Pioneer

I — ■ — I Labour Party's Record. I ) Glib and irresponsible traducers of the Labour members in the House of Commons who rarely miss an opportu- nity of decrying the work of the party, would do well to read the pamphlet en- titled Labour's Work in Parlia- ment." which has just been published— a resume of which appears in another column of this issue. It reveals a record of steady work and achievements such as should con- vince the intelligent workman of the advantage of being represented in Par- liament by men who understand his needs and ideals, and who are. there- fore, able to give expression of the views of organised Labour. That a party of men of so limited a number should have succeeded in influencing legislation to the extent which is so amply demonstrated by this pamphlet is remarkable, and should convince not only the workers, but also the waver- ers and camp-followers of the Liberal party who still retain some regard for the hard-won rights of democracy, of the necessity of increasing and streng- thening the ranks of the Labour party in the House of Commons. • • Family Life in Merthyr. Amongst the many thoughtless and indiscriminate charges which have from time to time been brought against the Labour and Socialist movement is that of attempting to destroy family life. It is almost usless to try and convince the blowers of this bubble that Social- ism stands for the highest and best in family life. One would imagine that in these days family life in Wales was incapable of improvement. Would it were so. Amongst the many reasons for the decline of family life few things are more responsible than the low wages paid to fathers of families. Hardened visitors to the local police court show little perceptible traces of emo- tion whilst elderly grey-haired or pre- maturely aged fathers, summoned, it maybe, for the payment of Union maintenance orders, confess with bow- ed heads to receiving a wage of 22/ M/ or 30/- per week with which to sustain a family of six children and their mother. Poor mother! The living sacrifice; a creature whose life is made up of "Transient sorrows, simple wiles. Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears, and smiles." Declining years generally mean de- clining wages to the nation's parents, and many a local father and mother find themselves often" less than lodg- ers in their own home, owing to the fact that Johnny and Maggie are mas- ters in their "father's house." Prob- ably they have been prematurely rush- ed to work at the local penny-sweater- ies or to the colliery, so that the fam- ily exchequer may be increased. We stand for a living wage, a family wage, a wage that will allow ^parents to bring up their family in decency and in comfort. If family life in the nation to-day is at a iow ebb, we claim that the Socialist and Labour movement is doing far more for its revival and strengthening by de- manding a minimum wage for the workers than any other movement or society.

I WELL PACKED. I Tommy and his governess were pass- ing along a street where a load of straw had been scattered in front of one of the houses in which there had been a case of serious illness. Miss Jones," said Tommy, why did they scatter the strab about here?" "Well, Tommy," she replied, "a little baby came to Mrs. Brown last night." My!" said TomrrW, but it was well packed." I A LINCOLN STORY. I On one occasion when he was busy, President Lincoln received a delegation of men who were endeavouring to hurry the passing of some petty Bill. When they entered, Lincoln looked up grave- ly, and said: ly, If you call the tail of a sheep a leg how many legs will the sheep have?" Five I" said the spokesman. "No," replied Lincoln. It would only have four; calling the tail a leg wouldn't make it one." The delegation departed in discom- fiture, and Lincoln was left alone.

Death of Mr. Harry Evans. BRIEF RECORD OF A BRILLIANT AND STRENUOUS CAREER. It is with feelings of intense regret that we report the passing away of a famous Dowlais boy, Mr. Ha.rry Evans, F.R.C.O., who died at Liver, pool at 5-30 a.m. on Thursday. Mr. Evans had won more than local fame as a composer, conductor and organist, his brilliant career being followed with the greatest interest by the many in the town who followed the guidance of his baton to victory at numerous musi- cal festivals. The Youthful Artiste. Mr. Evans was an example of talent emanating from the working-class. He wag born at Dowlais on May-Day, 1873. His father was John Evans (Eos Myrddin), one of those who, in the six- ties and seventies, made grimy Dowlais famous as an abode of son,o,-a man of no formal education, but of great Il3r- tural mental ability; one of the old school, who would appear in the leather clothes of the steel worker before the singing class, snatching a brief inter- val from his work at the furnace in order to coach his fellow-workers in the art of music. Tonic sol-fa Mr. Evans learned from his eldest sister, his fa- ther teaching him the staff notation. At the tender age of seven he made his first appearance in public as a soloist on a small harmonium, at a penny reading. The youthful artiste (he could scarcely blow the instrument) was the proud recipient of 5/- in cop- pers, the proceeds of a collection made from the delighted audience. An- other three years saw him organist at Gwernuwyn Congregational Church, a special blowing apparatus having to be installed on the Alexander Harmo- nium which constituted the organ. In lieu of. salary, the members of the church paid for pianoforte lessons for the boy. The musical fare provided by the teacher of the prodigy—Mr. Law- rence, a pupil of Moscheles, of Leipzig —was of the hardest, Mendelssohn's "Songs Without Words" being the easiest composition which the boy was called upon to play. The late Mr. Woodman, some time headmaster of the Gellifaelog Schools, once told the story of how young Evans, a serious boy, absorbed in his music," used to often practise on the school house piano. The lad at this time had no piano in his own home, till the members of his cha- pel arranged a concert for the purpose of providing him with an instrument. About this time he passed with hon- ours the Local Examination held by the Royal Academy of Music (uow the Associated Board). Mr. Evans, sen., inspired with sound common sense, in- sisted upon his son receiving a good general education in addition to his musical training. Though music was his rulip.g passion, the lad entered for a scholarship at the Higher Grade School, which he won. His father fur- ther insisted on his boy entering the teaching profession, as a secure means of livelihood. "After that," he said, you can do as you like about taking up music." Meanwhile, friends cla- moured that the boy should be allowed to take up a purely musical career. The father, however, remained obdurate, the result being that Master Evans was apprenticed as a pupil teacher in the Abermorlais Schools. The wide range of his abilities will be seen from the fact that although his time was largely taken up with learning and tea- ching music, he headed the district in the Queen's Scholarship Examination list, his name standing 88th on the list for the whole Kingdom. In addition, he passed the South Kensington Exa- minations in Mathematics, Science and Art. But foin the advice of a medical friend. Mr. Evans might have conti- nued a distinguished scholastic career at Bangor Normal Training College, "1 ,1 T and the musical world would have sus- tained a considerable loss. This friend advised the adoption of a musical ca- reer, the result being that Mr. Evans, after a year's hard and secret study, passed the examination for the Asso- ciateship of the Royal College of Orga- nists, held at London in 1893. Teach- ing was now abandoned and the young musician appeared more frequently than ever at organ recitals and as pianoforte accompanist to the numer- ous choirs in the neighbourhood. As a Conductor. In the autumn of 1893. a choral so- ciety of 200 voices was formed at Dow- lais, with Mr. Harry Evans as conduc- tor "Acis and Galatia" being per- formed with full orchestral accompani- ment. Attempts were now made to cap- ture the blue ribbon of the Eisteddfod- au, but after the choir had won the ?100 prize at Tonypandy the talented conductor stopped the competitive work of the choir. In the same year, 1897, he qualified for the Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists—he, in company with another, being the first Welshmen to receive this distinction. Honour of Welsh Nation. For the next few years various choirs, one of which won the chief choral prize at the Welsh National Eisteddfod in 1905, were conducted by Mr. Evns. In 1898 he started a la- dies' choir in Merthyr, which met with great success. In conjunction with the Dowlais Male Voice Party, this choir gave a rendering of "Hiawa- tha's Wedding .Feast." The Dowlais Male Voice Party was perhaps the fin- est body of singers which ever brought honour upon the town. It was formed in 1899, consisted largely of working- men, and won premier honours at the Liverpool National Eisteddfod of 1900. Besides giving concerts in various parts of South Wales, the choir sang stb six London concerts with success. Of the achievement at Liverpool, Mr. Evans said: "We worked hard for twelve months, and when the fateful day arrived, we sang tenth in the order of eleven choirs, one of them being the Man chested Orpheus, which has since achieved fame, but we came off easy winners; therebv was saved the hon- our of the Welsh nation, as all the other choral prizes that week had been won by English choirs." At the Royal National Eisteddfod held in Merthyr in the year 1901. Mr. Evans conducted a choir of 500 voices in a magnificent rendering of Israel in Egypt." and at one of the oonoei-te the" Tannhauser Overture and Bee- thoven's C Minor Symphony were played under his baton. At the Llan- elly Eisteddfod, held in 1902. his choir won the £ 200 prize. As Adjudicator. But the great demand for his ser- vices as an adjudicator rendered it necessary for him to conclude his com- petitive work with this triumph. The choir, however, did not immediately disband, but gave performances of (tis b an d ?, '? S t. Paul, n o R- e "Elijah," "St. Paul," "The Re- venge." "Hiawatha," "King Olaf." and The Victory of St. Garnlon," the last-named being his own composition. On three occasions the choir delighted London audiences at the Queen's Hall and elsew here. At Liverpool. Mr. Evans connection with Liverpool began 12 years ago, and came about as follows: —In 1902 he became conductor of the Liverpool Welsh Choral Union. The first work given by the Union was Handel's "Samaon." and his experi- ence of Liverpool Welshmen convinced him that an immense field of talent wa5, ready for tillage. There being, even at't.hat time, 100,000 people of Welsh descent in the City, it was pos- sible to restrict membership to Welsh- men. The choir has attained great success, and was as successful with "Hiawatha." "The Golden Legend," "Tlw Dream of Gerontius." and Bach's St. Matthew's Passion" as with the more stereotyped compositions of Handel and Mendelssohn. The Un- ion has achieved considerable financial as well as artistic success, high art be- ing made to pay in this case. In 1906 Mr. Evans finally left his native heath for Liverpool, where he worked extremely hard at teaching music; conducting the Liverpool Welsh Choral Union, and in his capa- city as choir-master and organist at Great George Street Congregational Church. His activities as a composer call for very favourable comment, among his works being "The Victory of St. Gar- mon." a dramatic cantata first per- formed at the Cardiff Musical Festival of 1904. and a dramatic cantata, entit- led "Dafydd ap Gwylym," compose d for the Royal National Eisteddfod held at Llangollen in 1908. But the brilliant record has come to a premature close—a close rendered premature, perhaps, by the hard work which, together with his great talent, made for such high success. "Those whom the gods love. die young," the ancients tell us. and his career, with its abrupt conclusion, reminds us of the fine sermon Robert Louis Steven- son preached on this text—that piece of faultless writing in which he glorifies the death which takes a man in the zenith of his career, with his trophies about him, and his muscles strained for fresh endeavour. Mr. Evans has shed lustre on Dowlais people generally, but particularly on those friends of his early days who, recognising his great promise, exerted themselves so nobly to help to bring about its full fulfilment. Forty-one years is a short span of life, but forty- one years crowded with noble aspira- tions and activities are to be preferred to an age without a name.

Local Water Wasted. I ARE THE CISTERNS DEFECTIVE. I Coun. LI. M. Francis referred at Wednesday's meeting of the Water- works Committee to the waste of water caused by defective cisterns in the bor- ough. some of which, he alleged, were completely out of order. He did not know whether the committee had the. power to insist on a certain standard of cistern being used. Coun. Dan Thomas (chairman) said that the inspectors visited the houses, and notices were tendered for putting defective cisterns right. Coun..Francis asked whether it was due to a poor class of cistern being used. Mr. Fredk. Hughes (Deputy Engi- neer) replied that the truth was that there were not sufficient inspectors to inspect the cisterns and other mechani- cal arrangements, but that a report was to be submitted which would deal with the matter.

Cardiff Stadium Sprint LOCAL ENTRIES. The following are the handicaps of the local entrants for the Cardiff Sta- dium Sprint, which takes place to-day (Saturday) and Monday: — W. Thomas. Merthyr, 8t yards. J. Foster, Merthyr, 81 yards. D. M. Thomas, Merthyr, Hi yards. J. Lloyd, Dowlais, 14 yajds. W. Thomas, Merthyr, 141, yards. W. Michael, Merthyr, 141;, yards. E. V. Chambers, Bargoed, 17 yards.

Holland and the Class Struggle The Congress of the Neutral Trade Union Federation took place at the beginning of June in Utrecht two years ago. It was stated that 10 or- ganisations, with 3,649 members, be- longed to the Federation in 1913. The membership is said to have increased by 4,688 in the meantime. Upon cer- tain of the delegates advocating the class struggle, the President vigorously opposed the same, but urgently recom- mended the creation of a powerful de- fence fund.

MERTHYR GROCER S AFFAIRS. The adjourned public examination of Urbane Nicholls, provision dealer, of Merthyr. was concluded at Merthyr Bankruptcy Court on Tuesday, before Mr. D. Walters Rees, Registrar. Air. W. W. Meredith again appeared for debtor. Mr. Nicholls was further examined by Mr. Ellis Owen, Official Receiver, as to his affairs. The Official Receiver explained that the accounts had been delivered. The trustee was unable to be present, but had left the case in his (the Official Receiver's) hands. In reply to the Official Receiver, deb- tor said he did not find he was insol- vent until March 27. He still adhered to the statement which he had made at his last examination. He continued to trade until April 21. Between those dates he contracted no debts. Official Receiver: About December last. were any cheques you sent to a certain company dishonoured?— Yes, I think one was. Did you write any letters to that company 1"-1 believe I did. Can you tell the Court what you told them?—No. I can't remember. Did you tell them that you were in a good position, and that it would not happen again ?—I don't remember tell- ing them that. 1 will not deny it. Did you, on the strength of what- ever statement you made to them, re- ceive further goods from them?—No, sir. You now owe that company £4:3 3s. 6d. ?-—Yes, sir. Did you receive or order any part of these goods after you made the state- ment to that firm? Debtor (after hesitation): No. sir; I fed quite sure I did not. Debtor said his statement between January 1 and April 21 showed stock sold to be £ 1,9/4 19s. lid. The amount received was cost plus 10 per cent. for profit. The gross profit between Jan- uary and April was not enough to pay trading expenses by £8 10s. lld., so he was trading at a loss. At the last examination, he showed that t-he iver- age_ amount banked per annum was £ 7.716. His trading expenses wer- mostly paid in cash, and for 1913 were £ <25 15s. 3d. The total revenue last year was tS,187 2s. Id. The Registrar: I notice you fixed profit at 10 per cent. That is a very small profit. Debtor: No; it is a large profit fjr the wholesale trade. Official Receiver: Apart from the huge debts owing to you in the busi- ness. you have been losing in the busi- ness ?—That is so. The turnover was large enough, but the profits were not large enough? No. You admit that?—Yes. Do you admit you have been giving credit indiscriminately?—! cannot ad- mit that. Is there any reason for a man to give over t2,000 credit, and to go on year after year with no reserve for bad debts, or writing nothing down, to find that debts representing over k2,000 are really worth only a trifle over LIOO? Debtor: I would not care to admit I was not at all careful, but I admit I was not careful enough. But the strike upset my calculations. If you had realised they were only worth that, would you not have stopped trading?—Yes, I had no idea they were only worth that. Whose fault is that?—Mine. Mr. Meredith explained that debtor continued to supply his customers du- ring the strike, but never had the money. "He is only one of many," added the solicitor. Registrar: It is a very poor connec- tion to keep up, isn't it. to give away your goods with no hope of getting paid ? Mr. Meredith: These debts extend over 16 years; that alters the matter. Official Receiver: Yes. but it only increases his responsibility, and ought to have pulled him up. I am not blaming him, but it is only one more example of thIs huge credit system which is going on in the country, and which is not only pulling the traders down, but is. had for the debtors. Witness admitted paying two sums of t,5 to his solicitor after discovering his position. Mr. Meredith: Yes, for services to lie rendei-ed. It generally ends up by the debtor owing me something. Further examined Sai the deficiency amounted to £ 2.463. The examination was closed.

I ABERFAN GROCER'S AFFAIRS. In the case of Thomas John Hughes, grocer, Aberfan, debtor, in reply to the Official Receiver, said he discove.red ,?ai d he d i w-o vered himself to be insolvent in 1909, and continued to trade until March, 1911, meanwhile contracting debts. He con- tinued because he hoped to make a profit on that trading. The causes of his failure he put down as being out of employment and in ill-health. He executed a ddbd of assignment for those reasons. In two years he had only worked about three months owing to his health. He had a weak chest. His wife's claim to the household fur- niture was a correct one. The Official Receiver explained that a sum had been erroneously collected by the assignee, to which he was not entitled. I must say that there has been a considerable amount of lax- ity on both sides—on debtor's side and on that of the assignee." He (the debtor) not only owed nothing to the assignee, but owed a considerable am- ount to the debtor. In fairness to the assignee, however, it should be said he had rendered every assistance in his power to balance the accounts. He (the assignee) had collected E73 6s. in book debts which he was not entit- led to collect. After giving him cre- dit for collection, lie hoped the credit- tors would receive 20/- in the £ and 4 per cent. interest, if debtor took the advice offered him. The Registrar: i am very glad. The case was formally adjourned

Wireless Whispers. In the old days is a phrase often used by one of the local City Fathers. • It reminds us of the lines: — There once was an ichthyosaurus. Which lived when the earth was all porous. When they told him his name, He fainted with shame— But that was a long time before us!" m hy blush?" asks the advertiser of a twopenny cure. Why, indeed, unless it be for the credibility of pur- chasers • LOST.-The Dowlais School Manag- ers' charges against Miss Kiernan. Last heard of in public at the meeting of the Merthyr Public Works Committee, Tuesday, July 7. Finder rewarded by the blessings of long-suffering Mer- thyr citizens! • • I notice," said Mrs. Coun. Ed- munds, at the meeting of the Merthyr Council on Monday, "that there is a lot of vegetable matter put into the ash bins which people could burn in their own houses." What a bout the smeU:" asked a member. "When we have the refuse destruc- tor, we shall be able to burn it our- selves," replied Coun. F. A. Phillips. HI; ? We are almost convinced that WHEN" we do get a refuse destruc- tor, there will be stronger gases given off than that arising from burning vegetables. We have had sufficient gas" about this public necessity, but if the devil has his due, there will be more than one Merthyr citizen "gnash- ing his teeth" at the burning process. < The interesting article dealing with Mr. Sidney Webb's report on "The Rise in the Cost of Living," was pub- lished in the Labour Leader" of last week. A cynical local scientist, who has been studying councillors and aldermen, has sent its a communication in which 'he explains what he refers to as the growth of these pompous parasites" in the following way —The many chan- ges demonstrated during the develop- ment of ordinary men into a councillor or an alderman constitute what Spen- cer would have designated as "an advance from homogenity of structure to heterogenity of structure." Ordin- ary men, he continues, are made up of a substance that is uniform throughout. The first step in the evolution is no- ticed when what the physiologists call "a differentiation" takes place. This demonstrates itself in various ways, but most often in an overwhelming desire, as they themselves term it, "to do something for the people," but which my investigations force me to the con- viction that the desire is really one which would be more fittingly described as a desire "to do the people." as a desire to do the people. Space forbids us publishing the whole of our correspondent's findings, but we may say that after stating that these differentiations soon begin to "exhibit further contrast of narts (according to the specie), which ultimately become as definite as the original differentiation, and concludes with the claim that his investigations have proved beyond con- tradiction that Spencer was quite right when he said It is settled be- yond dispute that organic progress con- ous to the heterogeneous." He assures us that the investigation was a tho- rough one, and states that he had been in actual conversation with several councillors on separate occasions, and that, at least, one alderman had ac- knowledged him in the scavenge-ways of the borough. • • • one questl* ,Dn Now we know. There is one question we would ask of our pertinacious cor- respondent. Would he kindly explain what kind of a, differentiation it is which makes some of these councillors and aldermen speak in favour or ag- ainst (as the case may he) of certain projects which come up for considera- tion at the various committees, and then VOTE IX THE OPPOSITE WAY? w We should like to have the differen- tiation" definitely designated. We have, however, no doubt as to why this is done. The speech is very often reported in the Press, but the vote is rarely recorded, so that a councillor or an alderman may give the public the impression that he has supported a cer- tain motion, when ,as a matter of fact, he has voted against it. "Schoolmaster for the Pole," was the heading of a paragraph in a recent issue of a com temporary. This is certainly a reflection on a "noble profession," and calls for a strong resolution of protest by the N.U.T. Executive. The justification for the heading was the granting of leave of absence for "an indefinite period" by the London Education Committee to Mr. A. Hus- sey, assistant-master, who is going with Sir lamest Shackleton's Antarctic Ex- pedition. Mr. Hussey will, therefore, not be going "up the pole," but down to the pole. w The Caerphilly Magistrates imposed fines amounting to £ 24 in five cases out of the 17 charges preferred by the Home Office against Edward Shaw, manager of the Senghenydd Colliery, for breach of the Mines Act. w This works out at about 1 /1 £ for each of the 430 lives lost in the terrible dis- aster of last October. Life is a comedy to him who thinks and a tragedy to him who feels," said Walpole.