Pioneer

Maesteg Notes. I Food Problem. At a meeting representative of Maesteg miners, railwaymen, municipal empioyees, Free Church ilitilil(-l I)al (?iiil-ilov. e ,ll'i-et, and I)iite,hei-s, liel(i at solntion was adopted unanimously Jocou??l]o??ding the Food Control Committee to take steps to pool all sii|xplies coming into the town and dis- tribute them equitaolv on the sugar'card basis. It was also agreed to recommend the Committee to set lip municipal kitchens and form" con- sinners' ward I I I k recognised by the Food Control Committee. The Food Exe- cutive officer stated that he would suggest to his committee that a member of the Food Control Committee should have a seat upon each of the Ward Committees, so that he could report upon recommendations and findings. pPolice at Maxwell's Meeting. I At Maesteg OIl Monday J. H. Maxwell, M.A., of Glasgow, delivered an address npon the man- power hill and the .situation on the Clyde. A it honoured by the pres- ence of police shorthand reporters and the local Inspector. Mr. Canton. They were not exactly welcomed, and were made to understand that their presence wouici not "act as a deterrent to I the speaker or the local branch. A resolution protesting against the sentence and imprison- ment of Mr. R. C. Wallhead and demanding his immediate iclease (which was moved in a short but vigorous speech by Mr. A. G. Jorws, and se- conded by Mr. T. J. Jones) was carried unani- mously by the audience, only the police refrain- ing from support. > The audience at the sugges- tion of Mr. A. G. Joins showed their apprecia- tion and respcet for the late James Conelly and our comrades in Russia who had lost their lives in the cause of Democracy (not forgetting our own C. si Iiy standing with bared heads. —————————————

I he Electric Theatre. li it were merely tor the continuous presenta- tion of the Triangle-Kovstono comedies, redolent with joySus plots screamingly unfolded by the most hilarious of the American knockabout comedians, the Merthyr Fj'eetric Theatre rightly deserves its huge popularity amongst the amuse- ment los ing public. The programme for the earl ier part of next week includes another of t hese ludicrously funny re leases, ;i Shanghaied I Jonah," which, if possible, is even more tear- provoking than this week's picture, Two (rooks." A malicious mate, cross captain, his d?)m?t:t)d 'iau?itto' and Captain Spaghetti makes the fun fast ami furious. The star drama i.- The Profligate," a thrilling story admirable in conception and pictuiisation. whilst Bill and '• l<>b/' Bail nsfather'.s quaint soldier-crea- tions return in cartoons. On Thursday's change-over a film with thcat- mosphere of war, Joan of Arc—of Doos" tops the bill, which also includes the inimitable Chaplin as the Immigrant." The redoubtable Eddie Polo, in du. Grey Ghost .serial wins laurel s every week" as each of his achieve- ments is capped by more thrilling exploits as the story goes on in the telling. Chase Me, Charlie." the Chaplin five-part revue, drew crowded houses nightly for the first three days of this week, as did his interpretation of Cure," a lmrlesque on life in a Hydro* during the latter portion of the week..From Thursday onwards this week, too. "The House Opposite," with Matheson Lang in the lead, is a lso a big success. Each show contains a de- lightful collection of drama, comedy, travel and educational features inaition to current t, Vt

I Rhondda East I RESULT OF BALLOT FOR MINERS" CANDIDATE I PROBABILITY OF THREE BALLOTS. The result of the ballot of the miners resident in Hhondda East which was takt'n last Thurs- day and Friday at the collieries was reported upon as follows at the meeting of the Executive council of the S.W.M.F. on Wednesday: — D. Watts Morgan 4,559 T. 1. Mardy Jones 2.341 Tom Smith 2,093 A. J. Cook 1,81 fi W. H. Ma in waring 1.321 John Hughes 1,291 Total 13,421 The Council decided that the three highest names go to a second ballot. A third ballot will also be necessary if the nominee who secures the highest number of votes fails to secure a clear majority over the other two. That is, the lowest of the three falls out and the higher of the two who go to a third ballot will be declared Hooted, and ins name will then 'be submitted to a duly convened Labour conference of all the Labour and Socialist organisations in the Rhondda East Division. Other eligible organisations will also be entitled to submit a nominee at this forth- coming conference providing the national organ- isation of the bianch nominating has previously endorsed the nominee and is prepared to finance his election campaign and the election expenses in the event of his selection by the. local Labour Party conference. But as there is no likelihood of any other nominee being put Torwa-rd in this way it means that in a constituency "like East Rhondda the successful candidate in the miners l-illot will become the Labour Party candidate pledged to run as such, and if elected to abide by the constitution and programme of the La- bour Party.

Kenfig Hill Notes Maxwell ar:d Clyde Workers.' Mr. J. Fl. Maxwell. ALA.. Glasgow, addressing a meeting at the Institute. Kenfig Hill, on Wed- nesday, said he was there to give the truth (not as given in the daily papers of the capitalist c!ass) on tl)e attitude of the C lyde men toward any ttt(,"il)?t I (.oll-li? o Iiti their workers for the Army. Their policy was not only to resist any more men being taken but a stop-the-wai policy. He explained how pledges had been given by the Government to the A.S.E. that dilutees should be combed out nr?t. but t!)e?e p?'d?es were not bein.? kept.  ?t s l iort Mr. Max?cH .?ave the audience a short bio- graphy of Mr. Lloyd George, Lords Milner and Curzon, the references to JJonl George bring- ing some interruptions which did not seem to affect the speake rinuch. That little tin god." the ]?in?g ol Cam bria/'had aIIhf M'ann'd when Davie Kirkwood introduced him to the Clyde workers. Many qnpstion?- were asked anil answered, one being whether all brave and wise men came from Scotland. Oil no," was the reply. "there are quite as many poor I deluded fools in Scotland as there were in South Wales." No more questions from that quarter. One man kept up a "1111 of questions on the difference net-ween war and strikes. Needless to say, though so elementary were the questions. this man. middle-aged as he was, was so devoid of class-consciousness that he could not see a hole in a ladder," and he was not reconciled. The following resolution was moved by Mr. ('. Forester and seconded by Air. T. Mitchell, and was carried unanimously — That this meeting pledges itself to support an immediate peace by negotiation, believing that it is only by this method of reason that this terrible slaughter shall be ended. We therefore call upon every trade unionist to use their industrial weight collectively, to oppose any further incursion into our ranks, by the insipid tools of the ruling classes and that we give our whole attention to prepare, and con- solidate our forces, for the furtherance of the class-war at home." Comrade C. C. Forester presided.

Theatre Royal. I They toll me that there lias been a run on handkerchief's in our local haberdashery de- partments, that bowler hat of a care-worn ap- pearance arc manifesting a belated appearand' on hatstand s to wilil(-Ii Li,.e since the cult of the velour came a few years ago. And I know why. Devant is at the Theatre Tlqyal, and the desire to magish in the best style of Egyptian Hall is always infections. I have seen Devant many times, the first time the run- ning expenses of failing to acquire his art cured me of ambitions in that direction and now I en- joy him without envy or ambition. Everyone enjoys him. He is alone in his work, whether it is t"he of I t-of-iiin(! ti,j- t.lic,lill- pressive mystification of the inclined plane, and the vanishing lad'es. Conjurors come and con- )ure)s ?'o. bnt there i" (?n!y one ma?ioian tonrs the provinces—the David Devant of the Royal this week. It needs no words of mine to paint the attraction of his show, for all Merthyr is talking about him., There is a g-ood bill, too. The George Edwardes Company's visit to the theatre next week should prove an event of par- ticular interest to Merthyr pl aygoers, as it is the first presentation of The Happy Day." This very delightful musical play made a great success at Daly's Theatre. London, and sained I the whole-heart« d admiration of Press and public for the excellent "book," the Beauty of the music, and the sumptuous staging. The book is by Seymour Hieks, and tells a romantic story of a certain princes betrothed to a prince she has never seen, for diplomatic reasons, of their meet- ing without knowledge of one another's identity, and the mutual affection that arises, leading to the happiest result. The adventures of the pair are of great interest, and the whole is leavened with lots of exuberant and irro.stible fun. The limbic is by Sidney Jones, who gave us the never to be forgotten Geisha. San Fov and many other masterpieces of light music, with adde<l numbers by Paul Rubens. The lyrics by the no less well-known specialist in his line. Adrian Ross. So that it will be seen that thi", is truly a;> All-British Production. The scenery, dresses, etc., are all 011 the scale of lavish expenditure, great beauty and perfect taste, that has always been asso- ciated with the plays sent on tour by the Daly Theatre management. The Company has been most carefully chosen, a.nd wiTI h., found to in- clude artistes of oiitstandin- merit singers and actors. For such an exceptional attraction it is wise to book seats in advance.

Labour and Forekn Policy, I BY LEONARD. WOOLF In my last'article I left Mr. Smiiie- just settled in as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at the Foreign Otfic». He had just shaken hands with Mr. Balfour and Lord Robert Cecil and wished them god-speed never to re- turn. and had then sat down in an arm-chair quietly 1'or a bit to think over what lay before him. There are two questions which will im- mediately confront Mr. Smillie. first the policy (-onfi-otit Nti-. Llif, to pursue in his dealings with foreign affairs and foreign countries, and secondly the instrument's through which he will have to ?or'?. the instru- ments which he will have to use in carrying out that policy Let ie for a moment consider first T,t,t it- f(,[, it illoill?lilt T!)? instruments which 'Mr. Smillie will have to us\ an' :IlIPIl. In tit" h:I'(.iL!J! ()rlii ¡Ii rlll'l 1)' ?l)lorliit aii(i in the Consular Service lie will find himself at the head of a large body of jyen. These men are the instruments of the Foreign Policy of this country. For all the in- formation as to what is taking place abroad, for the chief channel of communication with foreign governments, tor providing him with the < let ailed facts of each question which comes before hi))i for decision, and finally for trans- lating into action the policy which lie finally decides upon. Mr. Smillie will have to trust his staff in the Foreign Office, and in the Diplo- matic and Consular Service. Now ir may be true that a bad workman blames hi> tools, bin it is also true that a bad workman neglect* his tools. Ynll cannot cut -glass with a steam ham- mer or shave with a olunt razor, and you can- not conduct foreign policy efficiently unless the instruments of policy are suitable ior the work which you propose to ask of them. The first thing for Mr. Smillie ro do is to overhaul his instruments. his staff—an unpleasant task which will give him much pain and trouble, but which is an absolutely essential task it Labour is to succeed in ma k ing a better job of Foreign Policy than Lord Grey and Mr. Bailout. SMI LLI E'S STAFF. Mr. Smillie\s -laii' will I". II t'nn.(k';d, "II"I h •nyotic wishes to see exactly what it consist of and how ir. is organised he can do so at the (t'st ot sixpence. There is a small pamphlet re- cently published at that price by [he Canned -to) ihr Study of International Rctaci.x)?. and called The .Foreign Office and the ¡.11'1'0.11 Services .Abroad." wtnC? ?f\'<'s this information very shortly and clearly. Tn passing } may add that the pamphlet is written by an inmate of the F(t)'?i?n Office and by an officer in the For- "ign Services, and while thc!? are many I. ](*(Is. -i n (,I N%- ii 1(, t ii(? i-t, :I I ?, iiiaii :)ss?ni: of any reasonafilo man. allowance must be made ior the fact that the writer's outlook is strongly coloured by the traditions of tl" I Service to which he belongs. Thus. -,<» take an instance whi?h has bearing upon ?h:)) am discussing, the writer oi the pamphlet .u?))?? that "the Foreign Office is. more than any other Department, dependent npon, nor only its own Parliamentary head but d?' (a!nnct and the machinery ot Government as a whole nnd that means that it is dependent upon rht: Hi 'itish electorate." Now it is quite impossible to find arguments to support this statement as an alrstrtu t and theoretical truth. It is true that according to th., COlhêitntion the Foreign Office is Wilder the direct and close control of the Foreign Secretary, who (until 101 (5) was a member of the Cabinet, that the Cabinet, and Government are subject to the control "f a vote in the House 01 Commons, and that th" House of Commons is elected by the electorate. Theoretically, therefore, the actions ot rlie For- ,.i;n ()ffi. nd fit the Secretary of State ouglu to be subject to th" control of the electorate, •and the writer ot the pamphlet seeks to imply! that they are. But what t-he sentence implies j is absolutely contrary to fact. During the last j 't?'mty-hv? yM?. n;, Government Department i has been less dependent or less under dfc'on- tr(t! of th<* British electorate than the Foreign Odc'?': in faN, it is no exaggeration t(: ??y tI w t the Foreign Office had been before the war al-| most entirely, and during the war has been en- tireh'. withdrawn from the control both of the electorate and ot Parliament. Tt is north while pausing for a moment to consider how this has been achieved. It has come about in the main owing to three different causes. The first cause lias oeen the lack of interest ta ken by the elec- r<)rat?. by you and nie annd Ah. Smiliie. in forci?t! affairs. The ordinary man has 110 irnuh)edh!shfada))omf<'r(')?)!at!:)"?? he di<! not know and he did not care very much what Mr. Balfour or Lord Grey or Sir F.yre C'rowe were doing. Thus the very elements of any con-  H'oI of the Foreigng Office were lackiog. and this was so far the fault not of that (>!fiee or of the Government or governing class, but | of the elentora.ro. of yon and rnc and Mr. j Sniilllie. I shall ivini 11 to the question again. 1 hur fnrihc prcs?nr must leave if AUTOCRACY OF FOREIGN OFFICE. But the fjitilf was not only on the side of tm»j electorate. Foreign policy has been deliberate-! ly withdrawn in this country from the control of Parliament, am1 this has been done in two j different ways. I11 the time of Gladstone and Disraeli party politics turned to a very large j extent upon foreign policy. Gladstone himself, :in(? Bright, ami Cobden. and m later years Sir Charles Dilke never hesitated to eom j)? ) discis- sion in the House of any policy which they dis- j approved. But m the 'nineties ■; m-w system sprang up. Foreign policy was more ami more u ithdrawn from the arena o! party politics. The leading })olitician on both sides by a kind ") tacit agreement refrained from challenging or discussing foreign relations. Lord ;] I] Loid Larisdowne. Mr. Balfour and Mr. Asquith appeared always to be in such entire agreement" [ as to the policy of Britain that discussion was 111T)11{'('l'S"U' and impertinent. This was I'II'I'.I semted to be a very happy state of affairs. As a matter of lact it was disastrous. h meant that -our relations with foreign countries and .?(??')'n!u?nt?- were withdrawn t?m lilt' jJlI/¡lit'¡' h?'t:)')dhHfdt'nmt?)(' darkness of the Foreign Office. Moreover, when tiny private member had the courage to ask a question in Parliament or to start a .discussion about foreign policy, htf was either snubbed with a short and ambiguous answer or lie was told that it was against the public interest to give any information 011 the subject'. This fact constitutes an enormous difference between the Foreign Office and every other Government department. No other de- partment, for instance, the FTome Office or the Treasury, is ever allowed to refuse to answer a question or to give information as to what it is it would be agaillst. the public interest." And the iaN that the Foreign Office is allowed to do so. means that all effective control of Parliament over Foreign Policy is destroyed. There win never be any control over the Foreign Office and its .staff. 1"llll's, M]'. Sf)uHi?,md Labour see that full in- j formation is laid before Parliament and the public of everything cennee ed with foreign re- l?Li<?i?::nd unless ail secrecy under the plea of public interest is aboli-.hed. Ie is never in the public interest that the Secretary of State or tlie Foreign Ottir" should be engaged transactions which they cannot divulge to tin- nation. r SECRET TREATIES. 1 lie third method adopted of withdrawing! tiie Foreign Office from the control of Parlia- ment ami 1 t tt' til I I I di?ct).?e< f! ?y?fon of secret treaties. The Foreign O?c' can and does make the ni(*st important agree- I. ments and treaties with foreign countries whieli bind Parliament and the country, and which an- vehemently defended by Mr. Baltour. And yer never divulged. This system has recently been the Foreign Office official who writes this pam- )?h?t))i?thet.i(?[oi)))p!y that the Foreign ()mn' is. more than any other department, de- pemieii t upon the British electorate." No other Government department claims and exercise.- the right to sign contracts in ?,?,,?,,j.?j? I na tion t.he terms ot which are never even known to the nation. It is often pretended that these .,P('I'('t tn.;tri, ,)1'(' \1' 1';ll'l'ly ,ignl'd, \othin? ???t?n?n' untrue. Secret trf-;)t?? and agreements wen during the last o!i voais con- tinually being made by the T-'oreign Office, upon .d)??t't:?iUH) kinds o? subjects. Naturally it s j only a long time after rimy are signed that any- 1 one knows 01 their existeme. By that tiJJI" their e\-i| influence and .scuretl. I hits there were six or seven secret tit,. lin. In IHsS the I*orejgn Office signed a scorer treaty with .!• ranee about Abyssinia. In 1891 it signed a score? agrecmcii? with Jtalv about o\ ssjn ia III I: II q ¡ I signed a secret agi'ee- niont with France about Morocco. The.se art- iiistjuices take!) ar- random. But what possi- bility ot control can tlere be over a Govern- ment department allowed ro aci thli" It .,IIOldd be made a law by the first Labour Gov* crumen 1 that every agreement, understanding, and treaty duiuld be published nt Government t,ol-lif of a Government notifica- (ioll ill newspaper within seven davs of "ignature. It cannot ever be in the public in- terest that Mr. Smillie and his Foreign Office stafl should do things or enter into agreements and understandings which cannot, be revealed to the puhMc or bear the full light of public dis- cussion. At any rate, it k sheer nonsense to talk 01 there being any effective control Over the foreign Office and foreign affairs so long as policy is conducted in secret, and the Secre- tary ot State is at Iioerty to enter into secret agreements. However, this has led oie into a digression which wiil make it necessarv to return to Mr. Smillie s st-aff in a later article.

Avan Valley Notes. 7 (By Democritus). — A Liberal-Labour Ass(jpja.ijop has .been formed: at Aberavon under the chairmanship of Mr. Charles P. No compulsion wiil be placed OIl the Labour members of this Associa- tion to wear silk hats and frock coats, but the* will have to voie Liberal every time. Beer, g lorious lieer' was tiie subject oj it pi (J- tes 1 meeting lieid recently at ye Ancient Bor- ough..The curtailment of our national bever- age has engendered untold hardship on the de- votees of Bacchus has even threatened out existence as a nation, consequently a protest was held against this pro-German action ol the f,o\eminent„ Britons must have their beer hough nations tall and children starve. What siith the poer — "The old woman scolds, ami t lie kids the> look frail. Instead of their school-books they eari'y the pail A\ e d keep op on beefsteak and bread il w, could. But they cost mere than beer and ain't neat as good." i ? j j S()ttn'\(H)n'j.t)tan\it?n"!)'('anjt\'[ha:id! lI'(.tio;! (';llht';¡;1 IIlltt, ar '\11' n"p;'l'd' Jw.t- 1'( -k' if! *N Ao t i nI --a i i., resolution of protest against the continued in- carceration ami ill-treatment of conscientious oh jectors, ft e certainly difficult to understand the mental psychology 01 an individual who can- not sympathise with men who. whether right or wrong, are true to their belief's and are suffer- ing lor their beliefs; but who. himself believing in the righteousness of the war, and who advo- cates the prosecution of the war, yet pi esu ma b! v, !rd\??hd) advantage ot a protected trade ''?..c?p i t? olt It I II  > ft os also a reflection not any means flat- | tering to his intelligence inid the .?pi'-?aftx questions put 111 the M-If-suue words by this, sol!-advertising youth at all kinds of m?un?, ;ill l?in(]-; of i!iqt,t 11 th( subject of the address 1 his young man wants to s know if the speaker believes in majority rule m Trades I niom. Pity toilnd a young man with ?'?'? a nice crop of hair ?n devoid of the elemen- tary principles of logic, and so destitute of .the j f ?l 1. l?'I 11 1)1(., f I it, ? zo ( it', i I ? 1! (, t' oh n spoke a r tin. Dockers' Mall. Pori Talbot, mi Sunday evening last, had a very narrow escape from a "tTion" accident on his journey to the meeting. Ti) I mishap, however, did not interfere with his How of eloquence. As js always the case when Mr. Thomas is announced to speak, a large audience had gatheied toget her, and needless to say it was not scut empty away. A speaker of a like' calibre to Mr. Thomas is .\1 ,J, H. Maxwell, M..V.. who spoke at the Dockers' Hall the Friday evening previous. A movement that can boast of such enthusiastic and talented young men is bound to surmount all obstacles. '] 11 <. Liberal-Labour' Associations are welcome to the wind-bags and nincompoops of the Trade i n;on Movement so long as the l.L.P. can claim the services of the truly pro- gressive elements. or. So Mr. Bob Williams, of' the Transport. Workers' Fnion has consented to be nominated for the A bora von Parliamentary Division. Xùt many, perhaps, know that Mr. Williams is a Welshman and a native of Swansea. Most people who read know of Mr. Williams as an uncompromising champion of Labour, and in Port Talbot he will be remembered with grati- tude for the fight lie made recently against vested interests when the Taibaeh Co-op. was boycotted in its efforts to get flour. Printed and published Ly the National Labour Press, Ltd., at the Labour Pioneer Press. Williams Square, Merthyr Tydfil, S.VTCPDAY. FFBIJVAPT 23rd, 1018.

Merthyr Notes. Selection of J.P.s. X. F. D. W. •Tones. H. have been appointed as an advisory committee for the selection of a list of names to oe sub- mitted to the Lord Chancellor with a yiew t-o the creation of a number of new justices of the peace for the county borough ot Merthyr. T. T. Jenkins. We are pl eased to 1)(. able to announce din t our Comrade T. T..Jenkins was able to return to his home at Abercanaid on Tuesday from the Cardiff Nursing Home, where he was operated itpon ;Iioi-L t Iiii(, We are informed that the (/juration has proved most satisfactory, and that our Comrade is progressing better than was anticipated: though, necessarily, he is to be kept quiet for a few weeks of recuperation yet. May this be the etui of his trials. That he may be speedily restored to the brimming vitality that we have always associated with him in the past, is a wish actuated not alone by our feeling for him. but also by the more selfish knowledge of our need of him. and of his knowledge and great power of leadership in the times alwad of the cause for which he has fought so hmn and with such brilliance. Welcome Home. An excellent concert and presentation meeting was hdd at the Welsh Onk Inn, Dowlais. on Fri- day evening, in honour of Corporal W. J. Morris, of the A.O.C. in France. There was a large attendance, and all present quite enjoyed themselves. During the evening, over which Air. Garadoe Gwyne presided, the following artistes took part Messrs. ft. T. Davies, AY. J. Da vies. Hadyn Hughes. Henry Thomas, Dd. Joseph. -To*. Evans, Lewis Lewis, and Ikl. James. The accom- panist was Mr. Joe Jones. Mr. Wm. Davie*, foreman of the Ivor Smith Shop, made an ap- propriate speech in presenting Corporal Morris with a soldier's dressing case and cheque on hp- half of the I.S.S. workmen. Speeches were mad by Messrs. Thomas Jones (senior smith). J. Pep- per, AV. Jenkins. G. A. Annetts, D. T. R. Davies and D. A. Morris. The secretarial. duties were carried out successfully by Messrs. G. R. Annetts and 1). T. R. Davie-. Schooimaster M. C. Major J. R. Jones, H.F.A., f<nmt?!y classics master at the Merthyr Connty Schnot. has won the?LO. He ]],I, on actin' service in France for three years and has been once I wounded. Coal Returns. I The 1917 coal returns for Merthyr, Aberd-are. and Gelligaer an all round decrease on the previous year. In Merthyr the amounts raised were 1.,440,81-i tons of large coal and 429.902 tons of small coal, decreases of 1 1 and 22.113 tons respectively. In Aberdare the aggregate amounted to 1.443,662 (large coal) and ..564.:j: (small coal) tons, a reduction in the first instance of 4.285 tons, and an increase in smalLeoal of 5,251 tons. In Gelligaer the decrease wa 62,285 tons of large coal and 22.585 tOns. of small coal, the total worked by 1.791.803 (large coal) and 479*560 (small coal) tons. Coal brought to bank in the Gelligaer parisih aggregated 1,879,524 tons of large and 183,524 tons of small coal. de- creases of 79,374 and 27,566 tons respectively. The reduction of the ratable value in Merthyr was t820 6s. 5d.. and the decrease in the valua- tion list for Guest. Keen and Xettlefolds' Iron and Steelworks were assessed at £ 21.405, and the Cyiarthfa Iron- works at Tinsmith Wins D.C.M. Ptc. Daniel Sullivan. H.AV.F..o( the Quar. Pt(,. i)anlvl ?it i'' TI? AN-. P' 0 1 t 111 (, Q t the D.C.M. in I ii-nsniltll 1).N t iii, ivon the I Bargoed Damages Claim. Messrs. Wm. Williams and Co., Bargoed. 011- tained judgment against the Brecon and Mer- thyr Hallway Company at MerthyT County Court on Wednesday for £ 12 6s. 9d. damages for a ,op- f,ii- -tl2 f),. ()ft. foi- -t bai-i-el v.-lilu-it fell off i lot-i-.?. ii- l il l e bein,? Fred Richards' Concert. The gratifying attendance at th.e R ink on Sat- urday lust on the occasion ot the Competitive Concert to Fred Richards, was a splendid tribute to the excellence of the town's feelings towards its favourite comedian, as well as a grand testi- monial to the \rho!G-h?aTtcd work of the Com- mittee that v as responsible tor the effort, T,,ü,:ellll as a who]p the quality of the work done was not of a particularly high standard and the only noteworthy section of the programme was the championship solo in winch some voices of real charm and culture were heard to advantage. In the choral section Abercanaid was easily first, with Dowlais a good second. The Penydarren boys who were given a special prize deserved it. The comedy was weal:, but even the absence of anything very outstanding did not iustiiy the audiences' selection of the prizewinner.

The Heroes of Peace (Adapt<'d \1'1>1\1 dH' VI'Pll¡j¡ 01 .\ndl' CIJ\:ni('T'). I Ye peace-loving Britons, extol nor the glory That conquering heroes have won by the sword. Away from your attars the idols whose story The annal s of sorroAV and murder record Burn incense to them who have laboiired for others. The heroes of eouifige sublime, and true worth. The men who have lived and have died for their brothers. Hold sacred their names, the flame-bearers of earth. Gladly submit to their yoke who have.striven To rule YOll lik«*men, nor as lords from above Want and despair from your hearths they have driven. Freedom and life unto you they have given, And all thai mak es Britain the homeland you love. I T. J. Thomas (Sarnieof).

I Tonyrefail Notes. I Trades Council. At a meeting of the Trades and Labour Coun- cil last Saturday at Llantrisant, the Organiser of the Agricultural La hom ers for Wa)es appealed to all the various oiganisations for support to or?antxe tins class of workmen who were at the present very difficult to get together. He spoke of the menace of this class of unorganised work- men to the other organised industries. Stating that they were a source of cheap labour, always at the disposal the railway employers. He made reference to the Triple Alliance and stated that it was essen- tial to get in the food producers so as to form n Quadruple Alliance. He also advocated the formation of a Wage Hoard in the Vale of Glam- organshire. The result of the appointment of a candidate to fill the vacancy, caused by the death, of the late J. Jenkins. Gilfach Goch, on the District Council was given. Indignation is felt at the way the election was conducted. It was stated that Dd..Bonner was elected with over 300 ma- jority at a ballot of the miners, Ihut, when the public electors' meeting was convened for final election Mr. Tanner (colliery manager) secured a majoritv of three votes over Mr. Bonner. Mr. Mardy Jones reported to the council that in his opinion the poster issued by Mr. Spickett as Clerk of the Rural Council, convening the meet- ing at Gilfach Goch. was irregular and mislead- ing. for the bill invited ".ratepayers" instead of electors to the meeting. Many people regarded jhe term ratepayer as applicable to only those who pay rates direct, and many ot the electors thus refrained from attending in consequence. The Trades Council decided to pro- test against this action [0 the District Council, and t,- reones? the latter to convene an "electors' meeting." t l lt' ?l "()O( i On Labour representation on the ?ood Control Committee it wa? decided that Mr. T. 1. Mardy Jones should approach Mr. Tom Richards. M.P.. with regard to an assurance given by Lord f) g) to Air. Richards, and I which has now been repudiated by the Food Con- troller's staff in a letter to the Council. Food Supplies. Complaints are rife among the Co-opcrarive members in respect to food supplies. It Is said that there is little or no supplies of food avail- lible for the mem bers who have registered by food cards at the store-—while the other private distributors have plenty of supplies. The Co- operative Committee should take stringent mea- sures immediately to cope with the situation. Mainwaring's Visit. W. H. Mainwaring visited Llantrisant last I Sunday and t?(i nn ?uthusfasticm?tin?: ? ()f Coed Ely Miners. J'.xeitement prevailed last Sunday at a meet- ing or the Coed Ely workmen. The candidates for the position of check-weigher .addressed the meeting, each iN- tli 15 minutes to introduce themsehes. There are fourteen for the first ballot. It is difficult to speculate as to who will be e!e< led. One thinn is obvious, that Whoever he may be will have to :be active and discreet. Coed a- I)". new development which brings b i i n wM.h it ne? c?nd'tioti?. and new workmen who now in from all parts. All we can do at present i- to wait and see.