Pioneer

Cwmaven and Port Talbot Notes. Remarkable Send-Off for Tal Mainwaring. +1-iq Great waves of entiiusiasm WILlltM<OU lJHv departure of Coun. Tal Mainwaring and Dan Morris, en route for Swansea Gaol, oy the srsc •o'clock train from Abervaon Station last S_at- urday evening. It may be well for me to recall a, few facts. Tal Manwaring and Dan Morris, Jenkin and William Williams recently figured in a case at the Port Talbot Oountv Police Court, summoned under Section 2 ( 01 the De- fenoe of the Repitiii -Ict-tlie first-named with making certain statements at Bethany square, the others with distributing leaflets at C* in avoii. Mainwaring was fined t25 and £5 costs, or in default of payment 3 months' im- prisonment. The others £ 10 and tl costs, or in default of payment 2 months' imprison- ment. The four defendants were given 14 days to pay. The Williams Brothers paid their fines, but the other two refused to do likewise. At the date of expiration of the time allowed to lKtY (June 22), the two com- rades gave themselves up to the authorities. T e latter intimatèd they would not be taken ,;away until the Saturday following. Apparently tbtese few davs" grace were given to the Coi-ii-i rades by the "authorities, who anticipated pay- mtnt; but if they only knew the indomitable spirit- of the Comrades, they would have soon relegated their abortive anticipations to the limbo of impossibilities. Saturday came; they aoain made their appearance at the Police Sta- tion, and much to their surprise they were tOld that the Clerk of the Court had not is- sued the necessary warrant; therefore, they were asked to return at 2-30' p.m. At 2-30 i-i.. they were told the same thing. The po- lice endeavoured to persuade them to pay, and showed their willingness to serve distress war- rants on them,,but the two Comrades refused their .offer. One could easily understand that this mode of procedure on the part of the au- thorities was intended to aggravate payment. Eventually the authorities sent for them at 5-:30 p m an<j this time they were followed to the; railway station bv hundreds of enthusiastic people to see them off. Some of the crowd clim- ed on top of the railway trucks lying 111 the adjacent, sidings; others climbed the platform pa?ngs; women weep?d; and the open sang thpm?Ives hoarse and waved their headgear, Their attention was now diverted bv the arrival «of the t rain packed up with its Saturday night¡: 'Df tho Li-t:ln pa.cke,ct lipi These people nevei lo.t,-l cf- visitoii, to town.. in left, the platform, but were caught up in the well of enthusiasm, and again the Ked FJa^ was sung—this time with renewed Vlgour, and? Joined in by the Aberavon Male Voice PaTtJ' who were leaving by the same train It was an ?n.pre?ive scene. It was as if this prodig ions manifestation of enthusiasm had been locked up in the hearts of the men and women, W- now bounded forth, glad to be. released. Thv sinking having ceased, a, voice shouted out, Are we downhearted?" "No!" responded a tho usand voices. Again and again this cry went up- And now silence reigned. Coun. R?ri-y ha,cl suddeii.ly risen to speak, and the few remarks he was able to make were generously punctuated with applause and ?Hear hear" Movements on the pWmm irlc:i.edt? departure of thetra;nj? "bawled out warnIngs: the guard ^hmrfrieed d along th. platform as best he could to r A green Hag ws w*ved, a shr whistle .?unded from the cp.,Yine. aud thus deputed rVvmMrlPS-—but the spirit remained. "& "1"&' Ai^AJNJKJ.^R.

The Electric I heatre. was lucky on Tuesday night to get the one vacant seat ai, the Electric Theatre,, for I Jh?uld have accounted it a distinct piece of mlsfortulH. to have missed "The. Man with the Iro' Heart." and I could not posslby "have at- tended on Wednesday. "The Man with the Iron Heart" was the story of a tyrannical ironmas- ter s fight with his workers, and the acting of the iron master and the other principles was beyond question amongst the finest that I have witnessed, while the clash of noin-unionists and strikers outside the gates of the works provided one. of the best street fight scenes that I have ever witnessed. The ending was happier than I 1 ad expected, and while commending the picture as a. great entertainment, I am bound, ,as one who has seen much of the mside of in- dustrial disputes, to confess that I could not hope that all strikes will end so amicably. 'The Dianond from the Sky" continues to exercise niv entire admiration. It is one of iflie greatest serials that has ever been filmed; and I should be lacking in appreciation if I were to omit a reference to that wonderful Broncho picture of .saloon life in the Far West that touched us all so much on the sentimental side. I think I have made it clear, however, that it l4- the seeond half of the week that I am most at the Electrie now, because of that amazing sociological serial "Greed," that is running. Every instalment of this startling fi ir t against the corruption of the Trusts con- me more than ever that the man who "belongs to the Democratic party and misses it ig playing the fool to himself. The Trust is here with us and its development to the American stage of complete control is not an improbabil- ity of the immodi ate fixture; therefore, any- thing which will acquaint us with its methods .anO. aims and un scr upukwsness is to be wel- cemed. It may be argued that whilst this is best seen on the bioscope, we aire, after all looking at a piece of .dramatic fiction-and I \VIi I a-gree-but it is a piece of fiction that has a strong basis in actual fact. Nothing that is being seen on the screen exceeds the reality as recorded in standard text books, and the con- temporary American Press—or such section of it as is stili free from the influence of the Trusts. For this very reason, that strange though "Greed" may seem to us, it is still the strangeness of truth, and not of fiction, I do most strongly advise my readers to make a point of seeing the remainder of these remark- able series. I have before made it clear that each week's instalment is complete in itself, and may be viewed as a single picture by any- one who has not seen the opening adventures. -For the first half of next week the manage- ment have been successful in booking the film version of Arthur Shirley's greatest drama, Her Life in London," a 4-part story of a girl's experiences in the modern Babylon. It is a great picture, featuring Fred Morgan as the "blind criminal." Burns and Stoll are to play another of their side-splitting farces under the titl- of "A Quiet Game." There is a sensa- tioral story of the sea—"The End of the Gal- ley. and the further amazing adventures of "The Diamond fr«n the Sky." Fiom Thursday on the top line is occupied by the Selig masterpiece, "The IsM of Content," and" Greed" deals with the Grain Trust, under the title Robbing the People of Bread" —one of the best in the series. "The Girl from Lo* r Island" has still further marvellous ex- Pei lences. By the way, "A Child of the Wil- derness," the "star" feature for this week- end is in my opinion the greatest "feature" that even the renowned Pathe Freres have re- leased. PLAYGOER. I

EVERY PRINTING ORDER given to the "Pioneer flress ms more Ammunition for Party Propaganda. Get ktto the Line of our MUNITION WORKERS. I

An Open Letter to Jhe Superintendent of Police at Abertillery, Men. Sir,—It is quite a long while now since I took up this old pen-and it is- a special one I use on these occasions—to address myself to somfiope in authority, and then I think it was to the Deputy Coroner for North Mon. I never thrught then that I should have to write in the same strain, to such an august personage as yourself, and to take it up in defence of Free Speech, and to criticise your unwarranted and arrogant action, in reference to the meet- ing advertised to be held in the Palace, Aber- tillery, on June 25 1916, when Mr Philip Snowden, M.P., and Mrs Ethel Snowden were to have addressed the same, had it not been for your statement to the lessees of that build- ing in which you said "that you would hold them reponsible for anything that might be said there which would be an infringement of the Defence of the Realm Act." Mow, Sir, I submit that those remarks were quite out of place, and that through your action the engage- ment of the hall was cancelled (though very re- luctantly on the part of the lessees), through an assumption on your part, for vlhoh you had not an atom of fact, for you did not know what Mr and Mrs Snowden were going to speak upon, nor did any one in Abertillery, until they came, because the advert, did not state any subject. You conjured up in your imagi- native brain quite, a number of hallucinations, which were utterly groundless, and easily persu- aded yourself tha,t they were facts. Or was it your wild desire to play a conspicuous pairt in suppressing one of the most noble characters in this country to-day by trying to rob him of that freedom of speech which every real Bri- tisher loves, and which was fought for, together with the freedom of the press, by such noble me] as the great Richard Carlyle and others, wlose shoes—intellectually, to use a Biblical phrase—you are not worthy to unloose"? Your desire to suppress such men as Philip Snowden only shows where you really stand, and that is, apparently, among those whose great desire it is to rob us of all the liberties which we would preserve with our very life blood, if necessary. The meeting held in the Park, in defiance of your action, only proved how illogical you were tii your deductions how unwarrantable was your assumption. Your ac- tion savoure of the inquisitional; it is quite a tragedy in your life that you have not been bov 1 a few centruies back; in the days of Hec ry VIII. or. shall we say. more appropri- ately, the Spanish Inquisition. You would have been a veritable asset to Torquemada, and the rest of that fine band. You would have been able to shine much more conspicuously, than you will ever be able to in the Metropolis of the Western Valleys. Maybe a niche could be found though ikven in the 20th century) where those characteristics you have now displayed could be given facility for free expression, in some rural district where the people, through ignorance and constant ill-usage, are taught to fawn, and crawl, at the feet of the authorita- tiveI remember the time when you were ex- alted first to your present position. I thought ot bJiakespeare s play, Julius Caesar," in the scene between Cassius and Brutus, where hei says of Caesar, Why man, he doth destride the narrow world like a Colossus, and we petty beings walk under his huge legs." I sub- mit to you, Sir, that arrogance ill becomes the heal of the preservers of peace in a commun- ity. And if by my letter I shall succeed in helping to reform you in this matter, my old pen will indeed have accomplished something. Perhaps you may think my letter rather bar wel" I have only put on paper what the smajority of the community think of you. and I think it much better to speak straight than play the hypocrite. And now as to the meeting you wished to suppress. Thanks to the Parks Committee, it was a huge success. Unintentionally you did us a, good turn. I offer you my best thai ks for being such an excellent propagan- dist on this occasion for UiS. We had 3,000 to 4,00" people to hear Mr Snowden, where we should only have, had a limited number in the Palace1. And, would you believe it. Sir, we had an excellent collection for propaganda work, too And what was it that this awful man, in yo,ir opinion, lectured upon? Simply the sett- ling of this bloody carnage by peaceful nego- tiations. Is it a crime to try to get our quarrels settled without blowing; one another to pieces, and devastating the flower of the nations P Ap- parently you think so. Tn conclusion. I suppose we shall hear shortly in the House of Commons that you have, fully justified your action, for Philip told us as Abertilleryi tes in the Park that what, he had to say in comment on your action would be said there.. Another thing I should like to tell you is that he has the bill of advertisement to show the House how far vain imagination can carry some individuals. jn conclusion, I advise you to go more qui- etly-not so rashly—in matters like this; think an i act wisely. I am, Dear Sir, T. J. DAVIES. 60 Alexandra Road, Abertillery, Mon.

Mr. Asquith's Pledge re Sheehy Skeffington. A STATEMENT BY MRS. SKEFFINGTON. (To the Editor of the PIONEER.) Sir,-On May 9 Mr Asquith promised Mr Dillon in t e House of Commons a full public inquiry, with legal representation, into the shooting without trial of my husband, Francis Sheehy Skeffington, in Portobello Barracks. T¡a,t pledge is yet unredeemed; a secret in- quiry has taken place, followed by a court-mar- tia., to which a. limited public was admitted, but at which legal intervention on my behalf was not permitted. Before the court-martial Mr Asquith stated that he could take no step. to fulfil his pledge until it was over; since it has taken place he has declined to reply to all inquiries on the subject. The need of a proper inquiry before a civil tribunal is emphasised by the fact (I select one example out of maJilYas typical of the one- sided and limited character of the military tribunal) that Oaptam Bowen-Colthurst was re- tained in command for several days following the triple murder. taking an active part in street fighting and in raids, and that on May 1 he was actually promoted by his superior offi- cer being given charge of the entire defences of Portobeljp Barraeks. Tha military authori- ties in Dublin though cognisant of the facts, declined to taKe any action until May 6, when Capt, Bowen-Colthurst was put under arrest by direct order of Lord Kitchener. Unless the Government desires to incur the blame of complicity, it becomes imperative for Mr Aquith to appoint the promised tribunal without further delay.-Yours faithfully, HANNA SHEEHY SKEFFINGTON. I 43 Moyne Road, Ranelagh, I% .1 Juae 23, 1916.

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Ynysybwl and District Notes. I A Gocd Man. I he joint meeting of Ynysybwl Workmen held last Friday evening decided to nominate Mr David Smith, Chairman of Mynachdy Lodge, for a seat upon the Naval and Military Pen- sions Committee for the Mountain Ash area. The choice is an excellent one. Mr Smith has had considerable experience of public work. He sat for three years as Labour representative on tire old Mountain Ash School Board, and, withal has always taken a prominent part in the religious, social, political, and Trade Union activities of the place. Incidentally, we may add, as an itCim worthy of note, that he is the father of Mr Gwilym I Smith, one of that little group of stalwarts known as the Abercynon Objectors. No Charity Clauses. I I lie mee ting instructed Mr Switil to move a resolution at the first meeting of the new com- mittee that they decline to administer what are known as the" charity clauses" of the Act. The Secretary (lVIr W. R. John) announced that he had sought information as to the iiao- thod of electing the lady members of the Pen- nons Committee, and had been told that it had not yet been decided upon.—It was. decided to write the District Council requesting that the lady members be elected at a public meeting of each ward. nle Hospital. A few weeks ago the Joint Workmen's Com- mittee passed a resolution protestingainst members of the outside public receiving the benefits of the Ponttypridd Cottage Hospital without contributing to its funds. Possibly, as a result, tickets at 8d. each have since been sold broadcast in the place for a bioscope con- cert in aid of the hospital. The merits of the institution are indisputable, and it needs and deserves all the support possible. But, sure- ly, when every miner at Lady Windsor already contributes 2/2 a year Otd a week) towards tlw hospital, it is unfair that he should be called upon to help the outsider to get the same benefits by only paying 6d. a year The method. of deduction from the miners' wages makes it l easy to get his help for charitable causes, but it is a method that should be applied all round or not at all. Those eligible for equal benefits should contribute equally. Outside workmen and tradesmen should arrange for systematic weekly collections; then, if farther effort were needed, all oould co-operate together by means of con- certs, cantatas, etc. A ftciery. ihe District Workmen's Mines Examiners re- cently visited the pumprooei in the Lady Wind- sor shaft. We should like to inquire of them whether they do not consider that there should be a balustrade or protecting rail across to the entrance of that place ? Hererunderamo our reasons for enquiring. The pu*ijproom is situa- ted in the side of the shaft some 280 yards from the surface, in an archway about the height of a room and extending inward a dist- ance of 10 yards. The pumpman's duties are more tedious than arduous, and time hangs heavily on his hands. Ex-Pumpsmen's Stories. I I Some while ago some of these ex-pumpmen were foregathered together, and the stories they told gave one furiously to think, as a French- man would say. One of them told us that when he used to take a Rap to while away the time, he used, as a safeguard, to tie a strong cord to his ankle, and when on many an occasion, walking suddenly, he would start towards the engine he would be pulled up and thrown to tloe floor with a bump. Another one used to take his boot off, and lift a plank in the floor- ing between him and the shaft. Umder the plank would be a pool of water. Should he awake and unconsciously go towards the pit, his foot would get wet, and thoroughly awaken him. Toe third would relate that in his brief experi- ence some valves got out of order, and a burst of water put out his lights. With the noise of the escaping water behind him, the rattle of the guides in the pit before him, and his nerves in tatters, he had to creep on his belly ,Ijg 'rha, f t, to feel as in -Lil. darkness towards t shaft, to feel as best he might for the IstiocMr. so that he could get hamled up. He gave up the job, after only having it for a. week. Strangest of all was the iolloiving:-Tliis pumpman had dosed off and dreamt he saw a, fine haite run- ning about the place, to which he gave ehase in and out of the machinery. In the end, he caught the creature, which gave a loud squeal that awoke its captor, who found himself actu- ally at the edge of the shaft, with a clear drop of 320 yards beneath him, and with nothing to prevent him going over. Hence our query above, which, so far as we know, may be applied to other, pits as well. I Mr J. J. Beckerleggefs Case. ø rn, n I -1 1 A joint meeting of delegates or Tractes un- ion lodges and N.U.T. representatives in the Mountain Ash area will be held at the Work- men's Hall, Abea-cynon, on Saturday next. July 1, to decide upon the most effective steps to be taken to further the reinstatement of Mr J. J. Beckerlegge as tea els er under the Mountain Ash Education Committee. I ABERCANAID & PENTREBACH I Mr T. T. JENKINls BEREAVEMENT.—The num- erous friends of Mr and Mrs T. T. Jenkins will regret to hear the distressing news of their sad bereavement, caused by the swdden death of Mr Jenkins' brother, who resided at Cardiff. The death of Mr Jenkins' brother was due to blood poisoning, after only a few days' illmesw. He was during the latter years, of his life foteman at the Rhpnney Mechanical Works, Cardiff, a post filled by his late father before hiir. for years. He leaves a wife and child to mourn his loss. He was highlv respected at Cardiff. We tender to Mr and Mrs. Jenkins our heartfelt sympathies.

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Abertillery Notes. Trades Council. The monthly meeting of the District Trades and Labour Council was held on Wednesday night at the Tillery Institute. the President (Mr J. Kingston) in the chair. The matter of protesting against the action of the police was brought up, and it was resolved to deal with the matter at that meeting. A resolution was moved that an emphatic protest be sent to the local Member (Mr T. Richards), the Home Office, and to various other quarters; aloo to the Urban District Council, asking that the attention of the Council be brought to thQi matter.—This was supported in cleaSr terms by Messrs. II Parfitt. T. H. Mytton. W. Downs, E. H. Wilson, County Coun. Rogers and oth- ers. The Gray Lodge also had a mandate to the same effect to the Council, brought forward by their representative, Mr Davies. —The reso- lution was carried unanimously, and included in it was a direction to all the associated so- cieties to also send resolutions. Among the other business of the meeting, a very moving and interesting report of last Saturday's Brynmawr Conference was given by the delegates. Messrs. C. Wheeler and Pea-ry.- Mr Wheeler mtioned that he had greatly enjoyed being there, and that there was a general agreement that it was one of the finest conferences ever held. He referred to the splen- did speeches given there, and also to the feel- ing displayed on the subjects for consideration, and that the resolutions protesting against the maladministration of the Military Service Acts, the treatment of Conscientious Objectors, etc., were passed with great enthusiasm.—Mr Perry supported, saying that this Trades and Labour Council had all along taken a strong line in re- gard to Conscription and its effects, and point- ing out that the necessarv corollary to this po- licy was that they must do something for those who were resisting Conscription.

Bargoed Notes. Success at Last. -i the competition for the Martin Ambulance Shield at Newport, open to collieries in the Southern Mines Inspection District, the follow- ing were the awards: —Senior Competition Bmgoed 173 marks; Abertillery 166; Tirpent- wys 161; Six Bells 156; Oakdale 144t; Orumlin 130; Dunkerton 86.. This is the seventh time for the Bargoed to compete, for this valu- able trophy, and they are to be congratulated upo.i their perseverance and crowning success. Th-. brigade is under the supermtendentsh ip of Supt. John Davies, M.E. The team was led to victory by Captain Ben Rees, an ambulance gen- tleman of no mean merit. Bargoed should foe prcud of this feat. May the team again go forward. and brin £ again yet higher honours to "iJa. Principality.