Welsh Newspapers
Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles
8 articles on this Page
Pontardawe Advancing.
Pontardawe Advancing. iHUGE DEMONSTRATION DEMANDS SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATION. "That this vast mooting of workers of Pontardawe and District expresses the opinion, that, owing to the tremendous concentration of capital and the conse- quent organization of the employers, the time has now arrived for a more scientific form or organization; further, that im- mediate steps be taken towards this end." Thus ran the text of a resolution unanimously and enthusiastically carried byfnlIy 2,000 men and women who gathered at the Pontardawe Pavilion on aturday evening. Prior to the meeting a procession of 1,000 organized workers of the district was formed in Herbert Street, and headed by the Trebanos Silver Band, under the conductorship of Mr. Henry H. Morgan, marched to the Pavilion. Mr. David Evans (Steelsmelter), Tre- banos, presided, and was supported by Messrs. E. K. Vincent (organizer, Workers' Union), W. F. Hay, Porth f.editor of "The South Wales Worker"), Nun N icholas, Tom Jeremiah, John Joseph, Abraham Jones, John John, Mark James (secretary No. I Branch Steelsmdters) Charles Williams, Rhy. dyfro, and Councillor J. M. Davies. The .demonstration was arranged by the Trades and Labour Council, and was more successful than anticipated, the Pavilion being crowded to its utmost capacity. The Chairman said no apology was necessary for holding the meeting, as meetings of that character were highly necessary all over the civilized world as where "civilization'' did not exist there was no need for such meetings, as heathens did not fight their own friends nor members of the same tribe. On the •.other hand "civilized" people were forced to fight against men of the same class, of the same nationality, and even those Vi ho professed the same religion. The fight they were engaged in was not neces- sarily forced upon them by the employers so much as by the conditions under which they lived, a system of society euphoniously described as "civilization." During the past 10 years there had! been attacks made upon the liberties of every .section of the community in Pontardawe, and he declared that their experience of the disputes which had taken place pointed to the absolute necessity of solidarity was a dead body. Society had developed to such an extent that the in- terests at issue in the most insignificant" dispute raised issues of tremendous and .far-re-aching importance to the Labour world. (Applause). He regretted the absence of Mr. John Williams, M.P., who had written .apologising for his inability to attend owing to stress of work, but he would ad- dress his Pontardawe constituents at the earliest opportunity. (Applause). Mr. Tom Jeremiah then proposed the resolution and spoke for some time in English, and Mr. C. Williams seconded in the vernacular, both speakers being well received. "JOHN WILLIAMS IS A GOOD I MAN. Mr. E. R. Vincent, in the course of an eloquent address in support of the reso- lution, said that at the base of every good movement in the world they had Trade Union agitation. Important as was all preaching, praying and singing on Sun- days important as was all the legislation which some legislators were trying to get passed through the House ot Commons and all other parliaments of the world there was no more important work to which the workers could put their hands than the work of uniting and linking him- self with his fellows just where he worked-in the mines, factory, workshop, railways, or other place. (Loud applause). "Has it ever occurred to you," the ..speaker asked, "that you have not got a maji in the British House ot Commons who sits for a constituency where Trade Unionism has been made strong who would not be there to-day were it not for the Trade Union agitators and the organ- izers in the days that have gone. What chance had Mr. John Williams for the Govver Division were. it not for the Trade U nloniats ?" (A Voice We would have had a better man) Mr. Vinoent You have never yet had the opportunity of electing a better man f And Mr. John Williams is a good man. CLoud and enthusiastic applause). But he would not be where he is to-day were it not for the basic movement, the great founda.tional movement which made his return possible. Therefore, I say your political movement should be bound up with your industrial movement which comes after your industrial organiza- tions." THE DOMINATING FORCE. I If workers combined as carpenters, as rail daymen, miners, steelsme iters, etc., then it was infinitely wise and tetter that they should be united as a class. {Applause). There was a lot of down- right piffle to the effect that our enemy lived in France or Germany or. some other country; men were paid to go a.bout telling people that their enemy was somewhere else—not here—always somewhere in the distance, geographi- cally. They might just as well believe that their enemy was in Carmarthenshire -or Neath or Swansea. It was not a ques- tion of where a. man was born, or of nationality or of the language they spoke, it was a question of the class they ^■belonged to. (Loud applause). The fact that the workers produced necessary things kept cveiylhing going and when they laid down their tools and took a holiday es-rv otner ecction of the com- munity was at their mercy. In reality the workers were the dominating foroe, the dominating class, the great determin- ing flection upon which all society and all civilization and all institutions in this worlcl.-I,- ioiis political and .social institutions—depended for the pro- duct i-mi and distribution of material th;i,,Z". We were living in a period when nature was so profuse that there was more than sufficient for all to enjoy every necessary and every comfort of life yet most of the people were struggling and strivhi" from week to week and year to year for a bare su bsistence which • scarcely spt¡;ccd to keep body and soul j together. It. rested with the workers too, operate the principle of solidarity so that they = hould. inarch to the conquest of ■ poverty by tHe royal road to plenty for all. (Applause). "WHO RUX3 THE RAILWAYS ?" lie was L'lad to be associated with the Welsh people who had stood for so much in the long history of these islands. "Yon people with traits of character, peonle of a tvp of tefapera.ment, people witli that grit end backbone and that principle which is ihe eavy and the ad- miration of aH Labour inftj throughout the length and breadth of Great Britain. Wales has ahvavs bee1-I to the fore, and Wales is going to be to the fore in this pr^-vt Unionism movement in which we re now «np £ -ged. (Applause). I know I f-m one óf because I am ogae witb you. We are advancing. We have ad- vanced from savagery to slavedom, from slavedom to serfdom, and from serfdom to wagedom, and now we are going on to freedom. I am unshakeable in my deep conviction that the working class is go- ing to be the great instrument working along the lines of industrial solidarity of wiping poverty off the face of this planet altogether. Who runs the railways in this country ? The shareholders who are yachting out in the Mediterranean to- day? (Laughter). We talk sometimes of the socialization of industries. You are in a position to bring that about now. All you want is to be in a conscious- in- telligent position. Knowledge was kept from the workers in the past to a very large extent, but with the passing of the Education Act of 1870 then, from a cer- tain point of view was laid down the foundation stone of a revolution in our country. We are entering now into the fruit and the product of that legislation we are living in a new generation of workers and all over the world we see what is going on. We have never yet been able to make proper use of the knowledge we possess, but when the workers get to know that they possess the power already they will begin to make use of it. (Loud applause). I BIG UNION AND LITTLE ONION. Mr. W. F. Hay, who was well re- ceived, delivered a telling speech, full of humour. He remarked, in opening, that, if there was anyone present who was not a Trade Unionist, he would advise him to go out and obtain 30 pieces of silver and hang himself. The time was coming when the working class would not suffer a blackleg amongst them. A traitor to his country and put up against a wall and shot, and Trade Unionists were being compelled to be just as remorseless. It was the scab, the blackleg and non- Unionist that held the working class down to the ground whilst the employers bled them white. (Applause). The position of the workers to-day was noth- ing to brag about. If a man went to the pit top looking for work, the manager looked him up and down in the same way as if he was buying a pit pony— the same rule applied to the working man looking for work as was applied in connection with buying a horse. The only difference was that a manager bought a horse outright whereas he bought workers on the hire instalment system. (Laughter). The workers were only working cattle, in another form. If the employers could train ba.boons to do the work at less cost than, it would take to keep a man, they would train baboons. (Laughter). They had brought Chinamen from the far corners of Asia to work in the gold mines of South Africa until they had obtained a proper supply of niggers-who were cheaper. The capitalists of Amerioa had scoured Europe to the shores of Asia for cheap labour, and when they had set them working had hired thugs and gunmen to keep them in order. What was the good of political de- mocracy if they had not industrial de- mocracy ? The new conception of Trade Unionism was that, instead of organizing merely to fight the bosses in getting increases in I. wages, they should get control of the industries. They did not make men good Trade Unionists by forcing them into Trade Unions, but they forced such men to take their stand in the firing line. A good majiy people in this country were using the term "one big Union" in the same way as they would say "one big onion"; but very often, he had found from experience that the smallest onion was the strongest. (Laughter). Trade Unionism meant that they should be loyal, and true and solid, and that w hen one of their class had been touched, by the employer, they should bring him down. Trade Unionism had no use for turning the other choelc When the stomach was pitted against money, the stomach always lost. Hence the reason for the scientific strife. They would have to consider the plan adopted by the workmen at Killan. Tho&e men had adopted the stay-in-strike. From the places where four trams per day had been sent, two trams came out the first day of the strike, and 1-1 trams came out of the I places where formerly three had. been sent out. On the second day there was I h- to pay by the employers, as the running -expense, of the colliery remained the same. After the .third day the man- ) agement caved in, and then the men were told that they could resume their former work. They had won. "Cut down production when you want to cut down the employer. You cut down your wages but you show that you have a weapon in your hands that will make the employer think twice before he attacks you again." "They have introduced into the House of Commons, but they have not passed it yet, a Mental Deficiency Bill. Under the provisions of that Bill, if it becames law, about three parts of this platform will be put into an asylum." (Laughter). "What kind of education do you want? The education that will enable more and more of our class to see the position we are in, why we are in that position, and how to get our class out of it." (Ap- plause). "We cannot get power without organi- zation. Power is of no more use to a child of three or four years of age than a sledge-hammer would be. A sledge- hammer is a tool for men. What is the use of power to working cattle?" "There was a time when they put a chain round a slave's neck to stop him from running away. Now, instead of the slave running away he rail to his master. Nowadays th,e master class put the chains around the brains of their slaves whilst they were young, so that slavery appeared to him to be rational and right, and every other system of things seemed rank lunacy. In conclusion, Mr. Hay made an elo- quent appeal to the workers to endeavour to make their Unions blackleg proof, to learn to take mass action, and to educate themselves so that they would under- stand the position at least as clearly as the employers understood it. The resolution was carried with ac- clamation.
IFfaldau Colliery Dispute.
I Ffaldau Colliery Dispute. Our Pantycymmer correspondent writes :-The Ffaldau pits, Pontycymmer, employing 1,500 men have been idle for a month, and there is every probability of the stoppage being prolonged. The men tendered a 14 days' notice as a protest against non-Unionism. When the notices terminated they ceased work, having ascertained from the lodge secre- tary that the non-Unionists numbered 200. On the first day of the stoppage the Federation officials made a determined effort to get them "into line," and suc- ceeded in reducing the number to 21. The agent, Mr. Frank Hodges, con- vened a mass meeting and reported the situation. He stated that he did not ap- prove of those that paid their dues re- gularly being penalized by loss of work and put to such inconvenience, in conse- quence of a few non- Unionists. The officials, by house to house visiting, hav- ing reduced the defaulters to a manage- able quantity, the agent recommended that they should return to work and have a card inspection on the colliery premises and on the first day they did so, every man that d:id not present a clear card would have to return home. By this means, the very men that caused the stoppage would be penalized and GE- servedly so. A deputation was appointed to convey this decision to the management, but this deputation reported the result of t'<ir interview to the meeting, viz. That the pit would not start until they ",lve a guarantee not to have "show cards" t-n the colliery premises, and, further, that they must give an undertaking not to molest any workman on his way to the colliery-be he Unionist or non-Unionist. The men decided unanimously that they could not accept such an offer, and ex- pressed their indignation at, and greatly resented the action of the company in attempting to interfere with their liberty and freedom as Trade Unionists. The management was informed of their decision, and their reply was "That they adhered to the terms already given." The only men at work are the officials and winding enginemen, the members (f the Enginemen and Stokers Union having ceased work in sympathy with the miners, also the ostlers, surface craftsmen and men employed at the coke ovens.
[No title]
9 At the Pontardawe Council on Thurs- day, Mr. Richard Thomas, Clydach, was appointed to serve on the Board of Gov- ernors of the Ystalyfera County School as rcprese-lltative of th Council, in place of Mr. J. D. Rees, Ystalyiera. A special meeting of the Brecon Board of Guardians was held on Friday after- noon when a letter was read from Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Long resigning the posts of master and matron of the workhouse. It was decided to advertise ths posts at salaries of £ 50 and -230 respectively.
BRECONSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL.
BRECONSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL. Provisions of the Revenue Bill. a. I Breoonshire CQU:ndl met at Breoonshire County Council met at Brecon on Friday, Councillor Owen Price, j J.P., presiding. The Chairman referred in sympathetic terms to the accident which, prevented the chairman (Lord Glanusk) from attending that meeting. A vote of condolence was passed with the re- latives of Councillor J. J. Watkins, Criekhowell. EDUCATION HATES SUBVENTION. I The county member, Mr. Sidney Rob- inson, M.P., writing on the 2st May last in reply to a letter from the County Council, said :—"I thank you for your letter, and have discussed the matter of e ducation rates subvention with Sir John Bathall, who, you say, has been closely in touch with the Exeehequer. The Revenue. Bill will be introduced shortly, and this will, we anticipate, contain some provision for these special districts. When we see the exact bearing it has on Bre- conshire rates, I shall be very glad if you will let me. know how matters stand, in order that the county mav have the full benefit of the suggested grants." I ROADMEN'S WAGES. II The Main Roads and Bridges Comi tee recommend that the. county roads tr.u veyor pay the county roadmen euch wages as he may consider fitting, having regard to their capability, the maximum rate of wages not to exceed 21s. per week in agricultural districts. Professor Joseph Jones moved that the words relating to the maximum wage be deleted. The recommendation of the Commit- tee was adopted. The Health Committee reported that they had had six cases notified to them of uncertified women who were practising midwifery in certain parts of the county and recommended that the county medical oiffcer of health be instructed to give a final warning to these women, and that if they continued to practice in the future proceedings be taken against them. The report was adopted.
[No title]
Some of the operative bakers in South Wales and Monmouthshire are notoriously unpaid. Realising this fact the South Wales and Monmouthshire District of the Amalgamated Union of Operative Bakers and Confectioners have demanded better conditions. They have issued a proposed working agreement, which has been re- ferred by the South Wales Master Bakers' Federation to the affiliate-d employers' is- sociations. The idea is to got uniform rates throughout the area.
Advertising
Sensational Bargains in Smart Ready=to=Wear Garments -AT BtM?HBr?ttU?jBM ?i? Hm B?M NrM  S" U ,E mt'' S' J' L F fJ fj i .i i &,  B t !M?    It has become imperative that we clear the remainder of our Fine Stock of Summer Garments, and we are doing so at every cost. We are making Special Window Displays of Effective Garments, eminently suitable for seaside and Holiday Wear, and although they are worth to-d*y the full ordinary to 45/6, they are offered at One Price, 10/6 each. Do not confuse these offerings with the rubbish general y offered at one price" Sales. We cannot mislead you because the Bargains speak for themselves. You can examine them in our windows, and you can see that they are what we represent them to be-absolutely New Goods priced at much less than the cost of production. ———10 SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES———  T L) I Pretty Crepe Cloth Dresses, Black and White Check, Very Effective White Robes, made of real French Em- m I Coatee effect, skirt all white, collar trimmed with broidery, design exclusive to us. Season's Price 45/6 chene ribbon with sash ronnd waist. Worth 35/6. Sale, Half a Guinea. | Clearing at Half a Guinea. _d_- g Coat, 29? i. Number Black and White Check Sports Coat, 29/11. Number I k Smart Poplin Cloth Costumes, tussore shades, with Now Offered at Half a Guinea. R pear U ons. 25/11 worth for Half a Guinea. Q& —— • v Lined Costume, Saxe-blue with white spots, coat Effective Saxe Blue Cashmere Dresses, Collar edged ♦> effect, with band round hips. Usual Price, 26/11. with Paris Lace. Clearing at Half a Guinea. | 27/11 Garment for Half a Guinea. cJj — — ——— | Smart White Voile Dresses, embroidered bodice and & Useful Dresses in Fancy Crepe Cloth, pretty shade of | White Valle Dresses, embroidered bodice and ? light Saxe-blue, trimmed fancv buttons, black silk | skirt, coilar edged lace frill, with low neck and rose collar with black bow, Season's Price 25/1 I. colour sash, ribbon round waist. Ordinary price 29/11 Now Half a G u I nea. 6 Offered at Half a Guinea. ————————————————————————————————— I ————————————————————— ——————————————— Very pretty Cashmere Dresses, trimmed with fancy Rt-al French White Embroidered Robes, all most buttons down side of front, collar embroidered good B I effective designs. 39/11 through season. shades, fancy sash round waist. R 1 To-day Half a Guinea. 23/11 Garment for Half a Guinea. 8    EDWARDO ^STOREST I" I Linüs Ül S TOR ,E 5 COO   of Sib Clov Oxford Stroot and Oxford Street Uwansea i. ???M ?F?r MTB   .? ?? t P=k Street ÛM. H??ry.  M ? VV ??'BB -s.??ML
CO-OPERATIVE AMALGAMATION.
CO-OPERATIVE AMALGAMATION. Important Ystalyfera Conference. I LOCAL MANAGER'S PAPER. An important conference of members of the committees oi the Co-operative So- cieties in Ystalyfera, CwmUvrch., Cwra- llynfell and Aberaave, took place on Sat- urday afternoon at l stalyfera, when a. discussion was introduced ov Mr. D. Evans (manager of the Cwniilynv.ell So- ciety), on the question of amalgamating the four bodies. In the course of an interesting paper, Mr. Evans, after expressing appreciation of the honour conferred upon him by inviting him to read the paper, said the opinion contained therein were his own, and were not necessarily endors.ed by the members of his committee. He pointed out that the present was the age of great things. The day of small things waa passing, especially in business. Individu- alism in trade wao disappeariiig, giving place to huge trusts and combines, formed to control markets and to dictate- prices. The consumer every day found himself more and more at the mercy, not of small private traders, but of huge combinations of wealth seekers. TO COSlBAT TRUSTS. It was, therefore, the duty of all to- prepare to defend themselves against this state of affairs. They must prepare to make a practical consideration of their many weaknesses. Their great, need to- day was to know and to understand the dangers within. One of these was lack of unity. They had in this locality four independent societies within a radi.is of six minutes; there were fix sock-ties, within a radius of eight miles. These- should all be one society. They need not wonder that Co-operative progress waa slow when they were so isolated and dis- I united. The amalgamation of these societies in the Swansea Valley was lln urgent necessity. He hoped, however, that members would discuss the matter with an open and independent mind. Local prejudice would have to be thrown overboard and a spirit of toleration and a real desire for unity would have to- permeate the minds of every member if the proposed scheme was to be euccessfvl. As they were to-day, they found them- selves exactlty in the same position as the private trader, who was gradually being eliminated. Unless they took swpsk towards strengthening their position, they too stood in grave danger of bc»iu< £ crushed out by the combines. WHERE COMBINES EXCEL. Continuing, Mr. Evans referred to thai excellent system of counter service audi delivery of goods as organised by the< trusts, over local and isolated co-operative^ stores. They were not and could not be, aat successful as the trusts in this direction, so long as they remained indcpendcaiV societies. What could they derive frorrv amalgamation ? They could get far greater benefits at a much less oast. Among practical co-operators, with per- sonal acquaintatnce with the organisation- of Co-operative business in that district, the opinion generally expressed was "It has no life, no go, no energy." They were too much on the defensive instead of being on the attack. There was no doubt that by combining, business would be facilitated, organisation perfected, and unity accelerated. There were no limits to co-operation if the narrow, selfish, local views of the past were discarded. Mr. Evans proceeded to illustrate what has been achieved in this direction, and said the results of amalgamation had always been successful. THE LOCAL POSITION. Let them consider the four societies in this district Ystalyfera, Lower Cwm- twrch, Abercrave and Cwmllynfell. He would also suggest Pontardawe and Cwm- gorse. They might say it was rather too tall an order, but he did not think so. With a little tact it was practicable, it was possible to-day. The combined an. nual trade of the first four societies was £ 25,000. They paid in salaries £ 1,420, secretaries about 955, auditors L74; they held stocks at stocktaking value of C3,208, share capital of J33,100, build- ing at the nominal value of JB2,909, ajid their debts, after d-preciation, wore £ 1,1778. If amalgamated and re-organised they could easily do a trade of £ 33,000 with the same staff, shares, buildings and debts. The same stocks with a greater variety, an expert draper and outfitter, an expert ironmonger, a bakery could be added, and Cwmllynfell could supply fresh meat. They could buy in greater bulks, which would mean a saving, a¡:,d could form & joint fund which whoi. the t>-ust or combine arrived and tried to out.. ihem out, they would be able to utilise, ard fight them successfully. I "GREAT OPPOSITION TO FACE." They had, continued the spe:ik>.r, ¿!:Ilt opposition to meet, and, oherf fore, should in defence central:se all their resouivea rather thru imperil their cxiafc, aco by fighting among themsel ves. A gtyotig ;v.:d healthy eoc.ie'.y would ccrr.po] loyalty, ;ct by high dividends ar,d ctt. h phraser, but by straight and clean methods of business. Together they could work f?r more quickly towards emancipation. Tlver progress at present was very Sltow. but the possibilities for the future were graoifc, and they must rise to those possibilities. It was useless to hope to, or endeavour to as they remained at present, :¡ '?- power in the world could sfcui the i.2- of progress of co-cpc«ation ArrmiHi- i.} workTh'iy might po'tp-e rk> Ti for a- while, possibly lor "n >'}. bvt t wor.Ad «rt« in the r,t; It \<¡,h["r b:!$i'see* rot t.? dc-kv, ?'t? to brift-en their propo; for uir.fviri^ ih \r raves. Ur. Evaas was hca.: tiV >Vi- paper.
FATALITY AT CWMLLYNFELL.
FATALITY AT CWMLLYNFELL. I Curious Shaft Signals. I ARRESTING MEDICAL EVIDENCE. A fatal accident occurred at the Cwmllynfell Colliery, owned by Messrs. B. Thomas and Sons, on Thursday even- ing by which William Harris (34), a. hitcher, met his death under mysterious circumstances. The inquest was held at Bryngwilyn Baptist Chapel, Cwmllynfell on Saturday betore Mr. C. J. Wilson (deputy coroner) and a jury, of which the Rev. John Roes was foreman. There were present Mr. W. J. Owen, R.M. Inspector of Mines; Mr. C. A. Phillips, of itandall and Saunders, Swansea, representing the relatives, and Mr. J. E. Rowlands, Swansea, represent- ing C..e colliery proprietors. Evidence of identification was given by Morgan Harris, brother of the aeceasea, a rider, of Tynewydd House, Cwmllyn- fell. Witness last saw deceased alive about 8 p.m. on Ihursday when he as- sisted him to get a journey of trams ready at the pit bottom. Later witness was sent for and told that his brother had met with an accident. By the Inspector Deceased had been a hitcher at the collieiy for about ten months. By Mr. Phillips When witness left deceased he went to his usual work at which he was employed. Harry Thornton (tanksman), Hly. Ter- race, Cvv Hilly life] I, said he was at tne top of the pit at the time of tjiaccident., about 8.10 p.m. on Thursday when he heard a groaning noise at the bottom, of the pit and he signalled to the engine- man to stop the cage. Witness then raised the cage level witht the top of the pit and gvt on top of the cage and doe&- cended. Witness found the deceased Iv- ing on his back still groaning. Witness picked him up and put him at the side and deceased raised his head, gave a deep breath and died within five min- utes. By the Inspector Two scotches were used for keeping the tubs in the cage. The scotches were manipulated by means of a lever. So far as witness knew the scotches on the descending cage were in working order. Previous to the accident he heard a signal which showed there was a full load. The signal was given to the banksman and he gave it to the winding engineman. The cage was drawn up about 10 yards when he heard a noise a.t the bottom of the pit and witness stopped the cage. There had not been any difficulty with the signalling arrange- ments. There was no tram in the oppo- site cage when he descended, but there was a tram on the opposite side of the pit bottom to the onsetting side. Did you notice, after the accident, any- thing wrong with the scotching arrange- ments? No, they seemed to be all right. He had examined them immedi- ately after the accident. Do you think the deceased was drawn up by the cage?—No. Have you fences on the bottom of the pit to prevent anyone falling into the pit?—There is a chain, but witness had never seen it in use. By Mr. Rowlands The scotches were worked automatically. By Mr. Phillips The deceased was lying with his legs over the sump. The automatic clutches had failed previously &nd there had been accidents on previous occasions. The signal for "full load" was one and he would receive the same signal for "step." His duties took him fifty yards away from the pit top. By the Foreman In the opinion of witness the scotches had failed to act and the trcm had overrun the cage. Considerable questioning of the witness by Messrs. Ph llips, Rowlands and Owen elicited the fact that the scotches, which held the trams in position, were auto- maticallv worked by means of the fan uvon which the cage restedi at the top of the pit and also at the bottom by the cage resting upon a similar arrange- ment. Arthur Thornton (collier), Llynfell Cottage, said he was pasting the colliery at about 8 p.m. and stopped at the top of the pit when he heard a noise at the bottom of the pit, and his brother stopped the cage. He heard hia brother shout down the pit but the only answer they could get was "Oh." His brother descended and w hen he got to the bottom he shouted out. "Arthur, come down quick, Will has had it." Charles Nelson, medical practitioner, said he examined the body of the de- ceased at the bottom of the pit, but could find no evidence of any injury. Subse- quently, witness examined him on the surface and discovered a small punctured wound on the back of the head but no other external signs of inj ury. Consid- erable serum was coming from the wound which pointed to a fractured skull, and in his opinion death was due to shock, due to fracture of the base of the skull. The fracture must have teen caused by I some external blow. He did not think an autopsy would assist him to discover the cause of the accident. By Mr. Owen The accident might have been cans; d by the deceased having fallen from the cu^e at a considerable height. By Mr. Rowlands The wound was about a quarter of an inch in widtn and down to the borne. Did you find anything to lead you to conclude that there was a fracture ci the base of the skull ?-Yes; the dis- charge of serum. Would the puncture cause the Tractvre ? —External force would cause the punc- ture and the same force would ca-llse LIe fracture. By a Juryman The injury was con- sistent with the theory that the dtcctun tl had fallen from the cage. Witness not think that the wound was causid through the falling of anything down Uk pit. Thomas Miles, manager of the colli' ry. Garniwyd, examined by H.M. Inspector, said it was quite probable that «U d ho:ul rrl""TI fhA fin tr.n.Q 1 t. J;t.1d. i rVKrp "E'J. Wo' before the tub was secured by scotches. It was possible that some im- pediment stopped the scotchos working; automatically, and this may have been overlooked bv the deceased. Witness was of the opinion that the deceased wa<. wonnd up the shaft, half in aixd in if out of tho ca.'o, and then had fall-ull toO the boit >r>. It was the duty of the onsciter 't.) fix the chain b«J?ore he gave the yignnl f >r t:) cage to ascend but, apparently, this h;1 not bc>eh done. Wiiai was the distance from; the en- tranix'. of the cage to the chain ?—About two fe?t. Witness had given in.str»«.tsions to that effect teo the deceased. By Mr. Rowlands Witness was ferry to eav thei the acsideiit was cMised by t.he deceased not having ob;rrc*l tie etrKcfcions witness had given. By r. Phillips Wikie»» given a veHjsl nofeicc to ih-e d#cea,r*ed thai 1*? should u.-e tiie chain. He had Hover rCeii l oltfun not in use whilst t&e j in tilj-e wt. hotVnn. A wrcfri Was io ge through thi cage im ør. to reach the other side of the pit. D9-. ceased had a right inside the chain. By a Juryman The chain was placed in position to stop others from going be- yond the chain, but the deceased woulct- be compelled to work inside the chain even when it waa fixed. In the course of his summing up, the Coroner stated that only one theory as to how deceased had met his death had been put before them and that was by the manager. The medical evidence was con- sistent with the manager's theory. Thfr members of the jury were very much more conversant with colliery matters. than was he and theygiight be able to consider wfiat had taken plaoe in that case. After deliberating for about 10 minutes the foreman said they had fully discussed the evidence and found that the deceased had met his death in an accidental man- ner, but they were unable to say how he had met his death. The Coroner said he agreed with the jury's verdict. The inquiry lasted 2f hours.