The Montgomery County Times and Shropshire and Mid-Wales Advertiser

To be criticised—whether by the village statesmen who talk with looks pro- found," or by the gentlemen on the Opposition benches of the House of Commons—is the fate of all Governments, and never was this more truly the case than in regard to the present Administration. Especially has this criticism been in evidence throughout the past week, during which the Government has made an excellent arrangement, which has every prospect of being successful, for dealing with the large amount of legislation which lies before them. Seeing that it would be impossible during this Session to carry all the Bills down for discussion, Mr. BALFOUR on Monday evening moved the suspension of the Twelve o'clock Rule for the remainder of the Session, subsequently accepting an amendment to exempt Wednesdays. The measures, which must be passed before the House separated, included the Finance and English Light Railways Bills, which had reached the third reading, and the Con- ciliation, Truck, Coal Mines, and Locomotive Bills, which have passed through Grand Committee, and which stand for discussion on the report stage. In addition to these, there is a series of Bills for which he was afraid there was no hope at all if there was any serious opposition, but which in many cases he thought would not be seriously opposed." A glance at the names of these Bills discloses to a certain extent their non-controversial character, and we can only share Mr. BALFOUR'S hope that they will pass during this Session. The opposition offered to the motion by Sir WILLIAM HARCOURT has furnished us with some amusing reading, seeing that it consists, for the greater part, of mock heroics," egotistical allusions, and fond but futile retrospection on the days that are no more," when the position now so ably filled by Mr. BALFOUR was occupied by himself. Moreover, the whole speech of the right hon. gentleman was delivered in a tone so patronising and so didactical that one might have imagined that the Leader of the House and his comrades on the Treasury Bench were mere tyros in the art of Parliamentary leadership—ihat all know- ledge and wisdom capable of being dis- played upon this subject were bound up in the burly person of the Squire of Malwood. The thin veneer of sincerity with which his oration was embellished was so apparent as to be ridiculous. The enemies of the Government have grouped themselves in two divisions, firstly, those who blame them for not accomplish- ing more, and on the other hand those who do not wish the Government to accomplish anything. From his opening remarks, we should judge Sir WILLIAM HARCOURT to belong to the second of these divisions, Having expressed his horror at the prospect of all-night sittings, the Leader of the Opposition proceeded to make a suggestion remarkable not for its practicability as for its thinly disguised proposal to entirely baulk the Government. This suggestion was to the effect that the debate should be adjourned by the Government who should then go on with the controversial Bills and having got rid of those measures, Mr. BALFOUR could come forward with the motion now before them, when it would receive the support of the Opposition. At first sight this proposal might seem to indicate an earnest desire on the part of Sir WILLIAM HARCOURT to point out a plain path to the Government, but upon closer examination, and after a keener survey of Mr BALFOUR'S position, we find that the Leader of the Opposition seems to be possessed of the idea that his opponents should embark upon that disastrous plan of campaign adopted with such dire results by the late Administration, viz., to attempt everything and end by accomplishing no- thing. The Unionist party will have to sink far below their present level before they reach such a state of political degreda- tion. Nothing could be more satisfactory to the people of this country than the determination of Mr BALFOUR—as shown by his motion on Monday—to pass the more important measures first, and after- wards take up those for which the necessity is not so urgent. We defy Sir WILLIAM HARCOURT to propound a more sensible, a more statesmanlike, or a more successful plan of dealing with the present condition of Parliamentary business than that laid down by Mr BALFOUR. The Leader of the • House is anxious, not for the plaudits of cliques and cayes," but for the satisfac- tion of having done his duty, and for the knowledge that, in spite of the sophistries of a .strident Opposition, there will have been something attempted, something dolled at the end of the piesent Session. -+-

THE promoters of the Shrewsbury Church Congress have wisely avoided the mistake of overcrowding their programme, but have managed to include all the subjects which are now uppermost in the minds of Church men. The object of the Church Congress, I el as the luiormal Parliament of the Church. is to reflect current Church thought, and the Shrewsbury programme clearly in- dicates its present drift. Before the General Election the first thoughts of Churchmen were perforce devoted to Church defence, but since the danger of immediate assault has been removed, they have addressed themselves chiefly to Church legislation and to the instruction and consolidation of Church opinion. These latter objects till a large part of the Congress programme. The discussions on the idea of a National Church, both as the expression of the con science of the nation and as an integral part of the Church Catholic, and on the continuity of the Church of England, as a historical fact which has never been broken either by any political action or by any doctrinal or disciplinary chances, will give special gratiiication to the thousands of Churchmen who are using the present breathing time 1L inly as an opportunity to bring home the historical claims of the Church to the minds of the masses of our population. The discus- sions upon Church legislation and Church reform will be of at least equal importance. The education question has. of course, a leading place, and other meet- ings will be devoted to the Marriage Laws and to the much-needed and much-obstruc- ted reform of the law affecting the appoint- ment. tenure and retirement, of the beneficed clergy. We can no longer hope that before the C'Tgress meets, the Evr Ices Bill will have become law. but the Congress will leave the Government in no doubt about the wishes of Churchmen with regard to its future. The discussions upon the part of the laity in the government of the Church, upon the disciplinary power of the Church, and upon the concession of legislative powers to the Church for the administration of her internal affairs through a reformed Convocation will invite definite suggestions for Church reform on a wide scale, and ought to pave the way for practical legislation in the near future, while the speeches on the impoverishment of the clergy and the Central Sustentation Fund will remind Churchmen that the maintenance of the Church in full vigour depends primarily upon their own efforts, and only secondarily upon Parliamentaiv action. y Another feature of the programme is the prominence given to social problems. The causes of intemperance and the possible remedies are subjects which Churchmen have near at heart, and the Royal Com- mission offers them scope to bring forward reasonable proposals to take the place of impracticable schemes, while the duty of the Church in regard to the industrial pro- blems of the day has long demanded clear definition, since the Church is the only body that can teach employers and work- men alike that each have duties as well as rights. The consideration of international relations in the light of the Gospel involves questions of still greater delicacy and diffi- culty, but here again the Church has a message to deliver which she cannot shirk. The National Church, being essentially the embodiment of the national conscience, sup- plies the one agency which can direct national action, both at home and abroad, in the path of peace and goodwill.

SOME anxiety has been expressed in the town concerning the supply of water to Welshpool, and although complaints have been made in some quarters in reference to the continued supply of water to the Cam- brian Railways Company, we are in a position to state that the Company have been kind enough to forego about one-half their daily supply while the protracted drought continues, and this is a concession to the general body of ratepayers which is worthy of grateful acknowledgment. The dimi- nution of a considerable quantity of water per day in their supply is a serious consideiation to them, but infinitely more important is its importance to the inhabitants at large. By.this con- cession. the Town Council are in a position to report that they have sufficient water in their reservoir to last eight weeks, provid- ing'' course, there is an exhibition to economise on the part of the townspeople generally. The Sanitary Committee held a meeting this week, at which it was decided to cut off the supply at 5 30 p.m. to 8 a.m. until the reservoir is replenished by rain- fall. It is not very satisfactory to have the assurance of the borough surveyor. speaking from experience, that the appeals which have been made to the public during the last few weeks to be economical in the consumption of water have not been o-ener- ally acted upon. There ought to °be a general co-operation of the people with the public authorities to eke out our water supplies, and to avert the incalculable calamity of an entire exhaustion of the supply. — ♦—

NOTES BY THE WAY. The date of the Welshpool Floral F6te is near at hand, and it is interesting to note that the large number of entries already received points to a very successful show being held on the 6th prox. The tradesmen of Newtown have agreed to close their establishments on that day, whilst Welshpoel will reciprocate the compliment on the date of Newtown Show. and it is gratifying to find such a good feeling existing between the two towns. A document containing a list of the grievances under which the Churchmen of Machynlleth claim to be suffering, has, in accordance with a written request by the Lord Bishop of Bangor, been for- warded to his lordship. There is no truth in the statement published by a contemporary to the effect that his lordship refused to see the deputa- tion appointed to wait upon him unless Canon Trevor was present. The deputation was received by the Bishop, and the matter is now being con- sidered. The results of the recent College of Preceptors examination at the Welshpool Intermediate Schools arc to hand and appear in another portion of our impression. 'Considering the short time that these schools have been in existence, the succeS3 attaiued in this examination is extremely gratifying all round. Not only will the pupils themselves be delighted, but their parents will feel that it has been a good investment to send their children to these schools. No truer test of the qualifications of the teaching staff need be forthcoming than the results of this examination. We hope that at no distant date we may have the pleasure of recording like success at an examination of a still higher grade-the Cambridge Locals. I The North W:;les Prize IIorse Sal< s u ill be lield at rexham newt week. The entries comprise 650 hordes. Judging frcm the description in t! e cata- )o;>e tiie horses ;e of a particularly h;<ri. class "lid from triiusy of the best studs- in WaLs.t,ca- sh ire, Sfiffortlshire, Shropshire, r.r.d i.i:e.-hire. Particulars will be found in our adveriizhi^: columns. The living of Llanfair Caereinion has boon ed by the Bishop of St. Asaph to Rev. J. Jones, cerate of Northop, near Mc'td. The Royal wedding was arranged or, f aii altogether more important scale than tha: of the Duchess of Fife some years since. The eiubs, houses, and shops down Piccadilly to Anslev House were all guiiy decorated, and the pretty festoons and Venetian mast?, which made such a show at the Duke of York's wedding, were verv is,uei. in evidence in Si. James's-street. As far as The military turn-out is concerned, there are iust now very few troops in London, the Guards regiment for the most part being under canvas at Pirbright and elsewhere. But it was decided to get as many red coats as possible in the streets and aior sr the Mall, though the route in Piccadilly, coming back, was left to a few Life Guards and a -,real many policemen to hold against the su-ging crowds. Scarlet is a splendid colour for effect in the mass, and one can only regret, from the spectacular point of view, that there was so little of it. A Cabiuet Council was held at the Foreign Offlce yesterday (Friday). The water supply of Oswestry on-account of tho recent dry weather, is engaging the serious atten- tion of the Town Council. Notices have bee- issued calling on the consumers to be as economical as possible, ami the water is turned off each night to prevent undue waste. A committee meeting had the matter under consideration yesterday and further discussion of the subject has been adjourned until to-day. It is thought that the Council will require more to be debtors to the Liverpool Corporation for a supply. This is an unfortunate position as it is only recently that the Oswestry Town Council had the pipes disconnected, thinking that the water difficulty had been solved at last. A fortunate break occurred in the weather vester- day, and Jupiter Pluvius may prove A true friend in the time of need." A joint committee of the County Councils of Denbigh and Montgomery will sit at Oswestry on August 4th, to fix and alter the number of Guar- dians or Rural District Councillors to be elected for the several parishes of Llanarmon Mvnyddmawr Llancadwaladr, Llangedwyn and Llanrhaiadr-vn- Mochnant, all in the Llanfyllin Union. It is not often that so striking an example of the rigour of the Nonconformist conscience is met with as that which came before Sir Horatio Lloyd in the Llandudno County Court on Thursday. In an action brought by William Evans, Llangwstenin, against a tenant named Llewelyn Jones, it was stated that the plaintiff had let a house to the defendant on the distinct understanding that his family went to chapel, and because they did not do so he served them with six months' notice to quit. The plaintiff stated that he insisted upon this con- dition because previous tenants never attended a place of worship, but went for walks on Sunday. Had this stipulation been even suggested by a Church landlord we should doubtless have heard of its being brought to the notice of the Welsh Land Commission despite the fact that its enquiries have been completed, and that its report is to be pub- lished early next month. +

THE BISLEY MEETING. At the Bisley Rifle Meeting on Saturday, the Elcho Shield was won by the English team, with 1659 points, that of Ireland coming next, with 1614 and the Scotch representatives scoring 1588. The National Challenge trophy was taken by Scotland. For the prize of one hundred pounds, gived by the Prince of Wales, Major Pollock, of Renfrew, and Sergeant Rothon, of the Civil Service Rifles, tied. having each made 90 out of a possible hundred. There were nineteen hundred competitors for the Queen's Prize, the first stage of which was com- menced on Monday. Six men made 34 each at the 200 yards range, but Vio highest possible was recorded. At the end of the shooting at the 500 yards the leading marksmen were found to be Quartermaster Arkill, 4th East Surrey, and Private Smith, 2nd West Kent, each of whom had made 67. The tie for the Prince of Wales' prize was shot off and resulted in a victory for Major Pollock, of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, sn far as the Badge was concerned, he having agreed to divide the first and second money prizes with Staff Sergeant Rothon, Civil Service Rifles. The first stage of the shooting for the Queen's Prize was completed at Bisley on Tuesday. Out of all the competitors at this stage only one-Private Wilson, of the London Scottish-made 96, and he was the winner of the Bronze Medal. All the men who made 83 points and upwards come into the Three Hundred to shoot in the second stage, while ILZ f' ■ SCOred 82' became eligible to shoot for 51 places in the Three Hundred. The principal competition on Wednesday was the first stage of the St. George's Challenge Vase. At the close of the stage Private Brakenridge (20th wJeT^' Srp°ral Ha^ (2nd Liverpool), and j.i ^j"a,n (lst EIgin) were at the top of the list with 66 points each? At the Bisley Rifle Meeting on Thursday, the second stage of the firing fr>»- r»« > • i'nnMn,ia^ t,, tu7inriDg tor the Queen s prize was p ie sdver medal and badge were won by Captain Foster, of the 4th West Surrev, by one point over Lieutenant Thomson, of the Queen's in urgh. Notwithstanding the closeness of the nmsh, the shooting average was low.

THE PRINCESS OF WALES AND WELSH INDUSTRY. Mias Knollys in acknowledging on behalf of the Princess of Wales, a Welsh costume made by Messrs Tyler, Maesllyn Mills, Llandyssul, South Wales, says The Princess is very much obliged for all the trouble Messrs Tyler have taken in drawing np and forwarding directions as to the proper way of putting on and wearing the different articles composing the national dress of the countrv in which H.R.H. feels so deep an interest.

personal. The guests at Lady Glenesk's reception on Friday evening included Mr and Mrs Corrie Mr and W John Raikes, and Mr Walford. Sir Watkin Williams Wynn was driving through his park on Monday night, when the horse toSk fright in the avenue, and dashed through the rron gates smashing the carriage. Sir Watkin was thrown violently to the ground. On inquirvTt Wvnnstay it was stated that, although considerkWv shaken he is bnt little the worse for the accident and is able to go about. accment.

Acopy oUhe volume recently published bT Mr Wm Heinemanu, entitled Made in Germanv^ has been sent to all the public libraries. A eentlp man of prominent position in the Citv of Lond™ has been so struck with the vital importance of th facts and arguments contained in this bonV T at his own expense, he is presenting a cony to e public library in the kingdom, with 7 ° enabling artisans mechanics, and others LO seJ^ great importance, from an Imperial to the competition Germany has created -°V olew' Britain in the trade of the world Great A preliminary meeting of the •. Age Pensions was held at the Ti-0 mnuttee on Old day, under the presidency of T „ ON w?dnes- members present were Sir Fr ?othschild- The Courtenay Boyle, Mr S £ n«r7, ^°Watt' Sir laison, Mr Brabrook. Mr Kino- AT toP Mr Fin" Chapman. The Committfe v and Mr November, when they will 11P adJourned until any schemes that may be snhJvfPjred to consider encouraging the industrial t6d to them f"r or otherwise, to make nrnv P by State aid schemes falling within this dofi °ld af?e" Any be desired to submit for m.fc,on wlli°h it forwarded to the Secret..J C(:nsideration should be Great George-street W. tlie Committee' 23' next. etj *VestD"nster, before Oct. 1st