South Wales Daily News

I FROST AND SNOW here was a heavy fall of snow in Leamington i t other parts of North Warwickshire early on morning. The whole country-side i tjQ^^ts a most wintry aspect. Hunting opera- Oh oave t0 be suspended. yve *1 Saturday there was a keen frost at Hamp- of an<J a thin coating of ice formed on most on Hampstead He&lh is the early lb lb

THE INDIAN WAR. TRIBESMEN SUBMITTING. BRINGING IN SUPPLIES. GHURKA SCOUTS' FINE RECORD. [REUTER'S SPECIAL SERVICE.] SHAWTANDI, Saturday, 1.34 p.m.—Sir William Lockhart is now well into the Ali Sherzai country, and is expected to arrive at Khanki Bazar to-day. This is the most fertile valley the force has yet visited. The tribesmen are apparently submis- sive and are coming in with supplies. KHANKI BAZAR, Saturday (via Karappa), 8.40 p.m.—Sir Wm. Lockhart, with General Gaselee's Brigade, arrived here to-day. The tribesmen are bringing in supplies freely, and have made no show of hostility. MOVEMENTS OF TROOPS- MASTURA, Saturday, 5.55 p.m -The following movements have been ordered ;-The 30th Punjab Infantey, with the Madras Pioneers and the Nahha Infantry, will proceed to Mastura on the 7th inst., and join General Hart's Brigade. To- morrow General Gaselee's Brigade will proceed via the Arhanga Pass to join General Hart's Brigade at Mastura on the 7th. General Symonds, with these two brigades, will start the next day down the Mastura Valley to Bara. The telegraph has been dismantled back to the Dargai Kotal. THE GURKHA SCOUTS A FINE RECORD. KARAPPA, Sunday,.—Without instituting in- vidious comparisons, it is only right to mention that general admiration has been expressed of the splendid work done by Gurkha scouts, who have arrived here under Captain Lucas and Lieut. Bruce. They have fought in no fewer than 25 day engagements, irrespective of several night stalkin affairs. They have during the campaign accounted for more than their own strength of the enemy in killed, and have themselves only lost one killed and two wounded. Their services have from first to last been invaluable, and they have shown themselves quite as expert as the Afridis themselves in guerrilla warfare. OFFICIAL TELEGRAMS. The following telegrams have been received at the India Office Calcutta, Dec. 4. Tirah. Destruction of remaining Khani Khel villages completed in the face of a strong opposition, heights being taken with bayonet. Many killed and wounded. Our casualties were:—5th Gurkha Regiment, 1st battalion-killed, two wounded slightly, Major E. Vansittart; 3rd Sikh Infantry wounded severely, two Gaselee again visited Lozaka Toi destroyed defences of Gar Masswzai villages no opposition. General officer commanding Peshawar column reports rumoured gathering Aka and Zakka Khels to oppose working parties. One man of 9th Bengal Infantry, which force was covering working parties 3rd December, near Gandas Pass, dangerously wounded." Calcutta, Dec. 5.-Tirab. My telegram in the military department of the 4th December General Lockhart wirea Gaselee's force concen- trated on 4th December Khanki Bazar. No opposition experienced. Inhabitants returned to deserted Massuzai villages. Heliographic com- munication between Shinawari and Khanki Bazar opened via Dargai. All British wounded in Rawal Pindi and Nowshera General Hospitals doing well except 2,341 Sergeant Warner, Royal West Kent Regiment, 1st Battalion. Villiers Stuart doing well. Full report will be sent. Malakand. My telegram in the military de- partment of 24th November. Utmen Khels having completed all terms, troops returning to their posts,"

TURKEY AND GREECE. THE TREATY SIGNED AT LAST. CONSTANTINOPLE, Saturday. The Protocol relating to Article XI. of the Peace Preliminaries was signed at 3 o'clock this afternoon. All the clauses having thus been disposed of, the defini- tive Treaty of Peace was then signed as a whole by the Turkish and Greek Plenipotentiaries.— Iteuter.

THE POWERS AND TURKEY. GOVERNORSHIP OF CRETE. PORTE'S FINANCIAL SHUFFLING. CONSTANTINOPLE, Saturday.—The Ambassadors at their meeting yesterday, discussed the qualifi- cations of the candidates put forward by Russia for the Governor-Generalship of Crete. It is not yet known whether all the Cabinets have approved the selection of M. Petrovics. The representatives of the Great Powers like- wise discussed the proposed identical note to the Porte containing the claims for indemnities for losses sustained by foreigners at the time of the riot here in 1895. Some of the Ambassadors are awaiting the approval of their Governments of certain passages in the text. It is proposed that the Foreign Ministers representing countries which have also claims against the Porte shall sign the note, which will be submitted in a few days. As regards the Porte's circular relating to an advance from the Ottoman Bank, the matter is still in statu quo. A settlement, however, is nearer now that the peace treaty has been signed. Diplomatic relations can now be resumed, and the Porte will then be able to deal with the matter directly with Greece. The Porte never- theless continues to demand an advance of 100,000 Turkish pounds on the guarantee of the war indemnity, and declares that it is ready to assure the Embassies verbally that part of the money will be utilised to begin the evacuation of Thessaly. The bank, however, insists that the Embassies must take note of the circular before a further advance is made.-Reuter.

THE LAGOS HINTERLAND DIFFICULTY. DEPARTURE OF A TELEGRAPH CORPS. About noon, on Saturday, Messrs Elder, Dempster and Co.'s steamer Bonny sailed from the Mersey for the West coast of Africa. Among her passengers were Lieutenant E. V. Turner, Royal Engineers, and the following non-commis- sioned officers of the same corps. Sergeant J. Collins, Corporal C. Rubing, Lance-Corporals L. Browning, W. Linder, D. Nevard, and sappers W. Hoare, F. Lewis, C. Marks, J. Ryan, C. W. Snooks, H. Woodhead, and H. Towfett. The men are going to Lagos to erect a telegraph line of about 350 miles in length from that place into the interior. The wire for this distance went out some weeks ago. The Bonny had with her a large quantity <:> of telegraphic material, including insulators, bolts, and other articles for the erection of the line. Each non-commissioned officer will be in charge of about fifteen natives for the construction of a line, and each will be appointed to a different district. Lieutenant Turner, who is in charge of the telegraph expedi- tion, has not been to West Africa before. Lieutenant H. R. Monck-Mason and Lieutenant A. K. Stubbs are also on board the Bonny going out to Burutu, which is near the Royal Niger Company's military station at Gana-Gana, in the lower River, and Major fI. L. Searle is also going out in the Bonny on account of the Niger Coast Protecto-te.-Reuter. SIR W. MAXWELL COMING HOME. CAPE COAST CASTLE, Saturday.—Sir William Maxwell, Governor of the Gold Coast, loft here to-day for England on board the Bakana.-Rculer.

TO- DAY'S WEATHER,4.30A.M TO-DAY'S FORECAST FOR ENGLAND, S.W., AND SOUTH WALES. Light breezes, chiefly southerly; dull, misty some rain. GENERAL.—Dull unsettled weather seems likely to continue for a time in most districts. GENERAL FORECASTS. The following forecasts were prepared last night at the Meteorological Office at eight o'clock:— DISTRICTS— Light westerly or variable 9. Scotland, N. breezes, backing later and 1. Scotland, E. increasing; unsettled rain at times. Southerly or south-westerly 2. England, N.E. winds, light unsettled; rain at times. rain at times. 3. England, E. 4. Mid. Counties.. Light variable breezes; doll; 5. Eng. S. (Lon- misty; some rain, and Channel) 6. Scotland, W. South-westerly winds, bacfe- 7.England,N.W., • ing later; unsettled at & North Wales. times. & North Wales. times. 8. England, S.W.) Light breezes, cheily south- & South Wales. erl^ dul1! mlsty: some rain. 9. Ireland, N ) Wind backing to the south- 10. Ireland, S J

THE ENGINEERS. A GLOOMY OUTLOOK. MANIFESTO FROM THE MEN'S SIDE. AN APPEAL TO TRADES UNIONISTS. CONTINUED SUPPORT ASKED FOR. The Press Association telegraphing on Sunday evening says :—Sufficient time has elapsed since the formal adjournment of the conference to enable the feeling to be pretty accurately gauged to the existing deadlock and of the outlook generally. As stated on Friday night, the opinion of representatives on the men's side ex- pressed very shortly after the delegates had left Westminster was that the employers' conditions would be rejected at the ballot by an overwhelming vote. Every word uttered since by any Unionist having a claim to speak with authority more than confirms the view to which utterance had already been given. It is now admitted that amongst the delegates of the affiliated societies a section, relatively small in number, was averse to discussing the employers' proposals when formally laid upon the table, and that the two or three members who took this high ground found encouragement in their attitude from letters received from country branches urging that the conditions sought to be imposed now that they had been published were seen to be such as to preclude the possibility of acceptance. Repre- sentatives of allied trades wrote to Westminster that they viewed with grave concern the pro- posals, and implored the men's delegates not to agree to the same but rather to go on fighting. COMMITTEE SUPPORT THEIR DELEGATES. On Saturday night Messrs Bigby, Craven, and Shea, the three selected by the Joint Committee, attended at headquarters in Blackfriaxs- road for the purpose of describing their part in the conference proceedings and of taking counsel with their fellows as to the future. The result of the deliberations was the unanimous adoption of the following resolution :—" That having heard the report of the delegates to the conference, this committee ia in thorough accord with their action, and with confidence leaves the issue to the intelligence of the members of the allied trades, who have now to decide by their vote the upholding of the fundamental principles of Trades Unionism."

A MANIFESTO TO TRADES' UNIONISTS. The Joint Committee will also issue the following manifesto :— Eight Hours Day Joint Committee, Nelson- square, Blackfriars, S.E., Dec. 6th, 1897. Fellow Workers,—For the past 22 weeks we have been engaged in fighting the most deter- mined onslaught ever waged upon the citadel of Trades Unionism. Originally a local movement for the establishment of an eight hours' working day in the engineering industry in the London district, it has developed through the action of the federated employers into an organised attempt on their part to resist the right of the workers to efficiently combine for trade purposes. "We desire to place on record our sincere appre- ciation of the financial support accorded to us as a joint committee during this struggle, and venture to appeal for a continuance of that sup- Eort in a larger measure if possible. True, we ave accepted the intervention of the Board of Trade, and entered into conference with the federated employers. This by no means guarantees a settlement of the dispute. the settlement accepted provisionally by our re- presentatives, is subject to the approval of our members, who will be called upon to record their opinion by ballot vote. This will necessarily take time. In the meantime, it is essential that we should In the meantime, it is essential that we should be in a position to meet our liabilities to those men who have so determinedly, and without complaint, fought the battle of organised labour. Further, we venture to emphasise the desirability of backing up the representatives who are voicing our demands by the knowledge of the fact that we have behind us the goodwill and hearty fianancial support of those who will share with us the advantages to be derived from a victory for Trades Unionism. On behalf of the London Joint Committee, we remain, yours sincerely, Moss Sidgwick, chairman; H. J. Colley, treasurer David Brown, secretary." A STRUGGLE WITH ORGANISED CAPITAL. A meeting was held on the Thames Embank- ment on Sunday afternoon, at which Mr David Brown, of the Joint Committee, reviewed the history of the struggle. He did not doubt that if the Employers' Federation succeeded in en- > forcing their conditiona upon the men other Unions would have to follow. The employers were backed up by the wealthy with the object of stopping any advanced labour movement. This struggle did not rest with the engineers alone, but with the cotton operatives and with the railwayman. It was the duty of ihese also to stiffen their backs and resist the forces of capitalism. "COLD AND CALCULATED BRUTALITY." Mr John Burns, M.P., in an interview said his predictions as to what the employers were likely to do had been only too fully verified. He had prophesied that they would promise, pause, and postpone. Their action was cold and calculated brutality. He now warned the men that by accepting the proposals they would be selling the pass for an other trades. He believed that throughout the country the engineers would do as they had always hitherto done. They would give in the ballot a free view of their own opinion. The vote would be either for admitting defeat without signing any agreement or for fighting manfully to the end. PROPOSED NATIONAL CONFERENCE. Some steps have already been taken with tb "• view to calling a national conference of Trf Unionists to consider the general position 4 also the best methods of assisting the engmaew* THREATENED ACTION OF SHEFFIELD EMPLOYERS, It is stated in employers' circles in Sheffield that if the men's ballot is against the terms offered by the employers in conference a number of additional firms in Sheffield, Barnsley, and Chesterfield will lock-out their engineers. The men have met and denounced the masters' terms. About a thousand railway men in Sheffield have signed the strike notices representing about 50 per cent. of the whole. MEN'S LEADERS DETERMINED. The Central News says All appearances seem to show that the engineers are determined to keep out rather than accept the terms laid down by the employers for their acceptance. Speaking on this point, one of the oldest members of the A.S.E. and a member of the Executive Council said to a Central News reporter on Sunday, Colonel Dyer has always preached peace, and this is the peace he offers, but there is not an English work- man who will accept such a thing so long as he has a drop of blood in his veins. Our men won't." Mr Alfred Sellicks, chairman of the Executive Committee, said, The Old Guard never sur- rendered, and we are goin to follow their ex- ample. Our men will fight this out. There ia no question about it. This thing will be voted down by a hundred to one. Every man I have spoken to Fight,' and what is more they are willing to double their levies rather than go under. We shall meet on Tuesday week, but unless the em- ployers are in a more reasonable frame of mind it will be what Artemus Ward calls a fite.' MR SAM WOODS ON THE MASTERS' ATTITUDE. At a meeting in support of the locked out en- gineers, held at Walthamstow on Sunday after- noon, a letter was "read from Mr Sam Woods, M.P., in which the hon. gentleman said, I think every fair-minded person who has carefully fol- lowed the proceedings of the engineers' confer- ence must see that the employers have mani- fested neither any spirit of compromise or of fair- plav. They seem to think that the men should make all the concessions and that they (the em- ployers) should have everything their own way. I venture to think that this is not what the country or even the Board of Trade had in view when the conference met. What was expected was that both sides would make fair a.nd reason- able concessions, and thus effect a settlement that would put an end to a terrible conflict. As things seem, the struggle must go on, and in my judg- ment the unbending attitude of the employers is solely responsible for this. The country and public opinion will come to this conclusion, and public opinion, which is even stronger than the Em- ployers' Federation, will come to the aid of the men." ONE EFFECT OF THE STRIKE. Sir William Armstrong, Whitworth and Co., Elswick, have given notice that on and after the 8th inst. short time, 36 hours instead of 54 hours a week, will be worked in their shipyard owing to shipbuilding being far ahead of engineering work. Several thousand men are affected. SYMPATHY AT CARDIFF. DEMONSTRATION AND PUBLIC MEETING. A demonstration of trades took place in Cardiff on Saturday, the object being to elicit sym- pathy with the locked-out engineers. There was not a large muster, although the weather was dry. The Operative Plasterers, the Labourers' Union, the Sailors' and Firemen's Union, and other trade organisations displayed their hand- some silken banners, and were preceded in each case by a brass band. A start was made from Westgate-street at 3.30, and the procession passed into St. Mary-street, thence along Duke-street, Queen-street, Newport-road, Clifton-street, Con- stellation-street, Adam street, Bute-terrace, and thus back to the centre of the town. A collection in aid of the engineers' fund was taken en route and realised about JE15. In the evening a meeting in sympathy- with the engineers was held at the Colonial Hall, pre- sided over by Mr Graham, of the Cardiff Trades Council, under whose auspices the meeting and demonstration were held. Letters of apology for .non-attendance were read from Mr Joan Burns, M.P., Sir Charles Dilke, M.P., Mabon, M.P., Mr Alfred Thomas, M P., and Mr A. E. Fletcher. A letter was also read from Mr D. A. Thomas, M.P., who said he had not followed the details of the engineering dispute, but if what the workmen alleged was correct, namely, that this was an attempt on thf; part of the employers to break up their Union, then he said without hesitation that it was a very short-sighted policy on the part of the employers, and one which should be resisted to the bitter end by the workmen. At the same time, Mr Thomas urged that, at a moment when negotiations were pending for a settlement of the dispute, every speaker should be very guarded in his utterances, and be more than usually careful not to say anything which might be misconstrued into a desire to prejudice the negotiations. Councillor John Jenkins moved a resolution protesting against the arbitrary attempt of the einployers to subvert the independence and freedom of combined workmen, pledging the meeting to support the locked-out engineers, and appealing to the organised trades and the public of Cardiff and district to support the engineers in their fight for the rights of the industrial workers. He declared that this was the most cold-blooded warfare ever waged by capital against labour in the history of this country and asserted that the attitude of the employers since entering the conference had had no affinity whatever with the principle of concilia- tion.—Mr Salmon, president of the Millers' National Union, seconded the resolution, saying that the engineers had been compelled to come down from their position as the aristocrats of labour organisations, and to recognise that the interests of all workers, whether they were skilled or unskilled, were inseparable.—Mr Leslie John- son, of the Seamen's Chronicle, supported the resolution, which met with unanimous acceptance.

THE CRISIS IN AUSTRIA. DISTURBANCES AT PRAGUE. VIENNA, Saturday.—According to the Buda- pt&ter Corrtispondenz, the Emperor Francis Joseph to-day received Count Gofushawski, Dr. Von Gautcsh, and Count Banffy together. The Hun- farian Premier will on Monday submit to the lower House at Budapest a Bill making indepen- dent provisional enactments relative to the main- tenance of the status quo between Austria and Hungary as regards the Austro-Hungarian Bank and the commercial policy of the Empire. Braon Gautsch, the Premier, continues to nego- tiate with the representatives of the Constitu- tional Landed Proprietors, the German Pro- gressist and Nationalist parties, the Christian Socialist Association, and the Free Association, in order to bring about an understanding on the two burning questions of the day, viz., the Lan- guage Ordinances and the Austro-Hungarian com- promise. As the conferences are still proceeding, all the statements hitherto published by the news- papers concerning their result are merely conjec- tural. Several journals state that the Premier yesterday received a deputation from the Senate of the German University at Prague re- questing protection from the Government, which Baron Gautsch promised to afford. Deputations from the German University and the German Technical High School in the Bohemian capital also waited upon the Minister of Public Instruc- tion in order to discuss with him the question of continuing or suspending the lectures. The Austrian delegation to-day concluded the general debate on the common Austrian and Hun- garian Army estimates. The German Nationa- lists and the Christian Socialists declared that they would not vote for the estimates owing to the unfairness of the partition of the expenditure between'the two halves of the monarchy.—Renter. PRAGUE, Saturday.—Shortly before midnight yesterday a rocket filled with gunpowder was exploded outside the premises of a Jewish shop- keeper at Laun. No damage was done. Three persons were arrested in connection with the affair, and one of them has confessed his guilt. At Tabor yesterday evening the Czechs made attacks upon the houses of the Jews and broke the windows of the Synagogue. Five arrests were effected. The gendarmerie has been reinforced, and the military called out. At Pilsen the even- ing passed off without disturbance, but at Braunau there was an outbreak against the Czech population. Over 1,000 persons proceeded to the houses inhabited by the Czechs, and notwith- standing the intervention of the gendarmerie and the local police broke a large number of win- dows. Quiet was restored about midnight. The night passed quietly, and there haa been no further disturbance up to the present hour. Demonstrations are reported from several of the provincial towns, but they arc unattended by any serious rioting. A search made to-day at certain houses in the Brent Gasse, from the windows of which shots were fired during the recent disturbances, re- sulted in the seizure of two revolvers, and three persons were taken to the police station on sus- picion. Last night 67 persons were brought up on various charges.—Renter.

APPEAL TO BOARD OF TRADE. MR RITCHIE DECLINES TO INTERVENE. MEN'S METHOD OPPOSED TO CONCILIATION. THEIR DUTY TO THE PUBLIC. RECEPTION OF THE LETTER. OPINION IN LONDON TRADE CIRCLES. MASS MEETINGS IN SOUTH WALES. The following letter, dated Saturday, has been addressed by the Board of Trade to the secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Ser- vants :— Sir,—I am directed by the Board of Trade to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yester- day's date addressed to the president directing his attention to the agitation for improved con- ditions of employment by men employed upon various railways in England and Wales, and requesting Mr Ritchie's intervention in the matter with a view to bringing about a con- ference of representatives of the men and the companies to discuss the various points at issue. You state that you forwarded to each of those companies a document in which various grade proposals were merged together, that you invited replies to those documents by November 16th, and that you offered to refer the matters to arbitration if the companies could not see their way to accede to your demands. You add that there appears to be great determination on the part of a very large number of men to force their claims upon the consideration of the com- panies, and that it is the special desire of all that any such calamity as a general railway strike should be avoided, and you ask the intervention of the Board of Trade in order to persuade the companies to meet the representatives of the men in conference before and not after a strike. In reply I am to state that your letter contains no copy of the document to which you refer, but when it appeared in the Press the Board made themselves acquainted with the proposals con- tained therein, and have since that date watched with some apprehension the course which has been adopted by the Amalgamated Society with regard thereto. The Board of Trade regret that neither from the manner in which the document containing the proposals was presented to the companies nor from the matter which it contains was the prospect of a friendly reception of it by the companies made hopeful; and the Board are unable to consider that even if they were disposed to urge upon the companies the request made by you for a conference with this document as a basis a favourable answer would be given to such a request. Railwaymen have onerous and responsible duties to perform, and they have deserved well of the State. They stand in an exceptional position among workmen, and Parliament has recognised that fact by passing legislation dealing with their hours of labour. The Railway Regulation Act, 1893, has provided means by which questions of excessive hours of labour may be brought before this Department and dealt with. Under that Act many representations in favour of a reduction of hours have been made by the Board of Trade to individual companies, and the Board feel it right to say that, as a rule, companies so addressed have readily acceded to suggestions made to them by the Department in the interests of the men. The Board have no reason to doubt that the several companies will listen to and discuss with men of their employment any representations with regard to matters affecting the interests of the latter but should there be a case in which difficulty occurs in obtaining such a friendly meeting, the Board will readily use their good offices with a view to the removal of the difficulty. The opposite policy, namely, that endeavouring to deal with tho companies as a body, presents no prospect of success, and the Board feel that no good purpose would be served by entering into negotiations with the companies with a view of obtaining a conference. They regret, therefore, that they must definitely decline to intervene in the manner suggested in your letter. In conclusion, I am to say that any attempt to force the claims of the men by a strike would be entirely inconsistent with the exceptional position which the men have claimed from, and which has been secured to them by, the Legis- lature, and would show such entire disregard for the convenience of the travelling public as the Board of Trade refuse to believe that any con- siderable proportion of the men would desire to display. (Signed) COUKTENAY BOYLE. LETTER CREATES A SENSATION. The Uenfcral News learns that the letter of the Board of Trade refusing to interfere in the railway dispute was received by the so-calied forward section of the society officials with some- thing approaching consternation. The refusal and the severe terms in which it was worded were entirely unexpected, and the disappointment was correspondingly great. From inquiries made in Trade Union quarters generally, the Central News further learns that the attitude of the Board of Trade will receive the approval of the great majority of working men, especially if the railway companies continue to display the same conciliatory disposition towards their men as they have recently exhibited. There is almost a consensus of opinion that the reply of the Board of Trade following closely as it has done upon publicly expressed counsels of modera- tion given by some of the railwaymen's own leaders will effectually check the strike move- ment, which, it is maintained, has been from the first largely artificial in its character and in all probability cause its ultimate collapse. A special meeting of the Executive Council of the Amal- gamated Society of Railway Servants will be held immediately to consider the situation. GAUGING THE MEN'S OPINIONS. Saturday was a da.y of maiked activity at the Gffices of "the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, and the impending crisis in the railway service throughout the country becomes more acute as the date for receiving the replies to the notices sent out during the past month draws near. Up to Saturday afternoon a large number of replies to the notices sent out to the men employed on the various railway lines were received at the society's offices, but the nature of the communications cannot he made known until after the meeting of the Executive takes place. This will in all probability be on Wed- nesday next. The whole of the replies are due in this evening, and on Tuesday, when the Executive Committee resume their special meet- ings, these will be considered, with a view to resolving upon a definite course of action prior to the opening of next week. It was on Satur- day agreed that in order to arrive at the decision of the men in the dispute, the Executive should gauge the proportion of replies sent in with that of the men engaged in the moving traffic. This decision was arrived at after a protracted discus- sion, in consequence of there being differences of opinion amongst the officials of the society, as well as the men, as to whether or not a strike was advisable at the present stage. MR BELL INTERVIEWED. Mr Richard Bell, the secretary of the A.S.R.S., in the course of conversation on Saturday, in- formed a reporter that a strike was the last tbing desired by the society. Judging, however, from the attitude adopted by the Northern railway companies, there seemed little prospect of an amicable settlement being arrived at, unless Mr Ritchie, to whom an appeal had been addressed, could prevail upon the directors to submit the points in dispute to arbitration. The answer of the Great Northern Railway Company in simply acknowledging the receipt of the society's communication was not altogether unexpected, but the decision of the London, Brighton and South Coast Company, agreeing to meet the representatives of the society, and discuss fully the points in dispute, only tended to confirm the opinion expressed by the Executive that, so far as the Southern lines were concerned, little or no trouble—at least, nothing in the nature of a strike —was anticipated. STATEMENT BY MR HUDSON. On Saturday the president of the society, together with several of the Executive officers, were in attendance at the head offices, and held a private meeting. No particulars were given to the Press, but in the course of a brief interview Mr Hudson, the president, stated to a representative of the Press that should the general body of the members decide on forcing their claims upon the railway companies by means of; a strike the society was prepared to engage at once in the struggle. Questioned as to whether there was any possibility of a strike before Christmas, Mr Hudson cautiously replied that the Executive had no desire to place the railway companies in an awkward position. Of course," he added, if the members of the society decide to strike, the Executive cannot help itself but our hope is that the companies will be prepared to discuss the points at issue before an arbitrator, and thus prevent what would undoubtedly be a serious blow to the trade of the country, by a. practical stoppage of the railway traffic of the country." THE STRIKE NOTICES. Of the railwaymen employed in the Leeds district 90 per cent. have signed the strike notice forms, which have been forwarded to headquar- ters. The remaining 10 per cent. disapproved of the proposed strike. MASS MEETING AT CHELTENHAM. A mass meeting of Midland and Great Western railwaymen was held at Cheltenham on Sunday afternoon under the auspices of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, at which a resolu- tion was passed pledging them to stand firmly bv the National Programme as brought forward at the Birmingham Conference, and so obtain their end" by conciliation or arbitration. The tone of the meeting was very moderate and did not fa.vour a strike. MR HUDSON AT OLDHAM. Mr Hudson, president -of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, addressing a meet- ing oi railway workmen a.t Oldham on Sunday night, said there never was a time when they, recognised that their conditions of service needed mprovement more than to-day, and the only way to get it was by united effort. The leaders did not want to urge them to a struggle, but if they found there was no other course they would take their coats off and fight for all they were worth. MR JOHN BURNS ADVISES A GENERAL STRIKE. Addressing a mass meeting of railwaymen at Batterseaon Sunday night, Mr John Burns, M.P., said the employers were between the devil and the deep sea. His advice was that the men should go in for a general strike. It might be temporarily lost, but would do them permanent good, as it had done for the Scotch railway workers. He would not only advocate a general strike, but would work for the men when it took place. To strike successfully, however, they must have nine rail- way men out of every ten in line. At present they had only three in nine. OPINION OF LIVERPOOL MEN. A crowded meeting of the Liverpool branches of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants was held on Sunday afternoon to consider the action of the recent Birmingham Conference re- garding arbitration. A resolution was passed confirming the proceedings of the conference, the various speakers evincing a very emphatic tone in their determination to have grievances reme- died. Dissatisfaction was expressed with the con- cession of three hours a week, and a declaration was made that what the national programme wanted they would get if they stood firmly to- gether. Mr Sexton, general secretary of the Dockers' Union, hoped the time was not far dis- tant when the two societies would mutually sup- port each other.

THREATENED IRISH STRIKE. The position of affairs with reference to the threatened railway strike seems to have changed somewhat within the last 24 hours. There is a noticeable weakening in the attitude of the men, indicated first by a meeting held in Belfast, at which it was unani- mously decided to ask the Lord Mayors of the City and of Dublin to intervene, and secondly, by a letter sent to Mr Ritchie, the President of the Board of Trade, by Mr Tevenan, the secretary of the Irish Railwavmen's Society. A meeting of the board of directors of the Great Northern Rail- way was held on Friday night in Belfast, at which the chief officers of the line from Dublin were present. Everything is said to depend on the prompt and wise action of the President of the Board of Trade.—Observer.

COLLIERY EXPLOSION. VERDICT OF MANSLAUGHTER AGAINST OFFICIALS. A Coroner's jury at Tamworth on Friday returned a verdict of Manslaughter against the under-manR",ar and deputy-manager of the Alvecote Pit." It was stated that they failed to attend to the ventilation of a disused heading, and that a boy named Blount, who was sent tc the heading to fetch something, lost his life owing to an explosion which followed the lighting of a match by the boy.

GREAT STORM IN ITALY. MANY WRECKS REPORTED. I ROME, Sunday.—A terrible storm has swept ?*er Italy, doing enormous damage. Seventeen ™*ecks are reported in the vicinity of Naples, all crews being drowned. Many other wrecks 7*^0 occurred on the Sardinian and Sicilian Much damage has been done on land.— News.

GERMANY AND CHINA. DESPATCH OF REINFORCEMENTS. BERLIN, Saturday Night. The report that reinforcements would be sent to the German forces now landed at Kiaschau is officially con- firmed this evening. In addition to the battalion of marines, comprising four companies, with a total strength of 23 officers and 1,200 men, a company of marine artillery, consisting of four officers and 200 men, together with a quantity of field pieces and machine guns, witi be dispatched to East Asia. A steamer of the Kamburg- Amsrica Line will be chartered to convey these troops, and will probably sail next week. On the arrival of these reinforcements and the squadron, under the command of Prince Henry, Germany will have no less than 4,366 men at Kiaschau, representing a fifth part of her naval strength. This forms the second occasion on which German marines have been sent abroad, the first having been in 1894, when some 150 went to the Cameroons. It is carefully pointed out, however, that despatch of fresh forces is merely occasioned by reasons of expedience, and does not imply any critical development of the situation. But at the same time the public is reminded that the appearance of a respectable portion of Germany's power is more likely to impress the Chinese and secure a readier acquiescence in German claims. Mean- while the Government maintains complete silence as to what these claims may be and as to the course of negotiations respecting them. If, how- ever, the Post is to be credited with being well- informed, there is at present no ground for either Optimist or Pessimist expectations, but in view of the measures undertaken by the Government, it is not to be supposed that Germany will be content with a mere treaty of peace. It is still firmly anticipated that by means of negotiations with Powers interested in East Asia, German diplomacy will succeed in closing the incident without any disturbance. The same journal, assuming this time the garb of semi-official inspiration, declares that with regard to Germany's other trouble' abroad the Government has no intention of seizing territory on Hayti, but only desires the indemnification foi Lueders. The indemnity, it adds, will, of course, also cover the cost of the German naval expedi tion, and in the event of the Haytian Government maintaining its recalci trant attitude rigorous steps will be taken, and Portau Prince, with its Government buildings, will be bombarded.

SITUATION IN CUBA. SPAIN AND THE UNITED STATES. MADRID, Saturday.—A telegram from Havana states that the journal El Pais publishes a circular stating that autonomy has always formed part of the programme and aspirations of the Cubans. The journal proposes to issue a mani- festo, which will be distributed throughout the island, declaring that these aspirations have been satisfied, and calling upon all Cubans to return to their homes and to help in restoring peace, since there is no longer any reason for a continu- ance of the war. It is stated that the Government has received a telegram in reference to the landing in Cuba of the filibustering expedition from the Dauntless. The Spanish Minister in Washington, it is added, will shortly present a claim to the United States Government in connection with the affair. The Minister for the Colonies has received the following despatch from the Governor-General of Cuba :— I have to-day sent the following telegram to our Minister m Washington :—' There is no need for foreign help to provide for the wants of the island and its inhabitants. The Government from its own resources is endeavouring to make provision to the general satisfaction of the country. These necessities are, moreover, diminishing every day, thanks to the efforts of the civilian and military authorities.' According to a telegram from New York, the President of the Cuban Revolutionary Committee has handed to Mr McKinley a number of documents advocating Cnban independence, and Mr McKinley has promised to read them.— Renter.

INDIANTROOPS FOR EAST AFRICA. BOMBAY, Saturday-—The 27th Bombay Infantry sailed hence to-day for Mombasa, carrying 90 days' rations. The regiment likewise takes with it large quantities of telegraph wire, a lakh of rupees for immediate expenses, and a half- section of a field hospital. On the arrival of the troops in East Africa 10,000 coolies will be required to carry the equipment and impedi- menta. The regiment will be under the direct orders of the War Office.—Reuter.

-=== THE CAIRO PRESS TRIAL. CAIRO, Saturday.—The trial of Ahmed Fuad, editor of the Saika (Thunderbolt), for the recent publication of a defamatory poem concerning the Khedive, and of the Sheikh Manfalouti, for being implicated in the publication, took place before the Native Court of Tirst Instance to-day. Fuad was sentenced to twenty months' imprisonment and a fine of JEE30, and Manfalouti to twelve months' imprisonment and a fine of 150 piastres. vReuter.

According to Kemp's Mercantile Gezette, the number of failures in England and Wales gazetted during the week ending December 4th, was 89. The number in the corresponding week of last year was 83. showing an increase of 6, being a net decrease in 1897, up to date, of 56. Sir Charles E. G. Philippe, Bart., Lord- Lieutenant and Mayor of Haverfordwest, has just obtained her Majesty's approval to the appointment of Alderman Thomas James, of I Haverfordwest (ex and deputy-mayor), to be a Denoto-Liemtenant of the nonnfcv of that town.

POSITION IN SOUTH WALES. MASS MEETINGS AT CARDIFF. A densely-packed meeting of the railwaymen on the Taff, Rhymney, Barry, and Cardiff rail- way systems was held at the Colonial Hall, Cardiff, on Sunday morning, for the purpose of considering their action in the present crisis. Representatives of the Press were not admitted, but an official report of the proceedings was afterwards furnished. It states :— The replies received from the companies to the men's demand were of a formal character, not even acknowledging the receipt of the programme. After a five hours' sitting it was decided to again submit the programme in an amended form to the companies, and to ask them to reply by December 31st, and that steps should be taken with a view to the formation of con- ciliation boards, either for each of the respective railways or a united one." GREAT WESTERN EMPLOYEES. In the evening a largely-attended meeting of the men employed on the Great Western Rail- way in the Cardiff district was held at the same hail, Mr T. J. Hart presiding. The CHAIRMAN said the present movement had originated in the real necessities of the men's conditions of service. They had appealed to the company time after time to consider the proposals on their behalf, but those proposals had been met with a cold silence which probably meant con- tempt. But they were not altogether schoolboys, and the manner in which they had been treated by the companies was responsible for the present revolt. Referring to the reported intention of the companies throughout the country to federate in the event of a strike. and to lend assistance to each other in order to carry on the traffic of the country, he said he did not think such a plan was prac- ticable since in such a contingency every company would require every man of its own. Lord Emlyn had reminded the men that they were bound by their conditions of employment to five a month's notice before quitting their work ut he (the speaker) ventured to add that ninety- nine men out of evsry hundred did not know what they were signing when they sub- scribed to that condition, and he therefore held that such an agreement was not legally bind- ing. Lord Emlyn had also counselled them to first consult the interests of their wives and families before taking 3uch an all- important step but it was precisely on account of their wives and families that they asked for additional remuneration for their labour, the wages of many of them not sufficing to properly provide a livelihood. (Applause.) Mr W. H. BDENILL said if the matter could be discussed between themselves and Lord Einlyn and a body of the shareholders without any of the company 's officials, he believed they would be able to convince them that they had a very good case. They were face to face, he proceeded, with one of the greatest strikes in the annals of labour, to which the engineers' strike would be as nothing. If they would but be men for one 12 hours they could stagnate trade throughout the British Isles, and bring about a national calamity. But they did not desire that far from it. He respected Lord Emlyn and Mr Wilkinson as thorough gentlemen, but he be- lieved they were privately misled by someone. The men had put the leaders into their present position, and if they (the men) forsook them in the present crisis he said, God help you you will know it before many years are over." He held in his hand, however, notices from 80 per cent. of the men in the Cardiff district, be- tween Newport and St. Fagan's. Non- society men had come to the front, and it was on these ncn society men the companies were relying. The society men, too, had backed them up well. He had no desire to incite them, but in some of the grades every man had signed the notice paper. II any man were victimised they (the leaders) were prepared to fight on his behalf, and they would expect the men to be loyal to them in return. (Applause.) Mr W. R. THOMAS, President of the Cardiff Trades Council, said flattering allusion had been made to Lord Emlyn, but he considered him as an autocrat of autocrats, and a twin brother to the German Emperor. (Laughter and ap- plause,) The way in which he had treated the deputation which waited upon him the other day was not manly, to say the least of it. Lord Emlyn said the directors would have no hesitation in spending a million of money in order to defeat the men's ends. Would it not be wiser, if the company could afford that sum, to expend it in conceding their demands ? (Applause.) Councillor LLOYD MEYRICK, who claimed to speak as a representative of outside public opinion on this question, said he considered that with the engineers' strike still on hand a railwaymen's strike at the present momentjwould be a most deplorable blunder but at the same time the employers must be taught that the men had a right to combine and to have their demands listened to. (Applause.) Councillor Chappell and Mr Pearse, secretary of the Cardiff Trades Council, having spoken, the following resolution was carried unanimously :— That we in mass meeting assembled here- by express our hearty approval of the decision of the Birmingham Conference, and loyally pledge ourselves to bide by such decision, believing that it is only through combined action that success is pos- sible." The meeting then terminated. MASS MEETING AT TONDU. CENSURE OF MR MADDISON, M.P. On Sunday afternoon a packed meeting of railway employees on the Great Western Rail- way was held at the Tondu Schoolroom, to con- sider the national programme. The attend- ance was the largest ever known in Tondu, the numbers being estimated roughly at from 700 to 800. Mr C. Beard (goods guard) presided, and asked that the proceedings should be conducted in a business-like manner, as the position they had met to consider was a serious one. (Hear, hear.) He then explained in detail the demands of the different grades of men as embodied in the national programme. The following resolution was subsequently proposed and seconded :—"That this meeting hereby considers that the time has arrived when, owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the replies from the railway companies to the just demands of their employees, definite action should be taken towards getting the unanimous support of other kindred societies to assist us in carrying out the object we have in view, • namely, better con- ditions of service."—Mr Millman, engine driver, said he had written to the secretary of the Associated Society of Enginemen and Firemen, and, in reply, that gentleman said he thought the Amalgamated Society had been very precipitate in their aetion.—One Delegate advised the meeting not to take any action whatever until tney were quite sure what they were about.—A Signalman said they had been told time after time how matters stood all they had to do at present was to follow the leaders. (Hear, hear.)—A Delegate asked if the 75 per cent, of the men required by the mani- festo to warrant definite action meant the whole of the workmen employed or simply those in the Amalgamated Society.—Tiie Chair- man, reading from the report of the Birmingham Conferenae, said it meant 75 per cent. of the whole employed. The resolution was then put to the meeting and carried unani- mously amidst great cheering. The next resolution was as follows :—S That having viewed the editorial columns of our official organ, namely the Railway Review, for last Friday, we do accept the sug- gestion, and think it wise to stay our hands until our battalions are strong onough to enforce our just demands, and we iL, reby call on all non-members to enrol themselves members." The Chairman spoke strongly in favour of the motion. An amendment was moved to the effect that a vote of censure be passed on Mr Maddison for his very inappropriate remarks in the Review, as it-was derogatory to the objects the men had in view After a warm discussion as to the admissability of the amendnent, it was put to the meeting, and carried by a large majority. A further resolution in reference to the signing of notices to the railway companies was then put and carried, after which the manifesto was signed by the men. A meeting of signalmen was subsequently held to hear a report of the delegates latest interview with Mr Leaning. NEATH. APPEAL TO NON-UNIONIST. A mass meeting of railwaymen of all grades employed on the Great Western, London and North-Western, Rhondda and Swansea Bay, and Neath and Brecon Railways was held at the Town Hall, Neath, on Sunday afternoon. The CHAIRMAN (a goods guard(, in opening the proceedings, spoke of the critical situation, and argued tha4 the large attendance at the meeting showed that the men were thoroughly in earnest. He thought that salvation was to be found by joining the Amalgamated Society. A resolution was proposed by a signalman and seconded by a guard, deprecating the tone of the railway company's reply to the manifesto issued by the Birmingham Conference, and expressing the opinion that the time had arrived when Trade Unionism should be acknowledged by tho directors. This was carried with enthusiasm. A number of speeches were delivered. In reference to the statement made in a section of the Press, it was declared by the meeting that it was an error to allege that the men had ways open to them to redress their grievances. It was also affirmed that it was altogether a mis- take to say that the railway companies were training men for the emergencies that would arise in case of a strike taking place. Men ne- cessary to perform railway work could not be trained excepting by slow process, and the public would not have any confidence in a staff of emergency men. After discussion a resolution was carried unanimously declaring that the best method for bringing the present crisis to a speedy end is for all men to enrol themselves members of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants. One feature of the meeting was the attendance of several enginemen who are members of another Union. SWANSEA. A PLEA FOR CAUTION. On Sunday evening a well-attended meeting was held in the hall of the Swansea Working Men's Club. Mr James Wignall, president of the Swansea Trades Council, occupied the chair. A membei of the Amalgamated Society ad- dressed the meeting, and expressed the view that it would not be wise to adopt a too forward policy. Another member said that the Executive felt that they had gone as far as they could in the matter without taking the fall sense of the mem- bers of the united societies. Whichever side had the right case had nothing to fear from arbitra- tion, and he therefore could not understand why the companies refused to agree to it.—A member of 20 years' standing wished that the time had come when they could take up the question in the broad manner suggested. He did not think that time had arrived. (Hear, hear.) Their position would be ten thousand times worse if they attempted to improve it as suggested and failed.-Another member thought that they would have done better to have relied upon their old demand for 10 hours per day. When this report left, the vote of the meeting had not been taken, but the tone seemed to indi- cate that a resolution would be carried by an overwhelming majority that the notices should not be tendered. NEWPORT. A GOOD CASE AND NOT AFRAID OF ARBITRATION." The railwaymen of the Newport district held two well-attended meetings in the Co-operative Society's Hall, Newport, on Sunday, one in the afternoon and the other in the evening, at which railway clerks were especially invited to be present. A statement was authoritatively made by the afternoon chairman that so far as the com- mittee had been able to summarise the strike notices which had been received they represented upwards of 90 per cent. of the various grades with the exception of the clerks. (Applause.) It was most gratifying to the Executive to know that the men had responded so well in the matter of the strike notices. It was besides evidence that the railwaymen of that district were determined as far as possible to improve their condition.—The Secretary afterwards gave an account of the interview he had been called upon to have on Friday with Mr Wilkinson, the general manager, at Paddington, with reference to remarks which weie made at the previous week's meeting at Newport. — At the evening meeting 27 additional men, principally porters and shunters, were enrolled members of the society, and the chair- man said that at Pontypool that afternoon took place the largest meeting of railway- men ever held in that town. Every hand was held up in favour of the decisions of the Birmingham Conference, and every member present pledged himself to sign the strike notices. A very good meeting was also held that day at Cwmbran, and at Aberdare there had been a be gathering.—The Chairman controverted the assertion of Lord Emlyn that the men were not sin- cere in asking for arbitration, and that they were merely using it to further the other points of the Birmingham programme. The men, he reiterated, did not^want to strike, if a strike could be possibly avoided the delegates to the conference were equally sincere in desiring to avoid a strike. The men had a good case, and need not be afraid to submit it to arbitration, and he felt confident, if the matter went to arbitra- tion, that they would come out of it better than they went in. Arbitration then, and not a strike, was the goal they were striving to attain. (Applause.) ABERDARE. "LEADERS PREPARED TO FALL INTO LINE WITH THE A.S.R.S." A mass meeting of the railwaymen at Aberdare was held on Sunday evening. Mr Kelly, Pontypool Road, delivered an excellent address, dealing with the various points of the men's programme, and another gentleman having spoken, a lengthy discussion took place, in the course of which it was defi- nitely announced that the leaders of the Associated Society of Enginemen in Aber- dare were prepared to fall into line with the members of the A. S. R. S. and if the majority decided to give in their notices they would. Some questions also arose as to whether the 75 per cent. of notices which the general secretary stated is to be the number below which the notices will not be served was to mean 75 per cent, of all railwaymen or 75 per cent. of the men on each railway. A telegram from Mr Bell was read, which was not clear on this point, and this led to further con- versation, and up to the time of the despatch of our parcel a decision on the point had not been arrived at. QUAKER'S YARD. 98 PER CENT. MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY. On Sunday a meeting of the local branch of the A.S.R.S. was held at Quaker's Yard, and it was announced that in this branch 93 per cent. of the whole of the employees in the district are members of the society. There was an excellent attendance, and every man present signed his notice. PONTYPOOL ROAD. NON-SOCIETY MEN SIGNING THE NOTICES. Over 200 men signed their notices at a meeting held at Pontypool Road, on Sunday, including a number of non-Society men.

.4'<# '.A THE DREYFUS CASE. COUNT ESTERHAZY TO BE COURT- MARTIALLED. SCENE IN THE CHAMBER. PABIS, Saturday.—The anxiously-awaited de- cision of General Saussier, Military Governor of Paris, on the report submitted by Gen. dePellieux, was announced this morning. It was simply in these words :—" General Saussier has ordered the court-martial to institute an investigation into the affair of Major Esterhazy." It is said that the preliminary private inquiry will probably last about threo weeks. Much anxiety is expressed as to whether the court-martial, if it should eventually be called upon to try Major Esterhazy, will sit with closed doors. Both the partisans and the adversaries of Dreyfus express satisfaction at the decision of General Saussier. SCENE IN THE CHAMBER. There was an exciting scene in the Chamber this evening, wheu M. Castelin called on M. Meline to reassure the Army, public opinion, a.nd France on the Dreyfus affair." AN APPEAL TO THE KAISER FRUITLESS. PARIS, Sunday.—Some days ago it was announced that the Dreyfus family had through diplomatic channels approached the Emporor William appealing to his chivalrous sentiments to proclaim the innocence of the ex- captain. According to the Journal the following reply was received:—" His Highness the Prince Chancellor, after examining the affair, has been unpble to advise his Majesty to accede to the desire of the Dreyfas family."

FIRE AT LAMEETHIPALACE. A fire broke out about 9 o'clock on Sunday evening at Lambeth Palace, but was fortunately subdued before it had attained serious dimensions. The outbreak originated in the vestry room attached to the vestry hall in Cranmer's Tower, and was attributable to the ignition of one of the old beams in the chimney. Supt. P. Pettit, of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, was quickly on the spot with a number of men ana engines, and tne mischief was effectually subdued by 11 o'clock. Whilst the outbreak lasted, however, considerable anxiety was manifested by the Palace staff, who themselves took prompt but effective s*eps before the arrival of the firemeu.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT ON THE RHYMNEY RAILWAY. On Saturday night a distressing accident befel a young man named Robert Evans, aged about 26, living at No. 4, Coedcae, Tirphil. He had been employed as a haulier, but was out of employment. Late on Saturday night he was seen in Station-street, and after the mail train of the Rhymney Railway had passed Tirphil Station a cry for help wss heard, and it wa.s found that Evans had been knocked down by the train, which passed over one of his legs. The unfor- tunate man appeared to have taken the wrong path. He was carried home, where amputation was found to be necessary, the operation being performed by Drs. Manasell and O'Connor. He is believed to be progressing favourably.

yo A Cabinet Council was held on Saturday, all the MinistersIbeiocLTMM&t*

NATIONAL BANK OF WALES. LETTER FROM THE LIQUIDATOR. REPLY TO MR T. CORY. TO THE EDITOR. SIR,—My attention has been directed to #. letter from Mr Thomas Cory in your issue of to-day. As a Crown witness I am precluded from entering into a discussion on any point raised at the heariDg at Bow-street on Tuesday last. I was subjected to a searching cross-examine tion by Mr Gill, Mr Thomas Cory's able counseL and thought I had made his client's position quite clear. I cannot be responsible for any wrong impression" created in the minds ot other people. I endeavoured to give my evi- dence without" fear or favour," and had regard only to the facts of the case. Mr Cory is good enough to say that I would not intentionally mislead," and if his counsel at the next hearing will state specifically the point Mr Cory wishes brought out I will, con- sistently with the facts, give full effect to his contention with regard to the partnership accounts in question.—lam,&c., C.E. DOVEY. 31, Queen-street, Cardiff, Dec. 4,1897.

THE REPRESENTATION OF SWANSEA TOWN. MEETING OF THE 500 CALLED. RESIGNATION OF THE PRESIDENT. A meeting of the Council of the Swansea Town Liberal Association is convened for to-morrow (Tuesday), the object being to receive from Mr Burnie his reply to an invitation from the Council to state whether he would allow his name to be submitted as a candidate for the representation of the borough in the Liberal interest. This reply is in the affirmative, and the business of the Council is to decide whether or not Mr Burnie shall be definitely accepted as the candidate and, in accordance with the rules, recommended for finai adoption by a public meeting of Liberals. Included in the notice of the meeting is ail intimation that a letter from the president will also have to be considered. This letter, we understand, is Alderman Tutton's resignation of the presidency of the association and of the chairmanship of the executive. As there are many rumours with regard to the cause of the resignation, we are able to I set tome of them at rest by saying that it is not brought about on the question whether Mr Burnie shall or shall not be the candidate. In the course of a discussion at the last meeting of the executive circumstances arose which caused the president to intimate that he would have to reconsider his position. The result is his resig- nation, but we are in a position to state that this will make no difference whatever in his desire to advance tbe interests of the party.

THE RECENT GALE. A THRILLING NARRATIVE. Thomas Rice, sole survivor of the ketch Maua, who was rescued on the French coast by the Norwegian steamer Vesta and landed on Friday at Blyth, Northumberland, has related his thrilling experience to a Press Association reporter. Rice states that Kenneth Mackenzie, the mate, and himself lashed themselves to the rigging, but on the second day Mackenzie descended to quench his burning thirst with salt water. He then climbed back to his old position, but thirst again becoming unendurable he drank once more. On Tuesday Mackenzie became delirious, shrieking and screaming, and, after a period of raving madness, died. Mackenzie's body was immediately under the gaze of Rice for 24 hours washing backwards and forwards on the partly submerged deck, until a wave bigger than the rest swept it over- board. On the fourth day Rice himself was so overpowered with thirst that he too drank salt water, but a few hours later was rescued, DAMAGED VESSELS ARRIVE AT CARDIFF. The steamer Norah docked at Cardiff on Saturday with the top of her stem damaged caused by a collision with a steamer while on a voyage to Cardiff. The Norwegian barque Prince Oscar, from an American port to Liverpool, put into Penarth Roads on Friday damaged extent not ascer- tained. The s.s. Baron Ardrossan arrived at Cardiff on Saturday morning's tide after collision off Dunge- ness with the Austrian steamer Jokai. The latter vessel sank shortly after the impact, but the crew were saved and afterwards landed. The Baron Ardrossan received damage to the top of her stem. The s.s. Cornucopia arrived at Cardiff on Saturday morning's tide with loss of funnel and deck damage, the result of the recent north-westerly gales, OTHER CASUALTIES. At Yarmouth on Saturday the trawler Agenoria came in, her deck having been clean swept by the heavy seas. All the vessel's canvas was torn away, and the third hand, George Watts, of Palling, married, was hurled overboard into the sea and could not be rescued. The barquentine Lookout, of Bristol, which was lost with all hands at Boulmer, on the Northum- berland coast, during the storm of Monday, was bound from London to Leith with cement, and. had a crew of six men. Her master was William Sykes, of Fowey, Cornwall, the regular captain of the vessel, Captain Williams, brother of the managing owner, having stayed at home during the voyage. Frank Noble, a Margate painter, while engaged on Saturday repairing some windows broken by the recent storm, overbalanced, and fell from the top of a four-storey building. He was picked up dead, his skull having been smashed and both arms broken. He leaves a numerous family. Wreckage and a dog's body washed ashore at Yarmouth prove that the vessel wrecked on the Woolpack during the recent gale was the ketch John Lee, of Blakeney. The crew are all supposed to have perished.

SHIPOWNERS ON TRADES UNIONISM. THE ENGINEERS' STRIKE. At the third annual dinner of the Liverpool Shipbrokers' Benevolent Society on Saturday evening, which was influentially attended, Mr Joseph Hoult, in proposing a toast to the Houses of Parliament, said it was high time Parliament devoted more attention to the trading interest of the country. The shipowner had been harassed and worried in the conduct of his business by Parliament, and he hardly knew from day to day what position to occupy. The shipping indus- try deserved more support than it had hitherto received from Parliament. Sir ARTIIUK FORWARD, M.P., in responding, said he believed the present House of Commons was not going to indulge in any of the legislation against which shipowners could reasonably offer any objection. Mr ALFRED L. JONES, who presided, responding to the toast of Success to the Society," said if they wanted to keep trade in Liverpool the Dock Board must reduce their port charges, the Man- chester Ship Canal must come to barges, and then Liverpool would have fair play from the railway companies. Mr T. H. ISMAV, in proposing Ships, Colonies, and Commerce," said foreign competition was nc longer a mere bogey. The engineers' strike was the greatest labour disturbance in history. Differ- ences must be settled by some more civilised means than war between capital and labour. If trade was to be preserved, he was of opinion that employers must retain control of their own business. Sir RAYLTON Dlxos. in responding, said the present form of Trades Unionism was aiming at a principle which the masters were bound to contest to the bitter end. It w^a better that millions should be lost by the struggle than that the employers should give way on th? question of the right of a man to sell his labour m the best market.

THE COTTON CRISIS. OPERATIVES BENT ON RESISTANCE. The result of the ballot by the Bury and Elton operative spinners and cardroom operatives on Saturday is stated to be almost unanimously against any reduction in wages. A Manchester correspondent telegraphs:—The operatives engaged in the spinning trade voted on Saturday afternoon throughout Lancashire on the question as to whether they are prepared to accept a 5 per cent. reduction in wages. The feeling generally is strongly in favour of resisting the proposed reduction. Arbitration on the employers' terms was previously rejected by ten votes to one, from which it is argued that Satur- day's ballot will result in an even more decisive vote against submitting to a wage reduction.

Annie Smith, a single woman, was found dead on Friday in her cottage at Winkfield, near Windsor. She had not been seen for several days, and it is thought she was starved to death. Mrs Amory, wife of Mr Heathcote Awory, master of the Tiverton staghounds, was thrown from her horse while hunting on Friday after- noon. Mrs Amory, who was thrown on her head, did not recover consciousness for some time. It is feared the injuries to the head are serious. It has been decided that non-commissioned officers of the Army authorised to use their cycles in recruiting duty, will be granted an allowance of one penny per mile under certain coaditioas.