The Montgomeryshire Express and Radnor Times

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THE CHOICE OF A CAREER ADVICE TO PUPILS AND PARENTS. VARIOUS FIELDS IN THE WORLD OF OCCUPATION. Dr Fred Wilson, the chairman- of the school governors, presided over a goodly gathering of parents and pupils and others at the Newtown County School on Thurs- day evening, when Mr Henry C. Devine, director of the Future Career Association, delivered a lecture which was intended to help parents and pupils to concentrate attention upon various departments of State and branches of industry offering successful careers for educated boys. The proceedings having been opened with a sweetly sung glee by a number of the pupils, the Chairman briefly introduced the lecturer. He sympathised with the parental difficulty so often experienced, especially in small towns, in determining the par- ticular avocations to which the young people should be put, and he hoped Mr Devine would lessen that difficulty by showing the various fields of service at- tractive to well-educated youth, and how to enter them and succeed in them. In this way boys might be helped to decide upon the calling for which they were best fitted, and so enabled to do credit to them- selves, their parents, and their school (ap- plause). THE LECTURE. Mr Devine emphasised the initial point that a good deal of life's succc:hinged upon the choice which a boy made ■ f his calling or the choice which was mui. for him. He asked the boys present to imagine themselves along with him up in a balloon, flying above the world of occupation and peering down through. their glasses upon the people engaged in different occupations all over the world, in order that they might uecide for themselves which calling they should follow. Those occupations might be divided into three groups or classes. They saw a great many young people engaged in occupations which might be called indoor work a considerable number pursued out- door callings, and many also followed oc- cupation.- which were both indoor and out- door. Therefore, in deciding their future career, they must consider, among other things, which of those conditions would suit them best. The parent, of course, must be governed by the boy's tempera- ment, his capacity and limitations, and the question of his circumstances was also an important consideration. Those matters should be parentally considered as early as possible. There was work in the world for perhaps not in Newtown-but the im- t portant. thing was to discover what occupa- tion was best for the boy. It was not a gooa thing to have too high or too low an ambition. Let boys aspire to positions which they thought themselves capable of doing well in. Mr Devine then proceeded to enumerate positions available to boys in the State service, particularly boy clerk- ships, following which competitive exam- inations were held as a qualification for !>fomot,ion. these examinations could be passed by county school boys, but many T "plucked" because of inaccuracy in arithmetic and spelling, and also by reason of faulty spelling. Beyond school educa- tion, tney required special coaching for examinations but this could be ob- tained these days by correspondence. There were good positions open to educated boys in the Post Office service, the India Office, the Admiralty, the Excise and other Government departments, offering salaries to the extent of £ 600, with subsequent pen- sions. Mr Devine ;dso described various departments in the municipal service which formed a good field for youth, and after- wards dealt with the business and profes- sional fields." He was told that Welsh boys wanted to be either teachers or preachers, but "these were professions which ought only to be adopted by young people who were enthusiastic for the one or the other. SOME HELPFUL HINTS. Don't let them be teachers or preachers for the mere sake of being able to wear p. black coat. In commercial and professional life he desiderated a good manner. Pro- ceeding, he said he thought the business world of occupation was too much over- looked by parents of secondary school children. Too many wanted to join the ad- visory class. Only a certain number of people were required to advise us, but there was plenty of room in the world for those who were willing to produce its wealth. He recently asked a business man what were the qualities requisite in a boy for success in business, and that gentleman replied the earnest desire to succeed with a difficult purpose, the determination to rise to something out of the common rut, and the readiness to pay the price with in- dustry and patience, and the following of a career for which he is adapted, instead of going for a calling for which his capabili- ties are doubtful." There was a Russian proverb which ran, The man who goes out to shoot two wolves, will not shoot one." If they meant to suceced in any business, they must have the necessary qualities, and chief among these were tenacity of purpose and concentration. Don't think when they saw successful men of business that their success was a question of luck. There might have been a little luck, but success was almost invariably resultant of hard work, concentration of purpose morning, I noon, and night. and organisation and de- termination. Starting in business, they must determine to learn all they can about it. A boy was asked, What is cloth made out of ? and his answer was, I don't know." That boy would not succeed if he was not sufficiently interested to learn all that could be learnt about his particular business. That morning he dropped into a barber's shop at Paddington for a shave, and having little time in which to catch the train for Newtown, lie asked the young barber if his clock was right. He said, "I don't know '(laughter). That young man would never succeed. He ought to have answered, I don't know, but I will find out." Dealing with agricultural work, Mr Devine pictured the scope it offered in our colones. Parents, no doubt, felt to part with their children. Yet the best parents would be prepared to make sacrifices for the life's success of their families. Con- cluding an instructive lecture, Mr Devine observed that boys could not succeed in life unless they were reliable, thoughtful, and quick. They must learn those things in the school, and they would practice them in after-life. The chief requirement of success was devotion to duty, whether it was easy or difficult, pleasant or unpleasant. If they grew up with that idea, they would find it the secret of success. Many people did not succeed because they experienced difficulties. They said, I could have done this only for that." There was no credit in doing a thing unless it involved the over- coming of difficulties. There was no easy way to success. Everything worth having was difficult to get, but if they tackled diffi- culties in the right spirit they overcame them. Sir George Reid, the High Commis- sioner for Australia, said, When I come to an obstacle I try to get over it, and if I cannot get over it, I try to get under it. If I cannot get under it, I try to get round it, and if I cannot do that I lie down in the shade and go to sleep, and when I awake it has either vanished or I find myself re- freshed sufficiently to overcome it" (applause). The Chairman hoped that the useful hints given by Mr Devine would stick to them, and prove helpful in directing the desires of the young people. The head master and head mistress would be in touch with the Association which Mr Devine represented, by which means they wished to be able to assist the young people attending this school to embark upon successful careers (applause). COLONEL PRYCE-JONES' VIEWS. Colonel Pryce-Jones said he was attracted to the meeting by a notice which appeared in the Express.' Having so much to do with the people of Newtown as an employer of labour, he felt that he ought to attend a lecture upon such a subject, and he had brought his son with him. He must con- gratulate the Chairman and Governors, and the head teachers, for the idea of bringing Mr Devine to lecture upon such an import- ant question as the future of the pupils and the young people generally in Newtown. He agreed that it was a most difficult thing to fix the avocation of their boys when their education was finished. It was thought up to a year or two ago that-if they trained them to be teachers and preachers the field of service would always have sufficient scope, but at present they witnessed a great con- gestion in the scholastic profession. Teachers who had been trained were unable to find places. A very large percentage of those young people who left our intermediate schools left our county altogether, and thus, so to speak, they were training their best for the benefit of other parts of England. Nobody objected to that, but at the same time they felt it would be better if there were occupations for them in their own dis- trict. They were sorry that occupations were not so numerous for them here as lay outside the county, hence the difficulty of knowing what business or profession they should be put to. In Newtown the people were de- pending upon a few miljs and warehouses, and if young people did not do well, or by accident lost their employment, it was diffi- cult for them to find employment in the town. The idea of specialising education for the industrial and commercial needs of the district was one which was deservedly en- gaging attention, but in a small place like Newtown that was difficult to do. Such education, however, might encourage the rising generation to develop the industrial resources of Newtown, or at any' rate, better qualify them for the industrial opportunities now available. Very often they found at the Royal Welsh Warehouse the necessity for importing special workers, because they required men of experience and capacity, and such men commanded good salaries. The Colonel concluded by proposing a vote of thanks to the Lecturer, the Chairman, the Governors, the Head "Master and Head Mistress. Mr Edward Jones (Maesmawr Hall), in seconding, said he thoroughly agreed with what Colonel Pryce-Jones had said. Edu- cation in Wales had made a very rapid advance of late years. They now had uni- versities, secondary schools, and excellent Council schools, and after taking all this trouble to educate their young people, it was of the utmost importance that they should have every guidance and direction in the selection of their careers in life. He bonpr) that this lecture would have that beneficial result (applause). The motion was heartily carried. A DISCUSSION. Mr J. E. Roberts thought it was a very happy thought of the Head Master to bring Mr Devine to Newtown. The lecture would remove doubts as to whether the schools in Wales were running on practical lines. That charge could not at all events be brought against the Newtown County Schools (hear, hear). Mr Andrew said he was interested to listen to Mr Devine's reference to the field of municipal service. He thought that selection for service in that department should be made by means of competitive examina- tions, otherwise the poor man's boy could never have a chance against the influence exerted on behalf of the sons of the well- to-do. Colonel Pryce-Jones asked what advice Mr Devine would tender to the boy who wished to be a carpenter or a grocer. Mr Devine answered that if a man was a good carpenter he could go to any part of the world and always earn his livelihood. In many of the colonies such a skilled tradesman earned several pounds a week. A sound education 'was good for everybody, and the better educated the carpenter and grocer, the better would be his chances of securing the best positions. The worst of it was that education very often induced a distate for manual employment. He wished it did. That was why many of them thought that a good deal of the secondary education in this country should be in the nature of industrial education. Mr C. Wood said that while appreciating the value of the information furnished with respect to the various avenues open to well- educated youths, he thought a vitally im- portant point was the parental direction. No one could direct the parent as to the capacity and the natural aptitude of his or her children so reliably as the head teacher, who was constantly studying the particular bent. of the children under his charge. He instanced the success of this system in. Germany, and hoped that the work of Mr Devines' association would be developed along that line. Mr Ivor Jones, the head master, said he had seventy boys in the school, and their education must necessarily to a large extent run along the same lines of a general edu- cation. No matter what calling a boy might eventually pursue, a sound general educa- tion was essential. Although he might be but a stone-breaker, he was also a citizen, and education was requisite to make him a good citizen (hear, hear). He thought that sometimes parents were too eager to look at the purely material side of education by regarding the pursuit of special subjects at school from the standard of money- making. If there was any capacity for mental growth in a boy, the pursuit of gen- eral subjects was sure to make him more efficient in any occupation in life. They could not accommodate their school teach- ing to overtake specialization in all desira- ble subjects. Their schools had received a I good deal of adverse criticisms because they could not prepare pupils for any and every occupation. They could only lay the gen- eral foundation. Parents should not be afraid of sending their sons from secondary schools to occupations in which they re- ceived very low salaries or even no salary at all. A secondary education for four years should not be regarded as a testimon- ial to an employer of labour, accom- panied by the parental request for a s'alary at once. Jt did not mean that. It only meant that the secondary school boy had had a superior education, that his brains had been developed, and that all other things being equal, he would climb the ladder more quickly than a boy who had not been favoured with such advantages. Nothing more could be expected than that. A very interesting meeting thereafter concluded.

SERIOUS CHARGE OF WAREHOUSE BREAKING. LARCENY OF BEER. THREE MEN COMMITTED' TO QUARTER SESSIONS. The Court room of the Newtown Police Court was crowded on Wednesday, when Henry Owen, Skinners'-street, Newtown, William Hamer, Pool-road, Newtown, and William Colley, Crown-street, Newtown, were charged with breaking into the ware- house of Messrs Ind Coope and Co., and stealing two gallons of beer, value 2s. Messrs W. P. Phillips and Edward Morgan were the magistrates who heard the charge. D.C.C. Williams prosecuted Mr Martin Woosnam appeared for defendant Hamer, and Mr Richard E. George for Owen and Colley. Owen and Hamep had been brought up and charged on Monday, but on the appli- cation of D.C.C. Williams, they were re- manded until Wednesday. Colley was ar- rested the same day, and was allowed out on bail. MANY BARRELS: TWO TAPPED. Charles Arthur Hackett, the first witness called, said he was the agent of Messrs Ind Coope and Co. for the Newtown district. The warehouse where they stored their goods was situate at the back of Clifton- terrace, on the New-road. It was on the one side and at the back of a stable, owned by Mrs Davies, and it was sub-let to Mr Richard Hamer, carrier, who carried for Ind, Coope and Co. by contract. They stored their barrels in the building at the back of this stable. There was no entrance from the stable into the warehouse. There had once been a door, but a door which had divided the warehouse into two parts had been nailed back on to it. The keys of the stores were held by witness and the stores- man, Eagles. He left there on the Satur- day morning before the beer was stolen, and the door leading to the stable was closed up as usual and everything in order. There were many barrels in the store, but two had been tapped. One was empty and the other had some beer in. The storesman was supposed to take the key from the tap every night. On Sunday morning, in con- sequence of a communication received, he went to the warehouse about nine o'clock. He found the two gallon jar (produced by P.C. Thomas). It was nearly full, and he valued two gallons of beer at 2s. The door of Mr Richard Hamer's stable was burst open, as was the door of the store. These were two doors back to back, one in the stable and the other in the warehouse. Until then he did not know there was a door in the stable. They had been prized open both sufficiently wide to allow a per- son to get through. A HORSEY THEORY. Cross-examined: The doors were in a good state of preservation. It was impos- sible to open the warehouse door without any violence. Cross-examined by Mr George: Owen and Colley had a perfect right in this stable because they worked for Mr Hamer. By D.C.C. Williams: Defendant Hamer had previously been in the employ of Ind, Coope and Co., and knew the ins and outs of the warehouse. Re-examined: It would be impossible for the horse to rub against the door in the stable, and thereby open the one in the warehouse. Re-examined by Mr George: He saw a ooit on the stable door which seemed to have been used on more than one occasion. Charles Alfred Eagles said his duty was to look after the beer in the store. He had been in the employ of Messrs Ind, Coope and Co. for over eleven years. He was the last in the warehouse on Saturday, and he left at five o'clock. Besides a large number of barrels full, there was one empty, one tapped, and one filled with "finings." He took the key out of the tapped one, and put it in the usual place in the same warehouse. When he left there, the door leading into the stable was the same as it had always been for the last seven years. When he first went to work at the warehouse, he nailed it back on to the stable door. The nail which he used was six inches long, and he knocked it through the doors and between the joints in the bricks. Since then, as far as he know, the door had al- ways been kept closed. When he went there on Sunday morning about half-past ten the key was in the tap. Cross-examined by Mr Woosnam: The nail driven into the mortar would not be a very safe fastening, but it would require a good deal of force to pull the door open. If they happened to roll barrels against the door it would loosen the nail. The doors were old ones. The door was on the left side of the horse, which was very fond of rubbing. Cross-examined by Mr George: Colley had a perfect right in the stable. Richard Hamer had rented the stable since Sep- tember. He tapped the barrel a week last Tuesday, and had drawn about nine gallons. SUNDAY MORNING DISCOVERY. Thomas Prosser said he was in the employ of Mr Richard Hamer. He went to the stables on Sunday morning about seven o'clock. There was only one horse in this small stable where the doors were, and he went to this stable about 7-30. He did not notice any difference in the door leading into the warehouse, nor whether the bolt was shot into the staple. There was a lad- der outside. After feeding this horse, he went back to the big stable. Richard Hamer had rented the little stable since September fair, and he had never seen these doors open. No one came while he was in the little stable, but when he went to the big stable Henry Owen came there. When he went to the little stable the door was locked, and when he went to the other stable he left the key in the lock. Owen came to him, and after mixing the food for the four horses ,witness left him and went to the little stable. While he was there, Colley came and went to another stable at the back. Witness saw Hamer first at the bottom of the ladder, but did not know where he went. Cross-examined by Mr Woosnam: It was nothing unusual to see Hamer there. The door leading into the warehouse was on the left side of the horse, and if the horse rubbed against it, it was quite possible for the bolt to drop out of the staple. Cross-examined by Mr George: It was Owen's duty to clean out that morning. "CASN'T THEE OPEN IT?" P.C. Evan Thomas stated that on Satur- day last he concealed himself in Ind, Coope and Co.'s warehouse, at the back of Clifton- terrace. He was placed inside and locked in. He could see the outside of the building through a slit in the door and also through a window. About eight o'clock on Sunday morning defendant Hamer came down the entrance and went towards the stable, which was beyond where he was hiding in the warehouse. He heard him say Good morning to someone. Directly after de- fendant Owen came and joined Hamer, and they both came towards witness, and he heard them open the door of the little stable, which was to his left, a few minutes later. Colley came with a bucket of water from the big stable. He came out in about five minutes and fetched another bucket of water, and went to the other two defendants. He heard them talking together, and then he heard them pulling at the door leading into the warehouse. While this pulling was going on, Henry Owen went out towards the big stable. He came back, and as he was passing where witness was concealed he said, Casn't thee open it ?" By the time he had got to the little stable the other door inside the warehouse fled open into the warehouse. Witness walked behind this door, and saw Hamer come in with a jar in his hand. Hamer went to the store at the end of the warehouse. He could hear beer dropping on the floor as he was filling the jar. Directly, Hamer came back, carrying the jar. Witness stepped out from the door and met Hamer, and said, Is this what you are doing." He could see Owen run- ning out of the stable. Hamer said, This is the first time for me; Harry Owen opened the door." He took possession of the jar, which was full of beer, and was numbered 22,303. He took Hamer to where he got the beer from. The key was in the tap, and two big patches of froth were on the floor underneath the tap. He told Hamer he would have to lock him up, and he replied, No, I am not going to come I want to see Hackett." Witness locked the jar up, and took Hamer TO SEE MR. HACKETT, and from there to the police station. Wit- ness then charged him formally with break- ing into Messrs Ind, Coope and Co.'s ware- house and stealing two gallons of beer. Hamer replied, "I have nothing to say Harry opened the door, I am not the only one." Witness went back in search of Owen, and went to his house in Skinner's- street. He met him on the street, and said to him, You are arrested for the same as Hamer. You were in the stable." Owen said, Yes, I ran out when I heard you shouting to Hamer." Witness took him to the police station and charged him, and he said, I have nothing to say, only I was there, and why should I be blamed more than Colley, who was with us ? On Mon- day a warrant was handed to him for the arrest of Colley. He found him in the stable at six p.m. He cautioned him, and he replied, I did not break in. I was there with them, and I was carrying water." Cross-examined by Mr Woosnam: The door that opened into the warehouse flew back into the place it was made for years ago. Cross-examined by Mr George- He did not see Owen or Colley in the warehouse. Both of them had a perfect right to be in the stable as far as he knew. He saw Owen by the stables as he was taking Hamer away. There would be a great deal of trouble to get a warrant on Sunday to arrest Colley. In answer to the Bench, witness said he heard no sound of hammer and chisel when they opened the door. He had examined the door inside the warehouse. It was nailed to the wall, and it looked perfectly safe, but he did not try it. MR. WOOSNAM'S PLEA. At this juncture, Mr Woosnam asked the Bench to reduce the charge of warehouse breaking to that of larceny, which on be- half of his client he would not deny. After consultation, the Chairman said they had considered Mr Woosnam's suggestion, and they would have been most willing to fall in with it had not the evidence been so clear, and they were therefore unable to do so. Defendants were then formally charged. Mr Woosnam: As far as Hamer is con- cerned, I will reserve my defence. Mr George: My two clients plead not guilty. He was present to defend Owen and Colley, and he did not think any useful purpose would be served by reserving his defence. To begin with,' these two men were not on the premises of Messrs Ind, Coope and Co. In the second place, they had a perfect right to be in the stable of their master, and it was their duty to go there that morning to help to feed the horses. They were not there at any un- usual hour. They were charged with felon- iously breaking into the warehouse of Messrs Ind, Coope and Co. Looking at the actions, of these two men, where did the breaking come in ? The prosecution wished to say that these two men were principals in a second degree. P.C. Thomas admitted neither of these two men were in the brewery. Before going to this stable, Colley was carrying water, and Prosser admitted that it was quite possible for Colley to be taking water to this little stable. When P.C. Thomas arrested Owen, he said, "Yes, I was there." Why was it that they did not arrest Colley until Monday ? He was about the town all Sunday. The prosecu- tion took it upon themselves to issue a war- rant against Colley. He took that bucket of water for his master's horse, not for Owen to drink. As far as he could see, Colley had no more to do with it that he (the speaker) had. He asked whether the Bench would hear .their evidence. The Bench decided to do so. AFTER WATER, NOT BEER. Henry Owen said he was a married man with four children. He had been working for Messrs Hamer and Mills for two years, and since the dissolution of partnership he had worked for Mr Richard Hamer. It was usual for him to attend his master's horses. He went there on Sunday morning last about quarter past eight. He helped Prosser to clean out the big stable, and then he went over to Colley's stable and cleaned it out. Defendant Hamer very often came there on Sunday. Hamer came into his stable adjoining the warehouse. There was no arrangement between them that they should break into the warehouse or to take any beer. He saw that the door was ajar, and Hamer caught hold ot it, and it fled open. Then he saw that the door behind it leading into the warehouse was wide open. Witness did not put his foot on Messrs Ind, Coope and Co.'s premises. He kept on with his work, and Colley brought some water out of the pump in the big stable. After they had watered the horse, they both walked out. Colley went to the big stable, and witness went on to the New-road to look for Edward Tudor, who delivers Lloyd's News.' He did not run out of the stable. When he got back he saw P.C. Thomas, who asked for the key of the stable, and he told him he had not got it. The door of the stable was open when he got there. P.C. Thomas did not say a word about his having anything to do with it. He did not have any intoxicat- ing liquor that morning. About half-past twelve Thomas came to him, and said that he arrested him on a charge of breaking into Messrs Ind, Coope and Co.'s ware- house, but witness sa. he was not in the brewery at all. Thomas then said that he had opened the door, and he denied doing so, but he told him he had been in the stable which belonged to his master. He did not see Hamer break anything at all. FIRST SIGHT OF THE JAR. Cross-examined by D.C.C. Williams: Hamer came round there quite innocently, and did not bring anything with him, and he did not know where he got the jar from. Witness did not hide the jar in the straw in the stable. Both doors were open lead- ing into the warehouse. He did not see Hamer go through the door, because he and Colley went-out. He went on to the corner to get a paper, and not to watch if any- body was coming. He did not tell Hamer to go in to the warehouse, nor did he run out when he heard Thomas shouting to Hamer.. By Mr George: He would not have stayed at Clifton-terrace if he was a guilty man. By the Bench The first time he saw the jar was in court. Colley and he went out of the stable together, and he did not hear Thomas speaking to Hamer. He did not see Hamer go into the stores. Defendant Colley then gave evidence. He said he worked for Mr Richard Hamer. The evidence given as to his duty on Sun- day morning was quite correct. He did not go to the stable with Owen, but took a bucket of water to Owen's stable. There was no arrangement that they should break in or take any beer. He saw P.C. Thomas on Sunday dinner-time, and he asked him where Owen was, and if he (witness) had been in the stable. He replied, Yes, I did put my foot in the stable." On Monday evening he was arrested. It was not sug- gested to him until then that he should be taken in charge. HE KNEW NOTHING about the breaking in and entering. He saw Hamer by the stable door when he went there first. The first time he saw the jar was in a waggon in the yard. Owen was in the big stable then. Mr George: That is the defendants' case. The Chairman shortly afterwards an- nounced the decision of the Bench. He said: Hamer, as you know, you will be com- mitted for trial on this charge at the next quarter sessions. As for you, Henry Owen and William Colley, we have carefully con- sidered the remarks of your solicitor, and have listened to your evidence, but we are bound to take cognizance of the fact that you were present when this deed was com- mitted, and to our minds you possibly aided and abetted therein. Therefore we are of opinion that the charges should en- gage the attention of a jury, and you also will be committed to the quarter sessions. The three prisoners were then bound over for £10 each and a surety of Elo each. Mr Woosnam and Mr George made appli- cations under the Poor Prisoner's Defence Act whereby the defendants will have a counsel to defend them at the trial. The applications were granted.

SCENES THAT DISGRACE NEWTOWN. FREE TRADERS IN THE STREETS. DUEL BETWEEN COUNCILLORS FORD AND HUMPHREYS. "LET'S UPSET THE L.G.B "Your committee beg tc report that the draft conveyance of the market rights has been approved by the solicit ors to the Earl of Powis. In accord- ance with §166 of the Public Health Act, 1875, the committee ask the sanction of the Council to authorize the Clerk to convene a meeting of the owners and ratepayers of the district, and to sanc- tion the expense incurred in connection with the n-leeting.-Alfred Ford (chair- man)." The above is the report of the Markets' and Fairs' Committee, which was presented at a meeting of the Newtown Urban Council on Thursday night, and over which the Chairman (Mr Samuel Powell) presided. In moving the adoption of the report, Mr Ford said that however far off the end they might be, they were nearing it gradually. The subject had been before the town for some years, and a great deal had been done which was not within the purview of the Council or the public. A great deal of cor- respondence had been carried on and they had had advice over and over again. Un- fortunately, every fresh piece of advice necessitated further advice, but now he thought they were nearly approaching the end. As they saw by the report, it was necessary to have a public meeting, as had been the case in the purchase of the gas- works and waterworks. If they were still of the same opinion as they had been all along as to the advantages which would be derived by having control of the market, and preventing the street being made the dumping ground of foreigners,—(Mr Forster: Free Traders. Let's have Tariff Reform!) —free traders then, they would support what was contained in the report. WHAT MR. FORD SAW. Living in the front of the street, he per- haps saw more than some of them on a fair day. There was one flagrant case of an every month dumper who placed his wares opposite his (Mr Ford's) place. At the last fair he noticed two motor cars standing outside the Bear's Head. By and by the bus came with a load, but on account of this dumper it was impossible for it to get to the Bear by the front way, and had to be driven round the back. He was sur- prized that the occupier of the Bear was willing to put up with it. Another of these foreigners took up his stand at the Cross, opposite Mr Morgan's. He put up his stall there, and gathered a crowd around him, and motor carp had to thread their way always very carefully through the Cross to avoid running over someone. But perhaps the most glaring case of all was that of the man who actually opened out his wares on the pavement between Mrs George's and the corner. Not only did he occupy the centre of the pavement, but onlookers took up each side. Such scenes were a disgrace to Newtown. It seemed that they could not take any steps legally to control that sort of thing unless they had the consent of the ratepayers, and they would ask for that consent, so that they might be author- ized to proceed with that. He thought there would be no doubt whatever about such consent being given. Mr Humphreys: May I ask if these rights 'when purchased will enable us to prevent these people from occupying the streets ? Mr Ford: When we have these market rights, we shall then be in a position to make bye-laws to prevent them. Mr Humphreys: But we have already made the bye-laws. Mr Ford: Yes, that is true, but then we unfortunately began at the wrong end. Mr Humphreys: Yes, but if we purchase these rights, and make fresh bye-laws, shall we be able to put them into opera- tion ? AN IMPORTANT "IF." Mr Ford: Oh, yes, if they are confirmed by the Local overnment Board. Mr Humphreys: But the Local Govern- ment Board have rejected our bye-laws. Mr Ford: Yes, but we cannot exactly tell what they will do. Nobody can tell until we go to them in the proper form. Mr Humphreys: We have gone to them in the proper form already, Mr Ford, and they have distinctly told us that we must provide a market place first. Mr Ford: Not exactly that. They told us then that they would not recognize the streets as a market place. Mr Humphreys: I maintain that we shall not be able to put this in operation until we provide a market place. Mr Ford: The thing is-what is a market place ? The market place in Oswestry is an open square. I have seen it myself, and I believe so has Mr Ellison. Mr Ellison: Yes, it is as Mr Ford describes. Mr George: I will second the adoption of the report, and in doing so I must say I am very pleased that the matter has come to a head. We have ratepayers who are obliged to pay heavy rates, and it is unfair that men who don't pay a half-penny in any form should be allowed to do as they please. Councillor Humphreys has raised an important point, but we had better wait and see." Perhaps after a confer- ence with the Local Government Board, they may allow us to arrange our bye-laws as we think best. I don't know any other town in the same position as Newtown. I am given to understand that the amount to be paid over for these market rights is a small^one, and as far as the rates are concerned, IT WON'T HURT ANYONE, and I am very glad to assist in taking over the markets for the town. Mr Parry begged to endorse all that Mr George had said, and he thought it was high time this should be done. He did not think the Local Government Board would compel them unnecessarily to have a market hall, but had they only taken over the present one- Mr Ford: Not the market hall at all, but the place for the fair from which to take tolls. Mr Parry, continuing, said that in Leicester and in other places they had an open market, and they might arrange some- thing like that in Newtown. It was only right that the free traders should have to pay, as they (the Council) were put to the expense of clearing up their rubbish after they left. The Vice-Chairman (Mr W. H. Evans) also had pleasure in supporting. He thought a great deal of the credit was due to the dogged perseverance of Councillor Ford, and they were indebted to him for what he had done in securing those rights for Newtown. He had been the recognised leader throughout. The presence of the free traders was not altogether an unmixed evil, as it compelled some of the tradespeople to reduce their prices, and for those who were buying that was rather an advantage. If the Local Government Board refused to grant them all they wanted, it was never- theless their duty to go as far as they could. NOT OUT OF ANIMOSITY. Mr Ellison: I should like also to sup- port. the resolution. There is one fact that most of us lose sight of. It has not been the intention of this committee to drive away these foreign competitors, but they wanted to have control over where they were situated, and see that they paid a fair share for the position they took up and the nuisance they caused by leaving their rub- bish behind them. They did not wish to drive them away, but if they were com- petitors, then they must pay their fair share of the expenses. 'Mr Humphreys: I entirely agree with the thing, but why I took exception to Mr Ford's remarks was because I thought he was leading the Council to believe that they would in consequence have control of the market. I tell you deliberately that you will not be able to use these rights until you have a market place. Are you pre- pared to go in for a smithfield ? For until you go in for one you cannot exercise those rights. Mr Ford: It is a different matter entirely, and is beside the point. It may be judged in very different ways. Mr Forster: I have very great .pleasure in associating myself with this movement. The ratepayers of Newtown are under a very deep debt of gratitude to this com- mittee. I think we should support Mr Ford and his colleagues to the utmost of our power. Let us purchase the rights, and if the Local Government Board will not grant us our rights, then let's upset the Local Government Board (laughter). The report was carried unanimously.

Dolfor Rainfall for October. 3rd, 0.06; 10th, 0.78; 11th, 0.73; 12th, 0.12- 16th, 0.88; 17th, 0.13; 18th, 0.39; 19fch, 0 24*1 20th, 0.03; 25th, 0.06; 27th, 0.18; 28th, 0.13 31st, 0.58; total, 4.31. Total for October, 1909, 4.98. It has been a cold, wet, changeable months a great contrast to September, when the rainfall for the month was only 0.24.

UNIONIST MEETING AT MONTGOMERY. I* BIEr. Tom Howard and Nationalization. Scathing Mr. Sam Thompson. Mr C. Vecables L'ewelyn, M P. for Radnorshire, and Mr Sam Thompson Wt'(' t lw principal speakers at a meeting held in the Town Hall, Montgomery, on Thursday evenin4 w,ek under the auspices of the County and Boroughs Conser- vative and Unionist Association. Mr Sydney R. Heap presided over a crowded and enthusiastic audience, and was supported on the platform by the Revs J. C. Whall and J. Parry Morgan, Col. Cautley and Mr W. Forrester Addle." The Chairman, in opening the meeting, read a letter from Colonel Pryce-Jones and a telegram from Mr S. D. Price-Davies regretting inability to attend. Mr Venables Llewelyn said there were certain questions they could not at present argue in such detail as they otherwise might. So long as the Confeience was in existence it was their duty to say nothing which would interfere with its pos- sible success. He regarded the Conference as the birth of an entirely new piece of machinery in the State, and whether successful or not might be said to mark an epoch in the histoiy of the country. Referring to Form IV. he said any- one who studied the Budget of last year must have expected some such document, though pos- sibly it was more drastic and unpleasant than they anticipated. Radical candidates at the last election told them there was nothing in the Budget which put taxes on agricultural land. This was true, but there were clauses in the Budget setting up valuation of agricultural land, and no sane man would think of valuing agricul- tural land without sooner or later intending to put a tax upon it. A recent speech by Mr Ure let the cat out of the bag, when he said, It was their object to lay all taxation and rating by and by on the value of land alone." It became their duty to consider whether it would 'be better for the people of this country if the land were nationalised. What would be the position of tenants and occupiers ? They would have to pay their rent to the State instead of to the present landlord, and their position would be worse than under a landlord, even if he were below the aver- age of landlords of this country (hear, hear). The results of the present system of land tenure were not altogether satisfactory to everybody, and they had evidence of this in the demand for the small holdings scheme, and the Small Holding Bill was hailed with delight, which, however, soon evapor- ated when they found out the working of the scheme. The local authorities, as guardians of the ratepayers' money, were right in not risking that money, and therefore had to charge on the holdings not only the interest but a sinking fund, so that in 60 annual instalments THE TENANT PAID not only the interest, but the purchase money as well. It had the drawback that when the tenant had paid the whole of the purchase money the holding would not be his, but the property of the County Council. It pointed clearly to the better policy of the Unionist party, that after paying' the 60 annual instalments the holding should become the property, not of the County Council, but of the man who paid the money (applause). What had been done in Ireland could and ought to be done in England and Wales. Formerly there was a splendid race of yeomen, but what had become of them? They had been killed by Free Trade. They had failed to keep their heads above water, and had been forced first to mortgage and then to sell their land. He would not encourage anyone to buy land unless they coupled with it a scheme of Tariff Reform (applause). The particular part of the policy of Tariff Reform which had most interest at the present time was that which dealt with Colonial Preference. Next year the Colonial Conference would again take place in this country, and there would be an opportunity for them to discuss with our political leaders when and whether this policy should be carried out. Another reason it was prominent in their mindr. lately was the report of the Commission sent out by the Government to consider the question of similar preferential tariffs as between one colony and another. This Commission, as they might very well imagine, was not composed of Tariff Reform- ers, but nevertheless these gentlemen were not honestly able to report anything else than that these inter-colonial arrangements were thoroughly successful and alright to continue. If these arrangements were successful between the differ- ent colonies it was a strong proof that they should be infinitely more successful between the Colonies and the mother country. "ABSOLUTELY WICKED." Mr Sam Thompson followed with a scathing criticism of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's recent speech at the City Temple. That speech, however, he said, had in some wfys done a con- siderable amount of good to the cause of Tariff Reform. The Chancellor was careful to explain to his audience (or rather his congregation) that he would not deal with any political question. Unionists had always claimed that Tariff Reform was not a political question, and they were obliged to the Chancellor of the Exchequer for acknow- ledging it was not a political question but a great social problem. Mr Thompson denounced some other portions of this speech as absolutely wicked," especially in reference to what we were spending on national defence. He placed the figure at X70,000,000, and went on to say that if we refrained from spending that £ 70,000,000 on what he termed weapons of destruction," and divided it among the people, they could give them each 4s per week. He (the speaker) thought Mr Lloyd George must have misjudged the patriotism of the people of this country if he thought it could be bought at 4s a week. They valued it higher than that (applause). Mr Thompson, dealing with the question of national defence, said he did not wish to say any country really intended to attack Great Britain, but we must maintain our defences in such a condition and at such strength as to make it impossible for any country to even dream of attacking us (applause), He went to the questions of land taxation and tariff reform. Mr Ure had recently said Tariff Reform was dead "—he had already killed it several times-but probably he did not finish his sentence, and what he meant was that it was a dead cert" to win at the next election (applause). Mr W. P. Jones, C.C. (chairman of Montgomery Conservative Club) proposed a vote of thanks to the speakers. At the last election there was great rejoicing among the local Unionists when the news came of Mr Llewelyn's victory. He thought they would all agree Radnorshire had chosen the right man (applause). Mr T. Howard seconded, and saiT" that in Montgomery the market tolls amounted to .£60 or .£70 a year, but there was not a tradesman in the town who wanted the market tolls taken off. None of them were Free Traders in that respect. As regards land nationalisation, he did not think any farmer wanted te become the tenant of the County Council. Nationalisation of railways might come and be of some use, but nationalisa- tion of land would be no benefit at all. Mr Llewelyn and Mr Thompson both returned thanks. Mr Forrester Addie proposed a vote of thanks to the Chairman, and said when Mr Heap did anything he did it thoroughly. He referred to the commercial and political unrest they saw on every side, and the need of attention to the defences of the country. Mr A. Vaughan seconded, and Mr Heap replied

BUTCHERS' HIDE, SKIN AND WOOL Company Limited, New Canal-street, Birmingham. —Current Prices: Hides-90 and up, 6-6; 80 to 89, 6-5!; 70 to 79, 5f-51 60 to 69, 5$—5|,s 50 to 59. 5f-5f; 49 and under, 5f-5i; cows- 60 and up, 51-51 50 to 59, 51-61 49 and under, 51-51 bulls, 41-41; warbled and irregs., 4 £ —5 £ Call, 17 and up, 6i; 12 to 16, 81; 9 to 11, 8; light, 8. Horse hides, 22/3, 21/ 19/3, 17/6,15/3, 11/6, 8/9. Wools-Lots, 8/2, 7/6. 7/ 6/10, 6/8, 5/10. Welsh-416, 3/3, 2/4 Fat—Best beef, best mutton, 3td; seconds, 21d; com- mon, lid. Mixed fat, 2fd. Bonet—Marrow, 1/3 j. waste, lOd per score.