Welsh Gazette and West Wales Advertiser

A THREATENED MONOPOLY. THE publication of a paragraph in our issue of last week announcing the fact that < negociations were- proceeding for the merging of the Manchester and Milford line into that of the Cambrian Railways Company has awakened considerable interest through- out the County of Cardigan, and especially so at Aberystwyth. As the welfare of a district depends almost entirely upon its railway services. it is only natural that the public in these- parts view the proposed change with much concern and misgiving. That there is ample room for a change for the better there can be no dispute; but the unmistakeable testimony of experienoe is that monopoly seldom or never leads to betterment. The greatest lesson bequeathed to the human race by the nineteenth century was that of "the survival of the fittest by means of natural selection," and in the whole process of evolution there is no more potent a fastor than competition. We cannot say that the public view the situation with complete equanimity, but we believe we are right in saying that they view it without prejudice; for they are prepared to welcome a change for the better from any quarter. What finds weight in the- public mind is: what is best."for the public welfare, —and not for this or that or any other company. Knowing the indisputable value of competition in developing and advancing the prosperity of the district, it is no wonder that the public foresees a grave danger in its elimination and it is the apprehension of this danger—the loss of the value of com- petition—which has seized the public mind, and it is on this phase of the question only that it has a right to dwell-all other minor considerations are domestic to the respective companies. Aberystwyth, which will be peculiarly affected by the proposed change, owing to its being a seaport and the termini of the lines of the two companies,, offers a striking object lesson on the value of competition. For instance,. theirailway r,tes from Aberystwyth to Liverpool ar^ £ an_ chester, which are about equi-disJLarrf. show a great disparity. The chaVgeg from Aber- ystwyth to Manchester 'oeing much heavier than to Liverpool. -g owjng4 Qf course, to the facto Liverpool offers an alterna- tiv' '3 route by sea. But what brings this I home to the man-in-the-street is the fact that goods can be sent from Liverpool to Aberystwyth and sent on again to Borth and other stations as far as Machynlleth at considerably less cost than if sent direct from Liverpool to those stations. Monopoly, however, means much more than increased rates, indifferent services and want of attention it means general stagnation. Wherever competing lines have been amalgamated and fallen to the hands of one and the same company the towns that they supply invariably suffer. Monopolist com- panies can afford to ignore the demands of the public they do not care for large traffic with moderate profits for their watchword is: little traffic with big profits. Conscious of their own power they need not consult the convenience of the public; for they can dictate their own terms. Aberystwyth is practically at the mercy of the local railway companies, who have, almost completely, the making or marring of the town, and the threatened cessation of the present healthy rivalry between two systems is, not un- naturally, viewed with alarm. We do not wish to minimize the efforts of the Cambrian Company to foster the traffic on its line by bringing into greater prominence the natural beauties of North Cardiganshire with its exhilarating air and mild climate but we would strongly emphasize the fact that the interests of the community at large would be much better served by maintaining the existing rivalry through the introduction of one or more of the large railway companies, such as the Great Western. Competition at Aberystwyth, would, of course, be of great advantage to other towns along the railways —such as Lampeter and Tregaron, Mach- ynlleth and Newtown. It is no secret, we believe, that the Great Western Company has, for some time past, been anxious to obtain a favourable outlet on the West Coast of Wales where it can pour its large tourist traffic direct, without being hampered by the needless troubles and strictures imposed by transferring it to a minor company. Hitherto, however, the Great Western has been kept at bay by the Cambrian Company at Dolgelley and Buttington, and by the Manchester and JMlford Company at Pen- cader but it is acknowledged on all hands that if the Manchester and Milford line were taken over and worked by the Great Western the benefit that would accrue to Aberystwyth and the other Cardiganshire towns it serves would be incalculable. The merging of the Manchester and Milford line into the Cambrian would be a, direct loss to Aberystwyth in more than one j respect but it would be difficult to over- estimate the advantages which the introduc- tion of the Great Western Railway would bring, with it. The town would flourish and prosper more than ever by receiving the attention which it so richly deserves. At present the Aberystwyth Town Council devotes much attention and a comparatively fair sum, of money to the advertising of the town as allealth resort, but they cannot afford to do this to the extent that the growing capacity of the town demands. If Aber" ystwyth were served by the Great Western. the town would spring into prominenoe, for the Great Western is at once one of the first ot the great railways in the Kingdom, it has the longest mileage, and possesses the completest and best-equipped rolling stock in the country, and its system of advertising; the places which it serves is as complete as it is effective. Now, it is self-evident that Aberystwyth would profit most by being served by that railway which drains the most extensive area. The town would not only be made known throughout the Kingdom by means of high-class photo- graphs at all the stations and in the endless number of carriages which incessantly traverse the length and breadth of the I country—and that without any cost to the ratepayers—but the improved and comfort- able facilities for travelling would induce thousands of people to visit the town from places which are at present well- nigh inaccessible through inconvenience. The service of trains would probably be im- proved to an extent hitherto undreamt of Lampeter, Tregaron and Aberystwyth are within close proximity to Carmarthen Junction, which is on a section of the main line past which the Irish expresses run, and the communication between there and London is-second to none. It is understood, however, that before the end of the year the journey is-yet to be shortened owing to con- cessions granted on the promise of the with- drawal from Parliament of the South Wales Railway Bill,. promoted by Sir JAMES SZLUMPEB. This will bring Carmarthen within about four hours reach of Loi^on? and assuming the would be con- tinued to ^oerystwyth it is fair to infer we should have a service all the year round to London, via South Wales, which should only occupy six hours, instead of one of eight hours via Shrewsbury. Aberystwyth and the whole of Cardiganshire is largely in- terested in South Wales, and once the Great Western Company made its way into that town it would quickly bring the populous and wealthy districts of Glamorgan and the West of England within easy reach.

SCHOOL OF LAW. THE best token of life and activity in any public institution is the fact that it expands its sphere of influence and embarks on fresh schemes of beneficial work for the com- munity at large. We greatly welcome the news that the Council of the University College of Wales are about to advertise for a professor of English Law and a lecturer on Roman Law and Jurisprudence to take charge of the new School of Law which is proposed to be established in the College at the beginning of next Session in October. The work of the College has been of such high character in Arts and Science in the past as to attract the attention of educa- tional authorities outside the Principality, and has made Welshmen, of all religious sects and political parties, justly proud of its achievements. This is the reason why the response to the appeal for funds to establish the new School for Law has been so hearty and general, and we sincerely trust that the Law students will soon be so great in number and satisfactory in character as to make the new adventure a true and per- manent success. We may hope also that some generous benefactor will come forward to help the College in its good work by endowing the Law Chair so as to make it independent of its ordinary funds and that another rich well-wisher will endow the Chair of Music for atfer all there may be a danger on the part of the authorities to expand their work too rapidly, and to forget the older departments of Arts and Science in their fond love for the newer and later developments. Far is it from our purpose to be pessimistic m our view as to the ultimate success of the schemes but surely it is a far better policy in the end to concentrate one's attention on, and to strongly consolidate what one already possesses. It is only when the older departments have been fully equipped with a justly well-paid staff that new undertakings can be legitimately entered upon. Half- work is always bad, and no new conquests should be dreamt of until one is a thorough master of the territory already occupied, I

A GRAVE FACT. WHILE women have taken so many steps in advance during, the past, hundred) years, there are, alas, one or two ways in which they are found at the close of the centary to be behind their grandmothers. One cannot close one's eyes to the. very grave fact that drunkenness,. for one thing, has- very much increased among, them; and this specially applies to yfchafe very large and! increasing body, the women workers. Those who interest themselves in this class emphatically declare that the evil steadily grows,, and: is ( fast becoming, one which is more and more difficult to quench. Each years finds-women entering more and more Into competition with men. They are found in fields of labour where even twenty-five years age they would never have dreamed of' entering,, and they are claiming and insisting* upon the same freedom.as the other sex. Indeed.. the very nature of many of. the employ- ments in which women now engage is such that they have perforce to adopt a mode of life and manners wholly at variance with the old ideas of feminity. No longer does woman depend upon man, or accept his guidance and rule. She is emancipated, and in the first glow of freedom thinks it- clever perhaps to ape what have seemed to her the evidences of man's freedom. Office life, factory life, .and indeed all life-which takes a woman outside the domain of home, has its temptations; not- one of the- least of which is that which leadsto the consumption of an unnecessary amouut of malt and spirituous drinks. This is a grave problem which we have to face at the beginning of the. new century, which will undoubtedly bring still greater changes into the lives of women. If we are to allow this to go on, how are we to hope to maintain the position we have won for ourselves? It is true the evil may be chiefly confined to the poorer classes, but the fact remains all the same, and those who strive fpr the equality of the sexes cannot make this an excuse. If woman is to be a power,, she must care. for her own sex, and it therefore behoves all women to use their best influence- to check an evil which directly affects the whole body of won-ianhood.-Lady's- Pictorial..

NOTES A COMMENTS. All who are interested in the work- of husbanding the soil, whether in field or garden may profit by reading the address on "Weeds" by Wi- D. D. Williams, of the Agricultural Department,. U.C.W., which will be found in another part of the paper. The sanitary defects at Llanybyther as re- ported by the Medical Officer are, surely, too serious to brook any delay. Whatever doubts may be entertained by some as to their gravity, the benefit of the doubt should certainly be given to the safety of public health. Mrs "Osmond Williams, wife of Mr Osmond Williams, M.P., met with a serious accident on Wednesday week. She was driving a trap from Deudraeth Castle to Portmadoc, and when near Boston Lodge Foundry, at the entrance to the" cop" embankment, the horse took fright, and Mrs Williams was violently thrown from the trap. She received serious injuries to the head, and was removed in an unconscious state to one of the houses close by. As was feared, London has killed its scholar-bishop. The never ending round of (C evening engagements" proved too great a strain upon his constitution and with powers undimmed he has fallen from the ranks of the living to an honoured place amongst the dead. To his pen is due the History of the Papacy during the Reformation," the only first rate piece of Church History in narrative form that the nineteenth century produced in English. In the death of Dr Creighton, history has lost its chief exponent, and historians one, the charm of whose winning personality had endeared him to all. The annual report of the Dolgelley and District Nursing Association shows a splendid record of work done. The nurse paid 1,707 visits to 105 patients during the twelve months, and as her services are devoted entirely to the needy poor (and sick the usefulness of the Association can be realised. The public of Dolgelley and district take an active interest in the institution, as is shown by the increasing number of subscribers, and while such a commendable spirit prevails the success of the work will always be assured. A powerful syndicate of German elec- tricians and enginers has been formed, at the suggestion of the Emperor William, to study the problem of making electricity the motive power in passenger expresses. A beginning is being made by the construction of two electric coaches, each of which is to hold 50 people. They will be tried on the military railway from Berlin to Zossen, a distance of some 20 miles, and if the experiment is a success electric expresses, consisting merely of one coach each, should, it is suggested, be run at a speed of from 125 to 160 miles an hour between the great cities of the Empire at intervals of a quarter of an hour. An important statement was made at the Aberystwyth Town Council on Tuesday respecting the proposed light railway 0 y through the Vale of Rheidol to the Devil's Bridge. It was stated that the capital required for the construction of the line, X51,000, had been subscribed, and that all that was needed now was to get reasonable terms from the landowners along the line of route. The Council passed a resolution expressing their satisfaction at the good prospects of the scheme and pledging them- selves to give the company all the assistance they could. Let us hope that this is but the beginning of the free introduction of light railways into the oounty. The opening up of the county by means, of light railways would go far to solve the1 problem of rural depopulation. i Viscount Emlyn, Golden Grove; Mr J. Protheroe Beynon, and Mr Morgan Richard- son, Cardigan, have been placed on the Commission of the Peace for the county of Pembroke. According to the Westminster Gazette' a proposal has been privately made that the, first Parliament of the new century should be opened in state by the Prince of Wales, as the representative of the Queen. The number of Parliamentary electors for the county of Cardigan in 1900 was 13,299, and the number for 1801 is 13,300, showing an increase of only one. The burgesses and county electors totalled in 1900 15,692, and in 1901 the number is 15,756, an increase ot ti4. Speaking at a dinner of the Incorporated Association of Head Masters, Sir John Gorst said it did not rest with the Govern- ment entirely, but rather with the school- masters themselves, to develope education in the rising generation. He did not believe in wholesale education, for his belief was that higher education consisted in the influence of the individual master on the individual pupil. What was required was the develop- ment of character and the encouragement of research and curiosity and the teaching of the children how in future to acquire in- formation valuable to them. The Chester Board of Guardians have decided to build four homes near the city wherein to accommodate the children under their care, and so to remove them from the undesirable associations of life in a work- house. The foundation-stone of the principal home vvas laid las tweeV, and during the proceedings it was explained that the idea of the Guardians was to allow the children to attend the village school, to play with village children, to attend church, chapel, and Sunday School along with other children, and, generally, to give them a part in life they could not have in present cir- cumstances. In charging the grand jury at Portsmouth Quarter Sessions on Friday, the Recorder rererred to the tacilities which were afforded for boys to purchase toy pistols. Two cases of unlawful wounding with these weapons had tolome' beforejhim. It seemed a crying shame that these pistols could be so easily obtained by mere boys. He hoped the Home Secretary would bring in some legislation preventing the sale of pistols altogether, except to persons of mature years, and authorising the police to seize all such weapons found in the possession of boys or girls,. Subsequently the grand jury ex- pressed their approval of the Recorder's suggestion, and handed in a written recommendation suggesting legislation on the line indicated. The Royal Horticultural Society will hold its next examination in Horticulture on Wednesday, April 24th, 1901. Intending candidates can obtain particulars by applying to the Secretary, R.H.S., 117, Victoria Street, Westminster, enclosing a stamp. Candidates are expected to prepare them- selves by close study of certain books, and by having good gardening knowledge. An entry form is attached to each syllabus, which should be filled in and returned to the Secretary, together with the capitation fee of 3s., at least three weeks before "the examination takes place. A list of, questions is sent to the place of the examination to the person in charge, and the candidates have to be there with paper and pens, and then in two and a half hours have to answer not more than eight of the questions to the best of their ability. May we not expect a goodly number of candidates, from this district? Mr John Burns, M.P., was- the chief speaker at a largely attended raeeting held on Sunday evening at Battersea to protest; against the destruction of the. farms and the iniquitous war now being waged on women and children in South Africa." He said that at present, not only in South Africa,, but in West Africa and China, an epidemic of brutality and of criminal disregard for the conditions of war had made him ashamed of his country and of the army. He predicted that if the South African war went on it would cost 40,000 lives and £ 300,000,000, and would almost certainly mean the loss of South Africa to the Empire as well. A resolution, which Mr Burns supported, was carried with enthusiasm pro-, testing against the present conduct of the war, and calling on the Government to offer terms of peace which the Boers might honourably accept, including the independ- ence of the two Republics. The Archbishop of Canterbury has ad- dressed to the clergy of his diocese a letter, in the course of which he says" The present position of the temperance question seems to demand the special attention of the clergy of the Chureh. The reports of the late Commission on the subject pointed to various improvements that ought to be made in the laws relating to licences fcr the sale of intoxicating liquors. Though the reports. were two in number, yet the recommenda- tions that were common to both reports, and consequently carried the authority of the. whole body of Commissioners, were numer- ous aadi important, and the bishops are- united in supporting them, and if the clergy would seriously press for thesa they would certainly be carried sooner or later. Th& basis of all improvements in this matter must, be the formation of a strong public opinion, and the clergy bavia more influence than' any pothers in "producing this effect. Of all the hindrances to the acceptance of the truth of the Gospel, there is none njore widespread, more infectious, more potent than intemperance, and we could do much if we bestirred ourselves to stem this current of evil." At the General Conference ef the Teachers' Guild of Great Britain and Ireland at Brighton, resolutions were passed to the effect that the control of education should be a function of the authority appointed for general local purposes, and be exercised by a statutory committee, and, following the lines of the bill brought in by the Duke of Devonshire in 1.900, the statutory committee should be an education committee of the administrative county council or county borough council, framed in accordance with a scheme drawn up by the council and approved by the Board of Education that the scheme shoull provide for the inclusion in the education committees of an adequate proportion of males and females, not members of the council, who pes-ess expert knowledge of education and its require- ments that the areas under the control of the education committees should be not less than those of the existing administrative counties and county boroughs, but the scheme may provide for a joint education committee of two or more councils, the population of the combined areas controlled by these councils being not less than 100,000 and that in the best interests of education efficient private, schools should -be an acknowledged part of the educational System of the country j and their interests should be safeguarded by Act Qf Parliament