The Weekly News and Visitors' Chronicle for Colwyn Bay Colwyn Llandrillo Conway Deganwy and Neighbourhood

Small Holdings in North Wales. COMMISSIONER'S IMPRESSIONS. Interviewed by a corresondent oini Friday, Mr. John, Owen, who was ,appointed by the Board of Agriculture to visit the counties of North Wales to inquire into the demand for small foldings, stated that as soo,n as it was made known that the appointment had been made the Councils woke up, got up committees, and barbed up dead .and dormant organisations which had been formed in 1892 but had done illothing until now. The result was that he had had consultations with many Councils, and found that they were 'altogether very enthusias- tic for putting the Act into operation. After he had seen the Council3 he had gone about in his own way to make inquiries as to the demand for small holdings, and found a REALLY STARTLING DEMONSTRATION of the need and demand for holdirigs in every district which he had visited, and he had al- ready viisiited a great many in Anglesey, Oarnar- Vionshire, and Flintshire. He had found the greatest demand in those district where small holdings- had already been established, for in tfiose demonstration had proved to the people that such holdings were a tremendous benefit fo those who tilled them. Where there was no soiall holdings at all the demand was less. He had collected a vast amount of interesting in- formation, which, of course, would be Dresented 111 his report to the Board of Agriculture. He said that in many cases now known to him People had been able to make small holdings pay admirably, potato growing having in many IrIF,t,an.ce,s yielded a profit of ^50 per acre. In those cases, of course, the result was due to intelligent .methods and intensive cultivation. He had no doubt that with the AWAKENING OF INTEREST in its provisions the Act would be a great suc- cess in Wales, and the evidence he had already collected showed that the people in all parts of the country had become deeply interested in the matter, 'so much so that he was nersoaally becoming almost unreasonably enthusiastic about it. He was arranging meetings to bring the possibilities of the Act before the people, and was meeting with all the possible assist- ance everywhere. LORD .CARRINGTON AND THE NEW ACT. Earl Carrington, Minister of Agriculture, pre- siding at a meeting at High Wycombe to dis- cuss the Small Holdings Act f this year, ex- pressed the belief that, the measure, without doing harm to any section of the community, :\Tould be of great benerfit to agricultural workers 1111 the acquisition of allcdrnenits. He repudi- ated the suggestion that there was no demand for small holdings. His experience with Crown lands showed that such an argument would not hold water. The Government were not hunting for popularity in bringing in this legislation, but ^tended to act fearlessly, courageously, and honestly in the interests of the people general-v. ACTION BY CARNARVON COUNTY COUNCIL. CHARACTER OF WELSH LANDLORDS. The Carnarvonshire County Council on Satur- f&y held a meeting of co nisi dear-able i-n-iipo,rt,an,c-- to small farmers, at which it was decided to P^t in operation such provisions °f the Small Holdings Acts of 1892 and rgo7 as will enable ^he Council to borrow -money, and to advance in loans to small tenant farmers for the pur- Pose of enabling them to acquire -their -holdings, ^commendations to this effect were proposed. "NOv SOCIALISM." Mr. Abel Williams, in .seconding the proposal, aimed that the two Acts contained-no1 Social- istic tendencies, otherwise' a Tory and a Liberal Government would not have joined hands to Pass them. He hoped that the landlords of Carnarvonshire would not place any obstacles the way of the adoption of the Acts, espeoi- ally as, they knew they would be paid market- dble value for the land. The thanks of the tairners of Lleyn were due to the member for the division for his great exertions to. put them 0,11 the Tight track. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Lloyd Carter spoke in support of the re- solution. which he hotped would be carried ^an,imo-usly. When opportunities occurred -who were desirous of acquiring their Ridings anid who had saved a little money ^h°uld be helped either privately or from a 'P^b- lc source. But in the case of a man who had }"'ery little stock, a large family, and would have ■L* bar,row every farthing of -the purchase money, thought it would be almost unkindneiss on lte Council's part to encourage him to buy his ^foing. There were good landlords and there yere landlords who could not be called good. i11 Carnarvonshire they were blessed with the ormer class—(cheers),—and he was glad to hilnk among them was a member of that Cbun- 11 who, having no desire to extend his own, terri- tories, I had responded to the appeal of his j^igfabours that he should buy their falrms for heir sake. (Hear, hear.) LORD CARRINGTON'S AGENT. ^r. Peter Maclntyre. who is Lord Carring- °n.s agen^ on (-he Gwydir estate, -said the land- tlds in that district were quite willing to assist

(Registered). I .1 VE R Rue A C I N EE Warranted to remove the most painful fl J Corn or Wart in a few days, painlessly and H without inconvenience. Recommended by ■ ™ the Nobility, Clergy, Physicians, &c. Has H k proved a boon to thousands of sufferers. H M Its application is easy, simple and cleanly. fro Price is. ijd. of all Chemists, or post free hllr'T Proprietor and Manufacturer for is. 2d.—R. D. "■HES, Chemist, Denbigh. 2495

Rev. J. P. Lewis and Cabinet Ministers. At a meeting of Churchpeop.le held laist week at Llanfairfechan, the Rev. J. P. Lewis, in the Icourse of an addlresis, dieplorted ithei fact itihat Cabinet Ministers had recently, in North and South Wales, given the authority of their high position to statements that had never been sub- stantiated, hut had been refuted time after time. He thought that he had proved up to the h-ilt in aPlamphlelt of his that the Welsh 'revolt had been manufactured by a conspiracy to tell the people that the whole cost of educa- tion was now defrayed from rates and taxes, that nev-ertheleisis there was no public control over Church schools, and that Nonconformists were compelled to pay for Church teaching. On these three statements hung the whole revolt which had set the clock back educationally in Wales, to the loss of the nation and the ir- retrievable injury to the childr-en. And yet not >one of these statements was true1, and he challenged contradiction. He warned the aud-ience that the next Education Bill would be really a secular schools bill, but it would be wrapped up in fine religious phrases and offer so-called facilities for religious teaching outside school hours, outside the school staff, and outside the school syllabus, to which all friends of religious education should say "Thank you for nothing." The new bill of the Government, as foreshadowed bv Mr. M'Kenna, would be a bill for making universal the schools which Mr. Spu-rgeon declared were training up a godless generation.

Pathetic Affair at Holyhead. During the progress of an eisteddfodic meet- ing at the Holyhelad Town Hall, Mrs. Shaw, wife of a chief officer in the lightship service, was Iseized with paralysis and had to be taken home on a stretcher. She passed awav during the same night. Two of her children are well. known competitors at local Eisteddf-odau, and it was while waiting to hear them compete that Mrs. Shaw was taken ill. The children, not knowing that their mother had been seized with illness, entered the competition, and carried ,off first prizes in the duet and isoio competi- tionsi. When, they arrived home they found that the sensation in the hall had been caused by the illiness of their own mother, and she shortly afterwards passed away.

TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS: METROPOLE, COLWYN BAY." NATIONAL TELEPHONE: No. 188 1c»"'t;I Meti>opole9 COLWYN BAY. FIRST CLASS. MODERN. (Jne Minute's walk from|Railway Station and two minutes ==^==^===— — r:: from Promenade and Pavilion. ^etrlpoie PERFECT SANITATION. W SPACIOUS PUBLIC ROOMS. ^DRAWm^ ^I™G' and^SMOKE^ROOMS. BALLS, DINNERS, CATERED FOR. Electric Light and Bells throughout. STOCK ROOMS. MOTOR GARAGE NEAR. Hotel Porters meet trains. I Manageress, MISS GRIS DALE. [2383

Denbighshire Education Committee. A UNIQUE RECORD. PROPOSED TRAINING COLLEGE. A meeting of this Committee was held at the, Queen's Hotel, Chester on Wednesday, Mr. W. G.. Dodd presiding. At the outset the Chairman said at a meeting of the School Attendance Committee that morn- ing attention had been drawn- to the fact that at a small Council school, Portricked, the at- tendance during the last six months, was 100 per cent. (Hear, hear.) THE NEW RATE. The Finance Committee estimated that the receipts for 'the half-year ending the 3I,st of March, 1908, would he ^35,861, whilst the pay- ments youl-d amount to ^3,919. The Com- mittee resolved that the County Council be re- commended to levy the following rates for the half-year ending 31st March, 1908:—Elementary education rate, 5d. in the higher education rate, id. an the A "FAD." The minutes- of the Staff and Supnly Com- mittee contained a -satisfactory report with re- gard to the- subject of cottagle gardening in the Pxio-n and Trefniant N.P. Schools. Mr. Simon Jones exp-resised the hope that the fad, of having mixed schools- would not be pushed too freely. MIXED SCHOOLS." Sir Foster Cunliffe: What is the educational advantage of a mixed school ? The Organiser of Education (Mr. J. C. Davies) -said the principle had been adopted in the university colleges and the intermediate schools-, and it had worked very admirably, and it was therefore fel-t that for consistency's sake, if nothing else, it should be generally adopted. The, argument used by the educational experts was that it was the method of nature. Sir Foster Cunliffe: That seems a. large state, men t. (Laughter.) The Chailrman said it had been taken for granted that the definite policy of the Denbigh- shire Committee was for the mixed principle, and he was sorry that so late in the day a member had attacked their policy. TEACHERS INCREASING IN NUMBER. Mr. Christmas Jones moved that the question of the advisability or otherwise of establishing a training college in the county should be re- ferred to a special committee to report. In advocating the necessity for a college in the county Mr. Jones pointed out that the number of teachers in Denbighshire now, excluding pupil teachers, was 661, whereas on the "ap- pointed day" the number was 496an increase of practically 29 per cent. He had estimated the cost of a site for the building would be ^2,000, building, and equipment of college, ^4,000, cost of teachers, ^2,500, -making a total of £ 8,500. Of that amount the Government would provide 75 per cent., leaving the county practically Z2,000 to find. He hoped that, like the Hereford College, their college would be self-supporting. The motion was seconded and a committee appointed.

The Chairman's Protest. A BANGOR SCENE." At Friday's meeting of the Assessment Com- mittee of the BangOir and Beaumaris Union, differing from what proved to be the majority of the Committee on the quest-ion of the asses- ment of the Peinmon Quarries, Anglesey, Hugh Thomas, Chairman of the Committee-, vacated the chair, by way of protest, and walked to the other end of the room, bringing business- to a standstill. On an appeal by Thomas Roberts of Aber, who held the -same views as the- Chair- man, Mr Thomas resumed the chair and put the resolution to the meeting, when it was car- ried by a majority of nearly two to one. Mr. Thomas then finally left the chair and the room, and Mr. Thomas Roberts- was voted to the chair. Later Mr. Thomas handed to the Clerfk what is stated to he his resignation, which however, it is hoped will be withdrawn before the next meeting of the Board of Guardians,

Bangor College Buildings. CONTRACT FOR THE FIRST PORTION. The tenders, for the first portion of the new buildings were opened by the Committee on Saturday. The folio wing were the tenders re- ceived —Messrs'. Jones and Sons, Liverpool /85,4oo; Foster and Dicksee, Limited, Rugby, ,679,424; Williiiam, Saint, Cambridge, £74,313; .Henry Wilcock and Co., Wolverhampton', ^73,887 Holloway Brothers, Limited, London £ '73,50°; E. Turner and Sons-, Cardiff,' £ ^73,406 J. Barnsley and Sons>, Birmingham!, £ 72,888; Parnell and Son, Rugby, £ '72,019 J. Bowen and Son, Birmingham, 471,797; Thomas- R-owbot- ham, Birmingham,, £ 67,977; W. Thornton and Sons, Liverpool, £ 67,675. The tender of Messns, Thornton and Sons was accepted by the Com- mittee.

Colwyn Bay Petty Sessions. "KILLED BY VACCINATION." Mr. Kneeshaw (Chairman) presided at the Col- wyn Bay Petty Sessions on Saturday, when the other Justices- present were Chancellor Bulkeley Toines, Messrs. J. Watkin Lumley, W. D. Houghton, David Gamble, R. E. Birch, William Jones, jGiseph Smiith, and John Williams. CAYLEY ARMS HOTEL. On the application of Mr. E. A. Crabfoe, the licence of ithe Cayley Arms Hotel, Rhos-on-Sea, was transferred from Mr. F. E. Mealing to Mr. William Hewett, of Smeihwiek. QUEEN'S HOTEL, OLD COLWYN. Mr. T. H. Morgan asked for an extension of hours on November 22nd in respect of the Queen's Hotel, Old Colwyn, the occasion being the annual dance. The ,extension was granted. TICKET-COLLECTOR ASSAULTED. Albert Parr, ticket-collector on the North- Western* Railway, who in September was en- gaged at Colwyn Bay station, summoned.a motor-driver named W. Phillips for assault at the station on September 7th. Mr. F. J. Gamblin, of Rhyl, appeared to pro- secute. and Mr. E. A. Crabbe defended. The defendant was unable to attend. It was stated by the, complainanft that he was on duty coill,e,cting tickets on 7-th September by the train which arrived from Llandudno at 10.42 p.m. The defendant ciame by that train and offered a shilling to pay the fare and asked for his threepence change. Allusion was made to something which had happened a fortnight ago, when witness was obliged to report the defend- ant and witness- asked him -to wait a moment for his change, and he answered "I will wait out- side, for you." Witness finished his work a-t five minutes past eleven and left the station with two friends. Just as- they got outside the de- fendant rushed upon him, caught him by the throat, and struck him in the mouth, splitting his lip- The two friends intervened .and pre- vented further assault. Defendant had waited outside for about five minutes. By Mr. Cralbbe: It was not true that he told Phillips "You must wait" and then proceeded to sort the tickets, instead of attending to him. Neither was it tirue that all the defendant did outside was merely to. take hold of witness and turn him round. It was- not true, either, that his two friends istruck Phillips all they did was to prevent him striking witness again. Mr. Crabbe said he was prepared to admit that his clienit did put his hand on Parr's shoulder and turn him round. The Chairman: Do you plead guilty to strik- ing him in the face and splitting his lip ? Mr. Crabbe: Oh, no; he only touched him on the shoulder. We admit a merely technical offence. Mr. Ga-mlin We have two witnesses, and also the Sergeant, who saw the split lip. The Chairman: So far is this from being a technical assault that we think it is a very great assault. We fine the defendant £1 and costs. The total penalty, including advocate's fee, 10s. 6d., amounted to Zi 18s. OBJECTED TO VACCINATION. Three aoppihcations for vaccination exemption orders were heard. W. F. Buchanan, 6, Highfield-road, was four days too late in making his, application. The applicant isubmitted that there had been no Court for several weeks. The Justices'' Clerk pointed out that the appli- cant was allowed ifour months in which to make his application, and there had been two or three Courts in tihiati time. Mr. Joseph Smith intervened in the hope of assisting Buchanan, but without success, and the applicant had to. leave without the document he had sought. John Rowe, living at Llewelyn Chambers, said his- child was teething, and to vaccinate him now would kill him. "I don't believe in it at all; he has got quite enough suffering as it is now." The applioaition was granted. Walter Hodgkins, of 2, Llewelyn-road, said he had lost one child through vaccination, and he had a conscientious objection. The exemption was granted.

Banquet for Mr Lloyd-George. I understand (says the London corre.spondent of the "Liverpool Post") that arrangements are being made to entertain Mr. Llovd-George at a dinner at the National Liberal Club, in recog- nition of the ability and .success with which he brought the railway dispute to. a satisfactory termination So many members have already expressed their desire' to be present that there is sure to be a large attend,ance.

FACTS FROM MEN. Mr. J. Rvan, Manchester, writes:—"One box did me more goid than all other remedies." Robert Leake, II, Silver-street, Barnsley, writes: I am pleased to say your pills are of priceless worth, and I will sound their praises wherever I go." Isn't it wcrth 1/1J to be completely rid of Backache, Lumbago, Dropsy, Kidney Disease, Gout, Sciatica, Gravel, &c. ? Holdroyd's Gravel Pills are a posi- tive cure. All chemists, or post free 12 stamps, HOL- DROYD'S MEDICAL HALL, Cleckheaton, Yorks. 2410

North Wales^Centenarian. EATEN TONS OF OATMEAL. A corres-pondent writes —In the village of Tremadoc, North Wales, there lives an old man, John Burke, who was born in the parish of Bacon, co. Mayo, Ireland, in 1803, and will be 104 year's of age on December 241th next. He still walks about the village with the help of a stick, and is a great believer in fresh air. He lives with his wife, who is ninety-seven years of age, in a pretty ivy-gro-wn cottage, under the grim Graigydre-or town srock. To get to their bedroom both he and his wife have to climb a perpendicular ladder, similar to that -seen in a hayloft. He has a vivid recollection of the battle of Waterloo1. He fought in the Crimean war, but, unfortunately, necessity has forced him to sell his medals, and he is at present in receipt of parish relief. The local authorities have made several efforts to obtain him a pension, but have received an answer from the War Office to the effect that no record can be found of him. The old man still lives on ordinary diet, and is a great believer in the value of oatmeal as an article of food. It's the healthiest thing for any man to eat," he said to an interviewer, "and I think I could live on nothing else. I've ■been a hard working labourer all my life, and Pve eat-en tonis of oatme,al." He has always liked his glass of beer, and -at present takes a little gin in accordance with the' doctor's orders. "Of course, I have a doctor," he said, "but I wouldn't take any medicine. I don't think it does one any good, and I never intend taking any. Another thing that's helped me to attain my great age. I believe, is that I have always left baccy alone. I tried a pipeful when I was twenty, but it made me sick, so I never smoked again." The old man talks in a most interesting style, and 'summer visitors to the village never fail to pay him a call. He is a staunch Roman Catholic, and has never missed ,attending the little church at Tremadoc during the eight years he has lived in the village.

Appointments to Bala College. The Committee of the Theological College, Bala, met on, Thursday at Chester, under the presidency of Mr. J. R. Davies, and made the following appointments: Professor of Hellenistic Greek and New Testament Ex-egisis, the Rev. John Owen Thomas, M.A. Professor of the Philosophy and History of Religion, the Rev. David Phillips, M.A. Jo-sith Thomas), who, is at present minister of the English Calvinistic Methodist Church at the English Cialivinstic Methodist Church at Menai Bridge, is a former pupil of the Liver-- pool College, Shaw-street:. After gratuating at. Glasgow University he went to Oxford (New College), where he took high honours in classics' in Moderations and "Greats." He has also studied theology at Berlin and Strassburg. Mr. Phtillipsl took fiTlsrt:cl,asiS honours in Philosophy in the University of Wales; then he proceeded to Trinity, Cambridge, and took fins!t-cass honoUirs in Part I. and in Part II. of the Moral Science Tripos. He was for a (time- Assistant Professor of Philosophy at St. Andrews, and is now the minister of Frederick- street Church, Cardiff. Both these appointments' are- subject to the confirmation of the North Wales Quarterly Association.

The Old Parliament House at Rhuddlan. Mrs. Rowland Conwy, of Bodrhyddan, has announced her intention to. restore the inscrip. tion on the old Parliament House, or rather what remains of it, at Rhuddlan. What still remains is the gable end of a building, on which is. the now partially obliterated inscrip- tion :—"This fragment is the remains- of the building wherein- King Edward the First held his Parliament, A.D. 1283, in which was passed the statute of Rhuddlan,, securing to the princi- pality of Wales its judicial rights and inde- pendence." The preservation of the remains of this historic building is due to the late Dean Shipley, a connection, of the Bodrhyddan family.

New Mayors. Bangor.—Councillor David Owen (Liberal). Beaumaris.—Colonel T. L. Hampton. Carnarvon. Councillor R. Gwyneddon Davie,s (Liberal). Conway.- Alderman Dr. R. Arthur-Prichard (Conservative), re-elected,. Denbi,gh.-Alderma,n B'o.az Jones (Liberal). Flint.—Councillor A. B. Lloyd. Pwllheli.—Alderman Anthony, re-elected. Ruthin.—Councillor T. J. Rouw. Wrexham.—Councillor Edward Hughes, re- elected.

in giving facilities towards carrying out the Acts of Parliament under coinsideratiom, and he instanced the case of one landlord who, when selling his property, made an offer to his ten- ants that if thev wished to buy they could have thiee-quai ter,s of the purchase money at 3 per cent. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Thomas Roberts (Aber) inquired whether under the provisions of the Act there was any possibility of a man buying his neighbour's hold- ing over his head and receive financial assist- ance from the Council to do so. Mr. Robert Thomas feared that that might be possible, though the Act stated distinctly that the purchaser to be recognis,ed by the Council must be the tenant. LORD PENRHYN'S KINDNESS. Mr. Ellis Davies, M.P., explained that the Act was clear that the Council [could only advance to the tenant who had entered into a contract with his landlord, but there was nothing to pre- vent a man inducing the landlord to turn a ten. ant out and subsequently 'applying himself to ,the Council for assistance. The Council how- ever, need not put the Act in, operation. He rejoiced to see the spirit with which the ques- tion had been approached by both parties. Though the first Act had been in force for 15 ve-arsi he did not think that any County Council had taken advantage of it. Those (present at the recent sale of Lord Penirhyn's land must have seen with satisfaction the desire shown by the landlord's representatives that small tenants ,should be able to acquire their holdings im- mediately the reserve prices were realised. (Cheers.) Many hard things were often said about landlords, but it was onlv fair that they should publicly acknowledge the kindness shown by Lord Penrhyn and his representatives- to- wards the small farmers. (Hear, hear.) Mr. J. R. Pritchard did not think that in Car- narvonshire they had much reason to complain of the big; landlords. It was the small land- lords that they -complained of. After further discussion the recommend ationis of the Committee were unanimously carried. THE PARISH COUNCILS. Mr. William George moved that all the Parish Councils be invited to convene special meetings of their Councils within a month to conlsider the administration of the Small Holdings' Act of 1907, with a view to a report being made to the County Council. He added that the fact that the Council had not hitherto, put the Act of 1902 in operation was due not to the Council but to the apathy of the farmers. The proposal was carried. On the motion of Mr. Carter, instructions were given to the Committee to disseminate in. formation among the tenant farmers, as to the charge9 which they would have to meet if bor- rowing from- the Coiuncil Mr. Jones-Morris, reverting to the fear enter- tained that a man might buy a neighbour's holding over his head. said that no hlesis.ing would ever attend such a man. The Council ought in. time -to warn farmers to allow tenants to have the first chance, and not to. offer exces- sive prices for their holdings. The Board of Agriculture wrote pointing out that they had -n-o power to appoint valuers under section 17 of the Act or to pay the expenses of a valuation. The 'County Council should be satisfied that the title was good, that the sale was in good faith, and that the price was rea- ,sonahle on evidence that might be tendered by the purchaser.