Pioneer

 Ã.ta- imjv& mimSa& wwtqv Am C4p 'm I THB J LANSDOWNE'6 ? ? LEAD 4 ¥ FOUR FEATURES IN TO-DAY'S J .? ISSUE OF THE HERALD J? ONE PENNY t? 0 1 t? ? %&I- to, O ll 11 9 I'Ll", 11 0 1. & 1 t & ?, t, 9 1 I, &, t? 9 t, 9 ? C. 9 2 ? No Sliding-Scale Peace  0 1 Ing- ca e eace.. .s ?? By the Right Hon. Arthur Henderson,  M.P., Secretary to the Labour Party T6'(W' We do not want a sliding-scale peace, the terms of which rise S? when our arms are successful in the 6eld and fall when the military £. ?**?. situatioa is temporarily adverse to us. We want a fimn statemen4 e?t? i??y subject to no ?actuations according to the ebb and flow of victory, ?MS?? g?n.O ubj T aims based on the principles of mankind we are bound to '?n? insist upon, and a repudiation -frank, explicit, and formal-of the "v policy of the Knock-out Blow.' ? THE NEXT GOVERNMENT: W ITS AIMS AND ITS MEN! I '?!?8*' A specia l two-page art i c l e disposes of the a b surd ncdoti that the '???3? ?S? present Government cannot be replaced. It suggests a ministry gDX  which, for its ability, lang-sightedness, honesty, and for its repre. *? <?? sentative character, would rally all the best feeling in the country^ ?g •1|s THOSE SHAMEFUL SECRET" & TREATIES! By H.N.Bradford ê "For my part I found myself reading the telegraphic summaries of 40 'Wi Aese treaties with a cold mind. None of our guesses and suspicions S&9 ? had been mistaken, though, in their bold cynicism, a few of the W ?? details went a Hale beyond our surmises. The emotion which sur- (?) ? Tyives with a certain birh? ss is Bather wonder than anger. In what  vives with a certa i n ?S!?* world of fairy tales and m.imdes wece these men living ? What ??)8M??%?? ?? estimate did they make 8£ the forces at their command? jggg A J'ACCIJSE 1. An indictment of the Milner and Lloyd Geotge bureaucracy—of its hysteria, its muddles, its tyranny, its iscompetence JgJ Oth er contributions by Israel Zangwill, J. H. elS Thomas, M.P., H. W. Nevinson, Arthur 1M. Ponsonby, M.P., W. M. Pringle, M.P., rf!k. A. Lynch, M.P., Robert Williams, W J. Ramsay MacDonald, M.P. 'i1 ? Out To-day. Everywhere. One Penny A THE HERALD 4 ? nm NATIONAL LABOUR WEEKLY J JL 21 TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C. ?, With Peace comes "The Daily Herald" & Ahtrtitantnt utbytbe Vtlktm 9rm, Gcttgb Sgmcrt, London, 6.C. & __IaE  ? ?[?

"Pro fiteering." ro leerIng. MERTHYR STIPENDIARY'S CURE: £175 I IN FINES. IMPORTANCE OF THE ODD FARTHING. I Prosecutions arising from alleged infringe- ments of the Food Control Orders by several prominent Merthyr grocers resulted in salutary deterrent to any possibility of profiteering in the Borough being effected on Tuesday by the Stipendiary (Mr. R. A. Griffith) by heavy penal- ties amounting in fines to £ 175. W. Lewis, High-street, was first summoned for selling retail a pound pot of jam for Is. Id. instead of 9Ad., the maximum allowed under the Jams Prices Order. Minnie Adams, an as- sistant, who served a woman, Bessie Barry, with it, was summoned for aiding and abetting. Stipendiary: I don't for a moment accept the plea that this was a mistake on the part of the girl. On the contrary I am thoroughly con- vinced it was a gross and infamous case of pro- fiteering, and I don't believe it was done with- out possible instructions from the employer. I can't understand that this young woman, who was only a servant, should have overcharged a customer by anything like the mistake. It was no advantage to her personally and I must be- lieve it was done for the advantage of the em- ployer. The defendant Lewis is fined £ 25 or 31 days, and defendant Adams C5 or 11 days. The next summons against Lewis was for sell- ing wholesale to Mrs. Dragiloff, of Penyard, half- a-dozen 21b. pots of jam for 8s. 3d., and the Mme number of lib. pots for 4s. 9d., the con- trolled maximum prices in each case being 7s. 4td.and 4s. 7d. respectively.. AS GOOD AS HIS WORD." I Imposing a fine of C50 (or 61 days' imprison- ment) his Worship said: I regard this as a worse case than the .other. This was obviously a wholesale transaction and defendant knew per- fectly well Mrs. Dragiloff was in a small way of business and was purchasing for resale, but he chose to charge her retail prices which left her no margin whatever. I gave a fair warning some time ago if there were any infringements of this order I should deal with them in a rery drastic manner. I shall be as good as my word, because I believe nothing else will cure this pro- fiteering. For a third offence of making an overcharge of 5d. in the wholesale price of 20 lbs. of butter to the same woman, Dragiloff, Lewis was fined £ 5. The Stipendiary dismissed a summons against Mrs. Esther Dragiloff, Penyard, for retailing a lIb. pot of jam at lQjd., and remarked that he regarded her as a victim for at the prices she bought the goods' from Lewis it was impossible for her to make a profit without infringing the Order. Summoned for selling three 2 lb. pots of jam to Lewis Dragiloff the husband of the woman in the'previous case, wholesale at retail prices, William Francis, -GHebelan d-street, was fined £ 50, or 61 days, a penalty of R5, or eleven days, being imposed upon William Probert, his assist- ant, for aiding and raiOOtting by serving the oommodities, for which 4s. 3d. instead of 3s. 7id. was charged. The defence was that the sale was a retail transaction. On the Stipendiary's decision being given, Mr. Francis said "I will give notice of appeal." The Stipendiary: You may do so if you like. "A RASCALLY TRICK." I Wm. Harris and Son, High-street, were fined £ 10 (or 31 days) for selling a 1 lb. pot of jam at Id. above the maximum retail price, and an assistant, Nellie Dixon, £5 (or 11 days)' as aider and abettor. Messrs. Harris were also fined £10 for selling butter at 7!d. a quarter pound, the rate thus being 2s. 6d. a lb., a Id. per lb. above the controlled price, whilst Peter Lloyd Evans, the manager of High-street branch, who sold the butter, was fined £ 5 (or 11 days) for aiding and abetting. A further fine of t5 was imposed upon Messrs. Harris for not displaying on their premises a copy of the maximum prices lists. Mr. Griffith: I hold very strong views as to this practice—which I fear is much too preva- lent—of refusing to sell half-pounds of butter and compelling small purchasers to pay 7-Jd. for a quarter-pound. In my view it is a rascally trick—nothing less—and bears very hardly upon poor people. Mr. Harris (in evidence) said he could not get farthings. Well, if he could not get farthings it would have been easy for him to give the purchaser some benefit of the farthing or a token entitling him to something else. A farthing is quite aa useful to the pur- chaser as the seller. This method allowed an illicit profit of 6d. per hundredweight of batter. "1 i.i .1

The Electric Theatre. Mrs. Humphrey Ward's famous novel "The Marria ge of William Asche will be starred at the Merthyr Meotric Theatre on Monday and will be supported by a galaxy of big film re- leases, including a Gaumonit (yomedy, a vivid in- stalment of "Pearl of the Army," Pathe's Gazette and more of Louis Raemaker's famous cartoons. Anent the famous Dutch artist, it is interesting to note that he is now using his crayon for the Hearst newspapers in New York, where his creations are creating even a greater furore than they did here. -From Thursday onwards the programme will be topped by The Tide of Life," a movie- feature of beauty in conception and a story with a f>unch." Gaumont's players will be found in a eomedy "When Daman fell to Pythias," something entirely new as farce and a continual laugh from start to finish. Chaplin is back a'ga.in, too, in what is perhaps his most wonder- ful creation, "The Fireman," in which he rivals our own Lester of the music-halls as a funny fire- fighter. A dramatic denouement is contained in the current instalment of "Judex," in which Jaoquciine is captured and taken to the mill of death, rescued at the crucial moment by Judex and the Avenger. The week's bills have both drawn crowded houses. "Coming throu'gh the Eye," by the Hepworth people, is illustrative of the remark- able strides made in British cinematograph art, and Bohemia," the big-reeler on the mid-week change-over, is one of the best things ever pro- duced by the famous Fox companies. The come- dies were pregnant with mirth-provoking situa- tions and the "nll-ups" every one a star. Splendid programmes are being booked for the Christmas holidays.

Women Woirlcertf Series-No.7. I., Happy Little S It H E'S the dearest, jolliest little man! I wish you gtt could see the way he laughs at me when I have H ■ my cup of Rowmuee's Cocoa. A fat little laugh, all B ll dimples, and I'm sure he knows how much I enjoy it. H ? I do enjoy it too, and I know it does me good B ? I have it for breakfast and supper too, and he tries t$ B B say, How well mother looks on Rowntree's 1 a1!I I 'iècœ-)' I ? ?Mt???M?????B?? ?

Avan Valley Notes. (By Democritus). Mrs. Snowden Awakens Enfhusiasm. The Women's Peace Crusade of the Avon Valley was given a, decided fillip by Lrs. Snow- den on Monday evening last. Owing to the re- fusal of all' the churches to lend their vestries for a, peace meeting Mrs. Snowden had to speak at. the I.L.P. Centre, Owmavon, which is too small for speakers of national repute. The meet- ing was, therefore, confined mainly to women. I am informed that the small room was packed to its utmost capacity, and all present were de- lighted with the speaker. New members were enrolled and enthusiasm for a speedy and demo- cratic ending to the war burned in the hearts of all present. The Lansdowne Letter. I The movement for a peace by negotiation has been greatly strengthened by Lord Lansdowne's letter, and it is amusing to notice the contor- tionist antics of our local jingoes who usually abase themselves before nobility. They have been placed in such a quandary as to make it very difficult to know what attitude to adopt. The difficulty has arisen not so much because of the matter in Lord Lansdowne's letter, but that the letter should advocate that which the I.L.P. has been advocating for the last three years. For a noble lord to even remotely identify him- self with the vile crowd of Socialist Bolos and pro-Germans is to endanger the very foundation of the British Empire. And, ye gods, hasn't the Press-the venal, venomous, lying Press howled, and screamed, and threatened, and vilified the author of this very timely and sensible letter? Lord Lans- downe, who hitherto has been one of the great- est leaders of Conservatism, has now become a decrepit old man incapable of judging as to what is best for England at the present moment. But yesterday the word of Lansdowne might have stood against the world: now there are none so poor to do him reverence. Kneeshaw Pioneering. I Our genial Comrade Kneeshaw, of Birming- ham, has toured the district this week, and has left a trail behind him which will guide many tan erring wanderer bac kito the path of sanity. Keep This in Your Pocket-Book. I What think ye, my patriots, of the red- blooded school of the following, which was fished out from a. neglected corner of one of our popu- lar clsilies p "Lady Anderson has paid the fine of jE30 imposed on the taxioab driver who con- veyed her dog's coffin from London for burial in Huntingdonshire* Oh, God, that human flesh should be so cheap, and canine flesh so dear! Tom Richardson's Visit. I On Friday evening, the 7th inst., Mr. T. Richardaon, M.P., will speak at the New Dockers' Hall, Port Talbot. A charge of 3d. is made to cover expenses. It is hardly necessary to say that Mr. Richardson deserves a crowded liouse, but it is necessary to say that more good is achieved by filling the hall with as many non- mombers as possible. Every member of the I.L.P. should endeavour to bring to the meet- ing at least one non-member. The converted, of course, need a stimulus now and then, but to make new members for the movement should be the chief object of these meetings. I A Sensible Suggestion.. There is a vague expectation abroad that the O.O.'s in prison are to be released after serving a certain number of months in gaol. It is to be hoped that, if true, the conditions of release will not be such as to render it difficult for the men to accept freedom. By the, way, cannot the Government be in- duced, not as an act of clemency, but of wisdom, to allow the C.O.'s who are in the various Home Office camps to visit their homes the forthcoming Christmas? Presumably, these men will get their OhrisrtInas holidays; would it then not be to the National interest from an economic stand- point to permit these men to come home? Hatred that cuts one's nose to spite one's face is about the silliest hatred imaginable, and yet, in their treatment of C.O.'s that is what the Government are doing.

I YOU AND TAL MAINWARING. I TO THE EDITOR. Deai- Editor,—In your issue of Friday last I noticed an announcement to the effect that 10,000,000 of Comrade Tal Mainwaring's friends intend to raid his house. May I suggest a more practical ana less violent way of showing appre- ciating of our comrade's worth ? If each of the 10,000,000 would instead., send hie a small dona- tion to the Fund, for which Comrade Mainwar- ing has worked so hard, I should have no anxiety for the welfare of the dependents of our South Wales conscientious objectors for at least a month or two. The very las* things Comrade- Mainwaring did. before he was seized with pneumonia, was to hand me donations received at my Port Talbot meeting, and it is largely his devotion to the' I.L.P. and N.O.F. and consequent neglect of his own health which brought on his illness. We all- rejoice at his recovery.—Sincerely yours, MINNIE PALLIST-IIR. Ar-y-Bryn, Greenland Road, Brynmawr.

Tonyrefail Notes. Down Tools. During last week the unexpected happened suddenly at Coed Ely Colliery. The workmen of one of the pits refused to work, owing to the action of the management in stopping tlio lainp of a workman who had refused to conform with orders in respect to the double shift. It seems that the question of double-shift has been a sore grievance for some time, and the working ar- -rangements has not been satisfactorily carried out-at least not with tangible results. Oft this occasion it reached a decasive point which re- sulted in a stoppage of all the pits for a day or so, and which caused immediate action on the part of those comcerned to strive for a better working agreement. A deputation was ap- pointed, the district agent included, to iiie,(-t the,, management to formulate an agreement. So far as is known at present the work is going on satisfactorily with all the speed that is possible. It is rather urnfortuna,te that the management does not prevent the provocation that leads to such stoppages. The days are passed when the management, can dismiss men on the slightems sign of adhering to what has been commonly ,agreed to. The smooth working of the collieries depend greatly upon the discretion of the maa- agement and the blame for these stoppages does, not necessarily lie at the door of the worker. Examiners Line Up. The Examiners at their last meeting decided- to affiliate to the local Labour Education Com- mittee1. They appointed three representatives- on the coinmittee. On the election of officers, the same officers were re-elected with one addi- tion Mr. Ivor Husekm was appointed assistant- secretary. Women and Food. Last week a women's meeting was held at thtf schools on Food Economy. It is difficult to get any reliable report of what transpired. All that- can be said with certainty is tha.t the, rood [shortage is causing considerable alarm and con- sternation in the minds of most people locally. It is a common sight to see largie queues at the- shops waiting expectantly for essentials. Gossip reveals considerable hardships already. Competitive Concert. A competitive concert was held at Bethet Ohapel on Saturday evening, ihe 21td inst., 118.- der the auspices of Ebenezer oliuxoh, Coed E4 IT-, The competitions included tenor solos, contralto, solos, champion solos, recitations and choral- The winners of the champion solo were R. 0. Jones (Tonypandy) and Miss Griffith (Tongwyft- lais), the prize being divided. The same compe- titor who won the champion solo again won Oil the contralto solo. In the recitation rtJhe, winners were David Morris (Dewi o'r Ton) and "Peggy, whose direction and proper name were not given by the adjudicator, the prize being divided. The standard of singing in the solo competitions wøB very high. The chief feature, however, was th* male voice contest. Four Glee Parties rendered their own selections the last two being decidedly better and more mature than the first two. After a detailed and, in our opinion, a fair ad- judication, the prize of P,30 and a baton was awarded to the third party, viz., the Gwalia Gleø Society, Tonyrefail. conductor Wm. Middleton. The rendering of the different choruses by the parties was exoellent and very dramatic. The competitions- atti-acteid a large crowd. The pre- sident was C. Griffiths, M.E., Oymer. The adju- dicators were Norman Maeleod, A.R.O.M. (Forth), in music; and Rev. Gwrhyw Lewis, re- citations. The accompanist was Mr. John Llewellyn, Penygraig. The concert was a great success in every way. Printed and published by the National Labour Press, Ltd., at the Labour Pioneer Presey Williams Square, Merthyr Tydfil, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8th, 1917.