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LUCID AND CONVINCING! SPEECH
LUCID AND CONVINCING! SPEECH ON THE REAL VALUE OF TARIFF REFORM TO BRITISH LABOUR AND INDUSTRY. SIR GILBERT PARKER, M.P. AT SWANSEA. "NO TICKETS" CONCESION ABUSED. A great Conservative demonsta*ation took place on Wednesday evening at the Grand Theatre, Swansea, when Sir Gilbert Parker, M.P. (author of "The Land for the People"), and Colonel J. R. Wright, the candidate for Swansea, were the chief speakers. The theatre was filled to over- flowing, scores of people being forced to stand a.t the back. The proceedings them- selves were eathusiaistio, though in plaoes they were characterised by some interrup- tions. These, however, were ineffective, and Sir GiLbert dealt with them in a way that elicited general admiration. At one stage, however, Colonel Wright reminded the interrupters—who only numbered a email band located in the gall-ery-that he had publicly, through the preee the pre- ceding evening, appealed for a quiet hearing at the Liberal meetings, and he asked that any of their opponents present should re- ciprocate similarly. This remark was greeted with hearty applause. Mr. A. F. Eden ^chairman of the Swansea servative Association) presided, in the ab- sence of Dr. Latimer, who was prevented from attending, as he is recovering from a severe illness. Upon the platform were Col. J. R. Wright, Col. W. C. Wright, Capt. F. Bradford, Councillors D. Davit*, Moiyneux. Macdonnell and '-Pro bridge, Di. T. D Griffiths, Dr. Brook, Meters. Joseph Hail, J.P., W. Grey Walters, A. Abbott, Lløw. Waiters, D. J. Bassctt, R. Whit- taker, J. F. P. Mclnerney, W. Hayward, J Eiliard, F Waddington (Conservative agent) and many others. Those present promin- ently in the hall besides were Mrs. J. R. Wright, Mrs. W. C. Wright, Mrs. F. Brad- ford, and the majority of the leading Con- servatives and members of the Primrose League in the town and district. Prior, to tlia meeting a concert was gone through, the following contributing: Me-ssrs, D. J. Lod- wig, J Lynch, J. Dennis, A if. Thomas, and George Thomas. Mr. F. Drew accom- panied The Chairman read a letter from Dr. Latimer, in which the latter stated "I am very sorry I must give up what would have been a ereiit pleasure, especially aa it means I shall be tunable to appear to work fan- Col. Wright for whom I bear such a sincere regard." (Cheers.) The chairman said he was sure they all wished Dr. Lati- mer speedy restoration to health. (Ap- plause.) As regards Sir Gilbert Parker, Mr. Eden reminded those who were not aware of the fact that their guest that evening wa.s a. great traveller, amongst the places he had visited being Australia and Canada, and from his experience he could speak with authority upon Tariff Reform, rr'-socially that norbion which they understood as Colonial Preference. They welcomed him heartilv that night. (Cheers.) "ENGLAND IN GREAT TROUBLE." Sir Gilbert Parker said when one asso- ciated a theatre with entertainment, har- mony, recreation and happiness, and when a srre&t, good-looking audience came to- gether like that, it seemed impossible to be- lieve there was going to be a discordant ele- ment. Proceeding, Sir Gilbert" said Eng- land was- in great trouble- "We, h«t con- tinued. "havo got our remedy, and they (the other side) have tried theirs." (Cheers.) And tlvere was a pause. Sir Gilbert wa3 referring to Mr. Apquith's speech the pre- vious evening at Birkenhead when there was slight applause. "That's right," he •aid, "00 loyal to your 1^-vder. For Mr. Asquith I have the most profound respect, becanse, at any rate, he does argue, and this is a ease for argument." (Cheers.) It was not a case for mere ornamental rhetoric. Having had the good fortune of being a son of an officer of H.M. Army, the. speaker was born in Canada, and he had lived for seve- ral years in Australia. He had seeoi two fiscal policies changed under huj own eyes, viz.. in C.-viada and Australia. As a boy he was in Canada, where* the goods poured in by) the States were go cheap that they could be had almost for nothing. But half the ) population were leaving for Jack of money to buy even cheap goods. "The United. States called us her slaughter market." And he was m Australia when the las+jb of the Colonies who held Free Trade was simply struggling for life. That was New South Wales. The rest, like all our Colonies, had marched with ns under the banner of Free Trade fot so many years, and people went out to those new lands with the de- sire of perpetuating that policy, "because," added Sir Gilbert, significantly, "they be- lieved in you, because behind them was a great tradition we all raspect, to which our hearts ha.ve always gone. It is a great idea Free Trade is; is the biggest thing the human mind can conceive—it is almost co- equal with the great social principles talked by Christianity, but some- how this ia not a porld where all people live according to Christian principles, and when the rest of the world took it upon themselves to arm for attack and protection to protect their industries as well as their shores, then the policy of Free Trade fell to the ground, and you had a policy of free imports for England. They tried it in the colonies; one by one dis- hea-rtensd, discouraged, even your great tradition behind them, they dropped out and began to think for themselves. And )1 they suffered while thinking. (Applause.) They struggled while they thought: they were punished while they thought; a nation- al colonial policy arose, and the whole Im- perial Dominion is committed to a policy which is diametrically opposed to that of yours. They defended their industrial as •we defended our shores, and the passage of the manufactured goods over the seas, to- gether with the raw material and the food that came in. But the colonies said it wae not enough to protect the passage of food, it was also necessary to defend the goods', as they were being made from outeide at- tack. (Cheers.) He feit that MR. ASQUITH HAD SUCCUMBED TO PRESSURE. brought to bear on him in his own Cabinet All through the Unionist policy there ran three clear principles— first, the security of the Constitution—-(applause); second, that the union of this kingdom, got under great difficulties, should .not be endangered; thirdly, that the Imperial union, so far as it wae possible, should secure Us the benefits of Empire. Now these principles were challenged our Navy was challenged their trade was challenged. The Imperial Union was in danger. It was to the Unionist party they had to look for a consistent policy on these points. It was the influence of that party that had kept the Navy up to Ttf; supreme position for the last ocntitrv a.'1.d a half. Not oven the Prime Minister ■aid we had the superiority over two powers the present administration were content^ themselves with having superior- ity over power. The other side had no doubt i-he "ame desire, but they thought they could control the world by moral suasion and diplomacy; but now it wag found that their petition was being chal- lexiffed and other poy-ers wpre taking that position in the councils of world which we had held. The other sicte by acts of diplomacy they could keep the world quiet, and that they could maks rlairt of the world be at peace with the rest of the world. Now ho did not believe that the party in power really cculd be trusted to the same extent to preserve our Navy, our Army, and the Constitution as Ù1e j Unionist party, because they believed in this principle, which they applied to trade. They (the Liberals) went to the foreign nations and said "Please allow our goods to go into your country," and foreign nations winked the other eye. (Laughter.) Why? Because we had got nothing whatever to fight with. We needed to defend not only our shores and Constitution, but our trade. (Cheers.) In the Merchant Shipping Bill the speaker's amendment to the accommodation on board ships of sailors should be doubled, was carried. (Applause.) What, he pro- ceeded to ask, was the good of a load line to put them on an equality with the foreign nations, and NOT APPLY THE LOAD LINE TO THE GOODS? (Cheers.) Both parties desired social re- form. The Unionist party had passed 108 Acta of Parliament benefitting the working man, and the Liberal party 48. or 50. The difference was that they had different ideas of how to obtain it and how to pay for it, and the question of how to pay had pro- duced the present crisis. Was it right that a Government should bring in licensing and land reform under the guise of a' Budget? ("No.") Why, in the present Budget pres- sure was put upon a certain class, people being selected not because they were wealthy but because they owned a certain kind of property. (Cheers.) The House of Lords, he reminded them, had not touched the Finance Bill, but they had asked the people SIR GILBERT PARKER. to touch it. When the Liberal Government came into power they came in determined to secure economy, but instead they had got an increased 16 millions in expenditure. And let them remember that the contingent for our ships next year went into next year's Budget. And then in April 1912, we would have twenty Dreadnoughts and the Germans will have 17, but the Germans will have more heavy guns-first class guns— on their 17 than we will have on our 20. ("Shame.") The policy of economy had been applied by the Liberal to the wrong thing, for the Navy was the last that ao- called economics of that sort should be prac- tised on. (Che-are.) The state of the Navy now wa,s they were running neck to neck with Germany, instead of being up to the two Power standard, which had been the pride of England for the laft 100 years. Proceeding. Sir Gilbert asked who would say that the Liberal party stood to-day as it did 30 years .ago. It was now a combination of men of sections of differ- ing views, and the old dominating Liberal spirit no longer existed. A" toO the Bud- get, it a-9 no office of a Budgflt to re- form, and the action of the House of Lords had Tef-erred it to the people asking them to take it and look at it. (Cheers.) There was not a great Colony over seas that had not got a second chamber with m'ore power th-m the House of Lords, and the United States Senate had unfortunately more power than th; .ilouse of Representatives. But he did not want to see a Second Cham- ber v ith greater power than the Commons; he wanted to see the House of Lords re- formoKl. (Applause.) Happily we had in our Second Chamber half at least of men of distinction, integrity and character. (Cheers.) During the last fifty years we had dene nothuif* but reform the House of Commons; reformed its procedure and de- fined its functions more and more as years went on The Budget had tucked away in its pigeon-holes Hoenjamg Valuation and Land Reform Bills. Jiejjarding land re- form he might ray that he believed there were bad as well as bad capital- ists in the country—yes, some bad workmen, too. (Laughter and applause.) Suppose there was a landlord sitting ruthlessly on his property to tht detriment of the people. The Liberal party did not say we will es- tablish a court to which the landlord could be compelled to go. but the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with A REVOLVER IN Hlfi POCKET. went to the bold, bad man who had got the land, and said, "You ought to be shot, ¡' but I am not going to do that, I want you to give me a bit." (Loud laughter and ap- plause.) And with the Chancellor of the Exchequer getting his bit, the landlord, if he war, worthy of his salt, and if he was a bad landlord, would immediately put the taxation on the land, with what, result was apparent, as Sir Gilbert explained, and adde,d there were nearly 50 per cent. less people, so the builders said, employed in the building trade t)ian this time last year, winch was a bad Was Mr. John Bums right: was Mr. W. Churchill or Mr. Runejman right when they paid all taxes mn.de things dearer. If thev were right, and you pnt a tax on land, did it make land cheaper? (Cheers.) And if land was deaT-buiiders WC,uld have to pay more, and did that spell higher wages? (Cheers.) Was fite-re in the Budget a single month's work for any town possessing 300,000 or even 30.COO men? 370 MILLIONS OF BRITISH MONEY had done abroad in^ jast four years to get income; sex untie* hd goiie down be- tween 100 and 150 mmions in that time, and for 19 years befc.re only 420 mi 11 km* went abroad. Wafi Mr. Asquiitih right in suggesting England w^ better off, in face of those facts", and tlte fact that we had the largest unemployment bill of anv of our protected rivals. (Chee*.) In 1907 Ve sent 235,000 men from tlhlk 'country to secure work elsewhere, and m f^oe of the fact of the great withdrawals from banks, and the fact that our progress in trade was less proportionately than anv of (>ur protend rivals, werE we betler off? (Cheers.,1 And m 190* things were 1 more serious Tha* G^rnimnf had on, three things to offer t^ia. and sidiary thmgs^the rev,va] of the c^tle programme, Horn, Rnl^ for and Dis^tablishment of ihe Qiurch in Wales. (Slight applause., w r what_w that meant, it would no, give more Then the removal of the Vefco of the Honge of Lords was propoFea. "Working men of thi" country, he a-sked, "are you satisfied with a. programme, of that sort?" (Cries of "No.") The Chancellor of file Exchequer t, said that the working men were going tu be secured against unemployment illness and starvation, but what was the good of La- bour Exchanges—which hi approved of in principle—-without th-e necessary work? In 1908 w^ lout 89 of t'5$de, and Ger- many lost 25 millions. We weyP supposed to recovered this year, but wba,t had happened? Germany had gained r;ver Jaat year 23 millions of trade, and we Jiad lost [ up to the end of October nearly iix mil- Irons. ("Shame.") We were bold since No- vember began our trade had be«n going up, but if we were going to reckon by one November heaven help our arithmetic. (Applause.) We no longer dominated any- thing except some of the neutral markets. The great protected nations of the world did more with each other than we did with them. They had increased their trade with each other with protective tariffs, and they exchanged freely with each other. Ger- many has special facilities in one particu- lar trade, and the U.S. in another, because they had weapons with which to come to terms. We had not, and the consequence was we suffered. (Cheers.) Mr. Asquith said at Birkenhead. "If you put an a tariff, and you keep goods out, where thejn does vow revenue come from?" He would an- swer Suppose a tariff keeps goods out. what happened? Goods then would be made in this country, more men would be employed, and that meant more wages. That meant n ore spent on the necessities of life by the working men—tea, coffee, coooa, to- bacco and siu-h things. These things were taxed, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer put a very heavy tax upon them. The in- crease! work vmd more ivages would mean more income to the TrtaSury; with greate.r profit the manufacturers income would be taxed more. Proceeding, Sir Gilbert said EFFECT OF TARIFF REFORM ON SHIPPING. Very well. What were wiey fighting ior: Was it their object to shut out goods? No. Their object was to secure freer entrv into the mairkete of other nations by the only "means possible. Moral suasion and kind words would not do it; brains would not do it. What they had got to do was to arm themselves ao as to be able to say to foreign nations "Give us fair terms of entry." His friend in the gallery said, ae was said the previous night, that shipping would suffer. But their object was to sell more goods by getting free entry into foreign countries, and also to bring in more raw material into this country. (Applause.) He had the figures dealing with the consumption of raw material, and Great Britain had lost proportionately by comparison with the enormous consumption of raw material by I Germany and the United States. (Hear, hear.) They had made intinitely grea/ter progress than we in that respect. Even in the trade in which we WNe most powerful—- the cotton trade-the United States con- sumed more raw material than we did. We taught them to make their American tweeds, and the apprentice was taking pos- session of his master's business. (Hear, hear.) We wanted more raw material, and he asked any shipping man "Supposing in- stead of bringing in highly refined goods i you brought in raw material, which makes them, will there be lees cubic stpaoe in our ships?" (Hear, hear.) Did it not stand to reason that if our object was fair exchange we did not intend to diminish trade, but that we intended to increase exchange. (Hear, hear.) He thought that the shipping industry could sleep quietly in its bed 60 far as any decrease under Tariff Reform was concerned. (Hear, hear.) Had Ger- many found it diflicult to get an increase in her shipping under the tariff system? She had had exactly the same progress in her shipping, as she had had in her industries, A generation ago she had about 100,000 ton.s of sinpping she had got two million tans en shipping now. '(Hea-r, hear.) And our hgures ior shipping could not be quite satis- factory to us. When Free Trade was in- troduoed we had two-thirds of the world's shipping; to-day we had 42 per oent. The Suez Canal showed a very serious decline in British shipping that parsed through it. In 1894 it represented 75 per cent, of the total tonnage, a.nd in 1906 it was only 57 per cent. Swansea wa.s a waterside con- stituency. Their shipping was vital to them. We still had 42 per cent, of the world s shipping, it was true, but that per- centage was steadily declining. Just look at this: In 1894 foreign shipping from British ports was 17 million tons entrances and clearances. In 1908 it was 33 million tons. In 1894 Briti6h clearances and en- kunoos were 47 million tons; in 1908 it was 6v> million tons. Did they notice that in that time foreign shipping had nearly doubled. We had gone on. Why shouldn't we go on? (Hear, hear.) Anyone knew tiMat when a great firm had prestige be-hind it and which had got on its way, as it were, went on for a long' time more or less prospering, but when other pe-ople knew their day and began to follow it and worked it steadily, steadily your chief industry PJ (hear, hear.) And he' asked What will the next 20 years do for youIn the late forties we were masters of the world in iron and steed production, Germany and the United States had now passed them in t.he race. We were still supreme in cotton. Lucky for us we were so. Mr. Asquith said in 1903, and he had never repudiated the statement, "Some trades had entirely disappeared in others we were only holding our own-fighting for our lives." (Hear, hear.) No Tariff Re- former ever said more than that. (Hear, ur"j* was in the face of that oar subsidiary trades were being destroyed, like silk, becoming less and less important and depending upon a few great staple trades, Yyhen anything happened to those fenv great staple trades, what happened to the rest of the country? J^st what happened to us opw. I hey disappearing from outeide tneir ranks—irom the great army ot l. ans, the hundreds of thousands who made up the 2* millions which Mr Keir Hardie said in April Last, in the Howe of Commons represented the unemployed in' this country. (Hear, hear.) Ye*, the "fecial- isto and Tariff Reformers saw the same! evil; they had one remedy Tariff Reform- ers had another; but the party that was in Power had no remedy. (Oheers.) PREMIER AND RAW MATERIAL. Asquith had asked a question which e said no Tariff Reformer had ever answer- In' «.^Vae 'What was raw material?" P^er "tated not a £ LVi £ ?' W — i1 be wanted thLn U £ d°n'<vlH'™iF 7"? make, became he was T.u n^Re former; his experience in the rvi j him that. (Applau.se.) Ahout later he oomp W, 1 to his coaclnTn £ £ appearance of the orougham. The T man felt quite insulted. "Well eaid, ''if you will buy these foreign thin^' like them foreign brougham*, vou canrj^ get; them kept anv natter tlian I "am keeping it.' He (iSir Gilbert) discredited the story but was invited to ask any jobmaster who knew. This war, done, and the brougham was foreign made. He did not wait, but challenged the manager of the firm, and said a fraud had been perpetrated upon' him and he found out where that brougham and Victoria were made. The manager said the bodies were made in France, and the wheels were made in Belgium; and the firm's own workmen pain-ted and varnished it. (Laugh- ter and "Shame.") But that wac) all on Mr. Asquith's basis of raw material. (Laughter.) They might! just as WEU say that leather highly glossed that came into this country, and watches that required fitting together were raw IDS- teruds. (Hear, hear.) Why. his brougham! and Victoria were raw materials but for the paint; but God help the British men who made will eels and bodies—the carpenter and tbe wheelwright. (Hear, hear.) That was but one instance that struck at the wry root of our Free Trade system. We had broken down one by one the staircases of our pro- duction, and we leapt now from the lowest to the highest—the high step of raw mater- ial. We wanted to alter that, (Hear, hear.) It wauld take time, but the Tariff Reform policy would do it. (Applause.) He begged them not to look at the matter from the point of view of one flourishing trade. EVERY MAN OUT OF WORK made his neighbour poorer. (Hear, hear.) And unemployment could only be reduced by going back to the scientific system of what we once had by force of circumstances, (Hear, hear.) Little by little other nations had cut us out, and we were satisfied with a policy which gave us Home Rule for Ireland. (Laughter and applause.) He said at the beginning that Tariff Reformers stood for a closer union with our Colonies, He did not bedieve it would cost us any- thing. The basis of Colonial preference was something to get and something to give, Taking Canada as an example, he showed how her population was increasing and how every person going there would require man- ufactured goods. Should Canada buy those goods from Germany or the United States, or from thf old land where their instincts « t I led them—the land which bought off them 60 per eent. of what they produced? (Hear, hear.) If that were done shipping would increase, and ships that went both ways fill- cd could reduce the cost of transport. (Hear, hear.) WHAT Tm-; COLONIES ASKED FOR. Since pteierenoe was started in Canada shipping had doubled and the wages of Brit- ish workmen increased. In 1397 Germany swd, "You are giving England a preference, j We are going to punish you we are going to put a sur-tax on your goods." What did Canada do? Why. she clapped a sur-tax on German sugar. (Hear. hear.) Of course, Canada had to pay more for that sugar, but now she got her sugar without paying any more from the West Indies and British I Guiana, and they were under the British flag. (Cheers.) Canada for twelve yeaiT had given UkS this preference, but she was too j proud to have something for nothing, and f she said, "Give us a little preference on our corn and that will satisfy us. (Hear, hear.) Jusf one shilling per quarter would give us the turn of the market. Russia and Austria- Hungary, riding with that load under the saddle to the, amount of a shilling, will have a harder race to .run in your ports tiian our- selves. Give us the turn of the market." (Hear, hear.) Very well. So far we had de- cerned to give them that, but if we gave it their preferencs for our goods would be greater. Do not despise it. The thirteen millions of the Colonies would be forty mil- I inons before we could turn round. (Hear, (hear.) We were losing in all the protected countries of the world; they were gaining on us in the neutral markets, and the only source of resuscitation—the only people that gave us the balance of trade and upheld us -—were our Coionics. (Cheers.) But they were told by the Prime Minister that it was impossible to give preference to all the Col- onies alike. How could we prefer, they said, South Africa, when she did not send us any food or raw material? But South Africa would be quite satisfied if we established the principle of preference, and said, through her Prime Minister, we could do as the pre- sent Government had done in Ireland—it gave a subsidy to the tobacco growing in heland.-a rank form of protection—but they were told that it was a. wicked thing to pre- fer Rhodesian tobacco a little. (Laughter.) He also noticed that the Prime Minister said nothing more about giving preference to Australian wool. Australia did not want a preference on wool; t-lieir wool commanded the markets of the world. But the object of a preference was to stimulate her wool trade. (Hear, hear.) Then the Prime Min- ister said that if we put a tax on wheat it was paid on the whole of the wheat produced in that country as well as on that which went there from outeide. But in saying that Mr. Asquith was not corro- borated by any evidence whatever. (Hear, hear.) He (Sir Gilbert) could produce evidence of an entirely contradictory char- acter which could not be refuted." Did anyone say that the 12s. tax on wheat put on by France wa6 paid on the whole of her home consumption? It was monstrous, lliey had 12s. tax in France on wheat, and bread was the same price in Paris a, in London. Why? Because their home pro- duction was so great that it did exactly what our goods would do with foreign goods. (Hear, hear.) If we produced three- fourths of what we used we controlled the ma-rivet, <t.lld only tha tax was paid on foreign goods. Let the Prime Minister be logical (Hear, hear.) He did not sea that he aiwieistood the question as it wa« under- stood by practical preforentiajand practical tariif defenders in other countries POLICYLHA. T IS LOGICAL. Our policy, soi-d Sir Gilbert in ooncJufiion, was iogioal. and it couJd not he defeated by the evidence of any experience in any nation ;n t,he world. (Hear, hear.) Were we so wise with our 40 millions of people and the other hundreds of millions all wrong ? Those nations prospered; they took our surplus population; they absorbed them because they had work to do. (Rear, hear.) Were we cea-tain that we were right, but was there not a. possibility that this worship of our ancestors was rather irrational? (Hear, hear.) "Try and think that vou mav be wrong, said Sir Gilbert, with empliasis. e' "One thing is certain, there is no hope for you under the present system. The move- ment is downward, not upward, and vet they were told last night that if we had the finest thing on earth whv should we put it on the tables of Monte Carlo?" Gentjeanen. we have the finest thing on earth for England. More work, more wag-re. which will be put upon the tables of the working- men of this country. (Applause.) For us shines a light which will lead to a regener- a-ted ooonmercial and industrial .England, viA 1 have such faith in the workingmcn and the common-sense that lies behind aH pa/rty prejudice that I am certain—absolutely cer- tain—that we are steering straight for a commercial union with out Colonies for a better day, a busier workshop, and for a: far more comfortable home. (Loud and pro- longed applause.) COL. WRIGHT'S REPLY TO THE CHANCELLOR. Col. J. R. Wright proposed hearty thanks to Sir Gilbert Parker for his brilliant ad- dress. Mr. Lloyd George the previous night had alluded to him very pleasantly. He said "Colonel Wright must be a very amiable gentleman, and I will not say a word against him." To begin with, he challenged Mr. LSoyd George to say a word against h:m. (Applause.) Secondly, though it was picas- ant to be called en amiable gentleman, he did not care to ask (.hem for their suffrages on tha.t account. He ask-d them because he was a business man there in Swansea, with Swansea interests at his heart. (Applause.) Mr. Lloyd George had risen by his brains and energy and eloquence to the high posi- tion he held. Although he (Colonel Wright) had not the eloquence of Mr. Lloyd George, yet he had arrived at his present position from one as humble as his, and he claimed he had, by brains and hard work, arrived at the head of a concern dealing with from three to four millions of money, almost the whole of which was in Wales." So he con- s;dered h,i was in a position to represent a Welsh constituency. (Applause.) Mr. LLoyd Goorge had alluded to Mr. Campbell, the working man candidate for Swansea District, in the words: "I wonder that this strange animal is?" He (Colonel Wright) asked them if this was proper language from a Minister of the Cwwn to a working man. (Applause.) He could not help resenting those things. Mr. Lloyd George had stated that Tariff Reform would decrease Swansea's fhipping. if they brought two cargoes of iron or-g into Swansea instead of one cargo of iron would not that mean more shipping and more employment? Colonel Wright in further remarks >a.r.d that Mr. Asqiiith had stopped short after the fcod question, and had not carried them to the other point- what the Colonies would require from us. Was it honest to stop short at one side of the question? (Cries of "No" and applause.) RECIPROCITY IN GOOD CONDUCT. Coun..David Davids; who was received with loud and prolonged applause, said that the Conservatives had given Mr Llovd George a perfect hearing, ajid thev'trusted the people of Swansea would also give their distinguished visitor, Sir Gilbert Parker a fair hearing. (Hear, hear.) "There mU6t be reciprocity in good conduct," declared Mr Davies, "as weil as in trade." (Hear hear ) It was his privilege to second the vote of thanks to the distinguished Canadian who was with them as a representative of that great Cotlony which was going to b-- a great Empire. They had heard him make a mas- terly speech, and whether they agreed or differed with him, no one at aH events amid dispute the fact that ii had been most in- forming and most eloquent. (Hear, hear.) Readers of his brilliant works that had en- riched English literature, such as "Ilierre and his People" and "The Seats of the Mighty" would, now they had seen tht3 au- thor, realise the man behind these works. (Applause.) Touching upon Mr. Llovd George's reference to British shipping, Air. Davies proceeded to point out that it was not true—not history—to my that Free Trade had created British shipping. Up to 1854 we protected our British shipping by the navigation laws that were introduced in the days of Cromwell. (Hear, hoar.) In 1854, when we parted with those laws, Brit- ish shipping carried 72 per cent, of the whole of the world's trade. Was it better to-day? No. (Applause.) The tendency to-day was a rapid growth in foreign shipping, and in no port in the world was the growth of that foreign shipping more marked than in Swan- sea. (Hear, hear.) He challenged any man who disputod it to reproduce the returns of the Swansea Harbour Trust, which showed the number and tonnage of foreign vesfr-Ie that entered Swansea ten year:, ago and returns of last year. Accompanying at there was another tendency, and tha.t w; a S. steady diminution in the number of British sailors but^an increase in the number cf H-r- eigners on British ships. Was that a good tendenr-y? No; the mercantile marine did not exist for Swansea alone; it was our grand reserve for the British Navy: and it W<ù, to British seamen that we must look for help when the day of trial cs.rne. (Applause ) In thus j Mr. D avies condemned the pturimony of the Government in regard to its naval pro- gramme, and urged the electors of Swan- j sen to vote for Colonel Wright, an ail-Erit- ish candidate. (Applause.) I resolution was carried by accalama tion, only eight or nine hands being held against, and a vote of confidence in the oandida-ture of Colonel Wrigb: vras also ad- opted. On the motion of Coun. To nib ridge, a vote of thanks was passed to the ohairraan. j and the meeting closed with tv,e singing of the National Anthem. The interruptions by a number of routhr- during the evening caused a couple of ejections.
LLOYD-GEORGE'S TRAMP THROUGH…
LLOYD-GEORGE'S TRAMP THROUGH WALES. LLANELLY SPEECH: TINPLATES AND TARIFFS. SOCIALIST SCARE: ATTACK ON PEERS. I The Chancellor of the Exchequer addressed a crowded meeting at Llaiieily Market Hsli on Wednesday night. An overflow meeting was also h-sld at Zion Chaped. The shair was occupied by Lord Giantawe, who, with Mr. and Lloyd-George and Mr. and Mrs. W. Llewelyn Wiiiiams, were the guests of Lady Stepney and Miss Stepney at the Deli. LORD GLANTAWE AND THE TIN- PLATE TRADE. [ Lord Glantawe said he could re-call the opening of the iiorfa Tinplate Works at Ltaneiiv and his coating tne met sheet there. Since then great progress had been /liable in the tinpl&^e trade in Soui/ti Wales. | 'l'ne Mclvmiey x'ariif was a great blow to tne trade, and many were twitted that they did not torsee this and take precautions to protect themselves against it. He was -on- ndent, however, that if this had been a Protectionist country we would not have been better oil then or now. The extraurd- inary tiling was that, in spite of the groat progress made by the tinpiate trade, there were people going round saving that it was a dying industry, and that unelss we ad- opted Tariff Reform it would leave us al- together. The Board of Trade returns tex- the eleven months of this year snowed that Wales had made ever ten million boxes of tinplates, as compared with eight million in 1908. Mr. Beaumont Thomas was a very; able man, but although he spoke against dumping, there was no firm tha.t had don-e so much to encourage dumping by Germany and other countries than the firm of which lie was the head. CHANCELLOR'S SPEECH: TINPLATES AND PROTECTION. The Chancellor of tlie Exchequer, who was loudly choered, humorously described him- self as a peripatetic politician who did not know what he could say that was newr. 1n that respect the preachers bed a gai&at ad- vantage over him—their sermons were never reported. (Laughter.) Of course, he dnd not suggest they would preaob the same ser- mon more than once—laughter)—m fact, h-?. was sure they did not. (Renewed laughter.) After paying a tribute to Mr. Llewelyn Williams, the member for Carmarthen Bor- oughs, Mr. Lloyd-George proceeded to nfer to the tinplate trade, which he said had supplied the best answer to the argument of the Protectionist5' tinplaters of L'an- eily and South Wales had answered it with facte and figures- mete posters such as he had soen on his way to the mee'ticjg. It was a most creditable story. It was par- ticulariy creditable to their resources, their corn-age, and their intelligence. Thev. at 1 any rate, had not been taken in by the nonsense talked by the Protectionists, j South Wales had a great trade with the United States. Suddenly a huge tariff was clapped on. The blow made the tinpiate1 trad-e reel it staggered. What did they do? Some very intelligent people told them to tax the Yankees, and they asked what they could tax. The Americans hit Uiem, and they ought to hit them back—-a good oid Christian doctrme. (Laughter.) But! what could they tax? There was wheat and! meat. Well, if a tax was put on meat, who would pay it? They would pay it them- selves, and so m order to revenge them- selves on Amerioa. they were to put up the price of their bread and meat. That, how- ever, did not commend itself to their in- teliigenoe. SOUTH WALES "WALKS OVER" FOREIGN TARIFF. It was the poorest and stupidest and the meet disappointing of all policies. It was not wortll while pursuing in private life, while in business it was ruinous. In South Wales, however, they sot themselves to walk round the tariff, and they bad walked over it. (Applause.) They improved their' machinery, they ss&t themselves to open new markets for the answer to it. All that was now to be found in the Board of Trade returns—a very remarkable document. It was a testimonial to the intelligence of Llajielly. The Americans Mopped buying Welsh tinplates, yet at one time last voar they were obliged to buy £ 885,000 wortn, in spite of their tariifs, while m the whoie wo rid W-eJsh tinplates to the value ol five a.nd a half million pounds had be>an sold. (Applause.) If this country had clapped a tariff on it would liave lost all the foreign trade. Tbe Americans set up mills to com- pete with ours. Had the Yankees oent inv of their tinplates bo this country? He could not find a trace of them, not enough to make a sardine box of. (Laughter.) Take again Germany. We sold to the Germans 000 worth of tinplates. What had they sold. to us? He could not find enough material to make a snuff-box. (Renewed laughter.) Why was that? Because we were able to get our raw material cheaper than anyone, and m it was impossible tor them to co«rpetf with Ufj, and we beat them in every market in the world. (Applause.) "I congratulate you upon your courage, upon your steadiness in the hours of despondency and gloom, and, above all, upon the foresight that you have displayed—the foresight the reward of which I-SP you are now reaping. You arc held up as an example to the whole of Britain in saving the tradiaf^ commerce, and industry of this land from the greatest folly whioh it has ever been induced to indulge in by tthe Protectionists. (Loud applause.) BRITISH TRADE: SHIPPING. But things were going battly for the Pro- tectionists. They thought trade was going to be >~ad instep of that, it was improving, and it wat going to be better next .yea.z-, Take shipping, which was not a bad test. The amount of British tonnage entered aod ^leaded from British ports had gone up dur- ing the eleven mcnths of this year over a million tons, while foreign &hips had gone down by 7w,00J tons. These facts were stubborn, and they couid not get rid of them by a mere poster. (Laughter^. Then there was the bogey of a Gorman invasion. Were they not frightened? (Shouts of "No," and laughter). Would they not be frightened to see the German Navy coming up to Llanelly? (A Voice: "To see the Sospan," and loud laughter). Yes, I think that wouJd frighten any German you or I are likely to see. (Renewed laughter), Then there was the bogey of Socialism! Their property was to be taken away" Their property was to be taken away. Where was it going to? Their industries I were to be wrecked, their factories were to be shut down, their homes were to be in- \adod by this dreadful Sedalist. (Laugh- ter). He wished they would show them some new bogey. These who were fright- ened must be silly jackdaws, indeed. As for the bogey of capital flitting, where was it likely to go and be better renrunera-ted than it was in this country? He asked who it was that v.-as engaged in this gigantic conspiracy to wreck industry and to de- stroy our trade ajid commerce Take the -J Wefeb merubers for instance, composed as they \erp )f representatives of practically every braiich of industry. Were they the peame whc were to join this gang of rav- aging Socialists? BUt we were to be saved b. the H'Mse of Lords. (Laughter). The shipowners and colliery proprietors, and manufacturers and lawyers in the Welsh party were going to destroy the industries (if the country. HOUSE OF LORDS: "WHO ARE THEY?" But, thank God, there was the House of Lords. (Li-.ighter). Who were they? Why1 shovad tb-ey be specially qualified to be the | mifrtodians ('fÍ the trade of this country? Take the l. ireditary peers. They repre- sen ted one interest—an interest that preyed upx<>. industry. (A Voice: "No.") Well, he was gkud there was one sinner present. rh. wouid isk his friend to consider the question of royalties. Men employed their capital and '.ieir brain in sinking a pit, they employed t-uxisands of men who underwent D un, awful riskf There was the other man, whose ancestors had taken the sur- face awav from the peonle. ((Applause). He was the man who risked nothing, and yet was the very man who was sure of getting pad. That was preying upon industry- (applause)—and these were the men who were going to protect and guard the indus- try. It was like putting the cat to look after the cream. (Laughter.) There were four "Specialty, travenang about the coun- try with these bogies. One was Lord Mil- jer" Ah! they knew him, evi- nbiy L We were still paying his debts, and until they wero all paid it would be better if lie stayed at home. Then there was Lard Cawdor, whose speciail claim was to speak ^e P60?!'6'- H'3 was the great prophet who is interpreting the mind of the people of Great Britain. (Laughter.) His epjciai ciaim was that he was rejected twice 63, the constituencies that knew him best, There were two other noble lords--Midille- ton and Ourzon-lboos)-both of whom had been saying rude things about him. There was at least one advantage in tiie hereditary system so far a* Lord Middleton was oon- cermd. It enabled the man who used to be mliled Bwdrick to ctail himself Middleton when he wanted people to forget that he was e-ver called Brodrick. (Loud laughter.) This great critic, who was going to defend the industry of this country from the rapacity of Liberal Ministers, was that Mr. Brodnck, wnose one claim to distinction was that he had wasted more public money than any liv- ing man except Lord Milner. He made suc-h a mess of the NVar Office that even the late lory Go*, eminent could stand him no longer, and they sect him to the India Offioe to help Lord Curzon to muddle the affairs of India —(laughter) if Lord Curzon really wanted any help at all. (Laughter.) These two iords did not love one another. (Laughter.) Each of them ha/i just enough intelligence to know that the ether was a muddler—Ciaugh- terj -and neithor of them had quite enough to know how to do better. (Roars of laugh- ter.) These were the saviours. These would be tny gods of protectionist Israel. This was the pretty quartette going about singing thee-e Christmas carols. (Ljaughter. i thee-e Christmas carols. (Laughter.) ANALYSIS OF WELSH M.P.s. Mr. Lloyd George proceeded to give in turn an analysis of the Welsh M.P.s and the turn an analysis of the Welsh M.P.s and the ircxs. wiuii d view ot concluding whether they were the cl&a.g of men who should join in a conspiracy to destroy capital, trade. oommerce, and industry. They had great colliery proprietors, a great- capitalist, land- owners, teachere, lawyers, and five men who had carved their living with their own hp/nds. The Chancellor continued "There -s another lot. We have three manufactur- ers. I am including two candidates who are coming in. (Laughter.) Once a man is chosen by the Liberal party in Wales he is for all practical purposes a member. (Laugh- ter and cheers.) There is one of them a very large manufacturer who is coming in for Swansea. (Cheers.) There is another not quite as large, still a very large manufac- turer, who is coming in for Flint Borcug-bp. Thtóre you are—manufactures, lawyers, teachers, workmen, colliery proprietors, and landowners going to smash the trade of this country! But, shipping; I forgot. One of the greatest shipping owners in t.he United Kingdom is a Welsh member, Sir Owen PhSipps, who now represents, and will in the next Parliament continue to represent, Pembroke Boroughs." TRIBUTE TO EARL CAWDOR. He started to analyse the Welsh Peers, with two exoeptions." He said: "Now what trade or industry have tibey ever learnt? (Cheers.) How do they make thear living? (Laughter.) They are great owners of land they are owners of royalties; they liye upon the labour and industry of others, and one of them, I belseve, dabbled in rail- way management for some time—(laughter) —and I believe be did it very well, but you must remember there is a great difference btween a man who choose- to pursue a cer- tain vocation to kill time and a man who has to do it in order to cam a living. The lat- ter man has got to learn his job, and if he doesn't he has got to do without it. WeM, now, what are the Lords? They purely re present one interest-, an interest which preys upon industry. (A Voice "No," and loud answering cries of "Yes.") Well, now, there is a gentleman there who disagrees, and I am jolly glad he is there, too. (Laugh- ter.) The only Lords representing Wales who know anything about the commerce and industry are the two who are sent there bv the Liberal Government, both of them men of business." GERMAN "SCARF" CONDEMNED. The Chancellor went on to protest against the attempts made to rouse ill-feeling be tween England and Germany. The other things were simply silly, but it was wicked to set scores of millions of people snarling a.t each other. The Germans had the same tJÙtg three or four years a-go, when, to dis- tract attention from reforms, some of the ruling classes said "Look at Engiand they are preparing to invade you." Thev got up an Enelish scare. They returned m^ibei* to Parliament to create a huge Naw and this country had to respond. The result was that. Germany had a huge debt—a deficit of over twenty millions a year, added to her taxation, purely to build these great ma- chines of human slaughter. Men who creat- ed ill-feeling between nations were not merely traitors to their native land, but thoy were traitors to humanity. (Applause.) The people of this country wanted to see the masses of the people lifted above the precar- ious conditions of everyday life. There was but one obstacle in the way-the House of Lords. That had always blocked reform and progress, and had got to be swept aside. (ApptLause.) The Chancellor then left for the Zion meet- ) ing, whei-c he spoke in the vernacular.
--THE TWO SUFFRAGETTES.
THE TWO SUFFRAGETTES. DISMISSED BY SWANSEA MAGIS- TRATES. I don't propose to offer any more evi- dence in this case," said the Swansea Chief Constable on Thursday morning, when the two suffragettes, Misses Vera Weotwort-h and Elsie McKenzie, who were arrested at the Albert Hall, Swaneea, on the night pri;). to the Lloyd George meeting, were called on to answer a charge of having burglars' tools, etc., in their possession in the Albert Hall. Chairman (bowing to the defendants) lhen you are dismissed. there were loss than usual of people in the court, and the yard outside was quite empty, consequently no demonstration.
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Rev". Ben Davies, Pan teg, Ystalyfera, has decided not to accept the invitation of the Newquay (Cardigan; Congregational Chapel to bocome pastor.
Advertising
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"GO AHEAD WITH THE FIGHT."
"GO AHEAD WITH THE FIGHT." LABOUR CANDIDATE FOR SWANSEA. BEN TILLETT TO CARRY THE RED FLAG. As eichioively reported in a special aaci our second green edition cf WodEeedav eveirirrg, Mr Ben Tillett, General Secretary of the Dockers' Union, will be tie Labour candidate for Swansea Town Division. A telegram was received from the Union Exe- cutive ria the day endorsing the candi- dature, and in tiba evening, a. meeting of the Swansea Labour Associatkm was held at SiddaJl Buildings, presided over by Mr C. PowIceland, about 120 being present. I MR. BEN TILLETT. I The meeting was a private one, but w-a understand the proceedns-g were enthusi- astic, and the vote adopting Mr Tillett as, the prospective Labour candidate was ± I'ttanimoLts one, passed with acclamation, In the telegram of endorsement from the Executive the words "Go ahead with tbe fig*ht appeared, ami th3 spirit of the gather-1 ?ng was suoh that it is a practical certainty I that a three-corcfTed fight will take place. A long discussion wae devotori to details of the MBiffc^n. but there is said to have bc«n no otwta^le or defficsuit-y raided as to I lh^ fm-Anciai aspect. OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE MEETING. The fallowing ie the officio-I report of Woo. I nesday nis-bt's Labour AsDoci-ition meeting A special meeting of tbp Swansea lûbour I ^Fsociatioc was heli on Wein^sday in re- ference to the Parlismtaitary candidature of Mr Ben Idle);, to whom the Association I. À xt 1 d c>'ad F xten-det fj; invifHtion to contiEat Swansea in tne Jjabrmr interest at tbe forth-j coming general elaotiom. I A teleg^sm was read from the Executi-vo C." the Dockers' Union to the efiect that j they hud endorsed the candidature of Mr Tiilett lor Swans&a. A resolutJon S'x.ptme ifr Ttllett 2..< pros-i 1-ectivo Labocr candidate was agreed to and ) the secret-j,rv was instructed to commnni- j cate t-h- reyiiit of the meeting to Mr Tillett and the National Labour Party. A vigorous c-impaign will be oommenoed as early as possible.
DIED ON HIS KNEES.<
DIED ON HIS KNEES. ABESGWTNFI CRIMEAN VETERAJf. Pathetic circxsmstances were connected j with the death of Mr James Wills, a Cri- mean veteran, who lived with rclativrs at a boot shop in Jersey-road, Abergwynfi. Not being well Mr Wilis lay in bod until seven o'clock in the evening, when the maid- J servant went up to ask him if he would I lite to have a cup of tea He told her he would get up, but did not do 90. -and upon relatives going upstairs they found him on his knees dead. Deceased was an Army pensioner, and fought in the Qrunean War 55 years ago.
---SWANSEA RAILWAYMEN.
SWANSEA RAILWAYMEN. THREi'" OliAHGED WITH THEFTS OF XMAS GOODS. At Swansea Police Court on Tfourtraay, Walter atone, engine driver, Jamco Mor; is. engine drivbr. and Ja* Rd. Cole, fireman, were oharged with stealing and receiving a turkey, a- ;?oo.e, a pheasant, 14 oysters, and lfl parsnips (value dEl 28\ from a truck at IjfUMkw-3 Railway station, the property of the 3.W.R. Co. Mr W. Smit-h prosecuted. Defendants were renxuadeii for a week. defendants' own reoognisances beicyr ac- cepted
QUEEN AND FIRE RELIEF FUND.
QUEEN AND FIRE RELIEF FUND. Queen Alexandra is sending £ 100 to the Clapbam Fire Relief Fund.
LbAKDOVBRY PRESENTATION.
LbAKDOVBRY PRESENTATION. At the Town Hall, Llandovery, cm Tuesday evening, Mr T. Thomas, Rock Cottage, was miide the recipient of a puree coiitair.iug £25 13e., srabecribed by residents in appre- ciation of bis services as station maeter. at Llandovery for 27 years. Tie presentation was made by Aid. C P Lewis, and several speeches delivered eulog'sing the ability and integrity of character 5T Mr Thomas. i
ABERAVON RADICALS DISGRACE…
ABERAVON RADICALS DISGRACE THEMSELVES. CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE CANT GET FAIRPLAT. LOCAL LIBERAL'S APPEAL TO THE | AUDIE-NCE. corK. CAMPBELL'S HAPPY RETORTS TO ROWDIES. Councillor R. Gampbeil, the Conservative working man candidate for the Swansea DiS- trict, a<feire€sed a large audience at Abc-r-.von on Wednesday night, tiiere being 000 persons present. Although you*iiful and i.,responsible beckiers were present, candidate created a iiivourable impreefion. Coun. Percy Jacob pres.ded, and was sDjio.Trted by Mees-rs. J. M. Smith, J.P., J. H. cirant, A. H. Deer, and Clifford Jacob. Councillor Campbell said that etaoe the last occasion he addressed them there had been a slight change. One of his opponen ts had with- orawn, but he could assure tsbem that he vthe speaker) WIÚS going BO too poll. On Monday laEt he had an offer from a gentleman in Lon don to contest his seat, from which he would withdrew, and where he would only have had 45 votes to beat down, but he toid that gentleman that his seat w-as Swansea D'stricr. and be meant to fight it, win or lose, (Cbe»rs>. He had been critioised as coming bsiore th-em as a working men. He only left h-s bz-nch twenty-one months ago, after four- tesn years service at Woolwich Arsenal. Tney had men co-nteeting seats in Wales who had left their bencn for over 33 years. (Laughter;, lie WAS NOT THE DUCAL DOMESTIC CAT which a certain gentleman had described him 812, but be would rather be a domestic cat than "Roirschild's Pudding." (Loud laughter and applause). He had spent his whole life amongst the workers.. Here there was some interruption and Mr. Campbell remarked, 'I wish some of the bigger men on the other side wouid Dot ta-lk so much gutter twaddle. (.Cnears and laugh- ter). Some of those vrijo talked meet of the dnke6 were the ones who grumbled bacau-se they would not get some of the good things firom this." (lAugftrter). Continuing, the candidate said lie agreed witn the taxing of tbe rich if they could j prc-e that the taxation would relieve the cjuntry, but be did not think the taxing of tae rich would affect the working men in the least. (A voios: "Rot. ') Mr. Campbell.- "I didn't eek for your name." (Langhter). Later, in reply to an interrupter, he said he was in agreement with nationalisation of raiL ways if it would be beneficial, hut under nat.onalisation in Germany the workers were 1): orly peJd. It might be beneficial as far as trensit and commerce was conoerned. (More disorder). .Mr. Campbell: "You mk me to spejik on one subject, end t'en you interrupt me. Be Britishers is what I ask you." (Cheers). Hers a gentleman (Col. Jacob) ;ose in the body of the ball, and exclaimed. "I am a Libera], and I ask you to give the speaker a iair hewing." (Applause). Mr. Campbell said they could not tell him of a country in Europe where the exports had fallen off attar tee adoption of a protective system. Wagee in this country were gOA^ned by a standard of organisation, and Lot by free trade. Sjtae interrupt.ons from the gallery drew the retort from the speater, "Craine can always demand a wage." (Laughter and cheers). Whilet dealing with German progress some- one shouted, Who was afraid or the German invasion ?" and Mr. Campbell smartly re- torted, "BlatchfoTd." (Loud applauoe). Mr. Campbell said that if elected he woold not be a tool in any political party's hands, but would allow his own conscience to dictate his policy. Voice: "Why don't you go in as a Labour man?" Mr. Campbell: Because the Conservative party is the only one I could get on to advo- cate the solution of the difficulty, and the solution was Tariff Reform." ^Cheers and disorder). "It was of more importance than even the House of Lords." (Interruptions). At the conclusion of his addneee Mr. Oamp- be! I answered a nimber or 'iueitiuLS, and a iiearty vote of thanks was accorded the chair- man.
MOTHER AND THE DRINK.
MOTHER AND THE DRINK. ABERAVON WOMAN GETS ANOTHER CHANCE. At Aberavon on Thursday. Mary Ann Bar tie. a well-dressed young married woman, of 12, Cha.des-street, Aberavon. was c-hargro by Inspector Beat, N.S.P.C.C., wit-h neglecting her child, aged years. It was stated defendant's husband had 'I got a separation. The woman wa continu- ally drunk and stayed out at night. Inspector Beat said he had continually found the woman drunk in public housee. The woman had pawned much of the bed- elcihes, etc. The bench adjourned the case for a- month to give defendant an opportunity to reform, she having promised to sign the pledge.
LLANDEBIE MAN
LLANDEBIE MAN SENTENCED AT GLOUCESTER FOR EMBEZZLEMENT. Ernest Lailer, Uandebie, formerly if Gloucester, was sentenced at Gloucester on Wednesday tc six weeks' imprisonment for embezzling money, the property of his late employer. J. B. Wiiiiams, ooal mer. chant, Gloucester. Prisoner wa, eagaged by prosecutor as agec; and canvasser. It was stated that ac- cused had previously, embezsled E50 and had been forg-iven. Dallen, who bad been arpested at Lian- <tebie, said the sum mentioned w-ae eubse- ouently 'ateducted out of his wages, aatd at times he only r?cciv>ed 6s. or 7s a week. I
MUMBLES C(>rNClL~AFF7\rRS.
MUMBLES C(>rNClL~AFF7\rRS. At Oystemiouth Council t-he Clerk read a draft letter to be sent to the Board of Trade (m reply to a comptl,inf) wthich stated that inasmuch as the croes-over slinw-av to facilitate the launching of t.he 'lifeboat boarding boat wae ooiistrncted in accordance with the lifeboat Institution's requirements, the Oouncil shoadd not construct another alipiway at their own expenw. particularly I as no objection had been raised when t;b.e plajic for the one now in existence were submitted to the Board and the Institution.-The Clerk said the t-ramwiavs ( manager had informed him that the ques- tion of reduoing the number of stations be- c tween Mumbles and Swaneea. to secure a J better service, had not been lost sight of. a
! "HUMANITY IN THE jCONGO."
"HUMANITY IN THE CONGO." ■■ BELGIAN KING'S PROMISE. f | (Baater'e Foreign SpecwJ.) BrueseJ-s, Thursday, la.ter.-The Qoeea drove from Laeken, accompanied, by two of ( her children, and the King rode an hoose- back, under a military escort. i Their Majeeties were received with great, I enthusiasm in the Chamber, the Republican cries of the Socialista being drowned by the cheering. The King, speaking from the throne, aid: -in the Congo the nation wabed for a policy of humanity and progress, aod none had the. right to doubt her word. He ¡I would consecrate his life to the fatheriacd. Returning to the psuace their Majesties received a popular ovation.
EXPLOSION OF GAS AT SWANSEA
EXPLOSION OF GAS AT SWANSEA NARROW ESCAPE OF MOTHER AND CHILD. A gas explosion occurred in the kitchen fit No. 17, Calvert-street, Swansea, on Wednes- day afternoon, but fortunately those in the room escaped injury apart from shock. The house is in the occupation of Mr. James Gabriel, but the only persons in the kitchen at the time of the explosion -were his wife aid her little baby boy. The flue of the gas stove passes up that of the kitchen fireplace, and the explosion wae caused through a leakage of gae, which, it is alleged, had been reported to the proper authorities. The force of the explosion oompletesly destroyed the stove, while many other ar' des in the kitchen were also damaged, including a cupboard. Some of the window. were broken, and both Mrs. Gabriel and her child were covered with soot.
THE BOUNTIFUL BABONESS.
THE BOUNTIFUL BABONESS. MADAME PATTI'S GiFTS TO VALLEY POOR. Baroness Cedergtrom—or as she is still more familiarly known, Madame Patti—hM again shown her practical interest in the hxality around Oajg-y-Nos Castle by, on Wednesday, distributing monies to the de- i-e: vtiu' poor of the district. She has for many years past p.=rs maHy visited the local ch-ipels. and has herself superintended in person the diBtinbutions. On this oocasion, however, owing to the inclemency of the weather, neither the Baron or Baroness were able to motor to Ystalyk-ra as usual, and the castle agent, j Mr. H J. D. Allcock, deputised them. At Ab?rcrave aboat a dcaen of the deserving were gv-en 4s. Si. each, and at Ystradgrn- lais 72 people received 3e. 6d. The Ystaly- fera lecipients w&re> 202 in Trn-niber, and a sum of 5s. each was given to these. At Wern Cha.pcl, Ystalyfera, a large crowd bad collected, bnt they were greatjy disappcrnted when it became known that the Baroness was not coming. Rev. J. Davies (Wem) was present. The two relieving officers, Mewrs. D. Jen- kins and G. Jeffries, are to be commended on their eftorts in ascertaining the real state of poverty from about 300 cases. A few orphans were given Is. 6d. each.
NEW LLANELLY DRILL HALL
NEW LLANELLY DRILL HALL LOCALE OF THE 1st BAIT. WELSH REGIMENT. The War Office have decided that the fu- ture headquarters of the 1st Battalion Weidb Regiment shall be at Lianeily, although there was hot opposition from Haverford- west. The War Office had previously inti- mated that they could not grant jB2,300 fpi a drift-hail unless the headquarters were re- moved to Llanelly. The proposed site of the new LlaneOy Drill-hail is m Murray-street, and plans àrw. been already designed.
SWANSEA WOKKHOUSE. -
SWANSEA WOKKHOUSE. srx HUNDRED INMATES: BUT FEWER TRAMPS. At Swansea Workhouse Visiting Corn- mi U-bp on Wednesday, Mr. T. Dryden pre. siding, it was reported that there are 6011 inmates—decrease, 16. The Master reported a considerable de- crease in the number of tramps applying, there being 191, compared with 384 the pre- vious week. The Chairman read a letter from the superintendent of nTHise)6 asking pernussrcii to hold a dance. thur- enabling them to in- vite friends.—This was agreed to. One of. the casec dealt with was that of a ticket-of-leave woman, who had been eoent to the Workhouse from Leeds on the un- sident in Swansea. The cafie was adjourned for inquiry.
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Mr. J. H. Roseer, J. P.. wishes us to state that it was his daughters, Misses Jessie and Dodo Roster, who arranged the charily concert at Sketty, and not himself.
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A Swansea, dock labourer named Albert C. Hale, No 27, Park-street, reosrwed aa injury to his right foot whilst discharging copper ore at the North Dook on Wednes- day c veninc. a piece of ore falling f..aa1 a basket upon the limb. He was treated at the hoepital, but not detained.
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One of the oldest milk vendors in Swan- sea. and residing in one of the borough's oldest houses. Mrs. Mary Ann Adams, of 2. Goat-street, died in the hospital on Thursday morning. She had been taken to the institution about a fortnight ago, and there underwent a successful operation, but she had an unexpected relapse. Deceased was 65 years of age, and had lived many years in the old house.
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"Enquirer" 'Killayi.—The late Mr a. D. Buitiie represented Swansea, from .892 to 1895, being defeated by Sir J. T. D. i-'eweLyn in the latter year.
FORGERY CHARGE.
FORGERY CHARGE. At Marlboro' street Police Court on Thursday, the hearing was continued of the charges against four men, Charles Wellings Herbert Millington, Charles Clarke and Henry Bevington, alleged to have been ooo- cerned with forging a cheque for £ l ane. jpon the Bank of England. For the praae- -ution, Mr. Muir said Bevington obtained x>Esession of a cheque drawn by Mr. RallL nd of a sheet of his notepaper.
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