Pioneer

Honouring Merthyr's D.S.O. I PUBLIC INVITED TO MEDAL PRESEN- I TATION BY MAYOR. The townspeople of Merthyr will be gratified to learn that Lance-Oorporal Stephen Lucy. 1 Pakirers Terraee. Bethesda Street. Merthyr, has been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous and unselfish devotion to dutv in attending torrthe wounded throughout the crampaign. Lance-Corporal Lucy has twice been previous- ly brought to notice in this connection and arrangements have been made for the Disting- uished Conduct Medal awarded to Lance-Corpl. Stephen Lucy, 1 Paynter Terrace, Merthyr. to be presented at a puolic meeting to be held 1 0 -p-iii. o w the 4tl-i ALi- at the Drill Hall at on the 4th Au- gust next. Lucy enlisted as a boy ten years ago and is now 2-5 years of age—the youngest of the Merthyr D.C.M.'s. He was wounded at Loos and invalided home. He has taken all his cer- tificates as bandsman, and has now joined the Merthyr Municipal Band as euphonium player.

MENTION THIS PAPER J WHEN YOU BUY!

The Mind of the Miner. I During the strike of the South Wales miners last year to secure a new agreement, we became accustomed to read and to hear the most amaz- ing, and, I may add, the most amusing at- tempts to ejfplain the actions of the men and to understand the motives that inspired those actions. Here was the country engaged in a tremendous struggle against a most formidable antagonist—a struggle for its very existence and to earry on that struggle it was an abso- lute essential tjiat South Wales coal should be supplied to the Government in unlimited quan- tities. This supply was denied them—deliber- ately denied them—by the men who produced it. They went on strike for a new agreement. And all at onqe a great outcry was raised against the Welsh miner by nearly every section of the community. Every one sat in judgment upon him, and he was preached at in such manner as surely no one ever was preached at before. That he was an "irreconcilable revo- lutionary," 'indifferent to the national inte- rest," "a traitor, led by men who were in the pay of the Geriiians,ai-e a few of the choice opinions expressed by men who thought they knew all about the mimer and his mental make- up And then c.ame t'11,e sermons. The iniquity of his way was luridly pointed out. to him; he was solemnly called upon to repent of his evil ways and to return to the paths of meek- ness and obedience to his masters: he was warned to be on his guard in future for the traps subtly set for him by that devil incarn- ate Keir Hardie, And his imps of the I.L.P. We had so mueh of this sort of thing that he be- came fairly sickened, and no wonder! In the current number of the "Welsh Out- look n there appeals an estimate of the Welsh miner's character and of the influences that have been at work creating that character, which is of quite a different stamp, and which is refreshing to read after all the nauseating stuff that we are so familiar with. The arti- cle to which I refer is written by one who styles himself "Obseryer," under the'heading, The Mind of the Miner." The article is well written, and is the first of a series, proposed, as the writer says, to indicate briefly some 'of the essential features of Welsh mining de- velopments. and to show what bearing these have on the ,activities of the miners' unions." In this article he deals mainly with the educational influences that have been at work. In the first place he claims for South Wales a, pre-eminence in initiating the great movements of the min- ers He says: "South Wales is the industrial storm centre of Great Britain. The Welsh miner is always in the van of Trade Union progress; what lie suggests to-day his comrades in other coalfields adopt to-iitorroiv. Most of the great movements of the miners have either been originated in South Wales or have derived from South Wales their greatest support. As examples of these may be mentioned the de- mands for the greater safety of miners, the 8- hourx day and. most conspicuous of all,, the minimum wage. South Wales also leads in wage agitations." To the question, What are the reasons for ilio pirogressiven-ess of the South Wales min- ers?" he answers that they are many. 'First of all, the South Wales miner is placed in a fav- ourable strategic position owing to the superior quality of the coal, and its indispensability for naval and other purposes. He further says that this strategic position tends to develop a militant spirit, and each success increases his appetite for industrial conquest. Then, he says, I national characteristics count for much. "The Soi; tlx Wales miner is a Celt, and his Celtic fire and enthusiasm cause him to fight with earnestness and vigour against what he believes to be an injustice." I think most readers of the Pioneer" will agree that these things do account for much of the progressiveness of the Welsh miner. In dealing with education and its effects, he points out that as a result of State element- ary education, which placed in the workmen's hands the weapons for acquiring knowledge and mental training, the mass opinion is better in- formed and more class-conscious than was for- merly the case. "In days gone by the miners' officials led the men how and where they lik- ed. Men of the Mabon type dominated the coalfield. Now. giants cease to count because the mass standard has been raised, and the men are nearly as capable as their leaders of appreciating the issues which are at stake bet- ween employers and employed. The m'ln- ers' agent is not far removed in point of abil- ity and attainments from the rank and file of- ten indeed, he is inferior in every respect to many of. the men whom lie represents. As a result. Trade Union policy is not now formulated entirely oy officials; more and more are the rank and file asserting themselves." All of which is very true. But the miners in the Eng- lish and Scottish coalfields have had the benefit of the same Education Acts as the South Wales miners. Why do they lag so much behind South Wales. Are the South Wales miners as a body more intelligent than the miners in other parts of the country or are they inher- ently more appreciative of liberty and progress and more enthusiastic in their pursuit than their English and Scotch comrades? I hesitate to answer. I can only observe the fact and. reserve judgment until such time as it is more mature. The writer makes a brief reference to the activities and the limited influence of the Workers' Education Association and then oc- curs the following: — Very much greater has been the influence of the Socialist society, the Independent Lab- our Party. Branches of this active organisa- tion have been established in over a hundred of the principal centres of South Wales and the educational work in political and industrial matters done by this body has been of a very far-reaching character. The number of public meetings addressed by I.L.P. speakers in South Wales during the past ten years cannot be far short of twenty thousand, and in addition an enormous amount of literature has been distributed. This propagandist work has undoubtedly had a profound effect in moulding the opinions of the younger miners, and the "soap-box" oratory has n-ot fo,een in vain. Equally, if not Iiiofre, important has been the less public work of the I.L.P. In large numbers of branch rooms classes in economic, political and other subjects have been held for years, some independent and others following the syllabuses of the Ruskin and the Central Labour Colleges. It is not too much to say that to a large extent the policy of the South Wales Miners' Federation during recent years has been formulated in I.L.P. Branch rooms. As the men who at- tend these classes are usually the most intel- ligent of the younger miners and often pos- sess in a higk degree the gift of public speakmg, the influence of the I.L.P. very greatly exceeds its numerical strength. This is a remarkable tribute to the I.L.P., and there is no exaggeration about it; every word of it is deserved. We have often heard it said by way of rebukfe: "The I.L.P. has captured the Trade Unions." Underlying that statement was the idea that the I.L.P. was a subtle, scheming and pernicious organisation, out to do what mischief it could among the workers. The truth, of course, is that the most intelligent men of the working class were attracted by the principles and methods of the I.L.P. and as these men were not only the most intelligent but also the most active workers in the organisations, they werqi selec- ted to the offical posltlons and upon the man- agement committees, and so became the life and soul of the whole concern. And this has been in an especial degree the case with the South Wales Miners' I ederat-ion. Yes, it is quite true; the I.L.P. has captured the Trade Un- ions#* and the fact of its having done so is a fine compliment to the groabcr intelligence and strefiuousness of its members. But the writer of the article thinks that the I.L.P. does not now exercise the same influence as formerly over Federation matters, and that the Syndicalist section, which has developed from the I.L.P., is rapidly coming to the ascendant. This section comprises men of considerable ability and determination of purpose who have grown to distrust political action, and to regard with great hostility any proposals for the nationalisa- tion of mines, factories and transport services." I venture to disagree with the opinions ex- pressed above. There is no great distrust of political action, and no great hostility to na- tionalisation of mines, etc. What the Syndical- ist insists upon is, that nationalisation of any industry will not of itself improve the lot of those engaged in tha,t industry; that there must be direct and effective control by the workmen themselves. The I.L.Peers in the S.W.M.F. are as strenuous in their advocacy of this policy as the Syndicalists themselves. And of a certain- ty it is not true that the I.L.P. influence is waning. Anyone who is conversant with the So- cialist movement in South Wales will know that the I.L.P. branches are everywhere increasing in membership and activity. In the Swanse-a Valleys, Bargoed Valleys, in Merthyr, Aberdare -in fact, all over Glamorganshire and West Monmouth—the branches are more virile than they ever were, despite the tremendous difficul- ties they have to contend with owing to the ties they ? Observer" has much to say of the activities of the numerically small group of Syndicalists, the Plebs' League and the Plebs' Social Club1, the leaders of which are old stud- ents of the Central Labour College; he tells of their tutorial classes in sociology, industrial history. Marxian Economics, and of the influ- ence of such classes upon the Federation policy. Their influence has indeed been great, and I would not belittle it in any way. But it is quite certain that the I.L.P.. after all, has more to do with the shaping of Federation pol- icy in South Wales than any other body. The recent proposal of the S.W.M.F. in favour of a "down tools" policy against Conscription is in- stanced as an example of the power of the Plebs. Now, it is well known that the I.L.P. branches everywhere have and are organising campaigns against conscription; the Conscien- tious Objectors are for the most part members of the I.L.P. So true is this that the I.L.P. has become to be considered bv ignorant peo- ple as a pro-German organisation. It was the, influence of these members on the various lodge committees that was responsible for the aggress- ive attitude of the S.W.M.F. against conscrip- tion. We shall watch with keen interest the appearance of the succeeding articles on this most interesting subject. T. J. E.

I Tonyrefail Notes. Musical Success. The musical patrons of Tonyrefail will be glad to hear of the success of Miss Lizzie Ev- ans. Mill Street, Tonyrefail who has secured the A.LC.M, certificate with honours in the recent examination. We congratulate Miss Ev- ans. and wish her success in her future efforts. Miners' Meeting. I A meeting of the Coed Ely Colliery workmen was held at the New Cinema last Sunday. Mr A. Jones presided. The auditors gave their re- port on the auclit for the half-year, which was very satisfactory. It is pleasing to find that the lodge has increased its banking account by £ 50 after giving heavy donations to charity. The delegation to the' Treharris Pithead Baths gave their report, which was favourably received oy the meeting. It was decided that the Lodge Committee go into the question with a, view of educating the workers for a ballot. The deputation to the management on the following quest,ions -House coal, double shift, night biteher, pumpmen, hauling enginemen and the Sunday night question, reported a failure to arrive at any settlement. It was decided to approach the District Agent to attend to these grievances. Messrs. A. Jones, D. J. Morris and G. Da,vies were appointed the Income-Tax Com- mittee. A, Jones being the collector. Mr W. H. Hawkins was appointed district delegate. It was decided that the delegate shall vote in favoiti- of having three days' holidays. It is sur- prising to find such indifference displayed by workmen on such important matters • the hall was not half occupied. Fatal Accident. Another of our old residents has met with a serious accident—this time with fatal results. On Friday last Mr J. Jones was run over by a horse and tram at Coed Ely Colliery, and sus- tained injuries which made it necessary to re- move him to Porth Cottage Hospital where he died shortly after. Many thanks and much credit are due to Mr. D. Mathews for the ex- peditious manner in which he turned out with his motor-car and conveyed the inj ured man to Porth in record time and comfort. pensions for Disabled Soldiers and S2ilors. I A weil-attended conference of delegates from the various Labour and religious organisations of the district wa's held at Pontyclun on Sat- urday. in opposition to the charity clause in the Pensions Act. Mr. J. Dicks took the chair, and gave a short address on the subject, af- terwards calling upon Mr. T. 1. Ma.rdy Jones to address the meeting. Mr. Jones gave a very clear outline of the Act, and demonstrated the fact that our soldiers and sailors deserved some thing more than charity at the hands of the Government whom they had served; and it was the duty or every citizen to use every endeavour to compel the Government to give them, from the national funds, ample pensions, so that they might live in the same comfort after the war as they did in civil life previous to the war. The resolutions were carried unanimously, and delegates were chosen to represent the district ,a.;t the Cardiff Conference, to be held shortly. This is a move in the right direction and we wish it every success.

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Coalfield Trouble. MINERS' COUNCIL MEETING AT CARDIFF 1 A meeting of the Executive Council of the South Wales Miners' Federation took place at Cardiff on Saturday. Mr James Winstone pre- sided, and others present included the Right Hon. William Abraham (Mabon), -Nc.jD, the General Treasurer (Mr Alfred Onions) and the General Secretary (Mr Tons Richards, M.P). A deputation attended on behalf of the Mari- time Colliery workmen respecting the dismissal of a workman in consequence of a dispute aris- ing from the unloading of rubbish, and asked permission for the other workmen to tender notices for a reinstatement. It was resolved that, inasmuch as the matter had not been dealt with by the agent of the district, it should be referred to him., the deci- sion of the Council to be deferred until they received his report, in case of failure to arrive at a settlement. A dispute at the Coalbrookvale Colliery. Blaina, was referred to the Genera] Secretary for investigation. The coalowners having agreed to appoint re- presentatives with a view to trying to effect a settlement of the long standing dispute at the Gelli Colliery, and having already appointed four repr esentati ves for that purpose, the .Council appointed Messrs. Oliver Harris.. W. L. Cook, Vernon Hartshorn and Enoch Morrell to meet the coalowners' representatives with a view to arriving at a settlement. Messrs. Hubert Jenkins, John James, and George Barker were appointed to represent the Council- at the Trade Union Congress at Bir- mingham next month. Mr George Daggar was appointed to investi- gate a claim for out-of-work pay for certain workmen at the Nine Mile Point Colliery. Arrangements were made for a further meet- ing of the Council to be held next Monday to receive the joint auditors' report and decide upon any application for a change in the general wage rate. It was also reported that a further meeting of the Conciliation Board would be held in the afternoon of that day to further con- sider the question of the August holidays at the collieries.

Important Compensation Case. A compensation case affecting the whole coal- field under the New Agreement was heard at the Merthyr County Court last Thursday. Com- pensation was claimed bv Mrs. Mary Jane Price from Messrs. Guest. Keen .and Nettlefolds respecting the death of her husband. David Price, an assistant. repairer at the Bedlinog 'No. 1 Colliery. Mr E. Roberts was fornlaintiff, and Mr Rowland Thomas for defendants. The point at issue was if there had been a, break in employment, and if the calculation of the compenstaion would be upon the higher rate of wages under the New Agreement, in case of death. In this case the claim, based on three years' earnings, would be -t- 259 but if taken under the New Agreement would be £300. Judgment was reserved

RHEUMATISM-KIDNEY TROUBLE, I Rheumatism is due to uric acid crystals in the joints and muscles, the result of excessive uric acid'in the system that the kidneys failed to remove as Nature intended, to which every qualified physician agrees, and this acid is also the cause of backache, lumbago, sciatica, gout, urinary trouble, stone, gravel and dropsy. The success of Estora Tablets, for the treat- ment of rheumatism and other forms of kidney trouble, is due to the fact that they restore the kidneys to healthy action, and thereby remove- the cause of the trouble, which necessarily re- moves the ill-effects that spring from it, and have cured numberless cases after the failure of other remedies, which accounts for them super- seding out-of-date medicines that are sold at a price beyond all out the wealthy. Estora Tahiets, a specific based on modern medical science, are the successful treatment, and have cured numberless obstinate cases after the failure of all other tried remedies, which accounts for them superseding ou?of-date -Ck- cines sold at a price bevend all but the wealthy. Estora Tablets fully warrant their description i? ce-1/3 ,per an honest reme?v at an honest prMe—l/? per box of 40 tablets, or 6 for 6/9. All Chemists, 10'1' postage f?e from Estora Co., 132 Charing Cross Road, London, W.C. Ba,rgoed and Aberbargoed Agent-W. PARRY "WILLIAMS, M.P .B., Chemist.

J The Fellowship of Reconciliation. SECOND' ANNUAL CONFERENCE AT I SWANWICK. The JB.O.lv. has just held its second annual conference at Swanwick on Julv 3--10, It waS largely of a devotional character, the key not? all through being Seek first the Kingdom oj, GoH." On the first day the subject taken waS j The Meaning of the Cross." This was follower' s by The Meaning of the Church and Our Re- lation to it." When the Fellowship was first formed, it declared its intention to work "jJJ j and through the Churches," and that is still the desire and purpose of the majority of the bers. A few are unable to do this at present in any personal way, as they had never joined any organised body of Christians before entering1 the JB .O.R., as no Church seemed to them to stand for their interpretation of teaching. A wide dehnition was given to tb? Church, VIZ., 'wherever men and women a.r? 'I touched by Christ and know Him, they are'l! members of the Holy Catholic Church." The third day was devoted to a study of The;'j- Meaning of the State and our Relation to it. It was stated that Society was'a living thing 0 which individuals were the expression. The State was not necessarily our main instrument" of progress. Progress often takes place in ,pi of, the State. One member defined thie StatØ J, as a machine which registered a middle position expressing neither the best nor the worst mm "1 of the people. Our attitude to Social and Industrial Prob"'] lems occupied the fourth, day. The impossl", biiity of living the Christian life under out'! present social system was clearly demonstrated-: The special subject referred to the branches for discussion was The Provision of Work or Main- tenance for all members of the Community." The proposer believed and hoped that if the State could be induced to enact such a scheme-, the result would be (provided "maintenance meani. subticiekt maintenanoe). that the stand' ard would be higher than in the worst paid iI1!, dustiies, and that. therefore,, those industries' would be forced to pay a living wage, or die. This would not be the" only result, such would also cause the disbanding of that reserve army of unemployed on which' our present sys- tem rests, and so might lead to a peaceful revo-' lution and a real reconciliation of all men in" stead of a. terrible class war which may other- wise arise when the European War is over. On the fifth day "International Problems, engrossed the. Fellowship. They were reminde, that the same desire to be Lords over God's heritage against which St. Peter warned triJe Church the same lack of a true. universal hu- man ethic and of a spiritual life vitiates the world-life as it does the national life and the individual life. The same fears and misunder-v! standings, producing enmity, which divides rich and poor, ruling classes and serving classes, dil vide the whole nation internally, and externally the whole society of nations, so that the same spirit of reconciliation is needed in the one a* in the other. The first thing required by thos^ who desire to substitute the Kingdom of God on Earth for the clash of competing ambition6 and national interests is that they should see bv every means in their power to impibnt t? spiritual ideas of righteousness and service and to clear from the minds of the nations the cloud of illusion which sees some gain in an others ill, which expects to obtain national prosperity at the expense of other nations, for' getting that no nation can become great JJoÑt and remain great. All must have an intense de- sire to make their nation and all other nation? unite for a world-justice, for that righteousness, which alone exalteth a. nation. The outstanding feature of the whole confer- ence was the intense desire of the members to discover what living in the Kingdom of God meant for them and to take the necessary steps at all costs. Having been drawn together ori- ginally owing to their belief that no Christiana should take pert in war, they have been covering daily how much in their own liveP makes for strife and not for peace. Whilst thou- sands of men are laying down their lives for their countries, members of the F.O.R. feet that they must be equally ready to make any sacrifice necessary for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Many members are noW undergoing imprisonment for Conscience sake- Others are prepared for financial loss by living according to their Christian principles in alJ their business relationships, whilst others ¡:¡;rø asking themselves what right have they to live' in comfort and luxury while others are unable to obtain even the bare necessities of life. The F.O..R. were very glad to receive at their conference a deputation from the Central Coun- oil of the National Mission of Repentance aniÎ Hope, feeling that their aim was the same-the- hringing in of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth-