Llais Llafur

FEAST OF SONG AT PONTARDAWE. Male Voice Party's Annual Concert.. AN UNQUALIFIED SUCCESS I VISIT OF MR JOHN COATES AND MISS C. LANCELEY. The Pontardawe Male Voice Choir held their annual concert at the Public Hall, Pontardawe, on Thursday evening, when the hall was crowded in every part. Most of the seats had been booked prior to the day of the concert, and hundreds of people came from "Neath, Swansea, Morriston, Brynamman, Ystradgynlais, Ystatyfera, a nd other purts of the Swan- sea Valley. The Party's annual concert is justly regarded as the chief musical treat of the year in the Swansea Valley, and always compares favourably with many of the best concerts held in the larger provincial centres. Interest was added to this year's event because of the first appearance in West Wales of Mr John Coates, the eminent English tenor, and it says much for the enterprise of the Party that they secured the services of this great singer. Mr F. W. Gilbertson, who presided, remarked that the people of Pontardawe felt very proud of the Party which had brought such distinction to the place. Al- luding to the recent strike, he stated that he was gla-d that the dark clouds which had been hanging over the district ha.d passed away; and he hoped they would never return. The Choir, under the conductorship of Mr David Daniels, commenced the con- cert by singing "The Britons" (Dr. Protheroe), and their performance was vociferously applauded. Mr Powell Edwards then sang "Y Marchog" (Dr. Parry) And was encored. The appear- ance of Miss Carrie Lanceley, the famous Australian soprano, was the signal for a tremendous outburst of applause, and her rendering of "Waltz Song" (Gounod) so delighted the audience that they de- manded an encore. Mr Geo. Kendall is well known to Pontardawe audiences, and his recital of "Two Scars" (Overton) was thoroughly appreciated. Mr John Coates sang the romanza "Cielo e Mar" (Poncheilli) with much ex- pression and vigour, and was raptuoualy onoored, being recalled three times. He responded with "Come into the Garden Maud." It was a beautiful rendition, full of feeling, and he sang with such clia.n that the audience appeared spellbourd. Then, with prolonged applause they re- manded his re-appearance. Mr Powell Edwards gave an excellent rendering of that rollicking song "Pals" (W. H. Squire). The recital of Longfellow's "The old clock on the stairs" bv such a. mister of elocution as Mr Geo. Kendall, it would be imagined, would call for a reverential hearing from any audience, and the majority of those present were keenly disgusted at the outburst of laughter in- dulged in by a small section of the aud- tence who, apparently, were unable to ap- preciate the beauty of the poem expressed 00 excellently by the reciter. Miss Carrie Lanceley's rendering of "Lilly of my heart" (Henry Geehl) .-stamped her as an artist of no mean at- tainments. She sang it with a charm so irtesistable that a. recall was unanimously demanded, and her reply waa "As in a dream. The Party then rendered "Cydgan y Pererinion" one of Dr. Parry's finest efforts. In the opening of the chorus the Party sang with much restraint, and their blending was magnificent. Rarely has the Party sang sa excellently as they did on this occasion. Every member was up to "concert pitch," and did they but exhibit the same perfection at eisteddfodau they would carry erverything before them. But it is not always that the Party sings under such ideal condition* as existed on Thursday evening. Singing in their own language, before their own people, in a crowded hall, the acoustics of which they have so often tested,—it waa natural that the Party would do justice to the piece and to their own powers. Undoubtedly, this was their very best performance of the evening, and they deserved the un- stinted applauso which followed the per- formanoo. Mr John, Coates finely sang "Ninnete" (A. Herbert Brewer) and responded to the encore by a splendid rendition of "Take a pair of sparkling eyes" in which the <nanciatioi>. was perfect, and the elasticity of the artist's voice was un- mistaka-bly proved. In the duett "Trot here and there" (Mesaager) by Misa Lanceley and Mr Edwards, the audience were enraptured, but the full effect of the latter portion of the performance was spoilt by a premature outburst of clapping. The duett ie a most difficult one, but the duettiate indisputably triumphed. Mr Geo. Kendall substituted a humor- ous item for "Keramas" (Longfellow), oind in this he was compensated by the hearty rounds of laughter which punctua- ted his recital of the "howlers" made by schoolboys. Some of the "hits" are worth repro- ducing. "One boy," related Mr Kend- all," wrote that Henry VIII. was famous as being a great widower; another stated that the Duke of Wellington had a very grand funeral, because it took eight men to carry the "beer." Another boy wrote that "Joan of Arc was the wife of Noah," whereupon the roar of laughter which greeted this showed that the audience were not only acquainted with the Scriptures, but with French history. "The Epistles were the wives of the Apostles" caused much laughter. "It was a little bov," I think, who was asked to write of Lot and his wife," said Mr Kendall amidst laughter, "and lie wrote 'Lot and his wife fled from the city, and on the road his wife turned a somersault—(loud laghter)-and Lot was not allowed to turn round to look at her" —(loud and prolonged laughter and ap- plause). Aflrod to give, a Scriptural text, one hoy answered "Judas went and hanged himself." "That is not a very nice one "I r&plied tlie tocher, "give me another on." "Go thon and do likewise" roplied the bay. As An encore Mr Kendall MCg "Quick work," which was greatly ec joyed. Latw in the programme Mr Kendall gave a"b,F,r humorous item, "Man Proposes" (f. Moorf). and this, too, added fpeatly t. njoy-iblfnees of the proceedings. Mr Powil Edwards scored a, anooem by sin^i'sr "N °n Piu Andrai" (Mnmrt), and WM .;I(Yi(\. Miss Carrie Lanceley gave o. b-on*i'ul rendering of "The Lilac Cottfr rv.v;r>" (D. Hall), and Of) her re- .•vrpe-o.'v r* sang with much filing "The dear Shamrock." Mr John Coates gave ww a wreath of roees" in re- ply t.o -in nndnniable enoore after he had rend'Tvd a fine, vigorous t-tyle-. "Heioh ho! wind and the rain." The final (Cof^nnwJ at bottom of next column ) <

PONTARDAWE BOARD OF GUARDIANS The fortnightly meeting of the Pont- ardawe Board of Guardians took place on Thursday, Mr. J. G. Harris (vice- president) presiding over a fair attend- ance of members. SYMPATHY WITH CHAIRMAN. The Clerk reported that the chair man, Mr. H. j. Powell (Ystalyfera) could not attend owing to the death of his brother, and on the motion of Mr. J. M. Davies, a resolution of sym- pathy with Mr. Powell was passed by all members rising in their seats. ANOTHER UNUSUAL RELIEF CASE I The Western Relief Committee re- ported on a. somewhat unusual relief case. A man residing at Gwauncae- gurwen with a family of six was in re- ceipt of 18s. per week relief, and one of his sons, living at Whitland, had been requested to contibute to this fund. Replying on an official form, the man said he was a plasterer earning an average of only £ 1 per week and offering to pay 6d. per week. He was a married man with 110 children, and the members were informed that he lived in his own house, upon which there was a mortgage of JE160. His mother-in-law lived with him and drew the old age pension of 5s. per week. The Guardians suggested that he should pay 2s. 6d. per week. The Clerk said the man's employers had been written to and they declared his average earnings to be £ I Os. lOd. per week. Mr. L. W. Francis thought inquiries should be made regarding the case. He had reason to believe that the father receiving relief was the owner of the house in question, because the son could scarcely have "launched out" on house building when he was only receiving JB1 per week. He moved that Mr. Dd. Jenkins, relieving officer, be sent down to investigate the matter. Mr. Richard Thomas thought there was no necessity to do this. All the in- formation necessary could be obtained by writing to the Whitland Guardians. Mr. J. M. Davies seconded the pro- prsition of Mr. Francis, and amend- ments were moved and seconded that the Clerk should write to the Whitland Guardians, and that an order of 2s. 6d. per week should be made. Ultimately it was decided to send Mr. Jenkins to make the necessary inquiries. MASTER'S REMUNERATION. I The Clerk observed that at the com- mencement of January, the Board voted £ 10 to the Master, Mr. Jones, for his services in the management of the gardens, firewood department, etc., during 1913, but contrary to their pre- vious custom the Local Government Board had this year asked several questions regarding the circumstances of the payment. They stated that be- fore further considering the matter, additional information was required of the duties performed by the Master that the Guardians considered justified the extra payment. He (the Clerk) had in mind to reply to the Board that the payment was partly in the terms of the Master's appointment, but one point overlooked by most of the mem- bers was that the terms provided that the Master should carry out these duties and receive the grant "Until a porter was appointed who should undertake this and other work." He had spoken to the Master, and the lat- ter said that if a porter was appointed who was able to do the work he (the Master) was entirely in the hands of the Guardians, but he pointed out that the present porter was a new man and knew little about gardening. Mr. Harry Thomas said it had been previously decided that the £10 was part of the Master's allowance and was in the terms of his appointment. It was agreed that the payment for 1913 should be confirmed and particu- lars sent to the L.G.B., and that the question should be referred to the House Management Committee for their consideration, together with the duties at present being discharged by the porter. ,00004

ARTIC EXPLORATION FILMED. I Lady Scott saw during the week at the Philharmonic Hall, London, Mr. H. G. Ponting's cinematograph reoord of Captain Scott's expedition to the South Pole, and saw, too, for the first time the phdtograph of the explorer's grave. It was only after many attempts that the explorer's widow succeeded in steeling herself for the ordeal, and her emotion upon witnessing the picture was profound. Mr. Ponting told of a remark uttered by the explorer during the making of a picture. "Won't it be funny when vo see ourselves on the films in London!" —————— 00- ——————

RESTORATION OF ST. PAUL'S. I Seventy thousand pounds is required for the restoration of St. Paul's Cathe- dral. The Dean and Chapter has is- sued an appeal to the public which stat- ed that steps must be taken as once to carry out a comprehensive scheme for the strengthening of the fabric which will include the insertion of new stone cement fronting and the removal of iron used by Sir Christopher Wren.

I "The Girl from Utah" at the Grand Theatre, Swansea Following this week's musical play at 1 the Grand Theatre, Swansea, there will | be yet another new show next week. The piece to bo presented is the latest Adelphi Theatre success "The Girl from Utah," which is reported to be the funniest musical comedy out of London. Swansea., it may be pointed out, is the first Welsh town to be visited., and like all first visits of these London productions, there is An Amusing Scene from "The Girl from Utah." sure to be a rush on the advance booking, so patrons would be wise to secure their seats early. The native author holds full sway in the composition of "The Girl from Utah, being presented in music by Sidney Jones and Paul Rubens, and the "book" by James T. Tanner, Percy Greenbank and Adrian PiOss. This amalgamation of knowledge and talent has resulted in one of the most entertaining musical comedies that has ever been produced under the world-famous management of George Edwardes. The plot runs along on interesting lines, and its piquancy is enhanced by the humorous treatment of a scene of a de- cidedly melodramatic character, repre- senting a street in Brixton. In the last act, "The Arts Ball," will be seen some of the most magnificent costumes of oriental design. Apart from the staging there will be found soina delightful music, catchy songs and very clean dancing, in- eluding a new version of the Tango.. The cast is a well-balajiced one, including Mr Theodore Leonard, one of the best im- personators of Teddy Payne parts, and will be supported by Mr William Green, Miss Daisie Wallace, Mr William Hos- kins, Miss Letty Lovell, Miss Ida Chi- chester. Miss Evelyn Gordon, a charm- ing new actress, will play the title role, Una, Trance. No one should miss "The Girl from Utah." A matinee will be given on Saturday at 2.30.

THREATENED EXTENSION TO WHOLE OF YORKSHIRE. There is a growing fear that the miners' strike at Rotherham may become much more serious than was at first supposed. No sign of a settlement is yet observ- able, but. on the other hand there are rumours that the local colliery owners are only acting in accord with the agree- ment oorae to by the masters' association, and cannot give way without the consent of that body. The minimum wage offered at Rotherham is the same as that which is paid at other collieries in Yorkshire, and this circumstance makes the danger of a county strike greater. Interviewed during the week-end one of the men's local leaders expressed the opinion that b"t far the advice given by Mr Herbert Smith, president of the Yorkshire Miners' Association, many other pits in Yorkshire would already have been set down. He described a county strike as inevitable unless the men's demands are granted next week, and said that the men may then either tender their notices or come out imme- diately. At the meeting held on Saturday, the men employed at Dinllingtoll Main Col- liery, near Rotherham. expressed sym- pathy with Rotherham strikers, and de- cided to support the movement for taking county action on their behalf. —————— 9 8 0

AMMAN VALLEY SEWERAGE Mr Hetherington, Local Government Board inspector, held an inquiry at Stepney Hall, Garnant, on Tuesday, in respect of the application of Ammanford and Cwmamman Urban District Council and Pontardawe and Llandilofawr Rural District Council for the formation of a joint sewerage board for the Amman Valley. Mr T. M. Eva.ns, clerk to the joint sewerage committee gave the, history of the negotiations. An amended plan showed the trunk laid alongside the river practically from Garnaiit Station to Brynamman, and provided for an exten- sion. Opposition was wi thdrawn, and the inspector stated he would report to the Board. —————— » « ♦ » •

AN AFRICAN PLACE NAME. I Llanfairpwyllgwyngyll, etc., must hide its diminished head in presence of the name of a certain place in Africa which a snippety paper has turned up. This name is as follows Mpwapwolonembaroggarin- o m ola-iilanbambonogorrokotomolaxembap- wapwaggona, and so on for about as much more again. The conglomeration is in- terpreted as meaning, "Palace of ;.t.)wa, owner of a hundred wives, fifty elephants, two hundreds slaves, and supreme King over two hills and the rivers between." Perhaps if it were in Africa Cardiff would become iCityofdoctarrobinsonlordmayorand j ol 1 y good f ell owrei g n i 1 igatcat hay spark in a- gorgeous padacowkiiiehcootadevilofalotoDf- money.

fufu= Iff Mi Seeds Just Arrived All of Tested Growth H. A. LEAK The Seedsman, 211. Oxford St., AND MARKET STALL, SWANSEA. Catalngue* GMtls. 'Phone 381 Central. ttttttttttt irynrniiiiiinyyyiifiTryi

i ANOTHER WELSH MINE I FATALITY I HOW THREE OFFICIALS LOST THEIR LIVES. Three officials of the Tredegar Com- pa.ny lost their lives on Saturday evening at Whitworth Colliery, Tredegar. Their names are Joseph Parsons, under manager. William Harris, overman. William Watkins, fireman. .They were married. They had been work. ing in the day shift, and failed to return their lamps, and this aroused, suspicion. Air G. Golding, manager, and another official searched the workings, and out- side the old disused heading a lighted lamp was found. Efforts were made to get inside, but the foul air drove them back, and rescue brigades from Crumlin and New Tredeg- ar were summoned. A squad of Crumlin Brigade descended, and, with the aid "of Draegar apparatus, entered the poisonous atmosphere and found the three officials lying together face downwards and dead. Two of them had their mufflers tied around their mouths, as though they had lealised the danger before entering. It is surmised that these men went to the assistance of the third man, who had entered the heading, and all were over- come. ——————*«**———————

Sant a Santes i Gymru. I Deup?rth ysbryd Dewi'r Cymro Deu bLa?nt drwy'r wlad ddi&gyno, Deffro wnelo'r yshryd Celtaidd Nes gwneud Cymru'n fwy Cymroaidd. Lady Howard o Llanelli Gaffo'i gwneud yn Santes Cymru, Rhodder iddi 'nawt yr enw Yn lle'i rhoi 'rol iddi farw. Tan gwladgarol ynddi losga Elo'n fflam drwy'r oil o Walia, Boed i'r gwragedd oil drwy Gymru Ddilyn hon a'i hefylychu. Gwn yn dda fod tref Llanelli Am ei gwneud yn Santes Cymru, Os oes eisiau Maer a Maeres, Mynwn hefyd Sant a SaJites. Rhoddi wiiawn i'r dda.u y-1 unol Wir anrhydedd cenhedlaethol; Cas yw'r gwr He byna-g byddo Os na. char y wlad maoo. Peidiwn siarad iaith estronol Yn ein tai nac ar yr heol, Peidiwn ca.ru na phriodi Ond yn iaith hen Sant y Cymry Da yw genyf weled bellach Fod y Cymry'n diod yn gallach, Gwn fod llu yn llawenychu Wrth eu gwel'd yn ymddyrchafu. Gwelaf wawr 00 hymddyrchafiad Yn ymdori'n mhob cyfeiriad Dyna welodd llygad oraffua Clir Canghellydd y Trysorlys. Boed i'r wvl eleni eto Godi'n .uwch y Sard a'r Cymro, Bydded hi'n wir "flood ysbrydol I bob Cyrrmyn gyffredinol. Creed ynom uwch syniadau Am ein gwlad, ein iaith, a'n tadau, Bydded hon yn wyl uwchraddol I hall wyliau y gorphenol. Alltwan. Daniel T. ThomasI a T

Er Ymlid Lludded ac I Iselder. I Y mae amryw ferched a rhai dynion yn jtvbio fod Huddled ac iselder yn ddyledus i flino, ac felly aat yn mlaen ddioddef. tra. yn ami y mae y gwir rchos i'w gael yn anhwyldeb y cylla a'r nfu. Pan fyddo bywyd yn ymddangos yn ddi-heulwen a di-gysur, pan fyddo pob peth yn ymddangos fel o chwith, a gwaith yn galed, am eich bod mor drwm a lluddedig, ymosodwch ar yr anhwyldeb yn ei darddiad trwy adfer eich cylla,, yr afu, a'r bowels i weith- rediad rheolaidd ae iachuoi. Y mae Mother Seigel's Syrup yn gwneyd hyny yn y modd mwyaf effeithiol. Am dros ddeugain mlynedd y mae pobl dros yr holl fyd wedi ei gael i fod yn foddion rhagorol a pharod er ytiilid ac attal an- hwylderau treuliadol, pa un bynag fyddant yn codi oddi WIrth ddiffyg treuliad, cyflwr ammhriodol yr afu, new y bowels, heb fod yn gweithio. Peidiwch derbyn dim yn lie Mother Seigel's Syrup.

I HARTSHORN EDWARDS I DEBATE. I MR. HUGH EDWARDS CRAWLS OUT. I To the Editor. I Sir,Vhen Mr. Hugh Edwards, M.P., charges me with "utter evasion" his audacity is so tremendous as to be comical. In a few words, I can prove by quotations from the public corres- pondence that has taken place between us, that I have not evaded a single point raised in my challenge, but that on the other hand Mr. Edwards has now run away not only from the issues raised by me, but actually from the one raised by himself. My challenge was definite and speci- fic. I offered to prove in public debate the following contentions:— 1. That prior to the national strike the Liberal Government were opposed to the principle of a minimum wage. 2. That all the benefit there is in the Minimum Wage Act the miners owe to their organisations, the Miners' Federation of Great Britain, and the Labour party. 3. That aU the defects in the Act are due to the opposition of the Liberal Government, to the proposals of the Miners', Federation and the Labour party. Mr. Edwards, in his first reply, ran away from the terms of my challenge and offered to debate the point as to whether he was or was not justified in stating that the Minimum Wage Act, as it exists at present, was both introduced and passed into law at the instance of the Liberal Government. I thereupon added to my challenge the following contention:— 4. That Mr. Hugh Edwards was not justified in stating that the Minimum Wage' Act, as it exists at present, was both introduced and passed into law by the Liberal Government. Where is the "utter evasion??' I have not evaded a single issue raised in my original challenge, and I have also accepted the issue raised in the counter-challenge from Mr. Edwards. I can confidently leave the public to decide on which side "utter evasion" has been practised. The home-thrusts in my last letter seem to have pained Mr. Edwards. I cannot help that. I regard a systema- tic propaganda of half-truth arguments designed to create a false impression of established facts, as unfair tactics in political contests. It is "hitting be- low the belt." The man who "hits be- low the belt" has no cause of com- plaint if he gets some nasty upper- cuts with the bare knuckles. My challenge to Mr. Edwards re- main open for his acceptance at any time. He will have an early opportuni- ty of taking it up. If it is convenient to my friend, Mr. Frank Hodges, miners' agent for the Garw Valley, I propose to address a mass meeting of miners at Pontycymmer during the latter end of March or earlv in April, when I shall prove to the hilt every one of the contentions I put forward in my challenges. I cordially invite Mr. Hugh Edwards, M.P., to be present on that occasion and debate them against me. I will see that he is duly informed as to the date.—I am, etc., VERNON HARTSHORN, Maesteg, Feb. 24th, 1914.

MEMBER FOR BRECONSHIRE AND THE LABOUR PARTY'S AMEND- MENT. Sir,-The (workers of Breconshire have yet again had proof that Mr. Sid- ney Robinson, M.P., is not in the House of Commons to represent his constituents, but rather to uphold the power of force and tyranny which is continually directed against the work- ers by the governing classes. The fact that Mr. Robinson acquiesced in the despotic action of the South African Government by voting against the Labour Party's amendment to the Address should be sufficient to every worker to show on which side of the hedge Mr. Robinson is when it comes to a question of tyranny v. justice. The Labour Party asked "That instructions be given to the Governor-General of the Union of South Africa that the Indemnity Bill now under discussion in the Parliament of the Union of South Africa should be reserved under Section 64 of the South Africa Act, 1909, until a judicial inquiry be in- stituted into the circumstances of the proclamation of martial law within the Union and into the scope of the In- demnity Bill, particularly the provision relating to the deportation of trade union leaders," and Mr. Robinson vot- ed against it. The member for Brecon- shire was subjected to considerable criticism during his last tour of the constituency, and he may take it for granted that the next time he visits Abercrave and Ystradgynlais his pre- vious experiences will be repeated. Surely, it is time the organised work- ers of Brecon awakened and put a candidate of their own in the field, ready for the next election.- Yours, etc., J. E. GRIFFITHS. I —« i»>«

NONUNIONISM I CAUSES UNREST IN THE COAL- FIELD. Non Unionism is again causing troubles in the South Wales coalfield. Over 800 men are out at Messrs. Cory Brothers' Pentre Colliery, because about 30 Federationists are in arrears. The defaulters are being visited at their homes and urged to pay up. Notices have been given at the In- ternational, the Ocean, and Blaengarw collieries, where it is said the number of non-Unionists is much above the average. A campaign of peaceful per- suasion is to be carried -out, in the hope that the necessity for enforcing the notices will be obviated.

I LIFEBOATMEN IN PERIL I The fate of the Fethard lifeboatmen who went to the rescue of a Norwegian steamer on Friday night is not yet known. Already seven bodies have been washed ashore, and hopes that the others may yet be saved are very slight. Other lifeboats which hovered about the scene of the wreck on Satur- day found several men had taken re- fuge on a rocky island, but whether among these there may be some of the crew of the wrecked Fethered lifeboat is difficult to state. One report states that the lifeboat- men are on the rock, while another definitely asserts the men are the foreign crew of the Norwegian steamer.

Pan Fyddwch yn Abertawe ac am GWPANAID 0 DE neu GINIAW BLASUS Y Ue goreu i chwi fyned yw i'r HOTEL MONICO, 33 HIGH STREET. YetaJfell eang, gysarus at waaanaeth Un- debau, Gwib-gyrc-h Ysgolion Sal, etc. PERCHEKOOES: MRS. A. E. RICHARDS Prinoadd rhad, a'r gwaaAnaofch gareml The Revival of Roller Skating being now an accomplished fact THE L.B. SKATING RINK. PONTARDAWE, WILL BE OPEN EACH EVENING, MONDAY TO SATURDAY (Inclusive) From 7.30 to 10 p.m.. DANCING ON SKATES EVERY THURSDAY EVENING. Admission and Skates, Sixpoaeew Late 'buses leave for Morriston, Neath and Ysialyfera each evening. Late trains on Saturdays for Swanom at 10.10 p.m., and Ystolyfera, GWJB, and Brynamman at 11.80 p.m. An Ideal Ewr aafl Booftttful Uuw»

(Continued from preceding column) item was the chorus, "Fallen Heroes" by the Choir, and the Party again sang at their veiry best. Mr T. J. Daviea, A.R C.O., was the Accompanist, and rendered excellent ser- vice to all the artstek. The secretarial duties were otrri»d out by Mr W. Thompson Ds.vie*, of Grove road, and the feet that ove-rvthinjz pd off so finely is due, in & great mo"urv, to his organiz- ing abilities. The proceeds of the con- cert, after the heavy *ip?nse« in connec- tion with the b of the artiste?, etc., have been mot, will be used for the purchase of a piiino for the use of the Party. The proceedings terminated with the very hearty eingios of "ITro Wlad fv Nhadan."