South Wales Daily News

hn_ BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, DEATHS -+- BlUTH. PUXLEY.—On the 13cti March, at Maesnielyn, Peu- caerau, Neath, the wife of Capt. George Puxly, of a son. MARRIAGE. HART—WILLIAMS. —March 12th, at Holy Innocents, Hornsey, by the Rev A. Yeatmau, Gilbert Hart, Estl., Derwen House, Crouch End, to Ros;i Ann Williams, youngest daughter of the late Sarah Williams, Lyn- Seigh, Howard-gardens, Roath, Cardiff. 340 DEATHS. THOMAS.—On Friday morning, March 13th, Amelia Thomas, aged 75, willow of the late Samuel Thomas, Penartb, at- the residence of her son, Penarth Dcck. Funeral cn Monday at 4 1).iii. Peacefully passed away. 329 DAVIES.—At Ystrad Rhondda. the 10th in-it., Evan Davies, Piimrose-hiii, age 81. Funeral Friday, for Nebo, at 2.30. 244 LLOYD.—On Wednesday, at Stable House, Dowlais, Henry Lloyd, veterinary surgeon to the Dowlais Co., aged 66 years. Deeply reg-retted. Funeral on Mon- day next at 3.0 ).m. to Pant Cemetery. Friends will kindly accept this intimation. 991

RESIGNATION OF AIR W. D A VIES, M.P. THE resignation of Mr WILLIAM DAVIES, the much respected and popular member for Pembrokeshire, must now be accepted. The honourable member leaves us no alternative. His mind is made up, his decision is irrevoc- able, and accordingly his supporters no longer urge him to reconsider it. The speech in which he made this final announcement yesterday was, in every way, worthy of the speaker. It was generous, large-hearted, and encouraging. Mr DAVIES has placed the Pembrokeshire Liberals under a deep debt 1 of obligation, and the cordial manner in I which they expressed their gratitude at the meeting was no more than what was due. o Mr DAVIES retires from no lack of interest in the cause and from no unwillingness to serve the party, but simply because he finds the task too heavy for his years. He said that, had he been a younger man, he would gladly have borne the burden. But he went far beyond this when he promised to throw himself heart and soul into the next contest, and do all that he I could to secure the return of the candidate selected by the party, whoever that candi- date may be. This is exactly the kind of service which the Liberal party wants every- where. Air declines io support aiiy 1 candidate, however promising, however trustworthy, and however desirable, unless he is the chosen representative of the party. If all t-he Liberals in the county adopt this principle and stick loyally to it, victory clearly lies before them. Something has already been said about Mr WILLTAM REES DA VIES, the eldest son of the sitting member, as the most suitable successor. He is a young barrister known on the South Wales Circuit, a graduate of Cambridge, and a County Magistrate. In these respects even the Tories cannot object to him. But the speech which he delivered last night in re- sponse to the call of the meeting proves him to be a great deal more. He is evidently a sound Radical of strong convictions, prepared to unite with the Welsh Parliamentary party in all their demands for justice to Wales and to Nonconformists generally. Were we not bound, like his father, to await the decision -k-f the Pembrokeshire Liberal party, we should have no hesitation in cordially wel- coming him as a chip of the old block with all the advantages of youth and of the example of one of the best supporters of Liberalism in the country. But, of course, the best service that every one can render to his party is loyalty, and, therefore, we await the decision of those on whom the selection of a candidate rightly devolves, We have no doubt that the Association will make a wise choice, an early choice, and a choice in which they will keep their forces united for the coming struggle. TIre present member will retain the seat until the dissolution of Parliament, but the Liberal electors must get to work at once, and declare with as little delay as possible who the coining man is.

WHAT AFTER THE STRIKE? No sane man can wish for any further prolongation of the Cardiff strikes. The bare rumour of a. probable early settlement is a kind of relief from the severe strain caused by the obstinate refusal, on both sides, to recede one inch from the ground on which they had taken their stand. Temper rose high on both sides, but that was only what everyone must have ex- pected. When men contend for what they believe to be their rights, they cannot but grow warm in the struggle to wrench these rights from their opponents. That union is strength is a maxim which, like most familiar sayings, has its limits, is now beginning to be better understood and admitted than before. When both sides unite against each other, the result is almost sure to be a sort of compromise in which both have to submit tc the inexorable "give and take." This, it may be said, is better than surrendering everything without a struggle, and, no doubt, it is quite true, but it only proves the desirability of both par- ties d"ing their utmost at the out- set to come to terms. Not much good, however, can come out of moralizing and sermonizing at the close or apparent close of these often-recurring disputes between employers and employed. We do not wish to adopt this policy. We will leave it to those between whom the conflict has taken place to ruminate, so to speak, and form their own opinions. The work which the spectator has to do in such a case is to urge both parties once more to agree upon some arrangement which will be likely to render strikes unnecessary in the future. Every reader of the signs of the times must, be satisfied that the men and women of this generation are not willing to accept old traditions as their only privilege and as the only condition on which they have a right to live. What our ancestors may have considered clue by the employed to his employer, or by the master to his servant, is well enough as matter of history, but the mere fact that such and such an arrangement was made, and generally accepted and acted npon last century, goes for nothing now. Every age has an equal right to make its own terms. What those who are now dead and buried considered good enough for themselves may possibly have been good enough for them. If they chose to live under the conditions prescribed to them, they only did what they had a perfect ri^'ht to do. It is clear, how- ever, that what they chose to submit to can be no law or rule for those who have suc- ceeded them. Opinions and agreements can- not be regardedasinheritances, andevenifwe must look upon them in that light, no one is bound to accept an inheritance. It is absurd to quote the old times and to mourn because they have passed away. Old times are very much like old clothes. They were once new, and when they were new the generation that first began to see their children trying them on bewailed their own "old times" in which their forefathers were supposed to have been supremely happy. New conditions cannot be so strained as to fit into old conditions. This generation must earn its own bread, were it for no other reason than that it cannot live and be healthy or happy on the mere crumbs which their ancestors let fall from their tables. If strikes are to be avoided in the future many antiquated notions about the rights of employers and the duties of their workmen must, be dropped, and workmen also must be as willing to concede to employers what can fairly be proved to be their rights. We cannot lose sight of the proposal to form boards of conciliation as one method, at least, of settling disputes, but even with the boards of conciliation there cannot be any permanent agreement so long as either side harps upon use and "wont." "Precedent" is one of the curses of our age. Precedent is the despot's watchward.. Precedent is the common refuge and subterfuge for everyone who wishes to be spared the trouble or the in- convenience of deciding everything upon its own merits. Even the wisest and best of our ancestors were not infallible. If they took the liberty of thinking and judging for themselves, it is ours not to accept their decisions, but to take the same liberty which they considered them- selves justified in taking. The men that made precedents made them for themselves, not for us. We follow their example—not when we adopt their precedents as rules cut and dry, but when we take the trouble, as they did, to judge everything according to our own notion of what is right and what is wrong.

SOUTH WALES NOTES. [BY COSMOS.) SWANSEA OYSTER INDUSTRY. THE state of affairs disclosed by the Board of Trade inquiry into the manner in which the Fisheries Committee of Oystermouth perform their duties is lamentable. There was once a time when 200 boats were em- I ployed in oyster dredging now there are only 20, and the catch is about 550 oysters I to the square mile 1 The board appears to be composed mainly of people who own boats, and its policy seems to have been one of masterly inactivity. It can be well understood that licences in seme instances were not enforced, and that the tolls were illegally reduced to such a sum as would pay a lawyer's bill. Possibly, the fact that a close time was in force is due more to enactment than to local authority. There are one hundred square miles of fishery at Swansea, and a member ?f the board was convinced that the barren patches were the work of Davy Jones 4. No attempt has been made to cultivate this valuable greund, and I no attempt will be made unless the present board is packed off to some Mahommedan country in which their loissr-nvire (Ill: it]-)(le of business would be appreciate"- Anybody who read the account given ill's column a few months since ° oyster cultivation on the French coast vvj know bow valuable the Swansea fishery coul be made by means of care, attention, an enterprise. — THE NECESSITY FOR STATE INTERVENTION- As at Swansea so in other countries y10 oyster industry lias passed through a stage of neglect. In France, Holland, af1 America the natural beds proved qU^9 inadequate to meet the public demands, aS they had been over-fished and depleted like those at Swansea. Foreign took up the subject before absolute destruc- tion had taken place, and it is to be hope that our Government will step in at swanies before it is too late. Swansea has the advantage of possessing the mother oys_ter» which is the pre-requisite of breeding- Moreover, mud, which is hurtful to the young oyster, though favourable to adult, is not redundant on the Gower c^ast* It cannot be too much insisted upon that there are two distinct branches of oyster culture, viz., the breeding and the feeding* requiring different characters of water ground. Although I am not sufficiently acquainted with the Oystermouth ground* to determine whether they are. suitable fot both purposes, yet I should say that the variety could be encountered. Intending ostreculturists should bear in mind that they can obtain a cheap supply of oysters, rang- ing in size from lin. to 2%in., at a very reasonable figure, and that now, when spec steamers have been built for the purpose o* conveying them from France, the mortality in transport is reduced to a minimum. THE MAGNETIC GILBERT AND SULLIVAN- COMIC opera and burlesque, if performed 11 good companies, are always sure of drawi°S full houses in Cardiff. This week, the climatic conditions, the Theatre Roy* has been crowded, and on many nigbtS there has not been even standing rool"* Most people are inclined to admit tbat of all the productions of the celebrated pair the Mikado bears off the palm, alld this is the play which is to be staged thf afternoon and evening. On the other h»nd» owing to the strike, the blood and thunder drama has not be.n without its patrons, ut as a rule this class of histrionics rnainv appeals to the pit and the gallery, ifr#1 comedy and good drama do not attract richer section of playgoers, but give the011 pretty dresses and faces, smart song?' dances, and general frivolity, and they flock to the theatre in shoals. It is that they desire to be amused, not instructed' THE INQUIRY INTO THE RAILWAY HOLTIT"- AccoRDnsro to the evidence which bJØ, already been given to the Select Comnaitto of the House of Commons, appointed to inquire into the hours of labour of OWOI servants, there is a definite act in land upon the subject. Hutchinson, the inspector of the Board Trade, is an undoubted authority upon subject, but most people will be inclined differ from him in his statement that, duTJW the last three years in which he had cDØ ducted inquiries into about 200 accidentS, he did not remember more than ooe case in which the accident could be directly attributed to working overtime. It stands to reason that a man who ^°rnj long hours cannot be in such a comp^ condition as if he get, his right amount sleep. But one accident is surely en°° £ However, his suggestions are more to .19 point. He considers, and rightly, that eve a day ought to be considered by itself, ø that a man ought not to put in in one day hours sufficient for two. In an inpor" ant signal cabin 12 hours he thought too long, and where there were four the hours should not exceed eight. engine driver's day ought not to exceed hours, or from 60 to 65 hours per. "eebt Of recent years Major Hutchinson said strain on engine drivers had decreased, it had increased in the case of signal10 Now, the latter is the more responsibly Zp of the two, for the engine-driver has his 0^ life to risk, which is an incentive to vi^ug whereas the signalman is in no danger, the increased strain on the engine-d* wauld not have so much effect as üpon tbe signalman, as a mistake means death tO former, and keeps his attention active, though the brain and body be weary. ANOTHER SOP TO THE VOLUNTEERS- J. THE War Secretary has thrown another crumb to the Volunteers in the matter i- equipment. At present the grant for tfill forms is fixed at 12s per man in all cg\Jv but under the modified scheme those ments whose tunics are buff will be allow 15s, and those with black or brown 13s- addition to this the allowance for cvercO# which is 12s, paid by six yearly insitalinea- of 2s, is to be paid at once, so that teers who have drawn 2s, 4s, or 6s iot purpose will receive a balance to the total paid by the War Office. not all that was asked for by the Volun officers, but it is better than nothing. suggested changes are to come into ope of tion at once—or at least before the close the present financial year. A REPUDIATED CHARGE AT ABERDAR^J AT a recent meeting of the Merthyr tjlg&t of Health it was alleged by a member of the town had lost interest during a course io years to a somewhat surprising extent, tha consequence of the repeated delays oJ1 part of the Aberdare Local Board to over tlieir quota to the joint sewage account. This looked as though Aber^ej had been, as the footballers say, ^LpV tricky." But the charge was dinted by the members of the Abe Board on Friday. The letter, which rit1.' been sent from the Merthyr was not read out at the meeting ftpe^ that had been reported in the P tye respecting the alleged remissness 0°^ part of Aberdare was generally Further, it was stated that, as a fa (iery, the Aberdare Board's Clerk, the made out the accounts and paid oer cheque before any bill was sent the suggestion was thrown out tna Merthyr people were not quite sure ^ey to make out the accounts, which gp ought have forwarded. I thied explanation may very reasonably be for at the next meeting" of the Me authority. THE HISTORY OF THE -ed MOST of us who have not studi e io, question have been content to put to ventioll d the thermometer gety Newton, though of course he t;e6 improved upon the idea. Iron no doe that the invention of the instrument 1 ho to the celebrated Van Helmont? Jjj0 devised an apparatus which, to co°' words, was "to prove that the wa tained in a bulb attached to a te&' rises or descends according to „ perature of the surrounding medinO^^ti* the seventeenth century, Galileo, Searpi, Fludd, Borelli, and other s?Lec^0^ of the epoch made researches in thisd ^cCe9?' which were not always crowned with s About 1650 the members of the Acc del Cimento, Florence, introduced 111 thermometer certain improvements^ gave it nearly the form that it has and its principle was based upon tli^ sion of liquids. The tube was i' coloured alcohol. In order to grad it was taken to a cellar, and the place restí. marked where the liquid came to Then, starting from this, the P situated above and below the m3, divided into one hundred equal the latter part of the seventeenth K the physicist, Renaldini, of Pisa, a pro Padua, proposed that all thermomete take the freezing-point of water 3- tb5t £ point, and as a second fixed P°"r oed which alcohol rises in a tube dipp to V* melted butter, the intervening spcee divided into equal parts. From t"1.-$Sr then, dates the present thermome ^(jP the first instrument due to this in\truCt0^ dates back to 1701. This was cons & by Newton, and was the first the 1« giving comparable readings. He rfjpt t seed oil, which is capable of supp higher temperature than alcoho boiling, and his fixed point c* 8 of for the upper limit was the wjiiit human body, and for the lower which the oil stops at the momen gelation. -Ad =-==

A CARD.— An miportant chscov {0[ in the Pan's Figaro of a valuable^ "disea^f fof debiUcy, physical exhanstioii. ki kindred complaints. The thbcove y j0»eph ^n<jol», missionary in Old Mexico Cfi Bloomsbury .Mansions, Bloom.b^? of cha^o# W.C.. will send the presenpoon tre receipt of a self-addressed 57^ tkis papar