The Cardiff Times

TRY IT. —

I WORKMEN'S TOPICS. (By MABON, M.P.). MINERS' FIGHT HOURS' BILL. Mr Herbert. Gladstone, the Home Secretary, introduced the Miners' Eight Hours' Bill in the House of Commons on Thursday, the 20th instant, under the ten minutes' rule. It looks like having an easv and rapid passage through the House. Whatever Conservatives who have no constituents to reckon with, and Liberal capitalists, who do not relish the measure, may have to say of it outside the House, from their colleagues within, we do not expect g-rcat heroic efforts to try and repress it. there is no promise or threat of any lively opposition, nor of steps in hostility. The opposition in the Lobby the day it was introduced wa*> tmch that even the Lords would realise tha it will be the part of wisdom to treat it as they treated the Trades Disputes Bill, with a grumble and a retreat. Still, personally, y,fia, is not my own view. I am apprehensive a when the few members of the House, on either side, will have made their protest against it as strong as they possibly can, the mine owners will de- pend upon the House of Lords for re-moulding it into its final' shape. They have a very strong case and effective reasons for 'r.y £ that. The Mining Association of Great isnu- ain, unlike the South Wales Coal Owneis,, w not wa-te anv great energy in trying to deleao the Bill. No they, I am almost sure, will f-llow another and far more effective plan than that Thev know well that now the miners of Northumberland and Durham having] the Miners'Federation, that disastrous oppo sit,on within the House will ba^ ce^ex all the mining representatives in the House, and at least foul-fifths of the Liberals and all the Labour men on both sides of the Ho vote en bloc for the Bill m the Commons so that the chances of blocking it or damaging it very much will be meagre indeed in the Lower House. But the Milling Association, and chief mining representative power, in the land—on the owners' side—having, have already done, offered to acc ept the Bil, and to help to have it passed into law, &c., if the miners' representatives had agreed to a Bill of Eight Hours' winding, which would be one half-hour onlv longer each day than the present Bill, will be able to represent that side of the matter most powerfully to the Lords, ta.nd it is upon that point, I am afraid, the House of Lords will insist. And it is quite on the cards that the Miners Will Have to Choose between accepting a Bill of eight hours, winding instead of eight hours from bank to bank, or to commence the fight over again unless the Government will ultimately decide to carry the present Bill, which is a fair com- promise between the owners' proposition and the workmen's, through at all cost i and they would, by so doing, save their credit with the mining population. Do what else they will, Ihev will receive nothing but condemnation from the Opposition in the House and their -epresentatives in the country. The Bill is of immense importance on two accounts. First, the immense direct benefit it will bring in its wake to over half-a-million per- -sons-the mining population of the country, and second, because of the important prece- dent it lays down. Regulating the hours oflabour of women and children has I)opn consented to long ago. But w-' (there exists yet a strong prejudiee-t very -strong one indeed-against legislative interfer- ence in the case of men why, I have never been able to see the justification for such a distinction. It is contended that under favourabJe trade conditions a strong combination of male workers can fight its own battles with success. This was the only bit of argument urged against the measure by the gentlemen put up bv the Opposition to protest against it on the dav of its introduction. But is it so ? How many periods of favourable conditions have passed in the South Wales coalfield since the colliery owners, some 35 years ago, fixed the hours of labour in our mines and in their arrangement insisted upon calling the hours of winding hours from bank to bank The mis-named arrangement insisted upon by them accounts for the hour and three minutes longer time worked in these mines daily ever since than is worked in any other part of Great Britain (with the exception of a portion of Lanca- shire), and, therefore, accounts for the dilemma our mine owners find themselves in at present with regard to the bearing of the Government Bill upon this coalfield. The wrong came back to roost after 35 years How many times did we, the older leaders, approach the older employers upon this question-the question they most disliked being seen upon of all (iuestions. Asperity and rasping tongues waited us on all occasions we ever touched it. Time after time were we convinced we could do nothing with it unless we cared to force the men to a prolonged strike over the matter. And I have never yet been convinced of any difference1 between hav- ing anything that it is right to have by ar- rangement than by law. If the thing is right to have by arrangement, how can it be wrong if it is given by law ? And yet, we have found somewhere, too, that things enacted are made to stay, while other arrangements are, made to be broken Moreover, we more than once saw the mines inspector on the point; but the matter was found to be so bristling with diffi- culties that rrosecution would be of no avail. No one knows better than we do that there are, after all, limits to the accomplishments of Trade Unions. They cannot. carry their objects beyond certain points, and the question of re- ducing the hours of labour :n all trades presents more difficulties than any other trade question. The effect of this Bill on production and on the price of coal will doubtless be an inter- esting study, and I am very sanguine that the increased efficiency that comes in labour and the means of transit, as a rule, with shorter hours will balance the loss. The Board ef Trade Figures published on the 21st instant are again rather hard on Tariff Reformers. There is no com- fort whatever in them. Seeing that our im- ports some little while ago were, according to the Tariff Reformers, the grand index of our national prosperity, I am afraid that they must now look out for another sign. For the tariffs of Germany, so far from restricting imports, are letting them in at a greater rate than our free coastline does. For while our imports for consumption increased last year by thirty millions those of Germany increased by twenty-nine millions, which is a far greater increase than our own, when we come to con- sider the far smaller figures dealt with by Germany. The fact is that all three of them- Germany, the United States, and France— have increased their imports by a much higher percentage than we in Great Britain did. But, strange to say, they will have far less com- fort from the comparative table of exports the increases on this side of the ledger, by per- centage, are as follows :—Francestarts off with five per cent.; the United States foUows with seven Germany comes next with eight per cent. and our own by thirteen and a half per cent. Moreover, according to the White Book issued on the same date as the above, India, as regards exports, is far ahead of the other constituents of the British Empire, in fact her increase is nearlydouble thatof Egypt, South Africa, and Canada put together. Can- ada, on the Tariff Reform test, is apparently approaching bankruptcy. Her imports ad- vanced by £ 10,000,000, while her exports e actually suffered a decrease. Really, the old firmament of the Tariff Reformers is falling to pieces. It is little wonder that they seem to find refuge in saying that bad harvests have been caused by this Free Trade Government.

COUNCILLQR THREATENS TO SUPPLY REPORT. A Llanelly Incident A special meeting of the Uanelly Urban District Council was held on Monday night for the purpose of considering the proposed agreement with the South Wales Power Com- pany. The Chairman (Mr W. Bramwell Jones) advised that the question be discussed in private at that juncture. Mr Nathan Griffiths If you dismiss the reporters I shall take notes, and supply the newspapers with what transpires here, and you will agree, I think, that it would be better to have a full report from the reporters than a garbled re- port from me, because I can t take shorthand notes.—Mr D. J. Davies If the newspaper editors know that it is a garbled report they won't put it in. Mr E. T. Jones explained it was proposed to discuss the proposals of the Council and the counter proposals of the company.—The Chairman I shall adjourn the meeting unless Mr Griffiths withdraws his threat.—Mr S. H. Bevan said Mr Griffiths would do so on his own responsibility. In the end Mr Griffiths said As a personal favour to the chairman I will withdraw my threat." The reporters were then asked to te8iæ.

K. C.'s COME TO BLOWS. ¡ a Parted by Sir S. T. Evans. EXTRAORDINARY SCENE IN THE LAVV COURTS. The extraordinary spectacle of two K-C. s engaged in a real quarrel was witnessed on Wednesday afternoon in the Lord Chief Jus- tice's Court. The affair occurred just before Mr Justice A" T. Lawrence and his fellow Rail- way and Canal Commissioners returned from lunch. During the hearing of the application of the Great Northern and Great Central Rail- ways. which is before the court, the K.C. a bench has been filled by a dozen King's Counsel representing various interests. One of the combatants had taken his seat when the other entered and made as if to pass to a seat nearer the centre than that occupied by his earlier arrival. Some quick sharp words were exchanged among which" precedence and cur were distinguished. Then suddenly, to the amazement of all in court, the two learned counsel were aiming and parrying blows. Tiie struggle after a few moments be- came a wrestle. There were loud and angry exclamations on both sides. The antagonists were parted by Sir Samuel Evans, the Solicitor- General, and Sir Robart Finlay, who suc- ceeded in restoring order before the entry of the Judge. During the subsequent proceed- ings the two combatants sat within a yard of one another separated by a K.C. who posted himself between them.

INGENIOUS BURGLARY TOOLS. Clever Capture by Detectives. Details of a, daring Strand burglary plot were given at Clerkenwell Sessions on Wednesday when Frank Gomm(43), carpenter, and Robert Crundle (42), labourer, pleaded guilty to naving broken and entered the shop of Henry Walk- ley. rubber merchant, at No. 5, Strand. Mr Sydenham Jones said that on the evening of January 13th several detectives who were on duty in the Strand saw Crundle, after loitering about, disappear into the doorway of No.5. The premises were surrounded by the police, and the caretaker being summoned, the detec- tives entered the place. Downstairs in the basement they found Crundle hiding in a recess, with a sack thrown over him. The detectives were also surprised to find Gomm underneath the stairs of the basement. Crundle confessed to the officers that he had got Gomm to slip into the premises by a side door when the shutters were being put up in the evening, and Gomm had kept himself in hiding until, at a given signal, he let Grunale n. Detective-Sergeant Wyborne, vvho produced a number of tools found on the two men, said the police regarded the capture as a most im- portant one, as undoubtedly the prisoners were expert and daring house and shop ypflk p.rs. The officer held up a jemmy—a powerful one, several feet in length, and screwing together in e sections. This arrangement, the officer ex- oiained was done to make it easy to carry, and one part was bound with leather so that it could be utilised also as a silent hammer. There was also a keyhole saw, and a brace and bit and the prisoners had used the latter to drill holes through a wooden partition, and the former to remove the perforated portion, so that they could reach an iron bar on the other side. They had a finely-tempered steel saw, which would cut through metal at great speed, and to use with this the men had a bottle of innocent-looking liquid. The witness said this was a strong mixture of soap and water, and wouldt have been used to cool the steel of the safe in another room when operating on it in order to get the gold tt, contained. The safe was undoubtedly the attraction, concluded the officer,for the men had provided powerful steel wedges of various sizes which were intended to be used in forcing the safe, and they also had gloves so that no finger- prints should be left behind. Gomm was sentenced to 18 months' bard labour, and Crundle to three years' penal ser- vitude. Mr Wallace said that. the grand jury had justly commended the detectives, and to that commendation he added the thanks of the community for the splendid service they had rendered to it in the capture of the men.

THE PAGE MILLIONS. Claimants from Saxony. The latest claimants to the Page millions 's hail from Saxony. They are two si I ers, one a widow and the other a wife, who declare that they are great-grand-nieces of Henry Page, whose estate in London is administered, for want of heirs, by the Crown. No formal claim has so far been put in on behalf of these ladies, but their interests are being watched in Eng- land by a Cardiff gentleman, who has kindly communicated to us the following facts Henry Page, who died in 1829, had a brother, John Gothard Page, who emigrated to Ger- c many, and lived in Dresden or Curlend about 1780 and a sister, Elizabeth Page. In his new home John Gothard Page became a natural- ised German, and was known as Johann Gothard Pasche, court tailor for the Duchess of Curlend. The date of his death cannot be traced for the reason that during the war with Napoleon 1. the registers and documents of the church where the interment probably took place were destroyed. Johann's only son, Carl August Pasche (born about 1781, died 1853) married Christiana Beathe Lichtenfels, and by her had seven children (including twins), all Of whom died apparently without issue with the exception of a daughter, Amalie Auguste Pasche (born 1809J, who married Carl August Lindner. Mr and Mrs Lindner had eignt chil- dren, among them twins, who died in infancy. Of the six remaining children, two only sur- vive, viz., Louisa Auguste Lieskow, born 1838, and Marie Amalie Reichel, bora 1847. Mrs Leiskow, now a widow, and her sister, Jlrs Reichel, both reside in BerLstadt, Saxony. Mrs Reichel's husband, Mr Ernst Reichel, is a well-to-do merchant at Bernstadt, and intends leaving no stone unturned to prove the right of his wife and his sister-in-law to the Page millions.,

SCENE IN A CITY OFFICE. Strange Behaviour of Young Clerk An exciting scene in a City office was de- scribed at Guildhall Police Court on Wednes- day morning, when W. Hayward, a young clerk in the service of Mr Horatio Bottomley, Was charged with wilfully smashing a glass panel at the offices of Messrs Arnold and But- ter, stock and share dealers, 120, Holborn. It appeared that the accused had been to serve a subpoena upon Robert Reece, the man- aging partner of the firm, in connection with the libel action now pending by the prosecu- tors' firm against Mr Horatio Bottomley, editor of John Bull," and Odhams, the printers. Mr Reece, it was said, denied his -identity, and the defendant then proceeded to question each in- dividual male clerk, and eventually had to be ejected. He demanded that the police should be sent for, declaring that he was monarch of all he surveyed." As there were many lady clerks in the office, this naturally caused a lot of excitement, some of the young ladies fainting. The defendant, who was forcibly removed, is alleged to have knocked over tables, treated ledgers and ink- pots as footballs," and to have deliberately smashed the panel with his foot. He was found guilty and fined 40s, and ordered to pay 5s damages.

SUFFERERS DESPAIR. Painful Story at Llanhilleth. Mr J. F. Bullen, deputy-coroner, held an inquest at Llanhilleth on Wednesday touching the death of John Barnes, 16, Meadow-street, Llanhilleth, who on the 13th inst. sustained self-inflicted wounds, and died on the 18thinst. Eva Barnes said her husband had been ill for two years, and for the last 11 months he bad done no work. He used the knife upon himself whilst alone in bed, and he afterwards told her he did it owing to the intense pain he was suffering. Dr. N. J. C. Murphy, assistant to Dr. Frost, said deceased had been suffering from tubercular peritonitis, and on the 13th witness found him in a state of collapse owing to loss of blood. The jury returned a verdict that death was due to tubercular peritonitis, accele- rated by loss of blood from wounds self-in- flicted whilst temporarily insane. Dr. Murphy added deceased told him he wished he had stabbed himself years ago.

OUT-OF-WORK MARCHERS. Land at Last! Mr Alexander Stewart Gray, leader of the em Manchester unemployed marchers, makes the following appeal The Home Office has con- firmed the official refusal to find us land in Windsor Park or elsewhere on which to demon- strate our desire and ability to grow our own dinner and build our own houses on land now lying waste, but a gentleman near Godstone, in Surrey, has kindly stepped in with an offer of 15 acres for the purpose. The men having done a great deal of tramping on their propa- ganda work have accepted the offer an d^ are now on the ground showing willing.' The land, however, is so foul that I believe that the. work of draining, diggjng, manuring, and I cleaning is as much as the men will be able to do this spring." Mr Gray proceeds to appeal for £ 150. >

I GOING INTO. THE WOOD, _t9- _r THE PARENT (Mr McKenna) Don't be afraid—IH look after you THE CHJLD But, daddy, isn't this the wood where my little brother was killed ? (Mr McKenna introduces the Government Education Bill in the House of Commons.) Cartoon by Sir F. C. Gould. (Published by arrangement with the Westminster Gazette.")

Rake No. 2." I THE LAWRENCE DIVORCE SUIT. I In the Divorce Court on Tuesday Sir Gorell Barnes continued the case of Lawrence v. Lawrence, Goodman, and Ansell. The petitioner, a, jeweller, alleges that his wife misconducted herself with his nephew (Goodman, a dentist), and with Mr Arthur Ansell, a bookmaker. Goodman used to reside in the petitioner's house, but was turned out because of his alleged familiarity with Mrs Lawrence. The co-respondent Ansell, a friend of Good- man's, used also to call at petitioner's house, and, it was alleged, had been seen kissing Mrs Lawrence in her room. The allegations were denied, Mrs Lawrence saying she was often, seeing the two co-respondents, because she had an interest in both their businesses, and kept their books. The co-respondent Ansell continued his evi- dence, and cross-examined by Sir Edward Cap-, son, K.C., the husband's counsel, witness ad"; mitted he became on very friendly terms with Mrs Lawrence and her whole family. He ad- mitted writing a postcard to Mrs Lawrence, addressing her as Dear Auntie," and sign- ing himself Rake Number 2." Sir Edward Carson Who was Rake No. 1 ? —Witness I don't know. Was it Goodman ?—I don't know. Why were you Rake No. 2 ?—I don't know. It was a silly joke. Witness vveno oil to a^iijiiu iic L the petitioner's house frequently during the time Mr Lawrence was away in Germany, and also lunched there. During the five months Mrs Lawr^ice was interested in his ^betting busi- ness he made about 0,000 altogether, but only X200 or £,00 was from the office in Notting- Hill-gate. It was untrue that he started the starting price business solely to give Mrs Law- rence em ploym ent. Mrs Ansell, wife of the co-respondent of that name, gave evidence to herself and her hus- band being on veryN^iendly terms with the Lawrences. Witness ana her husband never had any quarrels over Mrs Lawrence as stated. She had never seen anything improper be- tween Goodman and Mrs Lawrence, and was aware ihat that lady wasji nterested Mr Ansell's starting-price business. Other witnesses were called. One of them, Herbert Victor Bracken, said he was employed in Goodman's teeth businesses atNottii^j Hill- gate 'nd Easing. Witness was not a qualified dentist, although he operated and had adminis- tered anaesthetics. Sir Gorell Barnes thought there was an Act of Parliament against an unqualified person doing such things. Sir Edward Carson agreed when the person called himself a dentist. Witness said he did not call himself a den- tist. It was stated that the business was only advertising teeth, and Mr Gill, K.C., said there were many such businesses, which were legal so long as the person did not hold himself as a dentist. Sir E. Carson I am told they have been called gum architects." (Laughter.) The case was adjourned. Judgment was reserved on Wednesday in the Lawrence divorce suit, in which one of two co-respondents is a nephew of the petitioner.

THE QUEEN'S MINIATURES. Another Prisoner Dealt With. Joseph Hunter, the young greengrocer, who last week pleaded guilty to being concerned in breaking into the studio of Carl Hentschel, of Knight's Hill, West Norwood, and stealing three miniatures belonging to her Majesty the Queen, was bound over at Clerkenwell by Mr Wallace, K.C., on Tuesday. Detective-Inspector Fowler told the Court that prisoner when a boy had been charged with theft, and had been sent to a home. He afterwards joined the Navy, but left in 1900, being sentenced to imprisonment for striking an officer. He had worked on various ships until last August, when he bought a green- grocer's business. It was in connection with this that he had met his fellow-prisoners. Mr Edmondson, in reference to the criti- cisms which the Court had made at a previous hearing of the conduct of Mr Goody, the pub- lican, said he had only been in the house five weeks, and thought the men respectable. He had done everything in his power to assist justice.

FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. Lord Carrington's Action. The Council of the Central vand Associated Chambers of Agriculture, meeting in London on Tuesday, considered the report of the Local Taxation Committee-an elaborate document giving the history and extent of Imperial grants towards local taxation. Following a discussion on the failure of the Board of Agriculture to take immediate action on the report of foot and mbutli disease, Lord Carrington said there had been a serious out- break in Edinburgh, which the Board hoped had been suppressed. It broke out again, so on Monday he gave instructions to imme- diately stop the importation of hay from the infected countries—(cheers)—and had taken other measures which he hoped would hi ve the effect of speedily stamping out that horrible disease.

IRISH EVICTION SCENES. Village Call to Arms; Fierce Fight There were exciting scenes on Tuesday in connection with the eviction of 53 families at Ballinaglera, county Leitrim, for non-payment of rent. On an officer with police escort approaching the scene horns were blown, and hundreds of peasants came down from the mountain sides. Roads leading to the houses were barricaded with large trees, and a num- ber of foot bridges were destroyed in order to impede the progress of the agent and police. At one of the destroyed bridges a fierce fight ensued. Eventually an interview took place between the agent and the tenants, and 21 of the latter agreed to pay the rent due, while the remainder resolved to stand by the League. Other estates will be visited to-day.

THE CONGO SCANDAL. King Leopold at Last Alarmed.* Paris, Tuesday.—The Brussels correspondent of the Matin states that King Leopold re- turned hastily to Brussels on Sunday night recalled, it is said, owing to the sudden turn of events in regard to the interior policy of the Government, and also owing to the action taken by England, who demands a quick solu- tion of the Congo question.—Exchange. The Times Correspondent states that for an as yet unexplained reason the King requires I ready money and demands 150,000,0001'. ( £ 6,000,000) immediately, this sum to be placed I at his own disposal. Both these demands are beld inadmissible by the Government. J

Merthyr Water Waste. .4- CARELESSNESS OF CONSUMERS Mr David John presided at a meeting of the Merthyr Waterworks Committee on Wednes- day afternoon. The committee decided to in- stal a valve at the Pengarnddu balancing tank I in order to prevent waste of water. The Borough Engineer reminded the committee that he reported on September 23rd that the average daily consumption, including waste, had reached 2.400,000 gallons per day, besides the million gallons per day supplied to the Dow- lai sworks. This was equal to an average of 28'57 gallons per head per day. This quantity had increased after the last frost to 33 gallons per bead, but had subsequently been reduced. There was a reduction in the quantity of water in the Upper Neuadd reservoir between January 29th and February 14th of 36,000,000 gallon^, in addition to the quantity of water that flowed in during that period, which was one of low rain^M. Lower Neuadd reser- voir, which suP|Bied water to Dowlais, was lowered three fectThi the same period. The Engineer suggested that the cause of the increased consumption of water was careless- ness on the part of consumers in allowing water to run to waste and in not repairing defective service pipes nd, fittings, which accounted for more than half the waste. If the consumption and waste could be brought to 25 gallons per head the total consumption would he reduced to 2,100,000 gallons per day. On the motion pi it was de- cided to obtain a reporif$t>ori the water taps outside houses, and' ht the meantime a scheme suggested by the engineer for the in- stallation of waste detecting meters was de- ferred. It was reported that new screens were being placed in position on the 16-inch main, and that the Candy filters would soon be in opera- tion.

GREAT INDIAN OFFICIAL. I By the death of Sir Denzil Ibbetson, there has passed away one of the ablest officials ever associated with the Government. of India. His death was due' to cancer. Sir Denzil was appointed in March, 1907, to succeed Sir Charles Rivaz as Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab. The time was one of extreme unrest, and decisive measures were soon required,mea- sures which the Lieutenant-Governor did not hesitate to take with the full approval of Lord M nto and the Secretary of State for India. To him in a great measure is owing the organisa- I Sir Denzil Ibbetson.* tion of agricultural education in India; he favoured liberal remissions of land revenue in times of calamity, and extension of the system or State loans to the agr culturists, and the establishment of co-operative credit societies. He lost no opportunity of fighting the cause of the Indian peasant as a cultivator at home, or an identured coolie abroad. He succeeded Sir Charles Lyall in 1898 as Chief Commissioner of the Central Provinces, and, after service on the Irrigation Commission, was nominated to the Executive Council.

CWMAVON BLAZE. The general stores of the Copper Miners' Tinplate Works, Cwmavon, were transformed into a huge furnace late on Tuesday, and the disastrous blaze completely gutted the pre- mises, causing damage estimated at between Z800 and £1,000. Mr Griffiths, the night super- intendent at the works, noticed 1 he fire first, and Sergt. John Davies, with P.C.s Evans and Davies, were on the scene promptly. The Aberavon Fire Brigade was telephoned for, and arrived about 12 o'clock, with Capt. Ander- son at its head. Meanwhile, however, the fire had got a strong hold of the building, which is of corrugated iron. The efforts put forward, how ever, prevented the flames spreading to the main works. There is a plentiful supply of water in the feeder near the works but to check a huge fire, fed by quantities of grease and palm oil, was no easy task. So intense was the heat.'that the metal bearings and brass in the shed'were melted, and a stream of molten metal was seen issuing from the fire, while the oil and grease sent the flames to a tremendous height. How the fire originated is unknown.

=: OFFERS TO MAK A HOME. Sidney Francis, a barman, of Ronald-street, Swansea,was charged atPenarth onWednesday with deserting his wife, who now lives with her parents at Arcot-street, Penarth. Mr Harold M. Lloyd prosecuted. Complainant stated that she was married to defendant at St. Augustine's Church, Penarth, in January, 1905, and there was one child. Since September last she had only received about 10s from him, and she had had to 90 out to service to provide herself and child with food and clothing. Her husband had led her a dreadful life. The husband offered to provide his wife a home as soon as he could, and the Bench decided to adjourn the case for one month.

STOLEN WEDDING CAKE. At NewporbonWednesday W. Hopkins.H. E. Elliott, Wm. F. Evans, Francis C. Criddle, Lewis A. Hughes, and Ernest F. Harrison, locomotive cleaners, were charged with steal- ing and receiving cake and bottles of con- fectionery from the premises of Chas. White, Commercial-ro:ld. The confectionery works adjoin the engine sheds, and the lads, it was alleged, raided the place, and after carrying a vn v pom,e w edding cake, thought it was too rich, and threw it into the fire boxes. Hopkins was placed under probation for six months, and the others were ordered to pay 58 costs.

Wife's Admission. I ABERYSTWYTH CO-RESPONDENT. Husband's Divorce Petition. DAMAGES ASSESSED AT £ 1,000. On Wednesday afternoon Mr Justice Bar- grave Deane and a common jury had before them the petition of Mr Herbert Arthur Edgar Noble for dissolution of marriage on the ground of the adultery of his wife, Florence Isobel, and a co-respondent, Mr John Charles Rea, of Aberystwyth, against whom damages were claimed. The petitioner, a physician and surgeon, married the respondent in 1900 at St. Thomas's Cathedral, Bombay. After living together at various places in India, they resided at Aber- ystwyth. The respondent, counsel stated, was now living at 10, Dean-stseet, South Shore, Black- pool. In 1901 Mr Noble went to the South African war as a civil surgeon, and in 1902 he returned to England. In 1903 he went to Uganda in the employment of the Foreign Office, and while he was away he wife made the acquaintance of co-respondent. In March, 1905, the petitioner was invalided home, and was introduced to the co-respondent. In May, 1906, he went back to his duty. Subsequently his wife gave birth to a child, of which the petitioner was not the father, and she and the co-respondent wrote to him admitting the adultery. The jury found fbr assessed the damages against the co-respon- dent at 41,000. A decree nisi with costs and custody of the children was granted.

MR PERKS AND THE BISHOPS. One Matter in Wpich He Trusts Them. The annual meeting and breakfast of the Central Sunday Closing Association was held on Tuesday morning at the Holborn Restau- rant, Mr R. W. Perks, M.P., presiding. The Chairman, in the course of his speech, said it was impossible for any political prophet, however experienced, to ,say what might happen to even a Temperance Bill in the Upper House, but they did know that in connection with Sunday closing a very power- ful array of bishops, deans, archdeacons, and canons, and all sorts of functionaries connected with the great Established Church, who exer- cised not only in the country but in the House of Lords a most powerful influence, would be on their side. (Hear, hear.) However much some might disagree with what they did on the education question, he had confidence that when they came to deal with the Licensing Bill the bishops would, at'any rate, not weaken but possibly strengthen its provisions as to Sunday closing. (Hear, hear.) In the course of the discussion a speaker mentioned that in a village he knew a public- house was closed by the justices, and the brewers were compensated, but the same house had been opened as a working men's dub. The same brewer supplied the same kind of d rink in the same hours—in fact, it was open all day.

THE STORM. Damage in Swansea Valley. No damage of importance is reported in the immediate neighbourhood of Swansea, but in the upper portion of the Swansea Valley trees have been blown down and have carried with them telephone and telegraph wires, with the result that communication by these means has been cut off between that district and Swansea. Passengers Buffeted. Several vessels of the Tyne fishing fleet ar- rived at Shields on Tuesday, after being con- siderably knocked about in the storm. The mail steamer Sterling, from Christian ia, with 65 passengers, also arrived on Tuesday, 40 hours late, after a severe buffeting. At Sandringham. The gale has wrought serious damage at the Royal demesne of Sandringham. Numbers of trees have been uprooted in various parts of the estate and in the fine avenue through which visitors approach Sandringham House some magnificent trees have been blown down, including a number of stately oaks. Several of these descended upon the wall which enclose the Royal grounds, demolishing a considerable portion of it. The house has fortunately escaped with little beyond the displacement of a few tiles. By command of the King Sir Dighton Probyn on Monday made a special journey from London in order to inspect the damage done.

INSTRUCTIONS DISOBEYED. Wm. Deere, captain of the ship Union, was on Wednesday summoned at the Cardiff Police Court by the Glamorgan Canal Company for a breach of their bye-laws regulating the storing of explosives. Mr W. L. Harris prosecuted. Mr Goodfellow (Gilling and Goodfellow) who defended, said that Captain Deere pleaded guilty to a technical offence. In the hold, where the explosives were stored, there was an iron anchor and chain, which was against the regulations, but instructions had been given to remove them. The instructions were not carried out, but a tarpaulin covering was placed over them. A fine of Z and costs was imposed.

BATHS AT PIT-HEAD. Mr David Davies, M.P., to, Experiment. We understand that Mr David Davies, M.P., is making arrangements for the provision at the top of one of the Ocean Collieries, Tre- harris, of a public bath for the use of the men on leaving work. This system is in use at many of the German collieries and in Tapan. At a public meeting held at Mardy on Monday 1,200 miners and workmen attended. Mr Hy. Davies, mining lecturer for the county of Glamorgan, observed that by a general system of public baths at the pit-top the men could change their clothes before returning to their homes, and thus greatly reduce the labours of the house wives.

CROSSING THE LINE. Mr James T. Wintle, 73, Abercynon-road, Abercynon, was injured at Llancaiach Railway Station on Saturday. He was conveyed to Aberdare Hospital and died on Sunday. Mr Wintle had attended a funeral at Nelson on Saturday afternoon, and afterwards walked to Llancaiach Station, where he booked he was crossing the line, passing under a stationary mineral truck, when the train started, and both wheels passed pver his less,

SOCIETY DIVORCE. WIFE'S BARONET LOVER. X5,000 Damages. In the Divorce Court onWednesday a case was heard, before Mr Justice Bargeave Deane and a common jury, in which Mr Alexander Boyd, a gentleman of independent means, of Pont- street, Louson, sued for a divorce from Mrs Frances Elphinstone BoyH on the ground of her adul, ery with Sir Francis Burdett, from whom damages were claimed. It was stated that the co-respondent had agreed to pay £5,000 damages. Mr Bayford appeared for the petitioner, and Mr J. Harvey Murphy for the co-respondent. Mr Bayford said there was a claim for damages, and no defence had been put in. The petitioner claimed F,5,000 and that amount had been agreed to. This was, of course, subject to the verdi -t of the jury, but he asked them, under the circumstances, to assess the damages at that amount. The marriage took place on the 4th January, 1886, at St. Paul's Church Edinburgh, and the petitioner and his wife had lived together in London. The petitioner was a gentleman of independent means, and he was away from home from time to time. Too Friendly. In the year 18S0 he and his wife made the acquaintance of the co -respondent, and they became intimate friends, so much so that the co-respondent oined a party of theirs in 1894, and went for a tour with them in France, whieh lasted about a month. In 1898 or 1899 the petitioner came to the conclusion that his wife was seeing too much of the co- respondent, and that the co-respondent's attentions to her were too marked. He, there- ore;, at that time, insisted on the friendship being broken off. The wife assented to that, and very soon afterwards the co-respondent went away to the war in South Africa. The petitioner heard nothing more of him until J uly, 1907, when his wife and two children went to the Eton and Harrow match at Lord's* and when they came back in the evening petitioner ascertained that they had lunched with the co-respondent at Lord's. That was the first he had heard of the co-respondent for 10 years. Not unnaturally, he was very much annoyed at this, but he did not say anything that night, as there were guests in the house. They had a party that night, going to the theatre. Peti- tioner and his wife had been occupying sepa- rate rooms for some time and the next morn- ing he did not see his wife when he went away. He had never seen her from that time to the present. That was on the 13th July. Wife's Letter. He wrote to his wife for an explanation, but instead of getting any explanation he received a letter from her in which she said :— Dear Charlie,—If you would arrange to meet me at Mr Charles Russell's office, Nor- folk-street, Strand (her solicitors), we could decide what is to be done in the future.— Yours truly, Frances EIphinstone Boyd. Will you meet me at Mr Russell's office at 12 o'clock, or perhaps you will see him alone ? Mr Boyd did nothing of the kind, but he went to his own solicitor, and the result was that inquiries were made. Undoubtedly Mrs Boyd had been living with the co-respondent as his wife at the Crown Hotel, Lyndhurst. Mr Alexander Charles Boyd, the petitioner, was then examined. He said he lived at 51, Pont-street. He was married to the res- pondent on the 4th January, 1888, at St. Paul's Church, Edinburgh, and they afterwards lived together in London. There were two children of the marriage. He made the ac- quaintance of Sir Francis Burdett in 1890, and he became an intimate friend, and in 1894 he joined a party, of which witness and his wife were members, for a tour in France, and after that he continued to visit at their house. Peti- tioner said he was away from time to time in connection with the management of an estate in the North. In 1898 and 1899 he had reason to think there was too great an intimacy be- tween his wife and the co-respondent. He spoke to his wife about it, and she consented to give up co-respondent's friendship. Sir Francis Burdett afterwards went to South Africa. He heard nothing more of him until July last, under the circumstances detailed by counsel. Did you know that your wife had been meet- ing the co-respondent constantly during the last two or three years ?—I did not know that till afterwards. Mr Robert Campbell, amemberof the Scotch Bar, gave evidence to prove the validity of the marriage. At Lyndhurst. Elizabeth Brown, housekeeper at the Crown Hotel, Lyndhurst, said that the respondent and co-respondent came to the hotel on the 23rd July, 1907. They occupied a bedroom dressing room, and sitting room, and passed ai husband and wife, under the name of Galliper. Mr Charles Russell, respondent's solicitor, gave evidence that the respondent and co-respon- dent were served with the divorce papers at his office, where they were identified by the previous witness. The jury found for the petitioner and as- sessed damages at the amount claimed, £ 5,000. His Lordship granted the petitioner a decree nisi, with costs, and the custody of the two children. Mr Bayford said that Mr Boyd in- structed him to say that he intended that the sum of E5,000 should be settled on the respon- dent. His Lordship said he could not deal with that matter now. Sir Francis Burdett is the 8th baronet, and served in the Boer War, and was for some time aid-de-camp to Sir West Ridgeway, Governor of Ceylon. The baronetcy dates from 1618, and Sir Francis, who was born in 186j, succeeded his father in 1892.

CANADA AND WAR VETERANS. Rewards for Fighting. Ottawa., Tuesday.—The House of Commons to-day discussed the Government resolution providing that grants of 320 acres of land in the North-West or of 160 dollars in money should be made to Volunteers from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta who served in the South African war. Mr Borden, Leader of the Opposition, urged that the grants should be extended to Volun- teers from all parts of Canada who fought in South Africa. Colonel Sam Woods maintained that veterans ofN the war who subsequently emigrated to Canada should also be included. Sir Wilfrid Laurier (Premier) replied that the resolution was introduced simply in pur- suance of the unanimous decision of the House last Session. He held that public lands in the three provinces named were owned by the Dominion Government. Other provinces con- trolled their own lands, and Ontario and British Columbia had already made land grants to veterans of the South African war. The question of a monetary grant would be discussed on its merits, but the disposition of land for this purpose should be left to the provinces as far as possible.—Reuter.

ALLEGED TRAIN THIEF. A Continental Arrest. Lyons, Tuesday.—In consequence of numer- ous complaints made by British travellers and transmitted to the authorities by the British Consulate-General at Marseilles with regard to robberies of jewellery and money from the luggage of passengers travelling between Paris and the Riviera, a watch was kept on the trains, which has led to the arrest of a chief guard engaged in the Paris-Riviera service. A quantity of jewellery and a bunch of keys were found on him. The accused man admitted that during last year he had been committing numerous thefts from trunks in the luggage van of which he had charge, using false keys to open trunks and poitmanteaux. After his examination he was handed over to the judicial authorities.—Reuter.

LATE KING OF PORTUGAL. Mortgaged Life Policies. Lisbon, Tuesday Night.—The French Insur- ance Company Urbaine yesterday paid G44,000 into the Bank of Portugal, this being in pay- ment of one of the late King Carlos' numerous life policies. To the general surprise, however, it is now discovered that owing to the straitened circumstances and impoverishment of the Royal House, the King on different occasions was forced to raise loans, and had mortgaged this policy in order to meet different payments. The total amount borrowed in this way was E30,000, and thus Queen Amelia merely receives the balance- --Centrsa News.

MADMAN BURIED ALIVE. Moscow, Tuesday.—A terrible crime by peasants is reported from Minsk. A man of weak intellect was mistaken for a spy. He was seized, bound to a horse, and transported to a lonely spot near Venzen, where a grave was dug, and he was buried alive. Several arrests were made, and the accused have now been sentenced to terms of penal servitude.— Central News.

GIPSIES CLEARED OUT. The police have cleared the gipsies out of Fishguard owing to a disturbance. In the clearing efforts a resident was badly knocked about. The disturbance continued the follow- ing day, and one of the gipsies was locked up, and subsequently committed for 14 days for being,droak aad disorderly,.

WELSH GLEANINGS, News and Views in Lighter Vein. The first Mayor of Eastbrook, Wanganui, New Zealand, is a Welshman—Mr John Jones, buii ler, who is a brother to Mr Richard Jones, 5, William-street, Aberystwyth. Mr Fred L. Rees, the new contributor to Punch," will be rememOered by our readers as the author of many amusing cartoons con- tributed to the South Wales Daily ews." I— Up to six years ago there had not, it was said, been a new house built at Rhymney for twenty years. Since then about 500 new houses have been erected. A capital portrait of Mr A. Beasley, general manager of the Taff Vale Railway Company, appears in this week's "Railway Times," as one of the general managers who are assisting the Board of Trade in the railway inquiry. The Rev. J. R. Jone, D.D.. Pontypridd, vice-president of the Welsh Baptist Union, has again been confined to his home with illness. Dr. Jones underwent a serious surgical opera- tion about two years ago. It is hoped that be will soon return to his ministerial duties. Sir John Williams, Bart., president of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society, will de- liver his presidential address at the next annual meeting of the society. Mr H. Meurtc Lloyd, M.A., Delfryn, has accepted nomina- tion for the presidency -in succession to Sir John. i rrhp King's Levee is a survival of the times when private life was unknown to monarchs. Queens, too, at cne time held Levees, for we read that when at Conway Castle with King Edward, Queen Eleanor—the mother of the first English Prince of Wales- received the ladies qualified to be presented to her while her hair was being dressed. One of the oldest public representatives in the- Pontypridd district is Mr James Roberts, J.P., of Taff House. No one in the district is more devoted to his duties than the veteran from Treforest. A large marble bust of Mr Roberts is being executed, and it will shortly be presented to him, and then given a prominent place in the Council chamber, side by side with the bust of Sir Alfred Thomas, M.P. A chemist at a large works not far from Neath was the other day the victim of an inno- cent joke. A friend, rejoicing in the possession of a work of art kn^wn as a rubber beetle, adroitly attached it unobserved to the resplen- dent shirt front of the chemist. Discovery soon followed the startled victim threw the sup- posed beetle on the floor, jumped on it three times, and then rushed to his private room, where he divested himself of his clothing in a mad search for more beetles. Mainly as the outcome af the new Patents Act, a firm consisting of Mr R. S. Fleming and Mr Max A. Buch is about to open motor works at Carnarvon under the registered name of the Kiwi Engineering Works. The works will be situated in a part of what was formerly known as the Union Iron Foundry, which up to a few years ago formed the most important industry in the town and neighbourhood. The firm will carry on the construction of motor cabs and motor cars and motor and general engineering. Is Cardiff going to benefit from the Act ? The newly-published Calendar of the Uni- versity of Wales bears evidence of solid work having been done in the three constituent colleges in the higher studies of the Welsh language. It shows that 49 students have passed the intermediate examination, 44 the ordinary, and 8 the special. No award ha? been made in Class 1, honours but 10 have passed in Classes 2 and 3, and three have been granted M.A. degrees for dissertations upon subjects in Welsh literature. Mr R. B. Lodge, writing in the" Windsor Magazine" on "Bird Life m then Spaui"°~ Marismas," has much that is interesting to say about the peculiarities of kites. In one nest) of the common kite, in a cork tree, he found in the way of larder, half a woodpecker, a red- shank, the tail of a rat, and an eel. This, how- ever, he adds, cuts quite a sorry figure beside the larder of- a Welsh kite taken by Lord Aberdare some years ago, and recorded in the Zoologist this nest contained, in the way of provisions, a drowned puppy, the hind- quarter of a small pig, a rat, and a rabbit Besides the hyphen in Mr name, Welshmen have two much more serious grievances in the matter of the English use of Welsh surnames—one a case of misspellingr the other of mispronunciation. The mispro- nounced surname is Meredith. Nearly all Englishmen place the accent on the first syllable, whereas no Welshman would dream of placing it anywhere but on the second, in accordance with the iron Welsh law that the accent must always be on the penultimate syllaole. The misspelt name is LlewelYllJ commonly spelt Llewellyn." This is a bad mistake, for the I" cannot be doubled ia Welsh—as it can be in English—without com- pletely altering the pronunciation of the letter. Are we in for a war of sects ? For the last few years Roman Catholics have been much in evidence with missions and other aggressive methods in many parts of Wales, seemingly a plan of campaign for the conversion of Welsh Wales to Rome being in progress. A keen discussion has been carried on for weeks past in the columns of the Herald Cymraeg (Car- narvon), in which the Rev. R. G. Roberta (Baptist) and the Rev. Father Jones (the local Roman Catholic priest) are the principal con- troversialists. This week a similar controversy between the Rev. E. Ungoed Thomas (Bap- tist) and the Rev. Father O'Hagan (Romas Catholic priest) occupies considerable space it- the Journal," Carmarthen. Writing in the Christian Commonwealth on the New Theology in Wales, the Rev. 1. Morgan Jones, M.A. (of Aberdare n remarks: The eyes of laymen in large numbers have been opened to the urgent need of religious and theological reconstruction. The increase in the number of ministers who have openly declared for a New Theology of some kind ia not so apparent as the rapid growth of feeling of intense dissatisfaction with the pre- sent situation among the ordinary rnembew of the churches. Almost every church ill the crowded valleys of Glamorgan has < group-large or small, aggressive or diffident —of young men who are in sympathy with the New Theology, whether the ministry may b( progressive or not. On the surface there may be calm, but there is seething turmoil under- neath. The annual day's coursing on the famouf Margam moors undoubtedly provides an excel- lent day's sport, as the moors are well stockeo with some of the finest hares in the country, and make the dogs go all the way for a kill One thing that mars the outing is the fording of the intersecting dykes that drain the moors. The only alternative to jumping across these wide ditches is a small slippery plank, and na little amusement is afforded by witnessing some old sports jumping right into the middle of a ditch or slipping into it off the treacherous plank. But all these discomforts are taken in good part, and the only regret of those who follow the sport is that they cannot have a day's coursing on the moors oftener than once a year. Mr Charles Wilkrns, F.G.S-, the author aí several valuable histories of our Welsh Indus tries, has now prepared an up-to-date historj of Merthyr Tydfil, which will be published b) Messrs Joseph Williams and Sons at th. Tyst Office, Merthyr, this week. The boot treats of the geology of the district and itb early inhabitants before Druidic times" deals with the Roman occupation, and describes tht state of things prevailing in Norman and thea in Jacobite times, besides making reference to life in the district under Edward IV., and Mary and Elizabeth. The establishment of the iron industry is explained, and the pro- gress of the works at Dowlais, Cyfarthfa, and elsewhere traced. The riots of 1831, like the strikes of 1874 and 1898, receive attention, and the Chartist days are recalled. There art chapters dealing with various Merthyr men and movements, and the book includes as account of the formation of the early Dissent- ing churches. The Church Times &a Welsh Metnbir Sir Francis Edwards, Bart.. M.P., says the Church Times," has greatly enhanced his reputation in politics by his speech on Mr McArthur's Bill. He repudiated the whoU idea of the Church Associationists that reli gious convictions can be affected by Erastiai legislation. Sir Frank incidentally touched or the Welsh Church question, and spoke with as historical knowledge on the subject that fefc Liberationists display. Hay Justices' Clerk. Mr Herbert Rowse Armstrong, M.A., w has succeeded Mr E. II, Cheese as justices clerk for the Hay and Bredwardine Petty Ses. sional division, is a graduate of St. Catherine's College, Cambridge, where he look his law tripos in 1891. He was articled to Messrs ALsop, Stevens and Co., the well-known Liverpool solicitors, and was admitted solicitor in VS). In Armstrong went into practice at Newton Abbot, but in June., 1906, went to and, six months later, joined Mr E. H. Cheese in partnership.