standard") was the winter garden arranged at the back of tho boute, which was banked with flowers and lit with fairy lights. Lady Llewelyn, in a handsome black gown and lovely diamonds, stood at the top of the staircase with her sister, in a dress of pink chiffon and a blaze of jewels, to receive the guests, who numbered over 500. Supper was laid in the two dining-rooms. The hostesses, who are sisters, are the sisters of Viscount St. Aldwyn. Mr. Brook is the heir to the barony of Orawshaw. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN. FThe suggestion has been made in the "Daily Poet" that Swansea tramcars should be furnished with collecting-boxes in aid of the Hospital.] If the Hospital yt)lil'd aid, See the ghoet financial laid- Stored awaty 'iieatb keys and locks- Pace within each tram a. box. In the box a handy slit For THE nimble 3 D bit, Even for the copper small— Better that. than none at all. Such a box would carfch the eye Of the careless passer-by. On his exit from the tra.m He would pause and give a darn. (P.S.—A dilm is an Eastern coin of a low denomination). M. For eome time past Recorder Bowen Row- lands has had to deal with light calendars and comparatively venial offences at the Swamaea Quarter Sesaions. On Monday there was the same story. There were four cages, only one serious, and the othens comimon-place 'enough charges of breaking into premises. All came within the competence of a stipendiary to deal with. and most of them would not have ] puzzled the Bench which committed them to this court for half an hour. It is doubt- 1 ful whether a continuance of the expense entailed in connection with the Sessions is justified, since the police court and the as- sizes prove simply sufficient to meet all ■xigencdes of the administration of justice. ] The tragic affair at the flooded Caradog Yale pit, near Gilfach Goch. has at least served one useful purpose. So monotonous ind unbroken hr.3 been the series of colliery 1 disasters in which absolute annihilation has been the only tale to record, that the dis- 1 covery of two survivors in this instance, I after hope had been officially abandoned, will encourage a more vigorous prosecution < of relief and rescue measures in the future. 1 The rescue parties in this instance behaved with the greatest daring, though it was only sorpes which they expected to recover. )f the survivors, one man, Stephens, ap- pears to have displayed an iron nerve in his 2 terrible ordeal, and to have preserved fairly good healtli, whilst the other, Richards, broke down and become dielirious. A third, aamed Hatliaway also succumbed to the L strain, which is severer than the average imagination can conceive. The story is nevertheless brightened by the example of Stephen's resolution and fortitude. His 1 ase is one of hundreds which prove that the ( ibre of Welsh manhood can face with calm- a tess and inflexibility tests as exacting as t my yet recorded. The terrible disaster to the American i Mat express from Plymouth to London on p Sunday at Soutliamptan, whereby Z7 out o if about 60 persons on the train were killed, c throws the Loughor and other recant dis- 4 lstens completely into the shade. Distin- t fuishimg circumstances are the extnaordin- d irily high per centage of fatalities, amd the act that nearly all the victims are Americ- ns on their way to England for holiday 0 ours. The chief caa-e for surprise in these n ccddents in England is the number of people t, eho have avoided getting killed, by some diracle or other, rather than the actual Lumber of dead. One horror, characteristic >f nearly all American accidents, was hap- in lily wanting—the catching tire of the vreckage and ti^e cremation of the victims, sinned down helplessly in the wreckage. rl i survivor of the SaLisbury smash has de- 0 cribed the terror with which he awaited a he bursting into flame of the debris, and h 1!1 his relief on finding that that had been effectively provided abainst. Passengers are inclined to agree tha.t the t-rain was proceed- ing at a very high rate of speed, but equally high speeds are maintained on many lines daily, and the curve at Salisbury Station, where the disaster occurred, is not an ab- normal one. The Board of Trade inquiry will, however, clear up this point. Should the speed of the train be considered a con- tributory factor, there will be a blow dealt to railway racing and record making in the United Kingdom for some years to come. 1& 1\ P.f Various names liad been mentioned in connection with the Labour candidature for Swansea—an event now postponed to the Ides of March, or the day of disso'u- tioe of the present Government at least. Mr. Bon Tillett said he would fight Swansea as readily as any other place; and thereby tacitly angled for an official invitation. It is said, on the other hand, that Mr. Pete Curran, of the GasworkeTs', who contested Jarrow against a Palmer, of the great ship- building firm which is the life of the Tyne- side town-, would have been put up. Would the latter choice be an error in tactics 1 Mr. Tillett is well and favourably knoNn to Swansea; Mr. Ouman is a stranger. Of the two Mr. Tillett is the far likelier to seduce away a. share of the support of the faint-hearted Tories who, in the Swaneea. Jioroughs, may like oth-ers in the Gower Division recently, decade on giving their votes to a man who will reap some benefit from them, and not to a. candidate whose chance is admittedly poor. The chief fea- ture of the political character of the town is the Conservatism of its Radicalism. That being so, it is an open question whether ti e new propaganda will catch cn so MadUy with working men who have powerful chapel influence brought to bear upon thacn and who find their faith indieeolably mmgtod with tboir political creed* The new peer, Mr. John Jones Jenkins, as he then was, was for many years one of the deacons at Walter-road Congrega- tional Church, Swansea, in the days when the late Rev. Thomas Jones, father of the new knight, was pastor. An old unused bell in Rhossilli Vestry has been converted into a safe by the "kill of Mr. Osmond Barrat. Instead of being a piece of lumber, it now hangs in a conveni- ent place, and contains the sacred vessels for Holy Communion. -+- The report suggesting that Swansea has lost a great chance because the zinc works which might have been placed on the Bur- rows have gone elsewhere, is hardly ."or- rcct. The proprietors of the zinc concern were in negotiation with the Trustees for a. harbour site; but, however, the -serious effect likely to be produced from the 'um^s likely to be emitted by such a manufacture rendered the undertaking undesirable n- ther than otherwise. It was considered that the zinc works near the new dock might possibly drive away -other works of a more desirable character. It was stated in the course of a discussion at a meeting of the Education Authority on Monday in relation to a scheme for enlarg ing the Brynmill School at a cost of .6,000 or £7,000, that to build a new school in that neighbourhood would mean an expendi- ture of at least £ 20,000. Should the Edu- cation Bill become law substantially in the form drafted by the present Government, Swansea ratepayers may find themselves com- mitted to undertake the building of five or six new schools merely because of the nar- row prejudices which dominate the majority of the L.E.A. members. When too late, :t may be discovered that this needless and avoidable expenditure has increased the rates to such an extent as to render the lat- ter virtually intolerable. Swansea rates be presently called upon to the tune of JB6,600 to provide for exten- sions to the Brynmill School. A suggestion was made to the Education Building Sub- Committee on Monday by Mr. Solomon that a new and separate building might be pre- ferable, in view of the growth of the dis- trict, but the Committee decided to pro- ceed with the enlargement, renting in the meantime St. Alba.n's Wesleyaai School- room for JB25 per annum. One trusts the estimates will be framed to arrange for very large powers of extension, and that the new buildings will be of the simplest possible character. Little architooeural luxuries in connection with other new buildings spring to mind, which have swollen the bill con- siderably, although the example has been loit upon a public that, judging by its new chapels and pxublic institutes, is satisfied with very little on t.he ecore of beauty. A Swansea magistrate, with not unnat-urat impatience at the time taken up each week in dealing with cases of Sunday trading, suggested for that offence-the one before him at the time had previously been con- victed 309 times—as a matter of convenience to everybody concerned, the regular offend- ers should pay their fines in advance an- nually. It is more than a trifle absurd to contiuue th^e prosecutions. The same people continue to open their shops on Sun- day because they find it pays them to do so, and this fact again proves that the de- mand for the goods they have for sale must be fairly large to enable the necessary profit to be made. The sole effect produced by this prolonged crusade against the Sunday traders is that a valuable monopoly has :>een created for half a dozen tradespeople, tOO some scores of poor people have boen ieprived of the few shillings profit which :hey used to make on Sunday. The total trade at Swansea Docks last week reached 105,310 tons, an increase cf 10,000 tons over the previous week, and ;7,000 tons compared with the correspond- ng period of last year. Shipments of trn- >lates, however, showed the same persistent veakness, and the aggregate sent away was 19,616 boxes; whereas the receipts from Nmks reached 64,210 boxes. Stocks, there- ore, continue to rise, and now are 222, J51 >ox€s. At Llanelly the week's trade was )f the "routine" character, and only aa -verage quantity of coal was handled; still he collieries are almost without exception loing full work, and most have orders in layYl sufficient to ensure activity for the lext few weeks. At Port Talbot tne week oroved a very busy one, and the aggregate If shipments exceeded the previous best re- ord by 3,019 tons. Exports amounted to 2,057 tons, and imports to 3,044 tons, a otal of 45,081 tons, or 9,549 tons more than luring the previous week. i Trouble is threatened in the tinplate trade ver the action of some of the non-associated lanufacturers in refusing to be parties to he arrangement whereby all the works were topped for a week in order to reduce the utput. It is felt by the Associated Mana- aeturers as weTT as the workmen that a lovement designed to benefit the whole trade 1 hould not be defeated by the non-concur- enoe of a minority, and hence the decision n the part of some of the unions to enforce stoppage. Notices to terminate contracts ave been given at two or three of +he works, and it is just possible that unless a compromise be effected before the end of i he month, that we shall have a practical strike in consequence. This is greatly to be re- gretted, because !or some years now it has been found possible to maintain such Lela, tions between employer and employed as to secure an entire immunity from strikes and industrial disputes. A strike over the loint- in issue would be the more unreasonable since one certain eSact of it would be that the works concerned would be stopped not m,erely. all over the country, but probably for a considerably extended period. A steady rise in the market value of the Rhondda shares has at.tracted special atten- tion to this railway. In commercial circles a rumour has been current for a week or i wo tha.t negotiations are proceeding for the ab- sorbtion of the line by one of the princiDal railway companies serving Wales. At first this was taken to mean that the G.W.R. was contemplating aotion on these lines Latterly, however, a report, originated in Cardiff, induced some people to believe that it is the TaS Vale Railway Company which was treating for the purchase of the pro- perty. It is an open secret that a few years ago the G.W.R. was more than once approached with a view of their leasing or acquiring the R. and S.B. Railway, but that was when the latter was in a much less Ta- vourable position than it occupies to-day. One experiences a difficulty in thinking tha+- the Tag Vale Company should desire pos- session of the R. and S.B. line. The btfk of the collieries from which it draws its traffic are much nearer Cardiff and Penaeth i present outlets for the line, and there is no visible advantage to it of a/cqtaring the line allowing of shipping to the west- ward. If any company contemplates ab- sorbing the R. and S.B, Railway, t is much more likely-to be tJ» G,W.R» Last Saturday's match for Gill's benefit between the teams representing Swansea and Llanelly ended in a decisive win for the former. Thus Swansea has won the rubber, each side having previously been victorious once. As befitted the occasion, Gill showed improved form as a bowler. On the batting side, Captain E. W. Jones, Johnson, and Ellis saved the game for their side. The knighthood conferred upon Mr. Bryn- mor Jones, M-P. for Swameaa District, its a fitting reward for the many years of active service he has rendered, not merely to the party, but also to Wales. It was generally believed that the reward would take the form of a judgeship, but apparently that is not to be. Both among political friends and opponents, the feeling is practically universal that in this instance honour has gone where it is fully deserved. -+-- In a Bill before the Japanese Parliament it is proposod* to raise the tariff on tinpiate from 10 to 20 per cent. ad valorem. There is also proposed an increase on the duty of zinc of 80 per cent, over the former tariff rate. Japan has just concluded a war that has imposed a far severer strain on its fin- ances than it cares to admit; so there may have been no ulterior obiect in mind than that of raising additional revenue. But a powerful impetus will be given to the enter- prise of any Japanese manufacturer who takes it into his head to start tinplate mills. He will receive abundant support from his Government, and have the run of a market which embraces China, Korea, Manchuria, and the Philippines. Those who imagined Japan fought in the late war for the "open door" inter alia. are likely to be woefullv undeceived. In anticipation of a bye-eileotion in Swan- sea Boroughs a committee, repreaentataive of the various Labour orgamisatkxas of Sworn- sea, bad selected seven possible candidates, one of whom was to be asked to contest the seat in the Labour interest. The matter was not carried to a finish because on the day before the committee met to make the final reooomamdatiom,, the discovery was made that no byc-ellection was to take place. It is believed, however, that if the matter had gone to the vote the nominee of the Labour part- would have been Mr. P. Cur- ran, organiser of the Gasworkor' Union, and the unsuccessful Labour candidate at Jarro-.v I during the general election. Mr. Curran ¡ is described as one of the ablest men identi- r fied with the Labour movement, and in any bye-election in which he may be engaged, it is certain that the whole strength of the Labour Represesn taftive Committee would be thrown into the balance in his favour. Promoters of the Swansea Horse Show have substantial reason to feel thait luck is steadily against them. Bad weather spoiled the previous show three years ago, and the show for 1906 suffered the same fate. The I rain fell with scarcely an intermission from the hour that the show was open until closed. In these circumstances, it is some- what surprising to find that after all the guarantors have paid in the amounts for which they are responsible, there will still be a small balance of £ 10 or £ 15 in hand, The gate money amounted to £ 77, a sum which may be accepted as an indication of the generous support which would have been secured had the weather been fine. The show was an excellent one in every respect, which circumstance intensifies the feeling of regret that climatic conditions were not more favourable. It was generally believed that the experience obtained last week meant that no further effort would be made for some time to come to organise another show, but the promoters scout this idea probably feeling that there must be a turn sooner or laiter in the longest lane, and express their intention of arranging for another show next year. It is to be hoped that the Dockers' Union, which embraces the great body of the tin- plate workmen, will not persevere with the action decided upon recently of petitioning for the grouping of tinplate-miakin.g with 1 those classified as dangerous occupations. < Later on, it may be desirable to consider whether or not tinhousemen more especially follow a dangerous occupation because of 1 the flux employed in the tinning process. But at the present moment any suggestion which may have* the effect of further alarm ing the public respecting the possibility of poison being contained in plate used for renn,nin,g food, is likely to prove permanently injurious to the industry. Of course those who are familiar with the process of manu- facture know that the contention is not that the flux imparts a poisonous element to the piaets, but that the fumes arising from the nelted flux are deletorious to the health of the workmen. But the great bulk of people are incapable of dtrawing this distinction, and if the idea should get abroad that poisonous ingredients are employed in tin- plate making, an additional impetus Will « be given to the movement for replacing ti'n- 1 plates with glass. So alive are the Welsh manufacturers to the mischief which may I be wrought by the observations of the ignor- ant, that a deputation has been appointed I 1 to bring the real facts before the President IJf the Local Government Board. It is ob- i piously a meet inopportune moment, there- 1 fore, for implanting in the minds of the masses a notion that apart from the dangers presented by unclean and diseased meat, there is a further peril in the use of tin- plates for canning meat, fruit and fish. The publication last week of the list of the King's birthday honours, excited con- siderable interest in Swansea, for the reason that it was confidently anticipated that it would include a peerage for Sir George Newnes. In this belief tive three political parties of the borough, Liberal, Conserva- tive and Labour, had beem diligently pre- paring for what was regarded as a certain bye-election. But a great surprise wias in store for them. The name of the Borough Member did not appear in the list at aJJ, but quite unexpectedly Sir John Jones Jen- kins was made a peer. The reason for this marked favour shown Sir John has been since the subject of much conjecture. It has been an open secret for some time that be has entertained hopes of reaching the Upper Chamber, but sdnoe the Unionist Government, with which he was closely identified since 1886, had not conferred the distinction, there was little or no expecta- tion that he would be tband in a list con- fessedly political in the matin issued while a Liberal Government was in power. One suggestion, to which soma weight is at- tached is, that the friend at Court is the Duke of Devonshire, who practically parted with Mr. Balfour about the same time as Sir John James Jenkins did, the reason for seoeesion in each instance being the same— opposition to the Fiscal Reform policy. However that may be, the news of his ele- vation waa highly gratifying to the people of Swansea and Wart- Wales, where the new peer has spent his whole liie actively parti- cipating, from youth upwards, in the indus- trial development of the district. He :s to be sincerely congratulated upon the lis- tinguisbed honour which has Toached him in the autUmm of his life. The Swamsea Hospital Carnival enjoyed glorious weather for the opening day's pro- ceedings at the Victoria Park on Wednesday. A host of attractions of all characters had been provided, although perhaps dog, pigeon and poultry shows do not appeal in the widest sense to the public. However, the military tournament was a thoroughly popu- lar event, and in general the promoters may be congratulated upon their enterprise and industry. Judging by Wednesday's patron- age, there should also be little to complain of on the score of public support. A compliment has been paid to the Swan- sea Lady Swimmers' Olub, which now can fairly claim to enjoy international fame. A French gentlisman, learning of their reputa- tion from a Leicester lady friend, has invited them to give exhibitions of swimming, div- ing, and polo at a tournament in the Ville Lumiere. Their expenses will be guaranteed and there is every prospect that the club will accept the invitation. A manifestation of the entemlte cordials in this agreeable fashion should provide a very interesting week's tour for the ladies, who are at. present the indisputed and unchallenged champions in the field of feminine aquatic sports. A queer story, and one that people found it hard to credit, was brought to Swansea, on Friday by a local trader which, whilst steaming along the Pembrokeshire coast, had seen a small steamer mysteriously vanish from sight a few miles away in un- ruffled sea. and the calmest of weather. On Saturday the mystery was cleared up, for it was found that a small steamer had' actually struck a sunken roof in the neighbourhood, and foundered rapidly, the crew being landed at Milford Haven. Occurrences of this kind, so inexplicable to the landsman, are more readily intelligible to persons with seafaring experience, who realise the tricks and deceptions played upon human vision at sea. by sudden and local fogs, the mir- age, etc. # By the non-inclusion of Sir George Newnes in the birthday honours list, a position of peculiar uncertainty is created at Swansea. Of course, Sir George himself cannot, and must not, say anything on the subject; but amongst his friends the belief is prevalent that he fully anticipated a peerage in Janu- ary last, but that he was not disappointed with the absence of his name from last week's list because he had foreknowledge of the fact. One explanation that suggests itself is, that the Ministry is nervous of pro- voking bye-elections while the Education Bill is in hand, and has decided to defer until a more favourable time such peerage a.s would have created Parliamentary vacan- cies. In this connection, however, it ..s somewhat significant that two Liberal bar- onets whose names have been frequently linked with that of Sir George as probable new peers figure among the new Privy Coun- cillors. Eighteen motor-cars partook on Wednes- day in the 110 miles' non-stop run to Tenby and back, a space of between fivs and eight hours beinig allowed them in which to ac- complish the distance. These reliability trials are fast superseding the older type of race, in which thn highest speed was the only goal aimed at, and a-revof far greater utility to the motor-car industry and to that section of the public in sufficiently fortunate circumstances to utilise this method of con- veyance. The hill-climbing powers and fnan- agea-bitity of ttM cars are tested under sufficiently severe conditions, together with the durability of the tyres and the effi- ciency of the mechanism, and in general the tria.16 of this vehicles which left Swansea on Wednesday morning appear to have passed off very satisfactorily. These trials are less open to the objection that applies to road- racing, as speed is only one of and by no means the predominantly important factor. Sir John Jones Jenkins is to be congratala- ted both upon his peerage and his choice if a title. "Lord Glantawe," the nam9 which it was announced on Tuesday he In4 lecided upon, has the merits of preserving Aw local associations, so often completely juried when a new peer changes his style and title, and of being euphonious and readily pronounceable by the Sassenach. Curiously enough, it will be only the third purely Cymric title in the House of Lords. Alie others are Lord Gwydr, whose con- nections with the Principality does not ex- bend much fuT-ther than the title, and Lord Penrhyn. Sir John's election came as a. 1 a great surprise to the locality, which had been confidently ajiticipaiting a very differ- ent honour to be conferred. Moreover, he had to a certain degree fallen out of active r public life in the Principality, and his old position as an authority on the trade at which he had worked as a lad, though deemed pre-eminent in London circles, had been on the wane. Sir David Brynmor Jones' knighthood was also a surprise. None joined more heartily in congratula- tions, however, than political opponents, who were ready to recognise that in national iff airs he had always played a prominent und energetic part, and that his talents ends distinction to the Welsh Party in he Commons, Mr. D. A. Thomas, M.P., has been speak- ] ing out pretty plainly regarding theextra- ordfinary action of the Home Secretary, ] Mr. Herbert Gladstone, in his choice of the new mines inspector for the Swansea dis- trict. Mr. Gladstone had had fair warning, t he observed, and did not mend matters 2 very much by his surrender on Thursday t last, when Mr. Dyer Lewis was chosen. For E he consoled Mr. Atkinson, the monoglot Englishman, by introducing a new poBt- i wholly superfluous, and a waste of money, t in Mr. D. A. Thomas' opinion-th.a.t of a "superintendent inspector." Mr. Thomas ( considers this a slight upon Mr. Gray, the Cardiff inspector, who is certainly quite capable of looking after his own business, ( without the aid of strangers to local condi- ] tions. Mr. Atkinson is, of course, not to 0 blame for bungling upon the part of the r Home Secretary, but Mr. Gray received Mr. Thomas' condolent 3 upon the result of the Home Secretary's clumsy way of solving the a difficulty. Mr. Gladstone's attitude over I the incident of Madame D'Angely did not t win gtemeral approval upon his own side of 1 the House, to say nothing of the Opposi- ( tion, and this unfortunate local affair will prejudice Welshmen against him, and ren- der them the readier to accept the conten- I tions of criticG who do not consider the eon of the "G.O.M." an unqualified success in ] his present post. As for the "Wales for the Welsh" aspect of the question, a. corrospon- dent in Tuesday's "Daily Chronicle" con- < aidered that Welshmen really used the neo- 1 essity for an inspector to undeaistand the ( Welsh language as a screen for their en- 1 deavour to restrict the post to Welshmen, since Englishmen did not study the Welsh j language as a rule. A strange airgument this, since in other parts of the Empire, I. i Englishmen., Scotemen, or Welshmen aroe < usually required to be conversant with the Í local dialect or tongue

r THE HOME SECRETARY AND MINING INSPECTORSHIPS. Quite a storm in a tea-cop was aroused last week when it was announced that the Home Secretary had chosen as successor to Mr. J. T. Robson, Mines Inspector for the Swansea District, a Mr. Atkinson, of the South Staffordshire coalfields, an acknow- ledged expert on certain colliery questions, but lacking the supremely desirable qualifica- tion of a knowledge of the Welsh language. Indeed, protest was made throughout South Wales mining circles and by the Welsh Party in the Commons. In the re- sult Mr. Gladstone had to admit a serious error of judgment, and cancelled Mr. Atkinson's appointment, choosing Mr. Dyer Lewis, who speaks the Welsh lan- guage, in his place. The Home Secretary had, however, created an embarrassing sit- uation, which did not improve with his surrender to Welsh sentiment. Mr. Atkin- son's feelings had also to be considered, and as a palliation, Mr. Herbert Gladstone elected to saddle the county with a new post—one described as superfluous by local mining opinion—a superintendent in- spectorship of South Wales, which Mr. Atkinson is to fill. The new arrangement is therefore one of two districts, both with highly competent men in charge, Messrs. Gray and Dyer Lewis, for the Cardiff and Swansea districts respectively, and a third gentleman, promoted from the far less im- portant field of South Staffordshire above their heads, endeavouring to assist, with a minimum of friction, in the discharge of their duties two other officials of amply ade- quate competency and thoroughly acquainted with the local peculiarities and characteris- tics which differentiate South Wales from English collieries. M*. Gladstone was on Wednesday careful to explain to Mr. John Williams, M.P., in Parliament that he had not the slightest intention of conveying a slight to anybody, and that he had only anticipated the recommendation of a Royal Commission by strengthening tbe Welsh staff. The r--ply to this is that for the salary which is to be attached to the new superintendent inspectorship, two assistant inspectorships could have been created, and the work of Messrs. Gray and Dyer Lewis thereby very appreciably facilitated. As matters stand these two officials are to have a third and superfluous colleague on the same official plane. Too many cooks are apt to spoil the broth, and it is a pity that the Home Secretary did not see fit to act from the first with a little forethought. Whether dependent upon Departmental advice or not, a moment's consideration would have resulted in L.e avoidance of the original difficulty over the Welsh-speaking qualification, and thereby prevented a discrediting chapter of blunders which is calculated to shake the confidence in the Home Secretary of the entire I Welsh mining community.

NEATH GUARDIANS. ANONYMOUS DONOR'S GRATITUDE. COLLECTOR'S DESIRE: MR. W. HOWELL'S COMMENTS. Neath Guardians met on Wednesday, Mr. Hopkin Jones presiding. Mr. Evans Bevan asked permission to again give an outing to the Cottage Homes, children. The request was greeted with applause. Chairman reported on the Brecon Poor Law Conference. If a suitable Unemploy- ed Bill were not brought in before Parlia- ment, the best thing was to send all unem- ployed to Poplar Union. (Laughter.) Rev. Henry Hughes endorsed the remartcs of the chairman—(laughter)—and described the paper read on the unemployed quest'on as "bombastic." Clerk announced two contributions ür H5 for the Cottage Homes from an anonymous donor.—Chairman said the sender had been an inmate, and wished to show his gratitude for the good he had received. (Applause.) County Council clerk wrote for the Guard- ians' opinion on Dylais Higher's applica- tion for increased representation. R--ply was deferred until next meeting, the clerk to supply members with copies of the peti- tion and a return showing comparative re- presentation of the various parishes. Mr. It. A. Williams wrote asking to be placed on the same footing as the other col- lectors.—Mr. W., H. David thought that *he matter should be brought before the Neath Town Council, who should be asked to re- port to the Guardians, because in Neath the ratepayers would have to contribute towards the national expenditure. — Mr. Evans Bevan seconded.—Mr. William Howells :p. posed. The Guardians could conduct thsir business without consulting their majesties -the Neath Town Council. It was creating a bad precedent, and childish in the ex- treme.—Mr. David said Mr. Howell bad described his question as childish. Perhaps a few years hence Mr. Howell would hear childish remarks which may be more moder- ate than his were at times. (Loud ap- plause.) It was only just to consult the Town Council. Mr. David's motion was carried by 20 votes to 5. Rev. Hy. Hughes moved a vote of con- gratulation to Mr. Daniel Evans upon his elevation to the Bench.—Mr. Trick see- onded. —Carried. No decision was arrived at as to age- limit of the new relieving officer for the Central Division and it was eventually de- cided to transfer Mr. D. H. Davies to the central district at L110 per annum with house, gas and coal. It was decided to advertise for an officer for the second central district in place of Mr. Davies at JB100 a year-no age limit.

RHONDDA AND SWANSEA BAY is THE G.W.R. DOING THE NIBBLING1 A Cardiff contemporary adopts our view hat there may be some grounds for the imalgamatioai rumours in connection with ,he Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway Co., md says —"It must not be overlooked that o more than one company the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway would be a very acc- eptable addition. The London and North- Vestern Railway Company has long 'had ts eye on' the company, while the fact that -he Taff Vale and the Rhondda Lnd Swansea Bay Railways run in von junction between Swansea and Cardiff s a consideration in favour of an amalgama- ion between these two railways. Then the ogling between the Great Western Railway Company and the Rhondda and Swansea 3ay. once so bitter, is now most amicable, md the two have so many interests in com- non that amalgamation is even more prob- ible between these than any other. That here have been friendly conferences between hese two companies of late is well known- ind that they are co-operating on several points is equally a fact—and thus it is that ,he belief gains ground that if there is to )e amalgamation at all it will be with the 2reat Western." IS IT A MARKET DODGE? In the course of a chat with a prominent Swansea stockbroker, a "Daily Post" re- porter arToertained that trn-e is no tangible TTound for the amalgamation rumours. "Of course" be said, "there micht have Teen some talk of "malgamation, but nearly ill the shares recently bought from Swan- sea have gone in the name of London bank- ers, and I have reason to believe that the •hares—both ordinary and preference— iave been taken up by certain firms Car- diff. who are running them for a rise. And -emember, the rumour emanates from that )nd." "Then you think that, this is the cause or the recent rise in value?" "I do. And the fact that they are bought n the bankers' names is in itself signifi- cant."

n Winter's cold and Summer's heait foull find that "STYM" ie hard to beat"

SWANSEA SENSATION. PUBLICAN'S THROAT CUT. HIS WIFE'S DISCOVERY. A serious occurrence is reported from the Gasworks district, at Swansea, on Wednes- day afternoon. Mrs. Perry, landlady of the Clarence Hotel, Clarence-street, went up- stairs to an attic at quarter to three o'clock, and was startled- to find her husband, Juo» Perry, aged 38, the landlord, bleeding pro- fusely from a gash in the throat.. A large table knife was found dense by. Perry was taken to Swansea. Hospital, where he was admitted at about three o'clock, where examination showed that the wound was two inches acroes the throat and not very deep, and was not severe. His condition, therefore, is not so serious as reports at Clarence-street first of all made it out to be, and we are informed at the Hospital that Perry will recover. Mrs. Perry, after making the discovery, rushed out into the street screaming, and at once a large number of neighbours rushed out. 'Drs. Evans amd Latimer were sum- moned, and rendered first assistance neces- sary, and an ambulance was requisitioned and the injured man conveyed to the Hospi- tal. Perry was formerly licensee of a publio house in Vincent-street, Swansea, and pre- vious to that worked as a porter, and after- wards was ir the employ of the Low Level Haulage Company, East Dock. He had only been in the Clarence Inn five months. Mrs, Perry was washing in the yard at the time, but noticing his adsence went in search oi him.

WELSH AUTOMOBILE CLUB. SEVENTEEN CARS START FROM SWANSEA TO TENBY AND BACK., Under the auspices of the Welsh Auto- mobile dub a 110 miles non-stop reliability trial, run from Swansea. to TEI-'jy and back, took place on Wednesday. The star i!? point was the Tenby Hotel, Walter-road, and from 9 o'clock, when the first car started on its journey until the last left it 9.52 some hundreds of spectators gathered and watched the starting operations with the greatest interest. The time limit was eight hours, and all who completed within that tune with a non-stop will receive cer- tificates. Each car carried its full comple- ment of passengers, which included ata official observer. Mr. C. H. Harvey was the hOon. trials secretary, and Mr. Alex.: G. Moffatt was the starter and timekeeper- CONSIDERABLE PUBLIC INTEREST. The trials were watched with great in- terest along the route by townspeople, vil- lagers, etc., crowds assembling at vantage spots and on the hedges, and children shrilly cheering the cars as they rushed by in tha whirl of dust. At the Tenby half-way house great public interest was also displayed. T START AND THE CONTESTANTS. There were 22 entries, but four cars did not turn up, viz., those owned by Messrs.; Jacob Jenkins, F. Cory Yeo, D. J. Wil- liams, and J. B. Edwards respectively. The following is a list of the starters, to- gether with the times, description, and the can; and observers in parenthesis:— 9.O-Geo. Ace's 16/20 h.p. 4 cyL BeestoO) Humber (E. Samuel.) 9.2—J. S. Brown's 15 h.p. 4 cyl. Darraca (D. Burnie.) 9.4-Hubert S. Thomas' 10/12 h.p. 2 cyL Argyll (A. Phillips.) 9.6—Mrs. T. Penrose Thomas' 18/22 h.p.. 4 cyl. Daimler (J. C. Morris.) 9.8—A. Williamson's 10 h.p. 2 cvl. En-* field (J. H. Thomas.) 9.10—W. Thomas' 8/10 h.p. 2 cyL Lacostd (Dr. G. A. Stephens.) 9.12—A. A. Joe. 10/12 .p. 2 cyL Ar- gyll (J.5 J. Hughes.) 9. 14-H. G. Davies' 8 h.p. 1 cyi. De Dion Bouton (S. Andrews.) 9. 16-.J. Gl-asbrooK's 24/30 h.p. 4 cyL Deni nis (Lieut. J. Keliy.) 9.18—P. and M. Player 12 h.p. 2 cyL WoWey (E. David.) 9.20—M. Whittington's 8 h.p. 2 cyl. De Deitrich (D. D. Stewart.) 9.2 £ —W. B. Hailowe's 10 b.p. 2 cyl. All- day's (G. Gold.) 9.24—S. L. Gregor's 10 h.p. 2 cyl. Dar- racq (Dr. P. Thomas.) 9.26—B. Branfills 10/12 h.p. 2 cyl. Ar-i gyll (J. C. Higman.) 9.28—H. J. Thomas' 10 Lp. 2 cyL Argyll (Rev. Father McLougblin.) 9.41—H. F. Taylor's 8 h.p. 1 cyL De Dion Bouton (Mansel Hunter.) 9.52—H. F. Taylor's 10/12 h.p. 2 cyL Richardson (J. S. Harvey.) Untimed-B. W. Valentine's 14 h.p. 4 cyl. dement Talbot (C. R. Peacock.) FIRST CAR AT TENBY. Mr. George Ace's car arrived at Tenby &t 11.3—having done the first part of the journey in 2b. 3m.. The first car out arrived back first—Mr. George Ace's, of Tenby, at 2.30 p.m. He stayed twenty minutes at Tenby for refresh- ments, of course allowing the engines to run in accordance with the rules, which also compel him not to stop them until half past two. Mr. Penrose Thomas quickly fol- lowed, he having spent ten minutes at! Tenby. The journey was described as being a very pleasant one, with little dust, and the roads in good condition, without loose stones save at one spot. 5^1 was the limit for the last car but one to arrive home, and at that hour it had not put in an appearance. The car that left at 9.52 this morning bad previously arrived. There was only one other car to account for; that belongs to Mr. B. Bramfiekl, and this, we understand, stayed at Tenby. Subsequent to the trial, the motorists en- gaged took dinner at the Tenby Hotel, where Host Dickens served up a capital repast. TIMES OF ARRIVAL HOME. 2.30—Mr. George Ace. 2.30—Mr. T. Penrose Thomas. 2.30—Mr. Jno. S. Brown. 2.49—Mr. A. Williamson. 2.59—Mr. B. W. Valentin. 3.0—Messrs. P. and M. Player. 3.0—William Thomas 3.2—Hubert S. Thomas. 3.5.-R. J. Thomas. 3.22.-H. F Taylor (Richardson). 3.34.-8. L Gregor. 3.56.-John Glas brook. 3. 56-Mr. Whittington. 3.54-H. G. Davies. 4.10-W. B. Hallowes. 4.58—A. A. Jones. Cases of punctured. and bursted tyres are reported, but so far as the engines and mechanism are concerned, everything W,4 satisfactory.

PORT TALBOT PEDAGOGUES' PUNCTUALITY. MEMBER DENOUNCES INSPECTOR'S REPORT. At Port Talbot Group School Managers meeting on Tuesday, Mr. Daniel Evajis pre- siding, a letter was received from the Education Committee that it was reported that teachers were unpuoctual in their at.- tendance. Rev. James Evans, with warmth, de- nounced the report of the inspector as un- called for. If Mr. Powell found that there was any irregularity he could have put the matter right without bringing such a report to the meeting. He should have called the attention of the headmaster to it, and not brought such a misleading statement tc the meeting. Mr. Powell: In which way was it mis- leading? Rev. J. Evans: You said it was the most unpunctual school in the whole dis- trict, and led us to believe that the teachers came to the school at all times. Mr. Powell: I s&id I found more un- punctuality at this school than any other m the district. Mr. E. T. Evans: I must protest gimb this xnsonal disagreement between Mr. Evans and Mr. Powell. I think it meet childish to argue like this. Mr. Powell happened to come to the meeting, and heard Mr. Picton's report being wd that the staff was punctual in their attendance; all he did was to contradict that report, and say that the teachers did not tarn, up at the time appointed. I move that we proceed to the next business. Rev. Ambrose Williams: I do not wish to prolong this discussion, but I 'F1 say that if the inspector had seen the headmaster first this might not have occurred, and the matter might not have got into the p, Mt. Powell: I ha we nothing whatever to find against Mr. Pi<|ton (the headmaster.) I think he is a most coosdentkm «>( energetic headmaster. The matter then drooijed,