Welsh Gazette and West Wales Advertiser

LOCAL SELF-GOVERN- MENT FOR W.ALES. But we humbly express our regret that your Majesty's Speech contains no reference to ques- tions specially affecting the interests of the people of Wales, and that in view of the failure of Parliament during the past six years to con- sider those interests it is desirable that there should be conferred upon the Principality a large extension of powers of local self-government." So read the Welsh amendment to the Address, moved by Mr. J. HERBERT LEWIS in the Hous. of Commons on Friday night., The right of Wales to separate treatment was, he said, established by two pieces of legislation, the Welsh Intermediate Educa- I tion Act and the Welsh Sunday Closing Act. The experiment had been thoroughly success- ful, and on that ground they now asked that it should be considerably extended. During the past eleven years no piece of special legislation of any kind had been passed for Wales, and during the past six years no attempt had been made by the Government to meet the wishes of the Welsh people, notwithstanding the admission by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the right of Wales to separate legislation and his pro- mise that her necessities would be attended to as far as time permitted. There were certain great questions in which the Welsh people took a very deep interest—the ques- tions of religious equality, temperance, and land reform. The Government had told Wales that on these questions she had nothing to expect at their hands, and she had given her response by sending 28 out of 34 members opposed to the Government. It had been said that the Welsh people would gradually become indifferent to these questions, but the result of the last general election pointed a very different moral. The fact of the matter was that the Welsh people fairly held to the principle of civil and re- ligious equality, and that was the reason for the enormous disparity which existed be- tween the representation of Wales on the two sides of the House. There were certain questions which were not of a highly con- tentious character which deserved and should receive the early attention of the Govern- ment. The Welsh Sunday Closing Act had done an enormous amount of good in Wales, but there were certain defects in it, and the Royal Commission had recommended that these should be remedied. He therefore asked the Government to pass a small bill for that purpose, as it would still further improve the social condition of the Welsh people. Another question in which the Welsh people were much interested was the enormous cost of obtaining Parliamentary powers, and he asked that a measure should be passed for Wales similar to the private bill legislation measure for Scotland. In regard to the sphere of administration, the Welsh members had for many years asked that Wales should be treated with justice in the matter of the museum grants to the United Kingdom. He thought that what took place last year had greatly strengthened the right of Wales to a portion of these grants, for a tax was then imposed on ex- ported coal which amounted to two million pounds sterling, and of that amount X900,000 came from the small Principality of Wales. In asking for this museum grant they were only asking for a small discount on this enormous tax which the Government had placed on Wales. During the last six years the Government had done absolutely nothing for the special Welsh interests to which his amendment referred, though it was true that they passed a bill, known as the Berriew Bill, for one small parish in Wales contain- ing 381 county council electors, of whom 0 y 349 signed a petition against the bill. In support of the second part of his amend- ment he cited a speech made in Scotland by the Colonial Secretary in which he recom- mended the establishment of provincial assemblies, with strictly defined powers of legislation, to relieve the pressure on the. Imperial Parliament. When the new rule j in Supply was established they thought they, would have a little more time for the con- sideration of matters affecting Wales, but for the past three years they had been trying J in vain to obtaia a portion of a day for the I Woods and Forests vote, in which Wales was much interested. He did not think there was the least hope for Wales in any proposal that was made to change the rules of procedure. Wales had made good use of the powers she had received, and he asked them to extend these powers in the full con- fidence that she would use them with wisdom and sobriety and in a business-like and patriotic spirit. o

PUBLIC versus PRIVATE INTERESTS. IT may be extremely difficult. at times to decide where the liberty of the subject ends and the safety of the public begins but in such a case as that which presented itself at the last meeting of the Aberystwyth Rural District Council, there should, surely, be no difficulty in determining what course to pursue, and we feel sure that every intelligent person will unite with Mr Richard James in expressing surprise that members of a public ".body who are supposed to look after the sanitation of the Union should advocate that such cases should be passed over." The case in question was that of an old house on the roadside at Penygarn, now used for keeping cattle. The Inspector said that the building, which was never intended as a cowshed or stable, was without any sort of drainage, adjoined an inhabited house and was a very bad nuisance." Yet, in spite of the fact that the Inspector had condemned the place as a danger to the public health, certain members seemed anxious to tolerate it-laying greater stress upon the convenience of individuals than the safety of the public, and urging the same lame excuse as those of old who pleaded for the barren fig tree which cumbered the ground. Whatever may be said of the cor- rectness of the remark made by Mr Thomas James that one of their weaknesses as a Council in such matters was 11 to shelter some people and be hard on others," there can be no question as to the justness of his views when he said that they should be guided by principles of duty and not by sympathies of relationship. As long as the Rural District Council will pursue the policy it adopted on Monday and support its Inspector, we are not without hope of seeing considerable improvement in the sanitary condition of the district, and that there is ample room for betterment no one can deny. Reliable authorities maintain and statistics seem to prove conclusively that sanitation has as much, and even more to do with the prevention of such a malignant scourge as small-pox than vaccination.

« Public Library for Machyn- lleth. Another year has been born and is proceeding on its path with unfailing speed, but it brought with it no signs of a public library. Eminent men in I the councils of the town have made strong declara- tions as to the immediate advent of this outstand- ing municipal debt, yet the years roll by, and the young men of to-day learn to loaf, or they seek refuge in the haunts of bodily pleasures where no provision can possibly be made for the uplifting of the better side of their nature. Machynlleth, un- like many small towns, has a goodly muster of young men who remain in town on account of the various industries of the district. This is readily seen on a fine evening by the muster on the street corners, by the tower, or round the windows of the places of business. These young men have nowhere to go to and they avail themselves of the wide, open streets of the town. These men are sensible and no great havoc has been worked amongst the youth of to-day by the want of a public libraay and read- ing room, but what of the youth of to-morrow ? Can those who are responsible for the morals of the men of the future say with a clear voice, that the children of to-day, who will be men to-morrow, will not fritter away their time and spend themselves and all that they have in nothing more harmfu than ianocent congregating at their favourite trysting places. Mountain and valley, bill and dale, forest and stream offer excellent recreation to the mind that has been taught to appreciate them and of these the country around 31achynlleth has a true abundance, but it is not all eyes that see it is not all ears that hear, and it is only with a few that a bush of blooming gorze counts for more than a mass of tiresome prickles. Man must be tempted to read, he has temptations to other things always knocking at his door, .,nd it is not to be wondered at that) he opens this door and that his mind becomes tenanted with divers evils when there is no other claimant to the tenement. It is rumoured that those who are anxious to see a reading room established in the town have hitherto wished in vain, as they have been unable to secure suitable accommodation for such a public institution. Such an excuse may be a sincere one, but it may also be insincere and may be serving as a soporific to a conscience that tends to prick. It would be well to ask in all sincerity whether a real businesslike attempt has ever been made to establish a public library in the town. The time is most favourable. All sections work harmoniously together in all matters that appertain to the welfare of the town and as a mere experiment the attempt is worth the making. It would entail some small additional rate, and it is here that the around become3 delicate. It is no secret that men are already 1 complaining of heavy rates, but the heavy rates are caused by the great improvements which have been introduced into the town within late years. This question of a public library is not one of rates, its r importance is not to be reckoned in gold, it is a question of human happiness and of human souls and, until it is faced as such, its solution will always be a case of hope deferred. E. J.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. | ■ •«. a Yesterday violets were worn throughout I the country generally in memory of Queen J Victoria. There is an improvement in the death rate of the concentration camps, and the satisfactory decline is due to Mr. Chamber- lain's efforts. Last week a Rhyl publican was fiuod live pounds and costs for allowing a drunken man to be served with drink on his premises. It is officially announced that the honour of having the first registered agricaltuval co- operative society in the Principality belongs to Lledrod. | Air. Justice Kennedy opened the com- mission for the Winter Assize at Lampeter on Saturday, and had the pleasant duty of congatulating the grand jury upon the fact that there was not a single case to engage their attention. On Saturday Mr. Frederick Rogers, or- ganising secretary of the Old Age Pension Committee, spoke on The present position of the Old Age Pension Movement" at the Strand Radical Club. He advocated the payment of a weekly pension of not less than 5s for every man and woman on reach- ing the age of 60 years, free from any taint of pauperism, as a national right from Im- perial and local taxation combined, the money to be paid through the Post Office, ana not through the Poor Law Guardians. It is stated that another batch of Welsh quarrymen will soon go out to Newfound- land. Mr. 0. J. Owen, the vice-chairman of the Blaenau Festiniog Urban District Council, is making the arrangements, and it is expected that the men will go out during the spring. Mr. Owen visited Newfound- land some time ago. There are already a number of Welsh quarrymen engaged in working slate quarries in Newfoundland, and the reports received from time to time are understood to be most encouraging both as to the quality of the slate and the pros- pects for skilled quarrymen. A curious application, which may be of interest to rate-collectors, has been made to the magistrates at Croydon. A householder in South Norwood asked for a summons against a collector for knocking at his door without lawful excuse," inasmuch as the rates had been paid six days before. The chief collector of the Corporation happened to be in court, and the matter was referred to him. Applicant had previously written to the Corporation on the subject, but re- ceived no reply, which was the reason he went to the magistrates. On principle he asked for the return of the penny stamp, and got it, the mistake in the rate depart- ment having been admitted. Mr. John Burns, M.P., has been talking to working-men with characteristic frank- ness. There were almost a million people living in one-roomed tenements in London- which were no homes at all-and their lives were simply a funeral procession from the cradle to the grave, and as a Labour leader, he would not be doing his duty if he did not tell them the truth, and the truth was that many homes were filthy because those who should look after them were giving too much j money to the publican and to that curse of [modern life, the bookmaker. The great thing which prevented working men im- proving their condition was drink. Last year they had spent more on drink than upon rent-X4 per head of the population, or X20 for the family. If this went on physique, morality, and skill would have to go. It is the practice of most medical men to refuse to give certificates in cases of accident or violence, sending information to the coroner instead. All this, however, the Hospital" points out, is illegal. The doctor is bound by Act of Parliament to give a certificate stating the cause of death to the best of his knowledge and belief," in every case which dies under his care. Such a certificate ought in cases of accident or violence to disclose the fact, and in such cases it is for the registrar, not the doctor, to inform the coroner. The whole thing is provided for by law. The fact is that many coroners have an idea that it is the duty of the doctor to withhold his cer- tificate, and to inform the coroner in all cases of violence, accident, or sudden death. As a fact to withhold the certificate is illegal, while to inform the coroner is no more obligatory upon the doctor than on any other citizen who is aware of the occur- rence. Miss Chichester, a daughter of Lady Chichester, who is connected with this dis- trict as the owner of considerable tithe rent charges, is sure of the sympathy of all humanitarians in her efforts to stem the in- human craze for stag-hunting. In the Chancery Division on Saturday she sought to restrain an alleged trespass upon large estates near Barnstaple by the Masters of .,the Devon and Somerset Stag Hunt. Miss Chichester, it was stated, had strong views on the inhumanity of hunting, and as she thought her property was interfered with by the hounds going on it she moved to restrain the defendants from trespassing on it. The defendants, however, had agreed not to go on the plaintiff's land, and to pre- vent the hunt servants from doing so as far as they had control over the hounds, and also to restrain the hounds to the best of their ability from entering the plaintiff's property. On these terms it was agreed to stay aU proceedings in the action except such as might be necessary for enforcing the undertaking. Mr. Justice Bucklev made an order in that form. Heavy penalties were inflicted by the Whitchurch magistrates on Friday upon the Hon. Gerald Rowland Clegg Hill, Hawk- stone Park, and the Cambrian Railways Company, the former for illegally removing 204 sheen and 289 sheen nn T)e>r-r>ml><»r fi and L -r 14 respectively, and the Company for con- veying them without proper licences. The Company accepted the first consignment of sheep from Portmadoc without any declara- tion. The sheep were unloaded at Whit- church in the night and forwarded to Hawkstone. The stationmaster at Whit- church subsequently ascertained the fact and wrote to the Portmadoc stationmaster in- forming him of the requirements of the Sheep Scab Order. A Shropshire police constable some days later had a conversation with Mr. Hill, and explained to him t.hA i reg illations as to the removal of the sheep, and afterwards sent him a copy of such regulations and certificates. The station- master at Whitchurch refused to allow the second consignment of sheep to be unloaded, and the defendant saw Mr. Topham, a Whit- church magistrate, to whom he represented that all the regulations had been complied with, and that they were in the Hands of the Portmadoc stationmaster. The only certifi- cate held by the latter, however, was the note from Police Sergt.-Inspector Jones, Portmadoc, stating that the sheep were free from scab. On the clear understanding that all regulations had been complied with, Mr. Topham gave Mr Hill a written authority to unload the sheep and remove them to Hawkstone Park, Afterwards eight sheep were found affected with sheep scab. The defence was that the ofiences were commit- ted in ignorance. The Chairman said the Bench regarded the offenct-s as of most serious character, the worst they had ever known in the countv. and thpv wonlrl not ho doing their duty to the county and to farmers if they did not inflict heavy penalties. The defendant Hill was then fined £25 and costs in each case, and the Railway Com- pany £5 and costs in the first case and C25 and costs in the second. The Solicitor, who prosecuted for the Shropshire County Coun- cil, was also allowed six guineas. v "^ls_aJesty the King and Lord Herbert ane Tempest were among the eight guns in last Friday's shooting party at Penn House, as the guests of Lord Howe. It is now stated, on trustworthy authority, that the Prince of Wales intends, if pros- pective arrangements can be carried out, to visit the Principality some time in the month of May for the purpose of being in- stalled as Chancellor of the Welsh Univer- sity. It has not yet been decided where and when the installation will take place. Mr. Osmond Williams, M.P. for Mer- ioneth, has just received news that his son, Lieutenant D. T. Osmond Williams, is re- turning from South Africa. He sailed on January 3rd, and is expected to reach home on the 24th. Lieutenant Osmond Williams is said to be the youngest officer in the British Army, and preparations are being made to give him a hearty welcome home. Smallpox continues unabated in London and Glasgow. At the latter place 44 cases have been traced to one patient. Cases have also been reported in South Wales. In view of the present outbreak in London and else- where, and the resultant scares in our own districts, we would commend the timely warning of Dr. Hugh Walker, the mayor of Lampeter, to the careful consideration of our readers. A destructive fire broke out at Aber- ystwyth on Monday night, and the value and efficiency of a Fire Brigade were never better exemplified. The Brigade was under the command of Mr. Rees Jones, borough surveyor, and the crowd was under the con- trol of Police Sergeant Phillips, than whom few know better when and how to do their duty. There is as much art in quietly policing a crowd as there is in administering an unsavoury pill or lotion to a patient. The South-east Lancashire District Union of the National Union of Teachers on Satur- day adopted resolutions advocating the establishment of one local authority for all forms of public education, the payment of a larger portion of the cost of education from Imperial funds, and such a redistribution of the School Board rate as would equalise its operation. Elsewhere we publish a letter on Tae- cination Stations by Mr. Thomas Colby, of Pantyderi, in which he pleads for a restora- tion of the old system of having children vaccinated at their homes instead of at diffei-ent stations as at present. Mr. Colby takes a deep interest in the subject; and the Guardians of the Cardigan Wnion have unanimously passed a resolution in favour of making the Local Government Board initiate such changes in the law as will enable Boards of Guardians to re-establish vaccination stations and do away with domi- ciliary vaccination. The resolution of the Cardigan Board of Gilardians is receiving the attention of similar Bodies throughout the country, and will come under the con- sideration of the Aberystwyth Guardians on Monday next. The manner in which a child met with his death at Machynlleth last Friday, as reported in another column, gives colour to the strong opinion expressed by the Man- chester city Coroner on Monday in connec- tion with the death of a child from burns. He said the latest returns showed that 800 children were burned to death within 12 months, and in most of the cases the domestic fires were not properly guarded. If the Home Office made it a criminal offence to leave a child alone where there was an unprotected fire he was sure a large number of lives would be saved. The half-yearly meetings of the Executive Committee of the Bala-Bangor Congrega- tional College were held at Bangor on Friday. Professor Phillips called attention to a recent report upon the Welsh theo- logical colleges by the Theological Board of the Welsh University, and Professor Rhys criticised and replied to the terms in which the Bangor Independent College had been described in that report. The question of obtaining new premises for the college was considered, and a sub-committee appointed to make inquiries in the matter. Sub- sequently the students of the College signed an agreement undertaking to refund the cost of their education in the event of their seceding from the Congregational Church or otherwise failing to undertake the work of the ministry. Principal Roberts, speaking on Thursday at a meeting of the Cardigan County Governing body, referred to some recent criticism of the Central Welsh Board. He said that while that Board might have made some mistakes, it had done work of the greatest value to Welsh secondary educa- tion. It was a body which commended the respect of English educational experts, and of which Welshmen had every reason to be proud. He believed in critism which was honestly aimed at the removai of defects, but he would be no party to any destructive or unfriendly movement against the Central Welsh Board. In a letter declining to attend a meeting to support the endownment of a professorhip of history at the South African College, Capetown. Mr. Ilirv,-A-- M P CAIYI +1- j —, taiau iv seemed almost a mockery in the present frightful state of things in South Africa. with martial law everywhere, all interest in education paralysed, people unable to move from place to place, an intensity of passion aroused which threatened bitterness for generations to come, and the probable loss of South Africa to Britain, to go on a plat- form with smooth generalities about the value of history—history which had not saved us from repeating the blunders oe 1/75 rtnd dulcet notes of peace where'therf was no peace,

CAPE TOWN CYMRY. A most enjoyable meeting of the Cambrian Society took place at Kamp's Cafe (writes a cor- respondent) on Tees-day evening which was ably conducted by the president (Mr W Thorne, Mayor of Cape Town, a native of Pembrokeshire. Advan- tage was taken of the occasion to present the Rev J Glyndwr Davies with a number of valuable books.^ The presentation was made on behalf of the Welsh Sunday School bv the p/esident. delivered a most eulogistic, humourous, and practi- cal speech. Mr Wynne Roberts likewise spoke of the ready response of Mr Davies to every call to serve the Welsh cause at all times. Mr John Roberts gave a characteristic Welsh speech, dis- playixig his usual readiness and fluency in the Cymraeg and another master in the old tongue, Mr Elias, added his quota to Mr Davies's praises. Mr Davies, who is a brother of P.C. Thos, Davies, Llanbadarn Fawr, replied with a grand flow, as when a Cymro is possessed of the hwyl." It can hardly be described, for to undersfand and read the "hwyl" it must be felt and experienced by the individual's soul; the nearest English to it is inspiration at white heat, touching all within its radius. This bcinsr the last L- president gqvc the Cymry and friends the season's greetings. he following programme was gone v u through with enthusiasm Pianoforte solo, Miss Maggie Parry song, Out on the deep." Frank Y\ llliams violin solo, L Still Welsh son<?, « O na byddai yn haf o hvd," Mr Rces soi)g, The Motor Car," L Still song, The Driver." T Bellis • song, The Storm Fiend," Frank Williams; sonel Mentra Gwen," T Drummer Hen Wiad fy Nbadaa,' "God save the King."