Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills

TEXT OF THE NEW AGREEMENT. About, seveu o'clock on Friday evening th. following official memorandum of agreet was handed to the reporters by Mr. W. G. Dalziel and Mr. Lewis Miles, the secretaries t— Mewforafctluiii of agreement de this ist 4ay of January, 1892, between the ifindereigned. W. T. Lewis. lid ward Jones, Edward P. Martin. Edward Davies, L. Davis Williaise Thomas, T- Forster Brown, G. Ogilvia, James "Colquhoun, and the •liber persons wfoo shall execute this agreement. dulv: Pm- thorised *,a act on brfialf of the wiembers of theM<vnmoutfe'fhire and South Wales Cbalowners' AssMKLtion, hereinafter called the employers, not iing eleven persons in all, of the one part; :and "the unaligned—Vt&lliam Abrsfaam, David r JCotgan, Isaac Evans, Morgan Weefo1 Thomas D. Ifiarc, Daniel Jones, 'Thomas Davies, Thoma-s; Ridaards, Alfred Onions, David Beym&n, and J. B. Joaes, duly -authorised to act on 'behalf of i&e "WSrkmtn, cept engmen, stokers, and oufcsicfc- tter8 em pIt- yed at thekcollieries of ihe ofnember.s d" the said Association, of the othex paxt. .ll_1 1. The said parties rr.ereto are i&eremaiter !*l wou :a Joint Committee, 3»"d the said cfBnmittee shaft! be kept on fo -,t by the employers aaid workmen. 2. Thevk>int Cora-mittee shalLhave two secretaries -one aFJintédbytbe employers and the other by the w oiikmen. 3. The number tf the menrffers of the i,r"int •Commit'ee shall riot exceed -32 representatives, ■excliisW:' of the W o secretaries, 11 acting- ooabehalf of thf- employers. and 11 twJtfeg on behalf the workwrjn. „ 4. T&.e Joint nmittee 3J upon th^ioMowmg eondit.;ons to rey..date ratkÆJ.cif.wag.es to be lraid to the s d working at the said-nollieries, aszgk-,1 from the sfiid Ist January, 5. Ihis agreement shall <«eiis prise and Ripply to the whole of the members<0? -he Associativa except as provided in clause 15. 6.The wages shall be TJ ^ulated by -»C Sliding j Seal's based npon the avem/e net selling- price of f coal as ascertain led and froRi time to tiaae certified >< bv <ne accountants. "7. The average net saU, iv- prices sbal; be taken as for larg-e ery screened coal, deliyfe-ed free 01.1 board at Carfliff. Newport/Swansea. aml Barry. v8. For cold into wargon or otherwise at the! ebliierie" th^ -ost of tiaai«it to the erdi&ary port eft shipment .sijit.l be addedia icaleulatiirgT'the averagfo nfet selling ixrice, workanfci's coal to be excluded. 9. The standard of eagres upon ich future advances aJ; reductions are to Le made shall bett-e several r3;¡S actually paid at tfc.3 respective collieries for the monia of December, 1871), #&d such wa;,w shall be -equivalent to a standard average net sellingpric^ of vs. 10jd>%nd under per ton. R-ovided that? at the collieries where Xhe standard or basis ul-op-i-,i-hich wa«es .rre now resfu- ilated is t.hti' rate of wayes naid in the year 1877,Jtiat •shall conilnue to be the standard for drose collieries. 9a. It is hereby screed with respect of all collierieg", r portions o/J; collieries m):; belonging to < or hereaf^r acquired »r opened by members of the Monmou^ishire and South Wades Coalowaers' Association, that boti" the employee and the work- men shail be bcunS to observe and fulfil all customs, provisions, • and conditiais existing" in t. -December, 1879, at the associated cii.lieries, I no L' "▼nriatiOL; shall be marfe therein, oixi er by employers or workmen, except mutual a^r^ement befcween the emjiloyers and t&r. ir -workmen; or between: their, f respectire,retresenta?cive8. f 10. 1»3 wajrea sha.1 be advanced or red at" the end of each periwd of two nioiiths by additions: reduotions of hk per cent. ?apon the :mean: monthly result found by the j-jint auditors as'; between the scale dated 6th Jure, 1882, .and the scale da;ted 15th jairtary, 181(0. 11. There shall bemo maximuin or minimum in the scale of wages mader this itgreement. 12. Two accountants shall be appointed, one by; the employers and the other by the workmen, to; ascertain the average net sellir^- jjrice off coal., Subh arverage net prtce for the two months ending; j the lask day of February shall govern the wages -from the 1st day in April to the last day-c>f May,; and-so-on for every/successive two months. 13.' The accountirits shall give a certificate of the net average selling- price for> each of the above: periods of two months, sueh ycertificate to be forwarded to the, jcoit secretaries, and .afterwards, upon the authority»of the Joint tCommittoe, to be; made (known to thE) emjjloi-ers aad workmcn. .14. Any the.s-,ile df,oal for a perloo of mace than 12 months shall not be taken in to ] account for more tfcan six successive audits of .two months each. 15. The accountants shall not fake into account. in the audits any cc-oal I ircdueedtimm tke anthra- I. t cite collieries. 16. The Joint Committee ehall'.meet.at least otnoe in eaah month. .17. Both parties EM) this agreeLJient pledge their respective constituteits to make every effort possible 1 to avoid claims ordislmtes at tla.e collieries, and that, in case of any unavoidable, differences, the I owners and their officers, together with their work-' men, ■ shall endeavoer to settle all matters at the, collieries, and only in case of ;iuiling-' to dfect .a' settlement shall up aitpeal be made to fiie Joint Committee. It is ako hereby a2"'leed that in such cases no notice to terminate contracts shall.be given by eitier ernploy<t»e or their woriim en before the particular question it dispute sbaLLhave been con- sidered by the Joint-Committee that they ihallhave failed to arrive at an agreement. 18. That at the collieries in this agreement all wao-es- due to the workmen shall.be in: each fortnijjht, provided that at these *:aUieries: I where tie wages are c#w paid weekly, such practice shall continue in force. HI. The wages :ps,al11efor the month of January, 1892, shall be 46i per, cent, above the standard of December, 1871) The aVidit for .the period. 1st October to Slst Docecabtr, .18111, shall be. taken to govern ti e wapes'under this agreement for, the two months commencing-list February, 1892. 20. The mineral to be gotten is clean, larg-e, JSCreenoo Joal only, as jkereinafter described. The putting- .m ice to be ],aid includes all sendees .:in res-,)ectof the small coal necessarily produced in ^-ettiiiLT tb9 large coal, iu conveviiig- it from the working- plac? to the .&coeen at the surface, and in ihe process of screening, that price hmiag equal to the value of all services involved in$rettingi«ich larg-e and-emall coal in .compliance wjth the pro- visions of Th, Coal Mines Regulation Act ] ¡; I" a.nd being- more than the valiie of the services rendered in respect (vt the large vreeiied only. TBie r weight of the large screened coal for the purpose of paying- the calliers shall be ascertained as followr, Afirr each tram is broagit to the surface it shall be weighed as, the weightsg- maahine, and then, tip p« over the screen in .use at the colliery to separate t1.) Iviye coal passing over it from the rfaoal piw.:i!u' throK g-h iG, the tare being: deducted, from its gross w,eight. The small coal which ;1)1.8 passed through the screen shall be weighed, and that weig-ht shall lie deducted from the gross.Vt'eighf.-t fthe coal in the tram to ascertain the net weight of the larg e screened coal, the wages shall be paid, .wiich shall c«>ver all the services .rent-tercd the colliers in resect of the large coal and small.s-ial as weighed together at the raachise. 20a. It is disi iixr' ly understood that clause 20 in feis agreement is net intended toehange the system of weighing, screening, and paying for coal as heretofore, except by mutual arrangement. .:11. This continue in force for six mctcths frtsm Jst January, 1892, and tliat thence- 'j fortf.r until paety gives six months' notice of nation, wy i">i be driven on the 1st day of any succeeding J anbury or .July. 22. A copy of this agreement is to he placed in the cocstract book at each colliery of the members of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners" Associations, which shall be signed by or on behalf of the ownei-s of .such colliery, aud also by each workman empJoyedat such, colliery, and also by each workman employed at sitch colliery as one of the terius of the engagemeut between the em- plovers and the said workmen. # 23. It is hereby agreed that all notices to termi- nate coutraccfe" on the part of the employers as employed shall he given only on the 1st day of any calendar month, and to terminate upon the last day of the same month. W. THO.M-\S LEWIS. WILLIAM ABRAHAM. EDWAIUJ JOX.ES. D. MORGAN. EDWARD P. MAHTIK. ISAAC EVANS. EDWABD DAVIES. MOIU>AH WEEKS. FRED. L. DAVIS. T. D. ISAAC. W. THOMAS. DANIEL JONES. T. FOIISTER BnOWN. THomAs DAVIES. G. OGILVIE. THOMAS RICHARDS. JAMES COLQUHOUX. ALFKED ONIONS. DAVID BKYNOIT. JOHN B. JONES, Witness to the signatures of the parties hereto, W. G. DALZIEL J S 5, LEWIS MILES. j ecs. Dated this 1st day of January, 1892.

MINERS' MEETING AT PONTNEWYNYDD. On Friday rr^'ining last a meeting was held at Mercliant's Hill Chapel, Pontnewynydd (the usual ine0ting-rooK.i having proved too small for the number attending) to consider the crisis in the Welsh coal trade. There was an unusually large attendance, and the deepest interest was manifested in the proceedings, which took place under the auspices of the Monmouthshire Branch of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. The chapel was crowded to exoess, seats having to be placed along the aisles, and the doorways and every available inch of stand- ing room being called into requistion. Mr. Geo, Churchill, Pontypool, was voted to the chair,and commenced the proceedings by stating that it was not hii intention to make a speech on that occasion. Thfif friend Mr. Brace, the agent, w*s wjth them to give them some account of yFhat had been transpiring Qf late in connection with their trade. He bad no Mr. Brnee a patient hearing, as they felt that those were anxious times for them all. (Ap- PlM?Brace,who on rising to address the meet- ing, was warmly cheered, said J around him that morning and seeing so many present, he could almost wish that they had a strike or a threatened strike a httle oftener -(laughter)-bee-aus,e they knew that very often at their meetings they had a v,ery ^h^momins ance indeed. It would be his duty that m<ami,ng to psview their position as far as tb.ey, bets of the Mm«rs> Fedeiation, wus concerned fifea had practically reviewed theJ5)^ltl}^ reporters on the previous day. P rt toaine out in papers that the pardvffi meeting was to decide whether the miners of! So nth Wales and -Monmouthshire was to bc cJ e l o^t or not, be feit it his duty, their repieBeiitatn^ to attend (there, so that he wonldbe aWctogive them first notice as to what they 0 ,g under mch circumstances. He we g Cardiff, and he found several more secretaires belonimg to the South Wales Federation wait- ingSf the Angel HoW to tee wliarf. Was goingon. As they knew, pnt forward by the Pniployers in te first place weits really monstrtfars, and anything but tan. hear). The first thing they,»4™nced ™, i tihtt the workmen-s representatives, or one, majority of them, should with<ii»w s^ll | coal test case unconditionally. To some^ that fsmall question did not appear to much. Bat they knew, in Swath. Wal« Monmoutteshire ith scores of collienesi men filled on an average 3cwt of 8°ia tram, and received nothing for it, it very bis? •cmestron and the employers ougnt to bye wiling sc. pay. 1bh". of the men's r^rosenttftives ^a^e w;^y^ the esBBlovew found tliey wuld not mine •ho an agreement without some o^rconcess^n^mg granted did not thmk it would be w«e a, nreSit''to-d^cuss the prm* nd cons of-the small coal rfluegtioir but he did not think they would be juistifieil^m fOTegong itliei-r claim to .payment for -Bmall cpal. He iielic' .Vid they were .perfectly justified in -demanding ds, and that theii-lposition was so -strong that tlieif could fight ttie, em- pieyets ujfon it. ( Cheers). Dealing ^With the question d £ the st:aidtt?i wage rate' the speaker said he had worked ^ut the figure* as^ they applied to a typacal colliery the -> Colliery—and he t'om-d that where-tm advauoe in,pricejf;ave an additional 5s. ^d.ipo:)' ton, tl*51 •employers receiv"5d -5s. 9d., and the^-trnen 2s. wit.: That was 2s. 0d.;per ton clear profit, and m that catoulation he hs.d not taken int«» considera- tion the lact that tbe employers^ot their small; coal fir nothii>g. That w;^s the jesult of his_ calcukiion, and thf) employers Weuld have to, advance much better statistics 'beffre he wculd; prepared to ucc(5T»t t lieir statement iF- regard to be,, thatnriatter. (Ckwjrs.) Whatever they seStied. in Car diff with regard to the- sliding scale,<ortc',j the small tfiiey did not pledge, themselves to stand by it-4(chears)-—the -smal! J coal question w-a-J not set TheE had delte jated him to attend the natimal conference at Elanley on the 12th. It would be his dsity to brir,g the questson befow, tliej-ceneral oouneu mofjting, aueVif 4hev deckled tfeen that it wcsuM be advisable tfic ntnw^lishire JltnertV Aesociatioi.1 to tight the ♦question, they woui I e a ptope- ballot of their ^members to me -whether they'vere px^ared to fight, "or ntf t. That was a (perfectly reasonable mode of Iictw-i, bticause he > b lieved that thct mormag they Bfiigt be ;od.in,.their enthusiasm to say that Hny would not w<D-k any aaerp, wtereas they-m^i>t take anoSheP view at amrther ta.'iie. Un^er thsir rules every thing must fee done in a systematic And nje^bedtcal mitiirw- and having feallotted, it the xaemisbcided to strike, their sfankerpay would be -forwarded from t3 Federation and •distribarfced'to the men pydicials f»om head- «quartersL;artd not by k-,cal offt.-lials. Ha waited Tthat ro: forth clearly, (Hear, hear.). Another clause jmttrfjrward was that 5 per oen-t.j:«,nd 5 raer cee±. ofeiy, of the men ittiany given-point ishould Sbe fehile to notice to ternwuwte con- ;tracts &i one and the«am« tins?. He -spas'p'eased | to infcvTBEi'theiTi that the employers had withdrawn | that clause that thjgty would like to h* "e had | }nsertùd .a.z:¿ he verafeured >4ct 3ay that-W- it not u been wiithtfcxvwn, tlte the menj^hetlier union ■or:liK'n-unioai i*o.nen,i'.would have fought! ^against it «to the batter en^. It strtMz at the! very prim.r,le of o*ganisaii«n, and* k them: back to the very tiling that tfley!6hid been jpreachkigt(tk>wn • ^Che result woul«d.'be, sup-i; posing any disj >ute «k>ok.pls.ee at Blaensychaci., <Jolliery, ocly 5 per cesit. of., the men come out at ones. 1 hey<w?ould.Iiave to wait until- another 5i.t»er c emt-eoulddat ve, and-«o on until the whole were t faxafausted. Anothestthing the; ■employers.- -sugg was th, it the men should co-operate svith in gets ng up si-yotition te the C> jmnioas tu .f? t those Clauses re-: pealedwlridl g !l.ve[.hemJptI;ver tocb.im und.er the Coal Wines Rv-qnlation Act.. (Xaughteri) That was -eii(.)tl ac-r paint thsf shewed, them how things w-ero lik< t, ailti -whiol*- nrhat h. had preached fo: r somc time) t hat if thgy were to fet anything fai: r fiioer. the ew ployecs^ they maat e in a ppsitio n fa denoaei it km them. (Cheers.) J 'tien to ti- e redwc±;on which would be, i: 'EK>n the m under the scale., they must ii r that they would have, at least a 10 per litionxs the relnlt of the, next audit. 1 -,ccppte,(i -a reduction this >. week, their fj a the orth and Midland would also be jpon. fe face a traduction; ■ and he did so erhether t he braw. lies there would be,y-;i-e, tc accent it or nat. After pointing out ti. (the .presnant waa«-rate was greatly in favou r -A the mess in thedSorth, the .-«peakef urged tha t tbeslidiiig^ cale- coaid not be depended upon as a wq^j-regui'-tor, and said his- advice might be directed to. me matter. found that it;heir Pontypool friends. ±ad beeffi asked by tint..man? ioiretura to work, pending" a settlement. HisiaAviee .to tiaem w-ag, to work ori by all means, b -d;ay,coa-rtet, that they not »er,b.eund t ) give a month'H irotice should the)' be eaiiedas t. (Af^ ilause.) A« to the Bias nsyc he>s!\d not.afk them t» work. (L. ught. 'What be had to say to them was, thet they stere^iot to sign a»j" agree-; ■mcnt individually- If the employers gairo them "a and aslred t beBacto^igh It, let thaci come ■ back home and send f- hin, anctUie wonkl come and see what.-was on it (Cheers.]) Questions .having been ijmto<i; several were put upon thc;npics dealt with In the address, and were rt-piiei to by Sir. ]E race. A proposition to the teifect that the Grlys men shofELd return to work uUP'>n tho conditions nannd by Mr. wa«,nn;uumontly carriad. OtLer mattess ;r<vere mentioned, itK. ludinge dis- putef t Blaessyeban Colliery othe proposed soppe o brush^oar- ticuiaas being tftien by ,ti-ie-igent--for future reference. A wte of «o.u.&dence in the Feder ation a'as passed ,by acclamation, aD weie also votes of thanke io Mr. Br^oe, the G&iin*tn, and the, Free .PreM i^>Oirterr all .of which we,, c duly acknow- i edged. i Later ,-on the da;, a meeting "R as heU by th^ Tirpentw^ra men, who decided tt> resua.ie woii upon the terms suggested by 31 r. Brace. In the evening,'However, j^telegram. was,r eceiv&l frow that gcntlormui advieing thene to wctlidrasr from t that position, and -not to -go M> work until j: aftt!X anotlur meeting on Hondas'. Å Gmllar;,1 telegram wm sent to G-lyn men, but, iv- coi sequence of ijAct beia £ receive^! untM late in the eveniog, did not have tlie eliaet iiitended, the mgntsillft bnving got.) to work, their example I being followed by the day-men on Satttrdaj.

X-ri.,ETTV-G AT ABDCA..RN.. CRITICISM GIF SIE WTM. THOS.. LEWIS. A meeting of miaeM was held ,a± the Sal- vation Ärmy Hali, Abeream, on Saturday morn- ing, whec about BfiJilt men ere preset sevex»l being unafcle to gifcii adnjis^ion. Mr. WEI. James (chairman Workrn#n's Conxcf ittee) presided, and was supported by Mr. Alfred Onions (IUiuers representati ve), Mr. George L:i:'wis, and others. The Chairman saic.t ,h.e naefiting was convened for the purpose of e^n siderin^ the present posi- tion of the c^olliers, and if tlioi^fht advisa.bie to pass a vote of confidence in MA*. Onions and the other workmen's repjesentatix^s who bad at- tended at Cardiff during the l: fortnight for the purpose of .arriving ,t a settlent with the employers. •' 4 Mr. Hatfield rose and atid he thousght it was a scandalous shame that the men had been com- pelled to accept the terms offered by the em ployers, and condemned ifi stsong terms the action of Sir Wm, Thomas Lewis thre^grhout the negociations.. Mr. Charles Jones also spoke in a similar strain. Mr Wm. McKay said it was no use expressing dissatisfaction now at the result of the negocia- tions. They had been taken by surprise .and at a disadvantage, but it was now the place of eyery person present to try and do his best in the fu- ture, as was his intention. (Applause.) I Mr. Lush (Risca Collieries) said he did not be- l lieve iii the reduction taking place without ijaviflg A voice in the matter. They did not kIWW what was going to be enforced upon them. He a;d Qot know why the meetings were all con- ducted in- private; and why the Press was not admitted ix& wlqld not understand. He said he would like to if the delegates at the Aber- dare meeting p;'«%ed themselves to secresy during the negociat P Car- diff, and on whose au^ He said it was not right to keep things e?* reckoned that these reducu ^ha? ei?f«rced and it was high time the men* ,lr ri8hts. The Chairman interrupted t.Pea' £ saying the question was open to future Mr. Day also made a few remarkd. The Chairman then put the motion to the meeting: That the representatives of the men be accorded a vote of confidence," which was carried unanimously. Mr. Onions, responding on behalf of the repre- sentatives. said Allow me to thank you for the vote of confidence yon have passed. Although some of you differed in opinion, I am pleased to know you have passed a vote of confidence in us. It is time that you should consider the position and put yourselves on a sound footing. I have always advocated this, and you may depend upon it I shall always remain steadfast to that position. The meeting was adjourned for further dis- cussion at an indefinite period. A vote of confidence in the chairman closed the proceedings.

MEETING OF TREDEGAR COLLIERS. A largely-attended meeting of colliery em- ployees connected with the Tiedegar Company was held at the Temperance-hall on Saturday afternoon, Mr. Edwin Carter occupying the ch.tir.-A,lr. David Ajax explained the scale of 1890 and the new scale of 1892 and the manner ill which the workmen were affected thereby, and Mr. Henry Bowen followed with an address on the future position. Messfs. H. Bowen and D. Ajax were then deputed to attend the meet- ing at Aberdare to-day (Moctday) to receive the report of the representatives who consummated the negociations at Cardiff. Considerable mis- understanding prevailed with regard to the working c'f the percentages under the presetlt arrangenymt-how a deduction of It per cent, from 58|. the present percentage, could mesn a reduction of 1\ per cent, from January 1-. On the baok of this a resolution was passed that work be «iot resumed Tuesday, as intended, until the representatives return from Xiv-rdare with the report of tke Cardiff representatives. Tlierofceting was of opinion that the representa- tives hud made the 'best possible under the circumstances, a-nd were agreeable te> submit to the terms and proceed to work after- having theT-f-port of the -delegates appointed to go to ■AhoiKiare.

39LR. ON THE 11TTLE- M E N T A general meeting of nasn employed at the 'ISisca and Abepsarn collieries, and cepresentmg; Uoth SotJfch Wales I ederatoon arid the Minare"' Federatiora of 'G paat Britaira—i .as held at thf-. Co-operve Hall, Cross Roys, j Q)]} Sr.turdri'Y,V"'ening, forst-he purp* se of hearing; ra report from Mr,. A. Onions, one«e»f the slicing-i scale commifejee, as to ie result of the recent; negotiations at Cardiff, Mr. •f-onah Siige, ai member of tfce National Federation, was voted | to the chait. There was an audience of some t 350 men'present, and the business was c&ftrac- • terised (by"i."le utmost g@tOd ;.feelic; g. The chair- man, having briefly opened the aneeting, called upon. Mr.it'- uions to present his jsoport. Mr :^e»ous, who was cordially receicrea., oil rising, af v.,r some inia^ductopy remarks, Caid he proposed to deal with the amended clauses seriatim. Having red to the earlier clanjs in d.etail¡Í'lle said theyvwould^S&d on reference' co it contained the words Work- men's coal to be exoluded." ilii his opmion that was a. Barter of great importance to theraen. aiifd he lw,d taken a little tremble in arriving at am ion upon the point, which opinion he cwulc £ give as befng authentr;. He contcrded tbat, to include the WEorkmetfs coal wwildlfee to effect ^lermanont reduction of 1 or percent, efoon their wages. They faugfat the matteFtooth and -nai1. Perhaps he had better explain how it would lmake the difference he had suggested. Some- might regard it as a sarcall questions t ut he regar-df d it as one -of inipc rtance. They all iknew<-that the (collies' house coal was "sold at a ;.I.ower,price jif v ton—andh>3 thought, he might say itwvas unicersahi'hroujjfcout South Wales— thaii-^oal was cold in the .market, or than it was f.o.-b.-V,t CardrI Barry, Svansea ornpwport. CoHS«Ftuently, it the audi-ters were alkwed to put into their calculations the average selling f the w-Drkmti's ooal, it wowlcfcactually reduce the awrage^s^lling^rice, inasmuch as the workmen's coc.1 wasjiot sold at such a high price as the coal sold, in the maffcet. Thgjiiought it tooth and nail, and he *Kas pleased, to inform them that the workmen's, jfoai was>6till to be excluded fixatm the .audit, ..and was not to be taken into consideration &,a ascertaining the averse selli^ j price. (Cheers). Clause 9dealt witk^he staif-iard of-wages upon whifch future advarces and reductions sooald be made. The employers, original, .prppssUdon was Ts^lOd. and tis. ,pO' ton. ,J.t had now been agreed, that the collieries governed the 1377 staDAir.-d should continue iogoverned-^y that stsndard in fatui-3. They would kriow—especially those whoiiad bbÛ in South Wales and:M:t. nmoutit- shire a long time—that between and 1879 a lOj Oer cent, reduction ie wages tcok place, andiionseqmvntly, those, who had beer working .Ulldw the stajadard ofi the farmer year had been j receit ing Ifj .per cent. mom than ..tlfose who j work> d under the standard of 1879. The em- ployers proposed to level them all dmvia to the ] 1879 standard. At ..I.bercaøl they were upon the W77 rate, .and at-Bisca on the nr rate, so tl-iat-a.t the. torjier plane they, got 42^ per cent on the 1877 rate^nd at the latter 57t oa3879 rate. The t mployers wanted t,o do away wwith the j 1677 rate altogether, 'but he was pleased to i mforc them that ths workmen's representa- tives succeeded in retaining the 18771 tives succeeded in retaining the 1877 rate wherever it existed. (Cheers..) .With re- j gard 4o Clause UAt n'-quiring the .parties to observe the -conditiais wluch oh tabled in ?! December,, 1872-, they had a great deal of discus- j sion. At'lirst the men's re^resentatsiros were >J rather ^suspicioHS of tbftt clauee, but,.aiter dis- j cussin« it. they fame, to the cot! elusion, that no '!] new pixicip-!e was introduced, .and, further, they |j cussing it they fame, to the cot! elusion, that no new pixicip-!e was introduced, .and, further, they |j were satistied that it *7as better than i he old agreement, as itiimply f aid that the .l^T.9 rate should S'e maintained. The clause over which the big light took place was as. to the rate-of the >oerccn^s?e» .which was ..drawn jrp at tfeo last LHomeni^on the lprevieus chght, aiid of wwch lie -had not time to 'make a copy. Briefly stated, at he emp.\yel' ,wal'ted to^alter the percentage in i}ie shilii'^o f rom 10 to H per ceavt., or in<other ^ords, it-, hack- to the 1888 aad 1882.«fales» during discussion th&y shifted, from that several times..The workmen's representatives Proposed-It- aot becs ise they believed that M' per eent. was .too muchin the shilling—that itshf. uid fee 9 peftCAnt. in tte shilli^?, believing that to be better than hatr, ng a rcil)ture and believing sin that they would be able to maintain a. ve- snffctable jv^ge rate as compared with other dieiricts. The fight-.went oa for several dlys U»cn. the percentage clause, .arid the employers to 8 pv* cent. Then, ..after ancther i»;g strs^ie, they eaxne. to. pero&nt., and.he migi-i say that it Witil very bad grace.. (HeuvV, heax ) And ulti/natelr they came to 84 per cent. He ;<„the speaxeiy wouV be allowed, at any rate., to express an authentif opinion iP«)on too situa- tion," having beet present through the whole of the, t&scussMKi and he^'iid without any Jiesita- tionT that it meant either accepting that or going, back dto the :.ro.I).. Th (je;- thought jEor vcrious jeasom-, that it won Id be better to accept the 8:1 ,.I)er cesrt. in presence to takiiig- .the whole natter jack to the men- I t1ey had had a big £ ght, ,-ery inch being tenaciously and siub- barnly @">ntestes!. fQr;a nunii er of days, notwith- standing the. faot that they adjourned ior .luaoh npv aiHt^-gain. ((Laj^hter .and cheerg.) Then vbef came to the animvinniaKd. maximum clause, the empioj'ers wit'hiI.íto insert in the agreement that the m'nunun; priest per tm. be 7s. lQc?.. and the imaxijseani 13s. They wouj l at once.be able to see tha.t that woald have llie¡\nt a considerable reduction iii_waea had it been in operation during theast two years, for ,,on one oecation they would remember that the average selling price w«nt to 13s 71d. He was glad to say that they siii&ceedod in getting ttiat clatne struck out, (Cheei- ) "er refefnng to the alteration in the audjt period and other naatters, she speaker concluded, by ying that their repESsentatives at Cardii fully apprehendea' and felt the re- sponsibility that had rested jepon them in con- ducting the negotiations, and he wotidd say, as one of their representatives, that bestood before them with a clear conscience. If everyone in the room rose up and condemned him for having sigfied the agreement, all tliat he had to f&y was that his conscience was clear, and, therefore, he did not care a rap. He did not wish to sacrifice anyone's triendbhip, but he felt he had done his duty like an honest man, and therefore he did not care one iota for what anyone said. (Cheers.) A vote of thanks was tendered to the speaker ind chairman, and the proceedings shortly after- wards ended. •—

MASS MEETING AT CRUMLIN. A mass meeting was held at Crumlin on Mon- day, under the auspices of the National Miners' Federatiou of Great Britain, to consider the pre- sent crisis in the South Wales coal trade. There was an attendance of some 2,500 men, represent- ing the various collieries in the Western Valley from Blaina to Abercarn, and from Abersychan to Pontypool. Prior to the commencement of the meeting copies of the following' circular (which had been drawn up by the Risca and Abercarn Lodges of the Federation) were freely distributed The Sliding Scale is a direct inducement to em- ployers to reduce wages, their safeguard being that at all times—and at whatever reductions they have 1ØJ.d the coal—the miner. are under the scale com- irclteg$9 accept# similar reduction in their wages, Let us see what the employers of South Wales de- mand from their workynen:- 1st. The surrender of their legalrightat y&yment for small coal-notwithstanding the faet that small coal was recently selling at as high a price as large coal was selling four years ago. 2nd. The demand that i)5 per oent. of the work- men shall sign away their right to tender a legal month's notice, thus placing an effective barrier to the redress of any local grievance, and reducing them down to the level of Russian serfs. 3rd. That the advances in the future shall be at the rate of 3 per cent, for every shilling increase in the price of coal in the market instead of 10 per cent. as hitherto, thus demanding an immediate re- duction of lIt per cant., stating as a reason for this extraordinary proposal, that their profits will not allow them to pay 10 per 3nt. Let us see the grounds they have for this statement:— The average selling price of coal, as declared by the auditors^ report, is 15s 3 £ d per ton, or 5s3jd above the standard of 8s. Out of this increase the collier receives the magnificent sum of 94d per ton. Deadwoil and day work increase takes, say.1. Is „ And increased cost of material Sid" Or a total increased cost of 2s Bd per ton out of the os 3id, thus leaving a nett ^rclit of 8a per ton clear to the employer; these figures speak f orjthemselves, and should be well pondered over by the workmen. Fellow-workmen, our condition under a sliding Scale in South Wales is a hopeless one, rendering us an easy prey at all times to the merciless exac- tions of our employers. Our only hope of safety is itrue combination* under the Hag of the Miners' I Federation of Great Britain. Mr. Jonah Sage (Risca) presided, and was supported by Mr. W. Brace, miners' agent (Abercarn); Mr. S. Mills, district secretary (Aberbeeg) &c. The meeting assembled in a held adjaoest to the Low Level Railway Station. Although the weather was bitterly cold, the keenest interest was manifested in tne proceed- ings, and great enthusiasm .prevailed. The Cl-airman, in commencing the raraeting, said he was glad to see so ossany present, and to greet them all as Ijrethreii. He had not much information to impart to them, and it 4ppeared te there, that that was what they sought. It was quite -e vident that they were coming to a crisis i, U1 the coal trade at .presstit. They fe-IT: that they woreiiti a difficult position, and that they had conditions to acoapt whicii they felt they ought not-ilo be called npon to accept. (Blear, hear.) Betore calling %pon Mr. Brace, their agent, to adck-esslhe" -lie would say that -he would be vecy glad to tear egressions of inion froui aryone in tiK, croW. (Cheers.;) He did eot; cure whetherthey belonged to the (Federation of threat Britaior to'-the ISouth Wales Federation, he lookectupon them all as brothers. They liad a common ca use, and all trier wanted was Ur tind fhe best i^'ay out of tne present dnfitf&ity. (Uheers.) j Mr. W- IB.-ace, miuers' agent, aid that W they were to 'ht suce-rssfully rhyy -vhould wt have one sectien of the men ab.timing themselves j from wosk while-enothersectiau went in. and in 1 Tiia-L I-esrqct he -r-as astonished to see«f>y tbatjj mornings papere that nearly livery colliery dis- trict bad accepted the agreement with", L a mur- mur. yihe -M-awrs' Federation of Great Britain were u*at.prepaord to aPt. it unless impelled to do .spc. (Hear, hear.) TMe question-baa been opened when they did not know wfcere they were-^andiug.ij .ut he eased .find that so UiiKoh unmity p>cevawed that .ven.th.se members of tit" National ^federatior who hod not received er tice lai<ir. xlowu their t^srvls witherne othe«.f. That proved that the me»»bers ef bis fedewition had some -re*r -et -for bh-eir 'folifw- -vojjikrneii, aa«( they trusted that Through the ugeaipy of thut federation, so soor, as one -man wa's touchodiy the employers, it would he felt tlu'iftsighout tb e coal-ife-ld*? f Great ritam. The cause was "upered. -by«ron-uni«»'sts, though wliose selfish action it-was impossible for tile ffxleration to act pegQclUv. A wa^niug noi^ had bowi struck.-aud it had been stated that thr real reasou why, itbe iea^ters- bad accepted thejigree- mtwit was owing to the iikn- unioia-Tuen rouw iiiiiig wi-t hout th^pale of fchsrf outh Waiea Federation. He had received instructions ^o see -Mr. B. Pic.kard, the president of the-^liners'- Federa- twii, Upon the situaiiop. as it affected thr Mon- mcutbshire men. IVIea he g«vt to Ke^iort, he received a telegram to^ay tlMAtvowing to serioua | iilness,. Mr, Pickard 4»euid aot'^be seell.on Sun- d&y even in his room. The tJupught starek him tuat perh^s Mr. Rowlinson„ the Foresttof Dean miners'.agtnt, might < be al e-.lto htjlp .them in tbeir diffilty. Ile -accord.' jwk-,r saw Mr. Row- luison,.and they wired on Si ludiy mornifg to the officials-of the Federation, auk^ug thaM general oouncil.meeting might be < ailed to dise'iss their 4w se. He had now rw c-lve, i J).i reply,.Hibich was favourable to them aav.Fede ration men. It ran ■ I fyourmen are loyal to t he^rederafcten, bound to support you. Have wÏ1 ed, <ta Rowirisou and (Cll.) TJfce present positionof affairs wa^veyy Kiuoh accax^uated by the non«-Union men, thos e who were, uot con- nected -with any organisat i(MA whatevie?-; and ail >.b could say was, that he v reall use hi»influence on their belialf. (Hear, j.ltiar.)A.t .tt.e bawe. I time, he.-hoped it w<it\ld I >e warni^p to them for the'- future not -to h old. aloof from their •erganisation. (Cheeiv.) Wii^ t was desired was Ltlie holding of a meeting of Jhe Central Board ►with a view to pleading thxij^use/of the non- h.-Iriiionists.in the present e; and if Jthe leaders j ■decided, to .support them b e believed tho Federa^ j .tion would be able te fig at .the em{%-yers, sue- acessfuUy. The all-ocipoi taat- smak^oal ques-J L turn had been shelved for tiae tim^Jaeing. He_( I.d.id not .approve that ac teoja. as he belie veti | i,there would, never be.a tiroe.u 'ieii the feeling of 1.th8 men jras so iniiveu-;ial upon .ifc t, point. )' ..TJjey shat-,Id rest axsmred that in; 12 months time, if they raised that qlum-tion, they would "t>e told to desist for^iisar of.L, crisis ir the coal i .traide of ,ickuth Wjiiea Passing to the percent- t age, he remarked the «emplp^'ers were!-not pre- r pased to vcentinue: tim lu pitir cent.c*g.ause of, the incr&afie-i cost <al;^proQuctMMi. In certain col- Ikcfes thej*,>-were potions. (JoL/jsec ton -«;a a basis of.¥s., beiiig equal for uach shilling after ipapneiit .o± royahiisss, dead ra'its, and cost of productioii,iend suo&ly .something moreuthan 2d.. conkt be paiie when- Jt^went abeve that. There was more in the clause relating to iDcli vidual (cactj-acts thar- the eiaj^->yers would like Jhe men to think, JJ£..d the men's representatives: signed notlii ug el*e, jt wouid-be imposisable for tho mem- ibers. ot the LNational. J^sderatioe1. to ag¡\). to in- diyidnai coKite^cts. Were they uot led Dasbelieve Ahst-C^ause aca^ to be .ySjiib-d'caWiQ, and that the employers not to ja-ess it ? iNotwithstaml- ijig,.tJiat, ho-v^ver, tlie^. found ihat the indivi- i diiuii,.contract*cormed ^nost ir^oortant jfart in t'JAe..Iie IV agret-aL'snt. Ar he (Mr. Brace)*«ished ¡ t}¡eJ.Jl to do v;ks this if they coukt not see their w,y.y-.ahar to any agxeement with thf em- plsiyets they shu .lid nofciu- it, and the Fedejr tion of Great Britati'i would support .jfhem as>d if noi should endearaur to oi tain suj.ppfti.i'or theix, in anothev quartet. As toigiv- mg noi on th- first of. the mes^th. that, he thought; .nas not the ruie. in SouL,i Wale- ;,iid Mouaiouthshire, nd was -^n entioely new cne Scale agreement. It was.c-e- iuLO^est of emplojBrs, and.if the nien,, reed i¥£. it th would. soon bare reasoE to regret the step they had takl. (Chee»^) 1 The Chai-3'.uan incited queafons, but, there wac 0 respiaase. Mr. T« JPi'ioe, Penybont, whe next addressed, fhe ir.c«twg^aid he hoped tJaeywere :1.11 in the Si ."1,-nic p":1 if -.l!- "» K-.O N J..¡lr;¡--¡:r. m iki South -YEiifos Feo«.vation, whbb would shew tlift tney bad a des.i"e foil' i!ni->ri. fie con- tended thai the.action*>f the leadJt. OU South Wales Fedmitivn had brought Lliem to their present posidon. a. position in whicjz they .;would suffer for a fc.'igfl'ime to-corrle. He did noi see how, in the fcee;«f the South Walet Federstion, they &uld figfct<tfeeir employers &ad the erl'ect would i»e that thflia* brethj-en in the ii ortii \v<.»uid have tossuffer as well as themselves, (Cheers.) have tossuffer as well as themselves, (Cheers.) Mr. S..Mills, district secretary, Aherfceeg, siid that in aonsequenofe of hie recent he foaad it .necessary te put considerable restraint upon1 lnmJf, itiid ii.vieNT of theprmont crisis be cottld no? refraifl &wm saj/ng a wori on that oc-ca.svvii-. -B,e "wouW .deal with one point, viz., the jreat w;v,e.r made me of bj the employers at Crdl tî, aod wjhich ha.d proved so disastrous to them tIll4t was as co the great wage they were gaii io 5J receivisjj? in South Wales and Monmout'h»Mu.e;ibove their No/thein brethren. It was that viufib had broiight about the present great crisis. Although as members of the National Fede^aW xhey were in & minority, he hoped they rest satisfied until they had converted tilitt A^Viority into an overwhelm- ing majority in tav^nr of tliei? principles. (Hear, hear.) If ^ent back to the con- troversy between Mr. ions, the other agen in that district, and hin they would find. that Mr. Onions had said- )¿9 said it at Aberbeeg, for instance—that if thev ii°lned t,)e ^inei'8 Federation of Great Brita nwist give away 17i per cent, of their "es' special reporter was present at the me that statement very minutely in V iCPun> to-day they had to ueal with it. iV made the statement at a public met was reported in the public press, where the employers had had the privilege of s. on and of making it one of the strongest w, \íoo. in the present crisis in giving them a reduc He (the speaker) wanted to draw their attent. to this fact: In 1883 there was a Royal Commis sion appointed to inquire into miners' wages throughout the country. In looking over that I report they found that in South. Stafford, Leicestershire, and North Worcester, the men were paid an average weekly wage of 28s. od.: in Yorkshire, 28s. a week for a full week of nine hours per days in Derby and Nottingham, 263. 8d. per week Northumberland and Durham 26s. per week, for ao or 42 hours per week, or 7 hours a day in South Lancashire, 25s. a week for 43 and 51 hours and in Lanark and Stirling, 22s. 8d. per week. In South Wales and Mon- I s. i mouthshire they got 22s. 7d. per week of 54 hours. In South Wales and Monmouthshire they worked as long in houis as anywhere, and they got 6s. per week less than was paid in the North of England. (Hear, hear.) It so happened that Mr. (ritien's report had come to hand just in time to refute the disgraceful statement of Mr. Onions. (Cheers.) In South Wales and Monmouthshire they got 22s. 7d. a week for working 54 hours, but in the Forest of Dean, Bristol, and Somersetshire they got 22s. ld. for working 47 hours, so that in South Wales and Monmouthshire they had to work an extra seven hours for an extra sixpence. (Cheers.) In South Wales and Monmouthshire they were to have a reduction. Inquiries made yesterday in Staffordshire elicited the information that the 40 per cent, advance in wages given oi years ago shewed no sign of suffering a decline, (Cheers,) He hoped they would combine in order to pre- vent the employers from further encroaching upon their rights, and that the great majority of those present'would identify themselves with the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. (Cheers.) Mr. George Churchill, Pontypool, said that to his mind there was no question as to which federation was the best to belong to. He would simply put one or two things before them, and would leave any common sense man to judge for liimself. Prohabiy, within two months of that day, they would be having from 171 to 20 per cent. reduction under the Sliding Scale, when the English miners would not be reduced a penny. (Cheers.) If that was not sufficiently clear, he couid not make it clearer if he spoke for an hour. As far as being backed up by the Federation of Great Britain was concerned, they were able to fight their employers, but there another question came in, Could they fight successfully ? If he was going to challenge a man to fight, he should want to walk round him, to see what sort of a man he was, and perhaps le sheuld want to know from somebody else what he had done before. (Laughter and cheers.) The-, had to fight a body of 82,000 or 8o,0(;Xjf men, wFio would agree to what had been done in Cardiff. At the present moment, in A-bordare, they were sayifig they would accept the terms. Taat was a prophecy from him. Whether it was corrector not they would nud sut by-and-bye. They had given their repre- sentatives full power to sign they had sigaed and that day the men would say they would a Vide by what had bee*, signed. As he had said, great quemon Was, Could they fight saccess- ivilly ? he did not e that they could di so and we only thing •left for then: to do, vs members of tbeMiners' Federation -rf Great Britain, s to frame a protest against what bad been signed at Cardiff. To throw (}¡y the small coal case, which had been decided in their favour- was so.nothing ridiculous to thirk of. (rs.) Wad the matter tobe decided by the Miners' Federation of Greait'Bvitain, the first day would have sufficed' to set tie w. Ther would net^ant 1<1 Says. All the menAers of the South Wales Federation could dt was >te pay their -sixpenm-s to the Sliding Scale. (fLaughter.) He had a receipt in his .packet for sixpence which he paid. He was -gc»iiig to i rame that receipt, And should never S'pay aacSkher sixpeiree. (Laughter and applatse.) :Mr."CharlJones, Arn,said be felt the day vas appwaching wi--n nea-riv.-all the Mon- inouthshire i»3n were ready for amalgamation wi^the Miat rs' Federation of Great Britais.He •! cødd tell th#m,however,that theGlamorgaumen. |j were not ript on the question. (Lw uizhter.) Oiie in fthe Scripteires asked, Who gJmll deliver me| fror.i the hot'y of this as^ith ?" awl they felt thatr telle connefi ^ed with "tie Glamorgan men was to be^onnecte^: with a <S«f,d body/ (Laughfer and app lause.) In his ^nion the National FederatioeKif Great Diitain-ooa,4,1 delIver rthell:. :fuo0m that-f)sition- 3Mr.; Tb« nas Col.Abertili;rrr, havfug a- .firsssed UN, meeting; Mr. Saae lei Smith,^Cwm, said that in the;pit !it: whi«ki^3 worked iaere were 170 mem, all awhom wiPra members of the\lEners' F$.If.er.atÆqn tfc: Greatf Britain. ^Ciieers.) I'he quenion-for, .ihem Wti, Could thf^ afford te work for less in HB92 thtm in 1891 ? <.Cries of "No.") Hefound, ^7* they he 1 to aceejpt the mwai d, that the w as- Mfars wouJd take from the poesof themennd it heir fsm: ilies no less than £ €337 10s a wetk »?nd frora the beginning of the year to, its H)ud '• £ 438,750, Very nearfc" balf,-a,mrillion ofluvotey. fr" Shame.") Were tfeey agreed to the emphy ers '■having'^ "? ("No3; At thee pit they were de- s^oerminei to work for no less this year ttttHi "ihey did lagkt, ear. (Gheei-s.) At the. point Mr. John Wilton, Abercarn, a r member of the ftoak-h Wales Federation, ex- • pressed^ desire te address the,-7neeting, --nfl, the Chairawia bespo^'itr- him a^iO-ient hearing. Mr.vWilton ssid he hoped the fact-of his beinganember oi U.e South-Wales Federation wouldtalot prejadiet their minds against him. (Hear, k ear.) ItafppK.red to him that the-verious speakers, had rnttlat." the Seath Wales fede- ration acme thing terrible. (Giies of i4 So they ought 4t.") The5"sa(id, So they ougfe; to." Perhaps he comld -give them a reason why 1 they ola,ylit not to. At the present time the membeat. of the $oUÏlt Wales-Tederationpnid H) Gd per cionth, and all knew by experience that, that was not enough. If their payment nas Is per Tnex th, and they could oempel men tc. join the Fd&ration, the sw ie as they did in Eegland, he said that the fcouth Wales Federation would in proportion te its nmnbers, he as good a body as the.t-fliners' fi^dei*,tion of Great Br.tain. -No,.BO.") Tkeir weakness found, not in the -Slidi ig Scales, buff because their representa- r :i ves vre not property backed up by the-men, The m2,d ers were of course always well 'hacked 1 zip and the men's reI resenta-fives would tell them that if they were enly properly backeil up j in the saas e way, tliere^ ould have been no-ueed IlØE their accepting a reduction. Re was open to convictkm. He kitfsed against the*?,ward as much as anyom-, and was anxi ous to ^et on the rsght side. (J9k,ar, hear,) The Cfetirman Our ffiend is a^^ood brotber, tet he is-'fetn the wrong s de. (Lasighter.) He Aa *d that if they latd strength and organition they woult be abletto get.^vhat thr haven't,s ot ihink that is a L--ank acfaat wledgment of weaknes. on his «vn sid 3 and of .strength e n OJK;S—(lau^iter)—aud I v, aintaiin tlat he mu.;t oonoe over 4i 1 his OWSl promi Je and joit- us. (LouJ ajepiause.) 'Mr. Jacob'Williamt, Blaim, said hefhoped tha;; the riuneral cermon <;f the tld Juggeixaut of 2. I SliiJiL g Seak. would have b n preaclte i before now. (Laugi ter.) Bp supposed it wat, to have j a new.kase iii South atd Montnotithshirfc, and its old I T, ti% )-3 lot- withstanding the large amoteat that had been spesiit fj om Al* rcarn topondoe in tryingio bury the latter. (laughter.), He begged to move the following resolution.-—" Tlat- thk xaoeting is of opieion that the signing of iiidividuail con- tracts wot-Id be tisastrout to us as3 a mining com- munity, ;&iid we emphatically refuse tc sign under any consideration M hate vec (Cheefci.) Mr. Jes&e Dagger, Abeftillery secondec-itbe proposition, wbiab was carried unamnacruely, amid applause. Vot&f. or ,th.wk: irsrc 71 to the chairnsm and spaaKer-s, alter which the prowedi.,ioiite-r- minated.

MI3fE:SfcS"5 MEETING AT ABERCARN. A miners meeting was held at the Salvation ArsayHall, on Teasaay morning, for the purpose of receiving the delegates report of the Aber- dareconference, which was held on Monday. Mr. Wm. James presided over the meeting, and was supported by Messrs. Alfred Onions (Miners' representative), George Lewis. and others. Mr. W. James then recapitulated Monday's procee&ngs at Aberdare. Mr. Oifions said several men at the Prince of Wales Pit had signed number two agreement by mistake. He was, however. glad to have re- ceived a letter from Mr. W.iJones (manager) stating that those who wished could have them erased. He, with others, went to the manager and gave him the decision of the Aberdare meet- ing, stating there was a unanimous vote not to sign the truck clause, or truck book No. 2. He then advised everyone present to abide loyally by the Abardare meeting. A long discussion then ensued, after which the following resolution was unanimously passed: That we accept our delegates' report of the Aberdare conference, and that we loyally abide by the business done, and that we personally vote here against signing book o. 2." Mr. W. James said that although- there appeared to be 1-0 harm in No. 2 book. he was afraid there was. He then went on to say that he knew a collier who had bought some bouses at Cross Keys and chaiged £ 1 a month for them, but failed to get his rents regularly and pot them in the hands of the colliery officials at Risca office, when those rents went up suddenly to a guinea a house. He did not believe in allowing gaeh things as tLes > to happen. At Abercaru +,{» £ jre was a long list of stoppages on the men's .K every pay, but they were stopped with- jUt the men whether they agreed to if pr lot. tagre discussio, i took place, after which Much t8/?re dlscussio^ took place, [after which i vote of concluded the proceedings.

I ACTION OF THE PONTNEWYHYDD MEN. A meeting of the Blaensychan and Llanerch workmen was held at the Merchant's-hill Chapel, Pontnewynydd, on Wednesday morning, when there was a crowded attendance. Mr. James Maggs presided, and was supported by Mr. W. Brace, miners' agent, and Mr. W. Whit-combe, Mountain Ash, representing the Engineers and Stokers' Asssciation. The Chairman, in commencing the proceedings, said they left the Crumlin meeting on the under- standing that they were not asked to sign any document. Finding they had been expected to sign, they returned nome to consult one another as to the best mode of action for the future, aud that was the reason of their meeting that morn- ing. (Applause.) Mr. \\1. Brace said he was astonished to find that after all the dirty tricks done at Cardiff, some of the leaders of the South Wales Federation said they ought to honour Sir Wm. Thomas Lewis for his great abilities as a Welsh- man. (Haar.) He (the speakei) hoped it would not be his lot to deai with Sir W. T. Lewis, for, he had never much respect for him. (Hear, hear.) A marked change had taken place in the pro- gramme. Their opponents had said they were going to smash the Miners' Federation, but they were alive and kicking yet. (Hear, hear.) It was surprising to find some of the leaders of the South Wales Federation, admitting that the Miners' Federation of Great Britain was the only organisation that could save them in this part of the country. They had known that long ago, but they were glad to find others admitting it. That was what was said by Mr. Isaac Evans. Mr. Rowlinson had been rather hard upon Mr. Isaac Evans, saying that was what he always said after a scale revision, but it was no use his saying that unless he put his speech into practice. (Cheers ) He (Mr. Brace) had written to the representatives of the Ocean Colliery—which was a very dark spot—informing them that lie would be glad to do all he could for them and to form a district for them till they could sup- port an agent for themselves. The time was ripe for action. They were feeling the smart of sliding scales. Their harvest was come, ¡ and lie believed that what had occurred would ba the means of getting 1000 men into the Miners' Federation oi Great Britain. (Cheers.) Every man should co-operate towards that end. Independent of ¡' Mr. Isaac Evans and the Ocean colliers, he had received an application from Porth for rules, as they were men who thought they would connect themselves with the National Federation. (Cheers.) No agitation had taken place there, ior the men had come forward of their own acsord. The point affecting them in that dis- trict was that all men in a minority should, through force of circumstances, sign the agree- ment. Some men had gone to work without signing the agreement, and if he had his way all present should go to work without s;gumg an 5 agreement. (Cheers.) It would appear that the aacn belonging to the Llanerch, Blaensychan, Six Bells, and Lianhiiieth would have to fignt the battle on behalf of the National Federation, for they were all conoocted with one company, ati4 that company was connected with the Coal- owners' Association. The Risca me: being in a gnoat minority, had been allowed to sign but lie had attended a meeting at which a unanimous -Resolution was passed not to sign any agreement on future. He believed they would nave the I t ■majority of the Risca men with them in a short cime. Tife same was the cass also at Abercarn. -One man who had been a member of the South Wales Federatiom had declared himself in favour of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. That man was turned back and not allowed to work feat, if necessary, the Federation would support him. {Cheers") At Cwmtillery the 400 Federation men had resolved that they would not go down the pit unless their fellow-workmen would.join the Union, aad their fellow-workmen had joined. (Cheers.) At Blaina, the men had signed the agreement but on the distinct under- standing that after the six months were up they would give notice to have nothing more to do with-any siidujg scale. (Cheers.) At Biaensy- chaa, if the employers kept them out longer thac this week, lie would remind them that they had something else to be dealt with then, and thai was the BilJY" '"Screen—(cheers)—and if tl*oy stood'hy the Union he could tell them that tlwjy would not go to work until that thing came doru. (Loud applause.) If the-employers were prepared to-let tiierngo to work this week with- f oat signing any agreement, he advised them to 1 gein pandit a future settlement of the Billy" aoestion. Tne question would have to be fought sooner or later. At Six Bells aud Lianhiiieth, urde1, thee coulpapy, they had no "Billy" .-aa'-een, but, wben they came to .KLaensychan they ieund one invoxistence. Like the otherult was a hr-use coafcaliiery. Whether it was the same scam œ' not he did. tot know. (Cries of Yes.") He had had uo iieply from headquarters since the C/umliu mweting, but had no doubt that on Saturday .-or -Monday those who were iu the Federatium would receive their ftrike pay of [Os. .a -week aucL,!s. per week perchild. Those who itad gone to work without siguing any agreement .would, a» doubt, contribute a levy or i)d. por 1 jreek in order to give- the nms or: strike some- thing more th-in wetk. (Cheers.) He usfked ihem to .,be byal to the Federation, and the 'Federation weuld be loyal to tfeem. (A Voice 'Tl-ose ef,iis at wtwk shooiJd give them a -bulling."} Mr, Brace: If ish to give iialf- | £ -crown there #:iii be »o objection. (Cheers.) Mr. W. Whiteombe next delivered a -brief address, ic the com-se of whici- he said he had keen a .great .advocate of the South Wales federation, and1 must say that if he was not thoroughly converte d tn the Miners' Federation '■ Great Britain he was uaderconviction^Cheers.) .They did not lib.: to throw over tbå--old faith unless there was e, ridence forthcoming and firmi what he nad beard at that meeting he thought the evidence r«&r.ld be ofrthcoming. lie congratulated .them u-.$*i:i their excellent meet- ing. and .trusted, then?- would the thoroughly unanimous. (Cheers.)' The following rcso-Jhsnon wf unanimously agreed to Tllo.t ties. mass meeting of tne Llanerch and Biaensye baa. men,tic hereby pleilge ourselves not to iiign agreement wliatever, but will return te WOl .;if pecso?tted to do so, without signing." A deputation, eorisisti ngjof the Chairman, Mr. John Taylor, and Mr. William :T.s ylor, was ap- pointed to convey the (leasionof the meeting to the British Top pits niee and rhe proceed- ings .shortly afterwards toraunatecL

-+- C COMPACT Y.R., S.W.B. DISTRIBUTION OF PRnæS. The annual distribution cf prizes -took place at the Poutnewydd Hote I. -Pontaervycld, on Tuesdar, Dec. 22nd. Captai n «aeob pi eshied. The Captain, on rising, rt'marked :that they had met.together for the last- tme that year; a^d that she thought the ftrizes tarjy wore about to receive would peove satisfactory to .alL He hO:;led thai next year all -would Brake .ISTI effort to attend Klore drills than they had tht year, and he thought it was one of the imt things -they oughi, to be encouraged in. He o-id tb-iy had all palled together well that year.. x-id thanked those trho hed assisted by collecting cor the prize I fund. Nextjyear he hoped they v. weld he able to have .a good supper, as well as the ;» rizos. After a few ather remarks, the sp.ker tailed upon the Rev,.J. R. Phillips ^chap.lacn of the j battalion) to dk tribute the prizes. The Chaplairt on risings said that h.3 felt nerv much honOured in being asked to dist.iuute tbe prizes that eveniag. He the ccm- pany upon haviiii such a persevering jeaptsin J and (Irill insiructer, and said that he thought v C Compasf ought to do hHlierttan any' otlier company in tSe battalion, and it would irot he the fault of the Captain and Seigaa^i-Instrfctoj* if they did not. Be remarked that it well for the volunteer system when people were j willing to give their maney to support ti. After ) a few other remarks, he proceeded to the? j business of distributing the prizes. The follow- A ing is a list of those who received prizes :— COMPANY PHIZES. Sergt.-Instructor Wm. J. Ayres, £ 2: Ser--t. Oakley. £ l pig Lance Corpl. J. Linnev. v] Corpi- Charles Williams. 15s: Sergt. T. Matthews. 128 6d r Pte. W. T. Williams, 12s 6d: Lance Senrt. H. Newbrey. 7s 6d; Sergt. E. Poole, 7s bd Pte. Samuel Gay, ,JS CorpL Geo. Price,->s Pte. J. Cailaghan, :J8. RECRUITS PRIZES. Pit. F. T. Baker, ]Os: Pte. Clifford Gregory, 5s. DRILL ATTENDANCE PRIZES. Orderly-room sergt. Charles E. Ayres, 12s. 6d. Lance-co'rpl. William Evans. 10s.: Pte. L. Purnell. NS. Pte. Jos. Trask. 7s.; Pte. Edwin Wade. 7- Serst. Sam Hunter, Gs.: Ptes. Augustus Fielding^ Gs.John Thompson, ,"s.; W T. Williams. 4s. Gd! William Williams, 4s. POULTRY PRIZES. Sergt.-instructor W. J. Ayres, goose and cradle Sergt. Thos. Oakley and Lance-corril. Jos. Liixney. proose and shirt each Corpl. Charles Williams and Sergt. Thomas Matthews, goose and whiskey: Pte. W. T. Williams, goose and I-lb. of tea Lance- selgt. H. Newbrey, goose and half-pound of tobacco: n Sergt. E. Coole and Pte. S. Gay, goose and whiskey Corpl. Geo. Price, goose and wine: Ptes. J. Cailag- han and F. T. Baker, goose Ptes. Clifford Gregorv and William Huzzey. duck; Ptes. Joseph Trask. E. Huzzey, and Henry Williams, fowl. After the prizes had been distributed, Sergt E. Coole proposed a vote of thanks to the donors, which was seconded by Sergt. Oakley, and carried with acclamation. Refreshments having been provided, a very fcflj^yabw evening was spent, several capital being tfiygn by njembers of the company.

MR. '\VARJfINGTON, M.P., AT TREDEGAR. Under the auspices of the Tredegar and Sir- howy Liberal Association, a largeiy-attended public meeting was held at the Temperance Jiall, Tredegar, on Tuesday evening, toiiear an address from Mr. C. M. Warmington. Q.C., M.P., to his constituents, and also addresses from Mr D. Lloyd George, M.P., and Dr. W. A. Hunter, M.P. The placard announcing the gathering was a trifle unique. Two of the principal lines at the head of the bill in led letters were, O. the War Path," and Here we are on the scene, thoroughly constitutiona1." The chair was taken by Mr. Henry Bowen, who was supported by the hon. member tor the division, Mrs. Warmington, Mr. Warmington, junior, Mr. W. Davies (London House), Mr, Mark Lewis (late of Tredegar), Mr. T. Hughes (secretary of the West Monmouthshire Liberal Association), Mr. J. M. Francis (secretary of the Liberal Association, Tredegar), Mr. T. Price, the Rev. W. Williams, Councillor Thomas, Mr. Charles Jenkins, Mr. TP-N-. E-, ans (Liberii a,eLt., Rhymney), and others. The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, said it was a matter of regret that they only had one M.P. presezit. Dr. H unter, who was to have attended to unfold his scheme of national in- surance, was prevented from attending. Mr. Lloyd George, who was also to have been present, had telegraphed regretting his absence. Mr. J. M. Francis was called upon to read the communications which had passed. He said he had that day received a telegram from Mr. Lioyd George in these terms:—"Regret inevitable business. Detained tiil over to-morrow. Please explain." Dr. Hunter wrote to Mr. Warmington, on January 1, that be was taken ill with a sharp attack of influenza, and he feared it would be impossible for him to ieave London. The Chairman said since Mr. Warmington had sent him a cheque for ten guineas to relieve the ateeiworkers out of employment it had taKen all notions of makmg a speecn out of his head. He regretted the absence of Mr. Lloyd Geoige, M.P., because they would not near so muca about Disestablishment as they otherwise would. But, proceeding to speak on the subject himself, he went on to say that the Bishop or St. At>aph was tue biggest sinner in the Principality, iJe- cause, when he had a conference in Rhyl to prove tne service of a connection between the Cnurch and State, he was an advocate of morality on the one hand and a seller of tne three X's on the other. Mr. Charles Jenkins then rose to propose in a brief address the following resolution That we, as a meeting of the Tredegar and Sir- howy Liberal Association, and all Liuerals assembled, do hereby heartily approve of the Liberal programme as adopted at the Newcastle Conference, and continued at the Cardiii Con- ference, and pledge ourselves to adhere to the j rin- ciples contained therein. We also hail with satis- faction the prospects of a dissolution of Parliament in the near future, to enable the country to brtatho freely from under the trammels of the present Government. The Rev. William Williams (Tredegar) seconded the motiou, and expressed the hope that something wouid be doue to reform tbfe licensing laws by tne abolition of grocer*' licences. ivir. C. M. Warmington, Q.C., M.P.. who was called upon to support, tHe motion, was very cor- dially received. Me joined -in Tie regret which the chairman had expressed that Le ivas the sole M.P. on the platform. But the absence of the other members was not due to any want of energy on the part of the district association or on the part of mmseif. iioyd txeorge was a young member whose utterances on the subject of tbeCuurch of England in Wales wcie listened to with attention in tne House of Commons. Dr. Hunter had been a friend of his (tHe speaker's) for more than a quarter of a century, f or vvars he had devoted himself to the question whether the State would aliow those wuo had devoted their best days to industry to have no uetier end to their days than the common woridiouse. It *was, no douot, a difficult question, and it raised the question of the thrift 01 the working classes, but ne did not see why the State should not share with the thrift of the working classes in providing a maintenance lor those WHO had reached the age of 00 and w ho had led respect- able lives. Be&ide that source, he looked to the taxation of some of the millionaires of tnia country and of the semi- uiiiiiullaire-s-so ale of those who, in the language of their late friend, Air. Chamberlain, todea not neither uid they spin, and who yet nad a great storehouse of riches. He thought that was another source from whicn they might legitimately draw the provision of, say, Ids. or Ii". bd. per week for those who had attained the age of od years for the rest of their life. (Hear, near.) liiere was another pet child of his own—ue referred to the. taxation of mining royalties, and Le snouid lute to see the mining royalties taxed for a purpose such as he had mentioned. (Hear, ii^ar.) They were on the eve of a great contest. He noticed that the enemy had decided upon their champion for the next election lll that cousti- I tuency. lie had not the pleasure of the acquaint- ance of Mr. H. jii.eieuytii, but what llt had to say was, that what his friends and himself (the speaker) wished was nothing more than an open, fan- stand-up fig at. (Hear, hear). By tue same ngnt as those present were Liberals other men were Conservatives, and other men had not only the right 10 lJe Conservative: but had tne right to ted their iciiows the reasons why they were Conservatives. He believed, as • they had been told, that they would have to light at the next election then- old enemies, be- cause Liberal Unionism was fading away. The Liberal party was the purer and the stronger for those who had left it. The Liberal parly was not-swayed by the bogies which had been raised against Home Rule, and they did not believe tnat the Irish would oa less irzeads to E because thev were to be given greater priviioges. The agitation for Home iLme, he beucved, nad bean an unmixed guuû, be-janse it niade them understand the Irisn better than before. Tiley never now heard of the great diirerences between the English arid the ii-ish_ members in the House of Commons on the .Liberal side. I When Mr. Chamberlain appealed to the Welsh people as Nonconformists to Home Ule upon the ground that it would mean the liand- ing over tne destiaies of Ireland to t'ieaoulan priesthood, he was endeavouring to appeal to that which was basest 1ll man, viz., ledg^oua prejudice, and nothing had snown how true and how clear was the conscience of the Principality as the fact that that appeal had fallen, as it were, on dead ears, Having further referred to Home .Rule. the hon. member passed on to give his adhesion to the claim for tne discstaoasli- ment and disendowmeut of the Churcii in V* ales .and to the claims of labour. The resolution was adopted with acclamation. Other speakers followeu, and at tie C-O-JO tue resolution appended was carried That we. as a meeting of the Tredegar and Sir- loøwv Liberal Association. aiid nil j-uberuis and working men assembled, do hereby express our eiuire approval of the past conduct of our esteemed memoer, C. M. Warmington, Es j., Q.C., and place iuJbim our utmost comidence as being worthy in ail .respect to represent the views of the jttadical constituency of West Monmouthshire in the House of Commons, and we also pledge ourselves to his support against all comers. Totes of thanks concluded the proceed:n £ S»

BRISTOL AND WEST Or hXbbA:>l) BASK. The dir-ectorsof the Bristol and West of Eng- land Bank (Limited) have resolved to recom- mend at the ensuing annual meeting a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum for tae past half year, and a bonus equivalent to ;1 tis. Bd. per cent., im-king a sotal distribution cf in -6s. ôd. per cent. for the year lëdl. The reserve fund h^.s been increased by £ 40.000 receiv ed from premiums on the iast is<uo of shurc;.

— ¡ 1 A reception' -was given to Madame Sarah Bern- T fcwrdt on New Tear's Day at Montreal, andwas ^tended hy a.lf the political, legal, and li;erary notabilities of the city. A large number of Judgi-s. Senators, and Miuisters. with their wives aud daughters, were presented to Madame Bern. hardt. 4, v The pr»ma donna. Aurelia Cattaceo. who was a natjve of Jjaples. diei the other day at Milan, after only ft year of marriage. She hau scarcely p.issed her thirtieth ^ear, ana had still a bri limit, career befcjre ber- It was she who r, g the p.rt of XJcsdt'uioiiu''the hrst penormauec vi O-eilo iu Milan. The Czar is a^i^'irertof the French school of painting, and has t.he hestenlie::tic,n ihar, i of M, Gerome's works: He is g01,i?- it, is stn ted, to add to his gallery mfl! (\f rile pi<"i( r.ai exhibits that were'sent fr>m Paris la ^'v 1 ->i -s-ow, which he noticed iu his tiiree houis visit, to the fine arts section there. A elylishly-dressed tailoress, Alice 1\T. ss by name, appeared at Marylebone Police C- ■•■ -L•■•<.ton, accused on her own confession of s eal '^ga'oaoge from Captain Fry. r. retire midtarv )tli, She was. however., Irele.ise(i from custody, the 1D trate believing that when she went to the Svl she was not in her right mind..» Hitherto the Prini ess Victoria of has been educated in England, but the Prim ess. who is now an intelligent, g.rl sixteen yer.rs "i age. is going to Wellesley Codege. near Hosio-i. Cnited States, to complete her education, The PinicesB is half Scotch by birth. Her father was the Hon. Anfi Cleghoru, who married the Queen oi Hawaii.