The Cardiff Times

TUESDAY. A NEAR SHAVE FOR GOVERNMENT. The Government have to-night escaped defeat 0:1 an awkward point only by a sud- den retreae, which places an important minister in a very painful position. When the Solicitor-General was put up this even- ing to reply to Mr Hunter's motion for the rescinding the resolutions which declared Mr Bradiaugh incompetent to sit in the House of Commons, he was instructed to take the line hitherto adopted, and utter a ttow possumvs. Sir Edward Clarke did this in a manner that left nothing to be desired in the way of emphasis. He argued that there was no precedent for the course sug- gested, that if adopted it would serve no practical purpose, and finally denounced it as absolutely childish." WAliY 3lR SMITH. Poor Mr Smith, sitting by his side, must have heard these words with considerable anguish. That right hon. gentleman, as the House of Commons begins to learn, is not nearly so simple as he looks. He has from the first regarded the motion with appre- hension, especially coming just now when Mr Bradlaugh s condition is such as to excite a strong feeling of sympathy, and was most anxious to put off the evil day. Last night he attempted a little manoeuvre, the profound depth of which was not at the moment realised. He caused a communica- tion to be made to Mr Hunter to the effect that as in all probability Mr Bradiaugh would desire to be present to take part in the debate on the issue of which he was directly concerned, the Government, as a mark of sympathy, would undertake to find A future day for discussing the motion if Mr Hunter liked to postpone it. This was an act of grace that just missed its mark by exceeding anything that could have been expected of the le?der of the House. To- night iB a private member's night, and how- ever it were disposed of did not matter to the Government. If Mr Hunter did not mwve his resolution some other private business would be brought forward, and whilst the evening would pass away the Government would be saddled with the pledge to find time later in the session for Mr Hunters motion. Some of the gentlemen working with Mr Hunter were at first in- clined to accept this generous offer. Others, taken aback by its suspicious spontaneity, thought, on the whole, it would be better for the arrangement to stand, and so the motion caiae on. MR GLADSTONE FILLS THE HOUSE. Mr Gladstone walked in quietly during question time, his first appearance in this portion ot the session not evoking any j demonstration. But later, when he rose to take part in the debate, he was received with a ringing cheer. His personal in- fluence en the House was speedily shown, the benches filling up on both sides, and an air of profound interest prevailing. For a while ai, he held the House enthralled it seemed like- a return to the old Brad- laugh days thiit marred the course of the Parliament ot lcSO. His argument was not less or more powerful now than when urged 11 years ar-o against the resolution itself, and it seemed probable that it would have no greater eifect. But during the course of the debate Mr Akers Douglas had been coming and going between the lobby and the Treasury Bench, and Mr Smith had learned that to persist in the line opened by the Solicitcr-General meant defeat. HOW THE DILEMM A WAS MET. The dilemma was met in a curious little way. Sir Stafford Norfehcote, the mildest- j mannered man who evsni filled a place in the Ministerial ranks, one who would no more think of objecting to the line taken: by his leaders than he would think of taking his seat on the Liberal benches, was put up, and suggested that, after all, if the resolution were slightly mouihed, it would be as well to accept it. Mr Hunter, it should be noted, speaking before the Solicitor-General inter- posed, had offered to modify his .resolution in the very sense suggested by Sir Stafford Northcote. He had declared himself quite willing to leave out the portion which declared the resolution of June, 1880, to be subversive to the rights of the whole body of electors of this kingdom. As a matter of fact it was a phrase borrowed from the motion upon which a similar resolution against John Wilkes had been rescinded. Mr Smith jumped at the opening thus made, and admitting that Mr Brad- laugh had been exceedingly good since he had taken his seat, thought there was no use in farther resisting the wish of his friends in the matter of this obnoxious resolution. A PROTECT FROM MR DE LISLE. The First Lord, in the course of his hesi- tating and embarrassed remarks, had ex- pressed the hope that the adoption oic the resolution in this amended form would be unanimous, but there were at least two men present who could not sit in silence whilst a final act of justice was done to Mr Bl-ad- laugh. Mr Norris made his protest in brief form, and Mr De Lisle, amid continuous roars of laughter, delivered an animate harangue, in wliich he predicted the downfall of the House of Commons that, as he put it, had legalised atheism and whitewashed treason. There is nothing funnisr in the record of the career of David Copperneid's friend, Mr Dick, than the abrupt way in which Mr De Lisle dragged in the head of Charles I., declaring, amid shouts of laughter, that after the Restoration the Royalist Parlia- ment had never demanded the expunging from the records of the House of the resolu- tion which had approved the beheading of the king. Probably this grotesque episode was not unwelcome on the Treasury Bench, momentarily at least turning aside attention from the unfortunate position occupied by the Solicitor-General, sso swiftly and unceremoniously thrown over.

WEDNESDAY. AST INTEHSSTING- DEBATE IN THE COMMONS. A very interesting debate took place in the Commons this afternoon on Mr Robert- son's bill to amend the law of con- spiracy. Mr Gladstone was present through the earlier portion of the debate, and showed some indications of taking part in it, but, having an engagement elsewhere, he left just before Sir Wm. Harcourt rose, and took no part in the division. Mr Broad- hurst had undertaken to second the motion, but, his arrival being delayed, Mr Fenwick performed the duty in one of those admirable speeches with which he too rarely favours the House. The debate suffered from the narrow limits of time to which it was necessarily confined. It was determined in any case to take a division, and Mr Robertson had privately made known his intention of moving the closure, but owing to the measure of time taken by the Scotch mem- bers in discussing the Control of Roads Bill, and largely through a prolonged chatter on the pait of Mr Darling, to which the House listened with some impatience, the oppor- tunity fer debate was unduly shortened. Sir Charles Russell, who had given up his valuable time to following the course of the debate, found himself with only five minutes left in which to speak. The bill was thrown out by thirty-six votes, a narrow Govern- ment majority, which testifies to the in- fluence of labour questions in levelling party ties. The bill was chiefly denounced from the Conservative side as being designed to assist Irish tenants in their struggle with the landlords. It ia a curious commentary on this, that very few Irish members took part in the division. Had there been present 1 the usual contingent, the Government would have been defeated, and the bill read a econd time. RAILWAY SERVANTS HOURS OF LABOUR. Sir M. Hicks Beach has drafted the refer- ence to a select committee of the question of I the hours of labour of railway servants. It runs thus :—That, having regard to the fact that the employment of railway servants for ¡ excessive hours is a source of danger bothto the .1 men themselves and to the travelling public, a Select Committee be appointed to inquire whether, and, if so, in what way, the hours worked by railway servants should be re- stricted by legislation." I believe this will be satisfactory to the .Opposition, and that no objection will be taken to the immediate appointmentof the committee. In such case it will be moved for next Tuesday.

CARDIFF FREE LIBRARY COMMITTEE. A meeting cf the above committee was held 01 Tuesday evening, Councillor Peter Price in the chair.—Mr Bailinger had tendered his resigns tion as secretary of the committee, but it was unanimously agreed to request him to withdraw it.—A leiter was read from the Marquis of Butt stating that, while regretting the circumstances which prevented his distriouting the prizes to the students of the science and art classes on the day originally fixed, Friday, February 5th, at 8 p.m. at the Town-hail, would suit his arrangements verj I well. — The technical instruction committeej having arranged to take over the furniture and apparatus (or fittings) of the science and art school at the free library building, Councillor Riches was appointed arbitrator as to what amount the committee should pay to the free library committee, and the award was £205 Os lid. I In addition there were certain effects in the chemical laboratory which cost the committee over £102. but it had been decided to deal with those later on.—On the motion of Councillor Shackell, seconded by the Rev W. E. Winks, Councillor Riches's award was accepted, and a vote of thanks to him was passed.—The financial statement (or financial estimate) for the year 1890-1 was presented by Mr Ballinger, showing £3,006 2s 7d as the amount produced by the penny rate for the current year, deducted from which is d3422 8s 2d, the annual repayment on account of loans (which is indirectly paid by the corporation); leaving £2,583 14s 5d available for the support of the institution. The estimate of income and expen- diture was—income, November 1st, 1890 (balance to creditor), £203 17s total, £3,408 18s 5d expenditure (including balance to creditor, October 31st, 1891, £142 16s 7d; furnishing, JB560 rent of schools, JB500 grants to schools, £180), £3,-i0818s 5d. Of the above [incomes two items, viz., J3500 and J3180 respectively, on account of the schools, are temporary, and it was therefore suggested that these amounts should be credited to the suspense account for furnishing the new buildings, for which purpose about £2.000 would be required within two years. A further sum of j3560 was also included in the estimate for the same account in accordance with the undertaking given to the Local Government Board. There would also be a further sum to be paid by the technical instruction committee on account of the furniture in the science and art schools whiaa should be appropriated to the same purpose. This estimate being approved, J6500 was left to be appropriated to the maintenance of the proposed branch reading rooms, showing a balance forward of J3142 15s 7d, aa against. B205 17s last year.

WESLEYANS AND FREE EDUCATION. The committee appeinted by the Wesleyan Conference to report upon the question of elementary education met in London on Tuesday. The Rev Dr Waller gave notice of a motion favouring the maintenance and extension of the present Wesleyan schools. Mr Percy Bunting submitted a motion in support of general, free, and unsectarian education, while the Rev J. R. Hargreaves gave notice to move in favour of extending the board school system. After a number of informal speeches, the meeting adjourned until to-day (Wednesday). In the course of the proceedings, the Rev Dr Rigg criticised an article in the Methodist Times, in which it was stated on the highest authority that if the Rev W. Arthur had been supported by the education committee in 1870 Mr Gladstone would have covered the country with school boards. He (Dr. Rigg) had submitted the article to Mr Gladstone, who replied as follows :— The expression regarding the highest authority can have no reference to me, as it would, I believe, be without foundation. Speaking after 20 crowded years, and quite apart from any preference or aversion, I think I may say on the Education Bill I had no sort of understanding in any quarter or on any point as to what was to happen in any contingency that has not arrived.—Yours very faithfully, W. E. GLADSTONE. At the Centenary-hall, London, on Wednesday, the committee appointed by the Wesleyan Con ferencs to report upon the question of elementary education decided, by a considerab'.e majority, to support che policy of extending board schools in England, unsectarian teaching of the Bible to be included in the curriculum. It was also resolved that all modifications of national policy respecting elementary edueationshouldjbe made in view of the ultimate establishment of a complete national system of schoob under adequate and representative public management. It was further resolved that the committee is prepared to accept any reasonable proposals of free educa- tion, but insists that all schools freed by aid of public grants must be so far placed under public management as to secure the efficiency of the schools, and to prevent their misuse for sectarian purposes.—A long discussion took place upon a motion by Dr Rigg that the country should be divided into educational districts of a proper size and character under the control of district councils. —Several speakers regared the motien as premature, and Dr Rigg eventually withdrew it. —A sub-committee was afterwards appointed to formulate the resolutions, and present them in the proper quarters.

THE OUTRAGE ON A GIRL AT NEWTOWN. At the Newtown police-court on Tuesday, William Hamilton was brought up on remand charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm, with intent to maim. The case was heard before Mr Richard Lloyd, and created considerable interest, the court being densely crowded.—Mr Martin Woosnam appeared to prosecute, and 11 witnesses were called.—From the evidence it appeared that on the 13th December last two young girls employed at Newtown as dress- maker's apprentices were returning to their homes at Kerry, a small village about 2% miles distant, and when nearly at their destination they noticed a man following them. One of the girls, named Margaret Jane Owen, aged 15, ran forward, and was closely followed by the man. He caughi her up, and struck her down. The poor girl struggled with the man and succeeded in getting away, only to be again attacked by her assailant. Three times did she manage to escape, but it was not until the voices of her father and another man, who had been attracted by her cries, were heard shouting that they were coming to her assistance that the man hurriedly decamped. The girl was found in a fainting condition, and on medical examination it was found that she had been stabbed in several places with some sharp instrument. A wound on the breast had penetrated to the bone, and in the opinion of a medical witness the blow might, if it had been driven with sufficient force into the cavity, have proved fatal. The girl's clothing, saturated with blood, was produced in court Prisoner was arrested on suspicion at Gloucester. While in custody he made certain incriminating statements. He was committed te take his trial at the next assizes for the county,.

BETRAYED BY WHISKERS. On Monday, at the Dale-street police-court, Liverpool, a young man named Thomas Cale was brought up on a charge of frequenting. Police constable 58 stated that a little before midnight on the 16th he found pri- soner in Newington dressed in female clothes. He said a man had attempted to drag him into an hotel there. The officer advised him to go away quietly, but as he refused to do so he was locked up for being drunk and riotous and fined 5s and costs. It was then found that he was not a woman, and the fine was withdrawn and the prisoner was remanded. Inspector Grubb said that the prisoner had been on remand since the 16th, and he was now dressed in gaol uniform. Detective Sub-inspector Robertson said he was sent for to the Main Bridewell a week on Satnr day morning, and recognised him as a man who had been convicted on several occasions of com mitting thefts while dressed as a female. He asked the bench to deal with ^him as a vagrant, and he was discharged by Mr Clarke Aspinall I in order that he could be so dealt with.. The Prisoner: It was at your solicitation Mr I Aspinall discharged me. He wanted to deal with the case. Mr Grubb said when the prisoner was first before Mr Aspinall it was not until he was going down the stairs of the dock that one of the bridewell keepers noticed that the whiskers were coming again. (Laughter.) After consultation with Mr Clarke Aspinall, the Chairman again ordered the prisoner to be remanded for seven days, Inspector Robertson stating he had hopes of being able to bring another charge against him. I

II CAMBRIDGE HIGHER-LOCAL EXAMINATIONS. The class lists ef examinations held in Decem- ber were issued on Tuesday. Amongst successful candidates are:— LANGUAGES greup-lst class, Misses Burger and Gray, Ladies' College, Cheltenham; Miss Cay, Clifton. MATHEMATICS group—lst.class, Miss Philipps, I Baith; 2nd class, Miss Kelsall, Cheltenham 3rd class, Miss Barnes, Wells, Somersetshire; Miss M. S. Smith, Bristol; and Miss Everett, Llandaff. I Amongst those who gained commercial certifi- cates was Miss J. Eyres, of Potteme, Devizes, at I the Bath centre.

) M'OTHEBS.—Croup, Whooping Cough. The only certate care Mwytiaafr Afetare. Sold ererywhera S150

AT-fciie first division, which took place on Thursday, eleven members from Wales turned up. Of these, nine come from the sooth and two from the. north. They are Messrs W. ABRAHAM (Rhondda), L. LL. Dniwxrr (Swansea), S. T. EVANs (Mid- Glamorgan), J. LLOYD MORGAN (West Car- marthen), PJUTCHAKD MORGAN (Merthyr), D. RANDELL (Gower), BOWEN ROWLANDS (Cardiganshire), D. A. THOMAS (Merthyr), and Sir E. J. REED (Cardiff) from South Wales, and Messrs T. P. LEWIS (Anglesey) and D. LLOYD GEORGE (Carnarvon boroughs) from North Wales. Not a single Conserva- tive member from Wales put in an appear- ance, but the eleven membrs who were present voted solid against the Government and with their fellow-Nationalists frem Scotland. Mr PRITCHARD MORGAN is evidently deter- mined to have his revenue for his defeat in the law courts. He has already given notice of a motion in the House of Commons which will compel the Government to declare itself on the matter he has so unsuccessfully fought in the law coyirts. Next Tuesday it was his intention to move that a Mining Department of State be created, controlled by a Minister of the Crown, to be called the Secretary for Mines. It is evident that had such a Department been in existence much of the litigation which has damped the enterprise of the Gwynvynydd gold mine would have been avoided. But the question of Welsh Disestablishment is of more importance than even a gold mine, and as the junior member for Merthyr proved mere successful than his colleagues in the balloting for place, and managed to secure a day for the discussion of his motion, he sacri- ficed the Secretary of Mines for Disestab- lishment. Thus, in a month's time, unless meanwhile the fates prove un- propitious, Mr PRITCHARD MORGAN will move the Disestablishment resolu- tion, and will be seconded by Mr DILLWYN. There will thus be afforded what Wales has for some time awaited, an oppor- tunity of testing the opinions of the English Liberal leaders on the Sheffield programme. We do not know whether the invertebrate section of the Welsh members will regard this as taking an undue advantage of Ireland's trouble. The country will await with some anxiety to discover whether our correspondent is well informed when he states that Mr GLADSTONE willboth.speak, and vote in favour of the motion. THE TITHES BILL. Iirview of the interest naturally felfin the new Tithe Bill which comes under dis- cussion in Committee to-day, our readers will welcome the lucid summary of the measure supplied by "A Welsh Member in another column. From the concluding paragraph in that article will be seen the general character and effect of the numerous amendments now standing in the name of Welsh members, and these amendments will meet with hearty approval in ,the country and, we trust, in the "House. That the Welsh members are de- termined to offer uncompromising opposition to the passing of the bill, and to defend every possible point, is evident from the number of amendments standing in their names. Thus on the first clause of the bill Mr D. A. THOMAS has given notice of three amendments, and Mr S. T. EYANS of nve while on the second clause Mr OSBORNE MORGAN is going to move two amendments and Mr S. T. EVANS nine. The same tale is told of nearly every clause in the bill, and it is evident that if these who have given notice of amendments are backed up as they ought to be by their colleagues, and receive from EnSlish Liberals that support they have a right to expect, the Government will find that they have undertaken an. impossible task. DIVISION ON RAILWAY HOURS. WALES does not show well in the earlier divisions of the present sitting of Parlia- ment. Her representatives have not yet been able to record a round dozen votes in any division. On Friday, in the important division on the Hours of Railway Servants, only eleven put in an appearance, these being Messrs S. T. Evans (Mid-Glamorgan). T. P. Lewis (Anglesey), D. Lloyd-George (Carnarvon Boroughs), J. Lloyd Morgan (West Carmarthen)^ W. Pritchard Morgan (Merthyr), D. Ran- dell (Gower), John Bryn Roberts (Eivion), Bowen Rowlands (Cardiganshire), Alfred Thomas (East Glamorgan), D. A. Thomas (Merthyr), and C. M. Warmington (Monmouthshire). These all voted for Mr Channing's amendment, and, as the Govern- ment majority was only seventeen, the absence of the other Radical Welsh mem- bers stands out more prominently. It is on occasions like this that the defective organi- zation of the Welsh party becomes most painfully evident. Under an ideal organi- zation we might expect te have every Liberal member from Wales recording his vote in critical divisions of this kind, and thus practically hastening the downfall cf the Tory Government. The division lists of the House of Com- mons are not exactly light reading, but they will just now be as eagerly expected in the Principality as the latest novel. For the first time for many years, the Welsh mem- bers have pushed themselves to the front, and have led the van in an attack upon the Government. This fact alone, quite apart from the peculiar interest attaching to the Tithes Bill, would have been enough to account for the eagerness with which the reports of the debates and the divisions are scanned. The first question asked in every constituency is How did ourmember vote ?" The next is "How did the other Welsh "members vote?" Never, perhaps, has every action of the Welsh members been more closely watched than now, when the Tithes Bill is holding the attention of the House of Commons. In the first division, on Monday night, on Mr S. T. EVANS'S amendment giving the occupier three months' grace in the form of a written notice, there voted Messrs DELLWYN (Swansea), T. P. LEWIS (Anglesey), W. FULLER MAITLAND (Brecon), G. OSBORNE MORGAN (East Denbighshire), J. LLOYD MORGAN (West Carmarthen), W. PRITCHARD MORGAN (Merthyr), D. RANDELL (Gower), Sir EDWARD REED (Cardiff), STUART RENDEL (Montgomeryshire), J. BRYN ROBERTS (Eivion), JOHN ROBERTS (Flint), BOWEN ROWLANDS (Cardiganshire), ABEL THOMAS (East Carmarthen), ALFRED THOMAS (East Glamorgan), D. A. THOMAS (Merthyr), C. M. WARMINGTON (West Monmouthshire) Messrs S. T. EVANS (Mid-Glamorgan) and LLOYD GEORGE (Carnarvon Boroughs) acting as tellers. Eighteen Welsh members thus put on record, in the first division in com- mittee, their uncompromising opposition to the bill. Mr CORNWALLIS AVEST, true to his Unionist traditions, voted with the Govern- ment, standing alone in his glory among all the Welsh members. The second division was,if anything, more important. This was also on an amend- ment proposed by Mr S. T. EVANS, and was to the effect that tithe shall not be deemed a preferential debt or payment in bankruptcy." This division, however, showed some startling changes. While the Welsh members were now reinforced by Messrs W. ABRAHAM (Rhondda), HjOTBtnaY TRACY (Montgomery Boroughs) and ARTHUR J. WILLIAMS (South Glamorgan), which should have brought the effective force of the Welsh opposition up to twenty-one, the vote of Mr DILL- wvN (who was absent from the division) was lost, while those of Sir EDWARD REED (Cardiff) and JOHN BRYN ROBERTS (Eivion) were cast with the Govern- ment against their colleagues from the Principality. Mr DILLWYN'S recent illness will readily be accepted as a sufficient ex- cuse from the strain of constant attendance at the House, but what influenced Sir EDWARD REED and Mr BRTIi ROBERTS to help a Conservative Government we cannot say. It was in the third division that the Welsh members showed up best, twenty- two of them (including the tellers) voting against the Government. This division was on an amendment by Mr S. T. EvANS, which aimed at limiting the costs of tithe distraint and recovery under the new bill ,to a sum not exceeding that which is recoverable under the Tithe Acts now in force. On this occasion Mr DILLWYN was again in his place, Mr RATHBONE (Arvon) put in an appearance for the first time, and Sir EDWARD REED and Mr BRYN ROBERTS returned once more to their party. It must be admitted that Wales might have done better in the whole series of divisions. MR PRITCHARD MORGAN does not seem to have been so heartily supported by his J colleagues as would appear from the report of the debate on his motion for a Minister of Mines. Those Welsh members who were present fought gallantly, and so far as the' debate was concerned it was as distinctively. Welsh as that on the Tithes Bill. But when' we come to examine the division list a- pitiful tale is told. Only thirteen, or, in-t eluding Mr PRITCHARD MORGAN, who acted as teller, fourteen, out of the' twenty-seven Welsh Radical members who could have been present, recorded their votes in an important division which the Government only carried by a majority of thirty. Had the thirteen absentees been at the post of duty, the Government majority would have reached the low water mark of seventeen. As we pointed out in reviewing the division list on the question of railway servants, it is on occasions of this kind that Welsh members are most remiss, and oppor- tunities for inflicting severe blows upon the Government are continually lost. It is true that the division on Mr PRITCHARD I MORGAN'S motion was somewhat unexpected, the two questions which preceded having been disposed of in very much less time than had been anticipated. I In his weekly letter to the Genedl Gymreig, Mr LLOYD GEORGE states that the leaders of the Liberal party have been asked by the Walsh members to issue a special whip fur February 20 oh, when the debate on Welsh Disestablishment will take place. This is as it should be. The question has now reached a stage where the Liberal party may reasonably be expected to make it, whenever occasion offers, a party question of the first importance. It will be well, in the first place, to afford the leaders of the Liberal party an opportunity of formally declaring themselves on the question, which now stands second on the programme, and in the second place it is well this should be. done before the general election. While Welsh members will naturally take a prominent part in the debate, we may expect to see Sir WILLIAM HARCOURT, Mr JOHN MORLEY, Sir GEORGE TREVELYAN, and Mr MUNDELLA taking the lead, and there is no reason why Mr GLAD- STONE himself should not figure in the fight. The Welsh party may do much in the,mean-, while to improve their chances.

WALES IN PARLIAMENT. By a Welsh Member. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Friday Evening. The fortune of the ballot has favoured the) Principality to-day. and this day four weeks will see the Welsh Disestablishment motion brought forward. It had been previously arranged that all the Welsh members who were present at the House to-day should place their names on the; motion papers at the commencement of the sitting, ■ and that whoever happened to be first in the ballot should give notice to call the attention of the House to the question of the Disestablishment and Disendowment of the Church of England in Wales, and move a. resolution thereon. The veteran, Mr Dillwyn, whom we are all delighted. to welcome back after his serious illness, was in his place. Numbers of English, Scotch, and ""Irish members also balloted for their own pet motions, and unless the name of a Welsh member were drawn first, or at any rate second, I there would be no chance of disestablishment being discussed. Great, therefore, was the ex- pectation, and keen was the delight of our party when Mr Speaker called out the first name. Mr Pritchard Morgan was the fortunate man, and he gave his notice amid loud cheers. Mr David Randell had the second place, and to rivet the matter he repeated the notice. There was no necessity for more, and the rest of us, when our names were called, simply doffed our hats. The Home Secretary and the Attorney- General smiled on the Treasury Bench when the little conspiracy of the Cymry dawned upon them as they heard the Speaker call Welsh name after Welsh name. This day month will be eagerly looked forward to. Mr Gladstone cannot fail to vote for us, and it is devoutly to be hoped that he will also speak. The motion may not be carried, but it may be the last abstract resolution on Welsh dis- establishment. We are within site of goal, and the next step may be the introduction by a Liberal Government of a bill dealing with the. subject. Speed the day ,>

A MINISTER OF MINES. Another Fight by Wejsh Members. In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Mr PRITCHAUD MORGAN, in moving the motion which stood in his name to this effect:—That in the opmion of tho House it is desirable to create a. department to have control and super- vision of the mining industries of the country, to be controlled by a Minister of the Crown, such minister to be called the Secretary for Mines"— said there was a precedent for the course which he was taking, for it was only since the present Government came into office that the right hon. gentleman opposite (Mr Chaplin) had been ap- pointed the first Minister of Agriculture. They had also the example of the British Colonies, who had placed their mmingindustriesunder the control of a minister, and yet the total output annually of the Australian Colonial mines was only 26 millions sterling. The mining industry of the United Kingdom during the last few years had shown an average of 75 millions, in- creasing to £89.000,000 in the year just ended, and he ventured to think that these figures in themselves showed the necessity for the appointment of a Minister for Mines. There need be no difficulty in the matter. The duties of the office could be discharged by the right hon. gentleman who fills so ably the portfolio of the Minister of Agriculture. The Ministry of Lands and Mines, or of mines and lands, as the case might be, was an institu- tion in almost every other country except our own. We had a president of a Board of Trade, but there was no one in that House responsible for our great mining industry. The Home Secre- tary, it was true, at times dealt with matters affecting mining matters. This generally hap- pened when calamities occurred, as they some- times unfortunately did in South Wales, where they did not have sufficient inspectors, and if there was a Minister for Mines he would see that every precaution was taken to safeguard life and limb, and to help forward one of our most important industries. It was an extraordinary thing that the Chancellor of the Exchequer in some matters and in some respects was the authority in regard to mining, while in others the Home Secretary was the Minister to whom to apply. But still these Ministers were not pre- pared to deal with all matters relating to mining, so that one was sent to other departments and to persons who knew nothing at all about mining questions. His desire was to concentrate the mining industries of the kingdom under one head, and those industries were con- tinually increasing. They knew perfectly well that when an accident happened in a colliery an inquiry was held. As matters stood at present none of the responsibility could fall upon the Home Secretary but it was an extraordinary thing that when a calamity happened in South Wales, and when hundreds of men were cut off, the wives and families had no redress, and there was no one in that House who was in any way responsible to Parliament or the country in con- nection with these calamities. The Home Secretary had onerous and important duties to perform without taking up the responsibility for any of our mining industries, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had duties so important that he could not devote his time to matters connected with mines. As to the President of the Board of Agriculture, it could not be said that he was over- worked, and he could undertake the duties of the new office. It should not be forgotten that the value of the mining industries of the country was as great as that of the revenues administered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer himself, and that being so he thought that his motion should re- ceive at the hands ef the Government every con- sideration. He had no desire to detain the House. It was no party question that he asked it to consider. The House had already appointed a Royal Commission on mining royalties, and when tbe report came before the House there was no Minister to give effect to its important recom- mendations. At the present time he (Mr Pritchard Morgan) had no desire to thrash out the matter to its termination. What he asked for was for a Minister to preside over a department which would be instrumental in developing the national resources of the country. (Hear, hear.) Mr PICKARD seconded the motion, and, as show- ing the importance of the subject, reminded the House that there were 600,000 persons working in and about Welsh mines. Mr STUART WOBTLSET said there were two prin- cipal questions to be considered-first, whether the mining iudustry was in a position of such superior magnitude with regard to the other industries of the country that it deserved special administrative treatment; and secondly,' assuming that it occupied a pre-eminent position, whether it was desirable that the State should undertake with regard to it the functions pointed out in the hon. member's speech. He should be the last to underrate the great importance of the mining industry, as regarded the wealth invested in it, its contri., butisn to the resources of the country, and, above, nil, the risks to which persons engaged in it were j. exposed; but the proposal proceeded upon a fallacious view of the right functions of the Government in regard to it. No doubt, having regard to the restrictions imposed upon mining for the protection of the workers, there was an important connection between the State and the industry, but the State aJso regulated factories and the manufacture of explosives, and there was a. department already in existence which exer-t cised supervision over the mining industry, and was equal to all the work that was required of it., The Home Secretary had been careful, both as" regarded the enforcement of the existing law and its improvement, and he submitted that the hon. member had not succeeded in making out a case. for departing from the sound doctrine which should regulate the relations of the State to the' industries of the country. (Hear, hear.) Mr CONYBEARE gave as a reason for the ap- pointment of a Minister of Mines that under the present system the mining industry was being' hampered threugkout the country by private individuals. Mr DAVID RANDELL expressed his approval of the WflSion fw: the fully in touch with the great mining industries of the country, and fully believed that the step would soon be found justified by an increase in the industry. It was impossible that the Home Secretary could sufficiently pay attention to the .subject among the many subjects that the Home Department had under its control. Mr S. T. EVANS, as representing a mining con- stituency, added his support to the motion. The t mineral wealth of the country was such that it could well support such a department. It might be estimated at £80,000,000 a year. As germane I to the matter, he mentioned the necessity for the speedy appointment of a number of sub-inspectors of mines, which was emphatically called for in the interests of the lives of the miners. Mr WARMINGTON said the claims of the mining industry to a separate department and a repre- sentative minister in the House were strengthened by the recent appointment of a Minister of Agriculture. The hajwirdous nature of the under- takings in which hurrxreds of thousands of men were engaged showed much greater need for special care and attention than in the pursuit of agriculture. There was a general feeling among miners that the Home Secretary was too remote from the mining interest, and all his information 'filtered through the inspectors. At the same time he freely ad- mitted that the mining industry owed more to the present Home Secretary than to any previous occupant of the office, and this he gladly recog- nised. (Hear, hear.) Mr BURT testified to the fact that there was a firm feeling among the miners of the country in favour of the appointment of a Minister of Mines. Col. BLUNDELL was opposed to the multiplica- tion of Ministers. Mr W. ABRAHAM was glad to hear the recogni- tion of the importance of the mining industry from the Treasury Bench, but he claimed pre- eminence for the coal mining industry, as that which was essential to all other indus- tries in the country. This was no party question, and he acknowledged the assis- tance the mining interest had received from friends on either side. The importance of supervision and administration under onø de- partment scarcely needed demonstration, and such a department must be established, if only to enforce the necessary precautions to prevent accidents to life and limb. (Hear, hear.) Mr ELSNNIKBB HEATON maintained that in accidents to life and limb. (Hear, hear.) Mr ELSNNIKBB HEATON maintained that in Australia a Minister of Mines existed, and did good service to the mining industry. Mr W. H. SMITH assured hon. members that her Majesty's Government were fully alive to their responsibility for the protection of the lives and limbs of the men engaged in mining, and if they opposed the motion it was only because they did not consider that a case had been made out for the appointment :of another secretary of State. They had promised the Home Secretary the fullest assistance in his investigation into the causes of "accidents in mines, and the Government would give their best consideration to the subject, but he declined to commit the Government to an. abstract resolution. (Hear, hear.) It was not to be expected that the appointment of a minister of mines would lead to an immediate improvement in the condition of those who were engaged in mines, but he promised that the Government would do their best to investi- gate every deficiency that might be shown to' exist in the present system of supervision. (Hear, • hear.) ( Mr FENWIOK was glad to have the assurance of the First Lord of the Treasury that the subject* would receive attention. He agreed that it was too much to expect that mining fatalities would cease in consequence of the appointment of a? Minister ef Mines, but they might expect that, there would be every possible despatch and expe- dition in questions of a serious and important character. Mr LABOUOHERE confessed that he was noli i satisfied with the assurance that the Government would take the subject into consideration. When ministers said that they meant that they would do absolutely nothing. (Laughter and hear, hear.) Supported as they were by the landed interest they could not resist the appointment of a Minister of Agriculture but when they were asked to appoint a Minister of Mines the First Lord said he would leave things as they were in the hands of the Home Secretary. He was the last person to advocate increased expenditure upon ministers, but he thought it desirable that they should have a Minister of Mines. Mr D. A. THOMAS said the First Lord of the Treasury had stated his belief that most of the accidents in the mines were beyond human control. Probably they were, but it was never- theless the fact that the number of fatal acci- dents diminished in proportion as mines were better managed. An hon. member opposite had said that, although he agreed with the motion, he considered it premature, because a Royal Com- mission on mining royalties was sitting at the present time. What bearing a Royal Commis- sion on mining royalties had with the appoint- ment of a Minister for Mines he (Mr Thomas) could not conceive. Mr ARTHUR WILLIAMS said it was now four years since the Royal Commission on mining, of which he had the honour to be secretary, after having sat for nearly eight years, reported to her j Majesty. Though it was not within the scope of the commmission's duty to suggest a seperate '•mines department, it was obvious that the com- "mission was impressed by the fact that the Secretary of State for the Home Department bad the control and regulation of mines alone in his nands. He did not wish to reflect in the slightest degree upon the Home Department, but he thought it proper to say that the Commission felt that the department was not fit to cope with the enormous coal industry, and with the various accidents that constantly arose in con- nection with mining operations. He could not help thinking that if they could not have a separate Minister for Mines the time had coma when they might fairly ask the Government to separate the mining business from the ordinary business of the Home Office. The Commission of which he had spoken reported:- The result of our laborious investigations has im- pressed upon us the need for the official establishment of some permanent arrangement by which the con- tinuous pursuit of this important class of w01'k would be secured, and by which also the merits of suggestion and inventions should be investigated promptly and thoroughly and authoritatively. Whilst they were waiting for the appointment of a Minister for Mines surely it was not unreason- able to ask that what was suggested four years ago by a very important commission should be adopted by the Government. He trusted that the Government would seriously consider whether they could not, at all events as an instalment, detach the work relating to mining from the ordinary administration of the Home Offiee, and make it a separate branch of work altogether. The House divided, and the resolution was negatived by 118 to 88. Sir Edward Reed writes to the South Wales Daily News:—It may not be amiss 'for me to say that, for my part, although present throughout the debate, and voting in every division of last evening, I was not one of the 67, but, on the contrary, I voted against the amendment of Mr Evans, and I will give you my reason. It is a settled principle with us Welsh members that what we have to do is not to get rid of tithes, or to reduce in any way the tithe proceeds; but to get them transferred from their present application and devoted to truly national Welsh purposes. Last year, you may remember, in pursuance of this view, Mr D. A. Thomas and Mr Lloyd George broke away from the Welsh party, and voted against a proposed revision of tithes, lest in Wales revision should be found to result in reduction. Now we all know that the tithe-charge has at present an^essentially preferential character, and that in this lies a large part of its intrinsic value. It seemed to me, therefore, last evening, that to vote for the abolition of its preferential character was to strike a direct and heavy blow at the tithe-charge itself, and that I declined to do. I make no complaint of those who voted other- wise and I have but little doubt that Mr Evans, in preparing his amendment, had "wages" in view; but the carrying of the amendment would have struck the preferential character of tithe clean away altogether, and that, as I have said, I am not prepared to do. If I may be allowed to do so, I should like-this incident apart—to express my admiration of the knowledge, resourco, and great debating power displayed by Mr Evans in the debates of last evening, which was a matter of common remark among the members of the House.

SFlOULD THERE BE A MINISTER; OF MINES P Interview with Mr Pritohard Morgan, M.P. A representative of the Daily Qrwphio has had a brief interview at the House of Commons with Mr Pritchard Morgan M.P. forMerthyr Tydvil, whose appeal in the Welsh Gold Mining case was, it will be recollected, dismissed by the judges a short time since. Mr Morgan has a inotion on the Order Book to the effect that a Minister shall be appointed with complete and supreme control over all mines (coal and metalliferous) throughout the kingdom. I hear that you have been so fortunate in the ballot as to secure the first place for your motion on February the 20th, Mr Morgan." "Yes; I got first place for that day, but I gave it-op to the motion for the Disestablishment of the Church in Wales, which will be moved by .myself, and seconded probably by Mr Dillwyn. "Yon regard the present control of mines as; unsatisfactory?" Certainly, I do. 1 trunk that what is wanted '"is a minister who would manage on behalf of the Crown and the State all the mines in the country, whether gold, copper, or coaL" t" "What is the precise nature, then, of: the supervision of mines as it now stands; is then- control vested in several people T "That is so. The Chancellor of the Exche- quer, for instance, IS responsible far One depart- ment, the Home Secretaiy is the supreme autho- rity in another, while the Commissioners of Woods and Forests manage a third, and so forth. All this distribution of control is very inconvenient. If you want to consult the supreme authority in a gold mining matter, you have to go to the Chancell°r> you seek information aboub accidents in mines, you will have to go to the Home Secretary.; and if you wish to find out anything of a statistical character, you will have' to go to some one else. "In short it is very difficult to find out who to be approached in any particular matter relating to mines ? "Yes; and when you have approached the proper authority, he refers you, very probably, to somebody else!" How is the administration of mines managed in foreign countries and in the colonies V' Well, throughout the Australian colonies, JtI answered the member for Merthyr, the control is vested—as I propose it should be in this country —in a single Minister of Mines, and the system works admirably." One word more. la there nota. very-decided" -objection in the House of Commons to increase I' the existing number of Ministers and Depart- ments ?' "fYeu,therec but, then*.r I~ <4 propose to increase the number. All I desire is that the powers in the administration of mines, which are scattered among a number of individuals, shall be gathered together and vested in one hand—namely, that of the Minister for Agriculture. This is the plan- adopted in the Australian colonies."

.STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE OF A GIRL AT LLANDAFF. After the usual proceedings at the Llandaff police-court on Monday, Mrs Wood, living at Bridge-street, Llandaff, in answer to a question from Mr R. C. G. Dornford, said she had received no information as to the whereabouts of her child, who was missed on the 19th of this month. On the day named the girl was sent on her usual journey to meet the six o'clock 'bus from Cardiff to receive the South Wales Echo. She was however, late, and must have missed the 'bus. She was last seen in Llandaff, in conversation with a young woman, wham the person who saw her alleged seemed a stranger to Llandaff, and it is feared by the parents that she has been decoyed by the person whom she was last seen with. The child was of a very quiet disposition, and was wall known to a number of the inhabitants of Llan- daff. She had on when missed a green ulster and brown mackintosh, a slate-coloured hat trimmed with black, and wore low shoes, and was rather a preventable-looking girl. Her height is about 4ft. 10iu. The reports published in the evening papers on Monday served to dissipate the mystery surround- ing the disappearance. On Monday night intelli- gence reached the Central poliee-station, Cardiff, that the girl was in service in a comfortable home at Cardiff. It appears that Mrs Hawkins, of 31, Park-street, recognised in the description given in the papers a girl who had a week ago been taken by her into service. Questions put to the girl clearly showed that she was Mis Woods' daugh- ter. Mrs Hawkins at onco informed the police authorities of the fact, and the head-constabie despatched an officer forthwith to Llandaff with the information. In the result Mrs Wood, the mother, proceeded to Cardiff, and shortly before midnight returned home with her wandering child. The cause of the girl's singular disappear- ance has not been ascertained. The Girl's Story of the Affair. So much mischievous fabrication has been sen- sationalised about the disappearance of Florence Susannah Elizabeth Wood from Llandaff last Monday week, that we have been requested by the girl herself and her mother te re-state the true facts. Mrs Wood, a widow lady, carries on a newsagent's business at Bridge-street in the cathedral city, and the family bear an unsullied reputation. So deep is the esteem in which Mrs Wood is held and so great a favourite is Florrie that when she was suddenly missed all classes, high and low, exhibited their concern. Archdeacon Bruce and Miss Blosse were amongst those who assiduously interested themselves in the discovery of the girl, and the humbler neighbours of the family spent hours night and day scouring the country round for traces of her. The whole affair resolves itself into very simple compass. The suggestion that Florrie had en- gaged in conversation with suspicious strangers 'near her home is a gratuitous fiction. It,secms that Mrs Wood receives large supplies of the South Wales Echo and a parcel of other, ^newspapers each evening. They are sent from Cardiff via the Llandaff 'bus, but it is understood that Mrs Wood must send to meet tho consignment at Cardiff. Florence has usually been singled out for this task, and has had charge of tho papers in the 'bus from Cardiff to Llandatf. When, has as some- times chanced to be the case, she has missed the 'bus, the papers have been taken on by the driver, and Florence has followed home in the next 'bus. Last Monday afternoon week, however, the 'bus driver dechned to take the parcels when he found that Florence was not at Cardiff to meet them. He did not seemingly care for risking responsi- bility, and the papers were left behind and trans- ferred to the temporary charge of someone. Florence, on learning at Cardiff that the 'bus had gone, went back to Llandaff—under the impres- sion that the papers had preceded her—and the child and mother were startled and perplexed when found there were no Echoes forthcoming. It was feared that some accident or other had happened, and as the Echo has an immense cir- culation in Llandaff district Mrs Wood at once went to Pontcanna to see her son, who distributes the newspapers there, to tell him of the mishap, and direct him to do the best he could under the circumstances. Meanwhile Florrie got nervous and walked back to town, hoping to find some- where a trace of the missing parcels. Her search was unavailing, and when, on reaching Cardiff, she failed to see the parcels on the pavement at the place where they were unladen for the 'bus, she seems to have become utterly unnerved. There was no conceivable reason why Florrie should have become so hysterical, for the relations between her and her mother had been uniformly cheerful. But the fact remains that Florrie got scared, and feared to return without the papers. She walked up Duke-street, and there she saw a coffee stall kept by a Mrs Hawkins. She went up to Mrs Hawkins and asked her if she knew of anyone who wanted a servant. Mrs Hawkins (who is a widow) said that she want-el a girl herself, and asked Florrie her name, and sbo came from. Florrie gr.vo these particulars, and Mrs Hawkins told he r to go and wait for her at 31, Park-street, where she lived with her two married daughters. Florrie did so, and was shown into the kitchen by one of the daughters. Mrs Hawkins later on came home. Florrie was engaged as servant at 2s a week, and afterwards went to bed. Meanwhile, at Llandaff, Mrs Wood was plunged int-o all the agony of apprehension when she found, as the night sped, that Florrie—, who had gone away without acquainting her mother of her intentions—did not return. Tho police were communicated with, the rivers were dragged, and the country searched "far and wide." An advertisement was placed in the Echo for several consecutive days, offering a reward for information as to Florrie's whereabouts, and tho magistrates were consulted in open court." The Echo reported these last proceedings in full detail, and the Echo posters gave. case all publicity. Florrie was treated kindly by the Hawkins family, and on one occasion she says she went outside to the street corner, hoping that she might see someone who would tell her mother where she was. But she was unsuccessful, and she made no similar attempt. I thought," she observed, "that mother would find out where ,'1 was. I had come away from home, and I was ashamed." Last Monday evening, as Florrie was sitting at Mrs Hawkins's, the daughters called her attention to the advertisement inserted by her mother. They had divined by the description that Florrie was the girl referred to in the adver- tisement, and told her that her friends were searching for her. But they added (says Florrie) ithat she need not go home nor even wrlre to the mother. She could write to Police-sergeant Coles withoui giving any address. She commenced to write the letter as directed, but could not go on with it as she did not know how to phrase the letter. The daughters then told her they would disclose to her what to say. But Florrie would not write to Coles, and so the matter dropped, it being, however, understood that] the daughters would communicate to Coles that Florrie was safe and in service, so that Coles could tell the mother. Florrie says that the daughters were urgent that a letter should be written, and they said that if nothing was sent their mother could be prose- cuted." No letter, Mrs Wood says, has reached Coles, but a letter did appear in an evening paper next day. On the same night (Monday) the police at the Central police-station, Cardiff, were advised by a member of Mrs Hawkirs' family of the precise whereabouts of Florrie. They communicated with Canten police, and about midnight Mrs Wood came to Park-street with a constable in a jjab for her daughter. Florrie was sent for downstairs at once, and sent back to Llandaii that night. Of course it must be understood that all the details in the preceding narrative are the dis- closures of Mrs Wood and Florrie-that they are purely their version of the unfortunate affair. Florrie wishes to say that she never refused to accompany anyone home when asked—that she did not write the letter which appeared in a con- temporary, and that she is absolutely unaware that a constable ever came for her to Mrs Hawkins' house.

ACTION FOR FALSE IMPRISON-, MENT, In"the Qtteen's Bench, on Wedfiesday^-beforo Justice Lawrance—the case of Rolt v. De Ben- saudewas heard. The plaintiff and defendant were boarders at a boarding-house in Gower-street, and in September last defendant, missing a sum of about £60, charged the plaintiff with having stolen it, and the defendant was arrested, but subsequently discharged. Plaintiff now claimed damages for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution. He described in examination the alarm raised about the alleged robbery in De Bensaude's roem, which he thought at first was a practical joke. He was an amateur mesmerist, and he mesmerised the servant at Gower-street in, the presence of a detective to discover, if possible,: who stole the money, but without success. The, defence was that there was reasonable and Pro- bable cause for defendant's action. Defendant, David de Bensaude, detailed the ctrcnm- stances of the robbery, and in —FSPT'" examination said he was husband of Mis3 1°i?t, Cameron, and an undischarged bankrupt* had obtained some of the money that was stoten- from Mendel and Company. He could not cx- plain why he did not pay it over to his trustee m jbanlaniptcy. He never said at the pok^-oourt he did not think the plaintiff was gudty- Ahe jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff with ±.loU damages. Judgment was delivered accordingly.

YA PEMBROKESHIRE LICENSING; APPEAL. Infthef'Queen's Bench Division of, the High* Court of Justice, on Monday—"before Baron, Pollock and Mr Justice Charles-the case of the s Queen v. Morrison and others, licensing justices of Pembroke, came on for hearing. in this case a rule niei had been obtained calling.011 justices of Pembroke to show cause why. '2?^ JO grant an off-licence to one Francis Edward Smith, Mule. An affidavit was now read by Master Mellor (it having being filed on behalf of the justices, who did not appear by counsel) setting, forth that they refused the apphoation on the ground that the premises in respect of which ifcc, was made were not qualified according to law, not f being of the annual value of £ 30, &nd because of their structural arrangements. Mr Paterson now argued that in both respects the justices were

THE RAILWAY CRISIS IN SOUTH WALES. Conference at Gloucester. An important conference of Great Western Railway employes was held at the Oddfellows' Hall, Gloucester, on Sunday morning, for the purpose of discussing the situation. Delegates from the South Wales and Midland divisions attended, the North Wales sectional servants having- taken a part in the struggle. Some diffi- culty had been experienced in ascertaining the place and hour of meeting, but when a large number of pressmen put in an appearance at 11 o'clock, the appointed hour for assembling, it was rumoured that the meeting would be held with closed doors. Local railway men had been inter- viewed the day before, but declined any informa- tion. All the delegates having assembled, a request was sent in to admit reporters, and the question was discussed at length. Ultimately one of the officials informed the reporters that it had been decided not tc admit them to the meet- ing. It was out of no disrespect to the press that they were not admitted, but the matters to be discussed were so essentially technical, that until decisions had been arrived at they felt that com- munication should not be made. Asked if the press would be informed of the: result of the meeting, the official replied that whether they would com- municate certain decisions afterwards he could not say, but in all probability the certain decisions come to, if conveyed to the press, would be con- veyed officially by the secretary. At one o'clock the meeting adjourned for .luncheon, and on re-assembling the representa- tives of the press were informed that the meeting might last for hours, and that the important business cf the day had yet to be discussed. Mi- Frederick W. Evans, late general secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, informed our representative that 28 delegates were present, and that it was a meeting of delegates representing aU classes of men in the employment of the Great Western Railway Company, the following districts being repre- sented :-Cardiff, Swansea, Carmarthen, Llanelly, New Milford, Neath, Newport, Aberbeeg, Llan trisant, Tondu, Severn Tunnel, Wolverhampton, Stourbridge, Chester, Bristol, Swindon, Risca, Paddingtcn, Birmingham, Worcester, Ponty- pool, Gloucester, Aberdare, Brynmawr, Chel- tenham, and Shrewsbury. They met to consider the reply of the directors to a deputation which waited upon them in December last, and a letter of Mr Henry Lambert, general manager of the Great Western Railway Company, dated 8th of January, in answer to appeals for shorter hours. The appeals asked for the National Programme, which was put forward by the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants in 1889. This, generally stated, favoured 10 hours for a day's labour six days as the limit of a week's work and extra payment for overtime and Sunday duty. The replies of the directors and general manager were unanimously declared ..to be unsatisfactory to the men throughout the whole system, and the meeting decided to take further steps to forward the claims of the railway men until a successful issue was achieved. The nature of those steps would not be made public until the delegates had again met their con- stituents. Mr Evans said that he had been re- quested to impart that information to the Press, and that was the only communication which would be made. In reply to questions, Mr Evans said the directors had made certain concessions which were not considered as satisfactory. Those, .were stated some time ago in a letter from Mr Lambert, published in the South Wales Daily News. Concessions had been made here and there to signalmen and to a few engine drivers. An in- crease of 6d a day in wages was given to stokers, and a promise was given on 8th January that from the 12th of the present month goods guards' overtime would be reckoned after they had made 132 hours in the fortnight. Previously they had to make 144 hours in the fortnight before over- time would count for payment. That deduction of 12 hours was always, Mr Evans said, regarded by the men as a breach of faith on the part of the companies. [BY AN OLD TRADES UNIONIST.] The Great Western railwaymen who met at Gloucester were seriously in earnest. They mean to have that which they demand, viz., a day of 10 hours. Directors may try and tidetime the s as they will, still the men's will in this reasonable demand, supported as it is by Parliament and public opinion, must carry the sway. May I, Mr Editor, confide to you tho fact that curiosity took me to Gloueesteryesterday. I found myself one in a crowd of press representatives, each, like myself, anxious to get the decision that the delegates of the Great Western Railway men might come to. Tired, hungry and worn, I waited and waited tho possible decision of these—for the time— autocrats of tho situation. Knowing our anxiety, knowing more our feeling of kinship with them, they opened their hearts and minds and consciences, and sent out a short disagreeable fellow to communicate the possibility of the situation before definitely dccidino- upon the course they should adopt Now, I, a friend of many railway men in Snuth Wale?, ventured to interview the individual delegates, and I gleaned some facts worth recording. Firstly, the South Wales railwaymen are truly in earnest, ready to dare and to do, to fight if necessary their own hand. What do you mean by saying this ? Only that organisation is so far advanced among South Wales railwaymen that they are quite ready to do war for their contention. But why desolate a district over a small matter ? Desolate a district! We have no such intention. We are," says one delegate, loyal to our employers, and if we put them to inconvenience, the traffic they now carry will go by Midland or by London and North-Western Railway, and we Western men will lose our work* by its going to other lines. Our interests lie in an amicable settlement of the matter so forcibly urged by our brethren in Scotland." Necessity compelled me to leave Gloucester at 3.20, but then the whole body of delegates were aglow with possibilities and proba- bilities, of which they and I will say more here- after. One thing I venture to warn your readers against. It is the acceptance of any story which may appear in the press relative to the decisions of the conference on Sunday. Each pledged to secrecy, you may be sure that decisions reported other than those already mentioned are inventions of clever brains wishful to please the public mind. Mr C. J. Bradshaw, of Newport, Monmouth- shire, hon. secretary of the Great Western Hours Movement, writes :—Kindly allow me to correct an error as to the threatened strike on the Great Western Railway. It has been stated that somo of the men, such as drivers and goods guards, have had 6d per day advance, to take place from Jan. 12, for 124 hours in ]ieu of 144. The facts are :—Some enginemen received the advance as far back as three months ago, and their hours of duty are ten per day. The only concession the goods guards have received is that, instead of working 144 hours per fortnight before any over- time is paid, they are now paid overtime after 132 hours per fortnight are worked, at the ordinary rate.

SOUTH WALES COLLIERY WORKMEN'S FEDERATION. A special meeting of the executive council of the above federation was held at the Grand Hotel, Cardiff, on Saturday, Mr Wm. Abraham, M,P. (Mabon) in the chair. David Morgan, Aberdare, occupied the vice-chair. 18MALI, COAL CASES. The Secretary read a letter received from the workmen's solicitors (Messrs Morgan and Rhys) in these cases; also a copy of a letter re- ceived by them from Messrs Simons and Pews, the employers' solicitors, requesting a. further adjournment of the hearing of the appeal against the decision of his Honour Judge Owen, at Newport.—The President (Mr Abraham) stated that he had had an intimation from Sir William Thomas Lewis to the same effect.—After a lengthy discussion the following resolution was unanimously agreed upon:— That we instruct the secretary to wire the solicitors instructing them to proceed with the small coal test cases at once. Furthermore, that a letter be sent to Sir William Thomas Lewis (in answer to hia communi- cation to our president), informing him of our inability (acting upon the advice of our solicitors) to consent to a further adjournment of these cases. CONFERENCE ON THE EIGHT HOURS QUESTION. The representatives who attended the above con- ference in London presented their report of the proceedings, when it was unanimously agreed that the same deputation should attend the adjourned meeting on the 11th of February also that the secretary again write to Mr W. Glas- coyne Dalziel, secretary cf the South Wales Coal Owners Association, requesting the association to send representative to this conference, and in the event of their doing so that the various districts of the South Wales miners be again requested to appoint representatives to strengthen the deputa- tion appointed by the council. We are desired to state that the secretary, Mr Thomas Richards, Beaufort, requests all colliery or committee secretaries, who will not have re- csived during the next fortnight some of the printed copies of Mabon's address on the eight hours question, to remind him of the omission, .which will at once be attended to.

OOLUERY ENGINEMEN AND j I STOKERS. On-Satttrday, at 12 o'clock, Mr W.' WRItcombe, k 1P?a,s a8ept, met the employes at the Lletty- shenkin Colliery and fully discussed the matters In dispute prior to meeting the employers. • Having been fully authonsed to treat with the management, Mr Whitcombe met Mr Braith- waite, the manager of the colliery, and Mr Ramsay, the manager of the Abergorkis Colliery, also owned by Messrs Burnyeat, Brown, and Co., and after a lengthy discussion j a. settlement was arrived at on this baasThat ftU enginemen employed at the winding engine to be conceded the eight hours; the men em- ployed at the fan engine to be granted a similar concession; the men themselves in this case agreeing to remove their ewn ashes, thus enabling the employers to dispense with che services of the •labourers now engaged for this work. As to the stokers and the air-compressers, they too are con- ceded the eight hours shift, as asked for, but they have agreed so to assist one another during this term of eight hours that the same number of men as are now engaged twelve hours each will be able to do the work duringeight hours. Thus, whilstthe men are conceded the principle asked for, the employers are not, as far as this latter class of workmen is concerned, pat to any extra. expense. The arrangement, however, as far as the stokers and air compressers are concerned, is subject to further revision later on, should it be found to yfrmto wmtisfactorily* When the. tenas of the • agreement were made known to the men inter ested and to the executive of the Aberdare branch, they were hailed with much satisfaction. On Saturday evening the committee appointfed by the mass meetings held on the previous day, met at the Bute Inn, Aberdare, to arrange for taking a ballot of the men employed throughout /the valley, to which the eight hours is not already conceded, as to giving notice on Saturday next. It was arranged that a locked ballot box be placed to-day (Monday) at each colliery, and a printed ballot papel- be handed to every engineman, stoker, and outside fitter employed at all the collieries from Hirwain to the George Pit, Mountain Ash, upon which he can record his vote. Arrangements will probably be made to collect these papers, and to count the votes on Tuesday, and if a majority will, as it now seems certain, vote in favour of notices being given, arrangements will forthwith be made to that end.

RHONDDA MINERS' ASSOCIA- TION. The monthly meeting of delegates in connectien with the Rhondda Steam Coal Miners* Associa- tion was held on Monday, at the Windsor Castle Hotel, Ton, when there was a large attendance, thirty-one collieries being represented. Mr Morgan Weekes, agent of the house coal miners, attended with reference to the recent litigation in the case of the strikers in the Penrhiwfer safety lamp dispute, and it was subsequently unani- mously resolved that the district should contribute one-third of the costs incurred by the Rhondda House Coal Association.—It was agreed by 300 votes against 94 to establish a defence fund for the district. It was proposed that the fund be raised by means of levies, but after a discussion it was resolved by 224 against 162 (bO remaining neutral) to double the amounts of the monthly contributions until a fund of £1,000 should have been accumulated, the extra pay- ments ta commence on the last Monday in March.—A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the deputation that attended the recent confer- ence on the eight hours' question in London; and it was resolved that no delegates from the district be appointed to attend the next conference, inas- much as repesentatives will attend from the federation.—A letter was read from the Ferndale Collieries committee, enclosing a resolution passed by the workmen unanimously protesting "against the proposition of the Government to refuse boys to work in collieries under the age of 14." Several present declared they had never heard of such a proposal, but the Ferndale delegate said he understood that the question was now before the House of Commons.—The matter was adjourned for inquiries.—Mr W. Evans (miners' agent) said that for his part he would not be at all sorry to see such a restriction made. Lads were now taken to the pits at exceedingly tender ages, and thus were early condemned te a life of hardship and privation. It would be a god-send if such a bill were passed.—Mr Levi Rees: And the lads marry as soon as they com- mence to work. (Laughter.)—Mr Evans If I had my own way I would make it illegal for any- one to marry under 30. (Loud laughter.)

ALLEGED INTIMIDATION AT DOWLAIS. At the Merthyr police-court on the stipendiary, Mr Thomas Williams and Mr W. Smyth—Tom O'Neill and John White, Penydarran, appeared in answer to the adjourned summons for leaving their work at Dowlais with- out notice, on December 22nd. First of all, a charge against Matthew Murphy and John Cochlin, of intimidating White, was gone into. Mr G. C. James, who appeared for the Dowlais Company to prosecute, described the circum- stances which had led to the prosecution, and then proceeded to call evidence.—John White said he was a dragger out, and was working for the Dowlais Company at the old mill on December 22nd. Tom O'Neill was working with him. Murphy and Cochlin were at work in the same mill. One of the men did not come to work. About half-past seven o'clock, Murphy and Cochlin said, "Which- ever touches the tongs first they would knock his brains out." This was after witness and others had been to Mr Bowen to ask whether they would get four turns' pay for three. John Cochlin was the spokesman when the interview with Mr Bowen took place. Mr Bowen refused to grant the request. In consequence of the threats, wit- ness was afraid to work, and he told the gaffer so. Witness admitted he did not tell Mr Bowen this upon the oocasion of a second interview. Ho told him he was dissatisifed.—Tom O'Neill gave evidence of a corroboratory character, and said Cochlin called him a black- leg."—Benjamin Jones, overman, said he could not remember that the men said they were afraid. He could not recollect that he asked White and O'Neill to go on with their work. O'Neill could not go on with his work without the assistance of White.—The case against O'Neill and Cochlin was resumed.—Mr North (to Mr Bowen, the mill manager): What is the total amount of damage? —Mr Bowen: B17 we have put it only as £5 against these people.—Mr North Six men struck work altogether ?—Mr Bowen: Yes.—Mr North said the magistrates thought the intimi- dation was not made out. The last witness (.Tones) had withdrawn what he stetod on the Monday previous. Whether he was mis- taken then or now was not for them to decide. After referring to the evidence ot White, and expressing the opinion that the words said to have been used were scarcely meant as intimida- tory, the stipendiary said the summonses against Murphy and Cochlin would be dismissed. In the other case he apportioned the damages at £2 10s against each of the defendants (Neill and White) and made an order upon them for those amounts, with costs accordingly.

MR RAIKES AND THE SAVINGS BANK CLERKS. It is with regret we (Daily (XironicU^iaxm. that, though there are no outward signs of discontent among the clerks of this department, the whole sfaff are suffering under a sense of injustice. The clerks who were suspended made certain verbal promises to the Postmaster General by the mouth of their spokesman. Individually, every one of them repeated those promises in written letters which were accepted as satisfactory by Mr Compton, the Comptroller. Subsequently they have collectively repeated their assurances of a desire to overtake the arrears of work if allowed to do so. The answer they have received is that the Postmaster-General declines to accept the general offer of voluntary assistance, and requires individual applications for permis- sion to work overtime as a favour. The men are anxious to secure a return to the status quo of last year, when for the first three months 350 men worked five extra hours daily in order to get out the annual balance-sheet, which under parliamentary obligation must be ready by March 31st. Work on the balance- sheet for this year was only commenced yester- day, the 26th, instead of on the 5th, as is usually the case. What is the cause of this? Simply, Mr Raikes's regulation. There are now 450 clerks doing two hours extra, and possibly 100 of them are employed for a further hour. This equals a total daily overtime of 1,000 hours, but last year no less than 1,750 hours of daily overtime were put in. The absolute result, therefore, of Mr Raikes's autocratic action is a loss of 750 hours every day, or 4,500 hours a week. Can it be wondered, therefore, that a department with constantly increasing pressure should be three weeks behind in grappling with their great annual task? Is it surprising thai the Treasury has granted permission to postpone the completion of the balance-sheet until June 30th, and proposes to obtain parliamentary sanction for that course?

WELSH ARTISANS' UNION. On Saturday afternoon and evening the council of the Welsh Artisans' Union met in conference for the first time at the Landoro Inn, Landore. Mr J. Edwards presided, and was supported by Mr J. H. John, secretary, and others, The room was crowded with delegates from all parts of South Wales. The secretary, in his report, stated that the society had proved a thorough success, its membership for the nine months of its establishment having reached the splendid total of nearly 1,100, and its funds also were in a similarly satisfactory state. The report was favourably received, and the delegates present expressed satisfaction with the position of their union.

A COLLIERY OFFICIAL CENSURED, A coroner's jury at Rowley has severely cen- sured the deputy-manager of one of Lord Dudley's collieries, who had served out gunpowder in a paper parcel instead of in a can, as required by the Mines' Regulation Act. The miner held a lighted candle m his hand at the time. A spark flew, and an explosion ensued, the man dying from the offsets. The Coroner informed the deputy-manager he had narrowly escaped prose- cution for manslaughter.

MILITARY V. civiLIANS, i ExtraordinaryAffair. The 'Press Association's Weymouth correspon- dent telegraphsAn extraordinary breach of discipline took place at midnight on Saturday among the artillery stationed at North Fort, Wey- mouth. Early in the evening a fight had taken place between the military and some civilians, in which the former fared worst, and on their return to barracks they concocted such a statement as to induce a force of seventy-nve of their comrades, armed with their side arms, to turn out. They scoured the streets in a greatly excited state, and attacked every person they met. The people fled in all direc- tions, but one man was stabbed in the thigh and another had one of his hands injured. The men refused at first to fall m when called by bugle. A report on the affair is to be made to the Secre- tary for War.

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— J INTERMEDIATE EDUCATION. [BY PROFESSOR HENRY JONES. J TO THE EDITOR. SIB,—As already suggested, the most important and difficult problem of the number of inter- mediate schools that should be established will be really settled in accordance with the view taUeii of the main purpose they are intended to serve. If the intermediate schools are to be "middle-class schcols," ie., if they are primarily to prepare the well-to-do classes for tha universities and the learned professions, a few of them, and those established in the larger towns, will be But if Wales, like England, is more vitally cJ", cerned at present in iir.pro?ing the education of the working classes than 1rt the further spread of university education if our industrial and eor~ mercial pre-eminence—if it be pre-eminence—is capable of maintained only by creatingamore highly-skilled class of artisans; if it be veritably dangerous, now that our social difficulties are becoming acute, to commit their solution to the hands of the uneducated masses, then the multi- plication of schools is imperative. There is no way of reaching the working- papulation except that of placing the schools near them. The advantages that would follow from large schools only are very real, and they are very impor- tant. No one acquainted with Wales can have failed to notice how the sons of the wealthy, by being educated in England, tend to get out of touch with the Welsh people, and can exert no vital influence on its education, or morals, or politics. This is why the wealthy have, on the whole, donti so little for Wales. They have not understood it, and have, therefore, with the best intentions in the world, sought to thwart nearly every movement that might be called national. This is a most serious waste of power, and instead ef achievement we have friction and heat. It is the interest of all parties alike to seek to end this state of matters, and I cordially agree with the emphasis laid by the Dean of St. Asaph, amongst others, on this social aspect of the education question. J But nevertheless, I am not prepared for the sake of establishing a few large schools in Wales to sacrifice the education of the many poor. It is beyend our power to rival the great public schools of England which attract the wealthier classes. If we could do it scholastically we could not do it socially; and so far as I have seen social considerations tend to outweigh more solid ones in the eyes ef most of these people, and they have either not recognised, or not heeded the penalty they inflict on their sons and daughters after they grow up, of living lives apart, neither animated nor informed with the larger purposes of their nation, which, little as it is, offers for those who know it and its good, a glorious field for labour. These advantages of large schools are remote. The needs of the working classes are immediate and imperative. And the establish- ment of large schools, when the smallness of all our resources is considered, is not a. wise ideal at present. The ether advantages of large schools are as immediate as they are important; but whether they balance other advantages offered by multi- plying smaller schools is more than doubt- ful. In the first place, I do not think that the travelling bursary scheme is practicable on a large scale. If the schools are few it is scarcely possible to place the children of the rural districts m the same position as those of the towns. We shall be taxing the country fer the sake of the town, and strengthening the tendency, already too active, to draft the intelligence of the agricul- tural community inte city occupations. But further, it is not to be taken for granted without consideration of all the circumstances that the education given in the larger schools in the town would be superior to that given by a system of smaller rural schools. No doubt, to take an example, a school at Bangor ought, through the strength of its teaching staff, and the size of its classes, to offer a better education than a school at Bethesda. But not, I think, for the children that would travel daily from Bethesda to Bangor. There is waste ef time and dissipation of interest attached to daily travelling, even when distances by rail are short, and trains are convenient. The average child could scarcely go from its home in Bethesda. to the station, from one station to the other, and from thence to the school, in less than an hour. And if the 50 boys and 30 girls, whose travelling expenses might be paid, cannot be trusted together, according to the opinion of some people, in a mixed school under the eye of their teachers, are they to be allowed to travel together to and from and between the stations un- attended by any responsible persons ? The influence of the large schools may be good and the education excellent, but most parents would, I think, be prone to make heavy deduction from them 9n account of the undesirable elements that would attend their daily travelling. If there are 50 Bethesda boys and 30 girls to be educated, they had better be educated at Bethesda, spite of the superior school at Bangor. But, it may be said, should not the majority of parents prefer to this daily travelling some sys- tem of lodjjfng their children in the towns ? In that case there would be other educational losses, whatever lodging system is chosen. I hold it impossible for the average teacher or thead of a. hostel to be father and mother to 30 or 50 chil- dren. The moral contagion which has occasion- ally spread through a public schoo], and tho ennobling enthusiasm which, as in Rugby under Arnold, has lifted its general lire iT. to a higher level, shows that on the whole the commanding influence in such schools is exerted by the children on each other. And the same would hold true of hostels. They may be better than lodging out, and they may not. All I contend for at present is that tho education of the hearth should, if possible, go hand in hand with that of the school. I distrust most deeply the prevalent tendency of parents to relegate the moral and religious education of their children to professed religious teachers in professed religious meetings. The natural moral teacher of the child is the parent, and he is the actual one for good or evil in most cases, what- ever forces contend against his influence. And however highly I would prize the refined influence that a cultured master would exert on his pupils, I should say that on the whole the home influences would be deeper and more vitally formative. And more especially would I prize the influence of the humble hearths whence the Welsh boys and girls will be sent into the intermediate school. I think emphatically that the Scotch day-school ideal it in this respect better than any system of public schools, and the one most likely to strengthen and invigorate the moral character of the Welsh people.—I am, &c., HENRY JONES. Bangor, Jan. 20th, 1891. j Carmarthenshire Joint Committee. A meeting of the joint education committee of Carmarthenshire was held on Friday at the Towa hall, Llanelly. The meeting was of a private nature. The members present were Mr G-wilym Evans (ill the chair), Lord Emlyn, Mr J. 8. Tregoning (Iscoed, Ferryside), Rev W. Thomas (Whitland), together with the Hon. W. N. Bruce (assistant commissioner), and Mr Thomas Jones (clerk, Llandovery). Mr J. Glyn Thomas, Llangennech, was absent owing to indisposition. The committee sat several hours, and the various questions brought forward were lengthily discussed. Arising out of the minutes was the question of charities, and after considerable discussion it was decided to make inquiries with the object of introducing two schemes, one bearing upon the main educa- tional scheme and the other upon minor chariiies, both schemes to run, as far as possible, concur- rently.—The question of the sites of the various colleges for the county were discussed at seme length, and the Chairman submitted a rougrh scheme indicating the sites where he deemed it advisable the schools should be established. This was criticised by the other members with soma animation, and it was evident that opinions varied considerably as to the centres which should have priority. The scheme was not finally adopted, but, after slight modifications, it was deferred for further consideration at the next meeting. The constitution of the county governing body and the school governing bodies (there being several of the latter in the county) were discussed, and practically agreed upon. The clerk was also Ind structed to submit particulars of the ratable value, population, and area of the various dis- tricts.—The advisability of recommending the county council to set in motion, the Technical Instruction Act was introduced^ and received cordial support from the members. Mr Tregon- ing undertook to bring the matter forward at the next committee meeting, and to express his views on the question of technical and agricultural instruction generally. This was practically the whole of the business transacted. Pontypridd. Alderman W. H. Morgan, following up bis vigorous appeal cn behalf of Pontypridd in our issue on Monday last, has written to a large number of gentlemen likely to contribute to the fund for the establishment ef an intermediate school in that tewn, and so far the results are most gratifying. His Honour Judge Gwilym Williams, who had already promised JB109 for the Forth School, has generously signified his intention of contributing a like amount for Pontypridd; and Mr Alfred Thomas, M.P. with his usual liberality, has also premised a donatien of £100. To these sums Alderman W. H. Morgan has himself added another £100, making a total of JB300, that to be subscribed conditionally upon there being altogether ten donations of like sums. It has already been announced that Mr George Griffiths, of London, has promised £100, so that nearly one-half the thousand pounds required has already been secured. Alderman Morgan has every confidence that the balance will soon be forthcoming, and anticipates no difficulty in securing a farther sum of £500 by ten donations of jB50 each. A balance of £1,200 will then remain to make up the £2,700 asked for by the jeint committee, and if the whole of this cannot be got in by smaller subscriptions, there is reason for believing that when the total amount promised comes to be announced, it will be found to be fully as large as that collected by any of the other towns that nave been selected by the committee. Lord Tredegar has generously promised to give the site. The local secretaries are Messrs Hopkin, Smith, Davies, and S. Shipton, and arrangements are now beiwr made for a vigorous canvass of the district. Builth. An enthusiastic meeting ef the inhabitants ef Builth was held on Thursday at the Assembly- room for the purpose of obtaining subscriptions towards establishing an intermediate school at Builth. Mr A. Gwynne Vaughan, chairman of the Builth Local Board, presided, and the meeting was addressed by Mr Walter Price, Mr William Price, Mr H. Vaughan-Vaughan, Mr Lloyd (Llanganten), the Rev R. Beynon, and others. All the speakers were in favour of retaining tho existing endowment as it is at present applied for elementary education, and they pointed out that they would not be likely to lose the endowment if an intermediate school were established at Builth. A subscription list was at once opened, and over B700 was promised in the room. The movement is being taken up very warmly by the town and district. J