The Barmouth and County Advertiser and District Weekly News

I From the Papers. A bulletin was issued Monday night stating that Mr Percy Illingworth, M.P., the Chief Government Whip, who is suffering from a severe attack of typhoid fever, had had a quiet day and that his condition is unchanged. The hon. Hew Dalrymple was on Monday selected as Unionist candidate to represent Wigtownshire, in place of Lord Dalrymple, the new Earl of Stair, who is a prisoner of war in Germany. Captain Edward Orde Stewart, of the Grenadier Guards, now serving in France, was chosen as prospective candidate for the next general election. VICAR DROWNED. -1 The Rev. J. H. Dudley Matthews,aged seventy, rector of Purley, near Reading, was drowned in the Thames while going to preach at Maple-Durham Church on Sunday night. He tried to cross in a punt, which apset through the swollen state of the river. | j RESCUE FROM DROWNING. The certificate of the Royal Humane Society was presented on Monday last to Arthur Yeadon, a Burnley man, now living atJAtherton, for rescuing a boy swim mer from drowning at Norbreek, near Blackpool. A strong clea was rllU- ring at the time, and at great risk Yeadon succeeded in saving the boy, £ 100 FOR THREE GEESE. At Reading Christmas cattle market three fat geese realised £100. The birds had been presented and sold and resold, the proceeds being for providing Xmas comforts for the Royal Berkshire Regi- ment. The Lord Chief Justice aDd the present member for Reading (Captain Leslie Wilson) were among the bidders by post. WOMAN'S MEAN FRAUD. At Nantwich, on Monday, Eliza Ruscoe, a married woman, of Hospital Street,, Nantwich, wife of a Reservist, was sent to prison for fourteen days in the second division for obtaining £2 by false pretences from the Nantwich branch of the Soldiers and Sailors' Families Union. The false pretences consisted of prisoner representing that she had received no war separation al- lowance, which found to be untrue. CRUSHED BY FALL OF ROOF. A verdict of Accidental Death war re-, turned at an inquest at Ontwood (York- shire) on Monday on Herbert Wilde, 29; who was killed by a fall of roof at Lofthouse Colliery on Friday morning. Wilde, and two companions were walking along the main haulage road when a stone, weighing nearly two tons, fell from the roof. Wilde was knocked down and buried, and when re- leased was found to be very bodily crushed. Of his companions one escaped unhurt, while the other was in- jured about the head and legs. WITHOUT A LICENCE. For selling beer and spirit without a licence, Mrs Sophia Harris, a promenade boarding-house keeper, was fined at Blackpool on Monday RIO ,tnd costs in two cases, and costs in the other two, the total penalty being X21 9s. with the alternative of two months' imprison- ment. Defendant, who denied the charge, said she had no money, and had not been able to pay her rates. Two Excise officers stated that they spent a week-end at defendant's house early in December, and while there were supplied with beer and spirits, for which they paid.

———— ——— Barmouth Police Court. The monthly petty sessicns were held on Friday last, before H. J. Wright, Esq. (chairman), Alderman T. Martin Wil. liams, Thomas W. Piggott, Morris Evans and Rhys Jones, Esqrs. YOUNG BOYS IN TROUBLE. William Davies (lli), Williams' Build- ings; Griffith David Lloyd (111) 2, Mount Pleasant, and Willie Robinson (11), Gib- raltar Place, were charged by Inspector Ben. Evans with breaking into the lock- up shop of Mr J. E. Strongman on the Promenade; John E. Strongman stated he was the tenant of a lock-up shop on the Marine Parade. On Saturday, December 5tb, he visited the shop and everything was in perfect order when be locked it up on that date. He again visited the shop on the 9th, The key of the shop was in his possession and no one else had the key. On that date he found the shop in disorder and that some one bad broken in through the side window. He at once went and gave information to P.C. Oliver C. Davies, who accompanied him to the shop. On taking a stock of the goods be bad in the shop, be found that several articles were missing, such as purses, knives, fountain pens. He identified the articles now in Court as his property. P.C. Oliver C. Davies stated that the last, witness gnve him information that his shop hafl been broken into and on visiting the shop he found a notebook on the floor which contained the name of William Davies on the outer page. He then interviewed the three defendants who admitted the offence and explained that they bad hidden some of the arti- cles in the sands, these bad been re- covered. In reply to the Chairman, Inspector Ben Evans stated that part of the pro- perty bad been recovered. In reply to the charge the three boys pleaded guilty. The Bench retired and on their re- turn the Chairman stated that the Magistrates bad decided to send the boy • William Davies to an industrial school, as this was the second time for him to appear before the Magistrates. With regard to the other two boys, they weie to receive six strokes with the birch by the Police, in the presence of their par- ents. WITHDRAWN. The adjourned case for the non-atten- dance of William Davies from, school was withdrawn on the application of John H. Lewis, attendance officer for the Barmouth School District.

OUR GALLANT NAVY. SIR J. JELLICOE'S TRIBUTE. Lady Jelliocoe. opening a Union Jack Club in South London, for wives and children of men serving with the Forces, said her husband knew she would be meeting the wives and families of the men, and bad expressed the hope that she would tell them of the magnificent spirit prevailing. "The Navy," he wrote, I; has not yet, as a wbole; bad the opportunity of showing that the old spirit which carried us to victory in the past is with us now, but where our men have bad an opportunity of fighting the foe above water have shown they possess the same pluck and endurance of our comrades ashore." Sir John added that the splendid spirit of the men would make tlipii, w[Ug-.Q and children and sisters desire to show and children and sisters to show in their own lives that they were domi. nated by the same spirit to do the best they could for their country, so that they might be worthly of their mankind.

(MEETING OF RAILWAY I CLERKS AT BARMOUTH. I II NATIONALISATION OF RAILWAYS SUGGESTED. A meeting of Railway Clerks, under i he auspices of the Railway Clerks Association, was held at Barmouth on Sunday. Mr C. W, Blanchard (member of the Executive Committee) presided nd in a short speech referred to the ffects of the war as regards railway service shewing how the R.C.A. had been a means of protecting the staff Jgainst unfair treatment. Mr S. Lomax, Bolton, also addressed the meeting. He pointed out the re- markable growth of the Association during the past few years, the member- ship now standing at 80,000. The Association was within measurable dis- tance of attaining some of its objects when the war broke out. Some of the companies had already provided new scales of pay for their clerical staff as a result of the activity of the members. The speaker referred to the fact that 2,000 of the members had enlisted in the Army forces and that railway men had provided a large number of recruits. The action of the Government in taking over the control of the railways during the war, was recommended on, the speaker urging that as a result of the experiment the Govprment should go further and take the necessary steps for acquiring the railways and thus bring about the long-expected nationali- sation of the chief means of transport. It was stated that the Railway Com- panies had during the past few years adopted a policy of co-operation and that there was now very little competition. The Governmenf had guaranteed the shareholders practically the same amount of divident during the time they bad control of them as they received the previous year. Though many people were suffering severely as a result of I the war, the shareholders were in the I happy position of security against loss. The evidence available clearly proved that the :country as a whole would be better off the people by having to pay less for conveyance of themselves and their goods and the employees by bet- ter condition of service. The speaker hoped as a result- of pressure by the community as a whole that the Govern- ment would before long adopt the policy of nationalisation. The worker's position was gradually getting worse owing to the greatly increased cost of living, which, be prophesied would still increase. Reference was made to the inade- quacy of the national relief fund to meet the necessities of the-workers owing to the unemployment caused by the war, the workers them- selves subscribing practically all the present additional amount, thereby doing their full share to alleviate want. The capitalists ot the country were not long in finding the four hundred million war loan because of the gilt edge security, and the speaker lFged that in a time of national stress it should not be made a means whereby the interests of capital should be made more secure. It was urged that a more liberal allow- ance should be made to dependents of men disabled and killed in active ser- vice. The natiol1 should meet such a liability in a generous manner. At the close of the meeting new officers were elected for the ensuing year.

I WELSH FARM FIRE. I A disastrous fire occurred at the Cop- pice Farm, Pool Quay, Welshpool, on Sunday evening, when a large range of the farm buildings and all the hay and corn and other produce on the farm were destroyed. The loss, amounting to seve- ral hundreds of pounds, is covered by insurance for the tenant, Mr Morgans, and the owner the Earl of Powis.. In attending the fire the Welshpool fire engine was overturned in a narrow lane, I and only just arrived in time to save II | the dwelling house.

At the monthly meeting of the Towyn County School Governors, the Head- master reported that seventy-five old boys were serving with the colours, and some of them had been for weeks at th front. It is intended to have the roll of honour as complele as possible for in. | sertioq in the school magazine.