Monmouth Guardian and Bargoed and Caerphilly Observer

AN ANCIENT COAL MINER. The coal-minor of to-day, who de- scends into deep pits such as his ancestors never dreamt of, meets with deadly explosive gaftes, against which Sir Humphry Davy guarded him a century or more ago, when the miner's safety lamp was invented. In the remoter ccal-getting times, when pits were shallow and gases not so liable to accumulate, the miner went about his work carrying a naked light, just i as do the Cornish tin and copper miners of our time. The luckiest neighbourhoods of all were those in and around Wedoesbary and Bilston, where, almost within liv- irg memory, if you reqaired the house- hold scuttle to be refilled, you simply went out in the back garden and iug coal, just as you would potatoes., Such WM the advantage of living in I. a region where coal outcropped to the surface, and where in excavating foundations for houses miniature coal-mines wore opened. Few people would consider that the coal-miners occupation went back to the fifteenth century but it does, and on a monumental brass of that period in Newland Church, Mon. montbshire, along the Ooleford and Monmouth Road, there is to be seen the crest of the Greyndour family; the very curious one of a Forest of Dean miner, holding a eoal-pick in I one hand and the strap of a coal- basket in the other. In his mouth, which was utilised as a kind of third hand, he carries a candle on a stick, Newland is so called--because the village is built on a clearing made in the forest in the thirteenth cen- tury.-C.G«. £ > i. k f

f LLOYDS BANK I I LIMITED. HEAD OFFICE: 71, LOMBARD ST., E.C. COLONIAL AND FOREIGN DEPARTMENT: 17, CORNHILL, E.C. This Bank possesses exceptional facilities for the transfer of moneys to or from France, including payments against documents, &c., in connection with its French Auxiliary, LLOYDS BANK (FRANCE) LIMITED, which has Offices at PARIS (3, Place- de l'Opera), Biarritz, Bordeaux, Havre and Nice. i—imfri linn -■ ii a iiiimi mi in i nil ■—■■■

I BEDWELLTY ACCOUNTANTS SALARY. I AN INCREASE OF £ 00. At the meeting of the Bedwellty Urban Council at Nrw Tredegar on Tuesday, an application was received from Mr Hodson" Hayes, the accountant, for an increase of £50 in his salary, His present salary beinr- £ 22o. A member in reply to the stated that the application of the accountant bad been circulated itmotigal the mem- bers. Mr J. Crew in moving that the application be granted, -aid the council had a most capable officer, and theirs was the largest authority in Monmouth- shire, and they were paying Mi Hayes the lowest of any he knew. He wanted to put their officer on the same basis as other authorities—Mr Hayes had hand- led a large amount of money and he bad brought about a vast improvement in their financial position. Mr R. J. Jones opposed the motion, and said that if the accountant was en- titled to the proposed increase, then they had very considerably under-paid their clerk in the past. He considered that these appeals from the higher paid officials was becoming a nuisance. They did not even ask for war bonuses, but for permanent increases, whereas the poor chaps who were working on the roads had to be content with war bonuses and when the war closed they were liable to lose these increases. Be- fore any such increase as that was asked for was granted, they should discuss the matter in broad daylight. Mr Isaac Jones said that the applica- tion of the accountant had been put forward in a most creditable manner, but they must review the whole circum- stances as the application was not for an increase of a few shillings. When the accountant was appointed two years ago, his salary was £ 200. At the end of. the first year this was risen to R225, and now they had a request for another £50 increase. tf the whole of their employees applied for a proportionate increase in their rate of wages, he was sure the council would be up in arms. Even if this ^50 wus granted there was no guarantee, bit ii; tt next year there would be a further application for an- other j62.), or so. He was prepared to vote a reasonable advance, but with their expoust-s going up by leaps and bounds the council was very much handicapped. He thought they wonld be doing ample justice if h>. If the amount asked for was granted. As one who represented the working classes, he would not care to face the ratepayers by supporting this ad vance to our official when they had been quibbling so much about a grant of a few shillings to their lower paid workmen. He would prefer seeing a maximum salary fixed and an nual increments made. Mr R. J. Jones suggested a maximum of £2i5 and to make an immediate ad- vance of tlb and then by tlO annual increments. Mr J. Crew said that what he wanted was to see that the officers of their council were paid as well as any other authority in the county. If they wanted to get the best out of their officers they must pay them an adequate salary in return. Mr J. Tillott said that year after year the council bad been compelled to wipe off sums of money, not because they were not due or because of any laxity on the part of their officials, but now that Mr Hayes was devoting the whole of his time to this department they had been able to get this money in, and in this respect there had been a consider- able saying to the ratepayers. If they wanted to keep their men they must pay them. The finances of the council were never in more competent hands than at present. Mr R. J. Jones pointed out that since the appointment was made, an assistant accountant had been appointed at £2 10s per week, then came a junior clerk, so that in all the cost of the accountant's department would, by granting this application have more than doubled since it was established. He moved that the maximum salary be fixed at £ 300 and that a present inctease of i25 be made with annual increments of £10. Mr J. Crew pointed out that Mr Hayes was a member of a powerful organisation ivhich valued the work of such men. He referred to the large sums of money which passed through the accountant's hands, and the favourable reports which had been made upon the work by the auditor. On a vote, six recorded for Mr Crew's motion and five for the amendment, moved by Mr R. J. Jones. PriaW", PvMukW 7 6. J. ja"w & Co., &A *air OAmi, vistaris Builan". Rhym- "7. i. ttM Comay of AIRth; 12, Or- Btffni, ia iLl county of Glamor- tX- VfMar, JMM 15th, Jflf. Jr "i:i. --f p'

I I RHYMNEY HOUSING PROBLEM. At a meetin,of.t it t- Rhymney Urban District Council on Wednesday even- ing, a detailed report, showing the number of houses, roo.,Ps, and occu- pants in each house in the district, was fubmittcd by tho Mc^ical Officer and Sarveyor, who stated that this was the second time in 43 years it bad been done, the first finin by the late medical officer (Dr. T. Hall Redwood) and Mr W. Lloyd Marks in 1874, the records of which, unfortunately, could not be found. The report indicated that there are in the district 1994 houses occupied by one family, with 9,264 occupants; 209 houses occupied by two or more families, with 1502 occupants, and 23 empty houses. In the four wards there are 141 houses with nine (and more persous in each house. It was stated that 2000 men were absent on military service. The report continues: The houses occupied by the same family are the ones we wish to refer to more particu- larly as being too small. There are a large number that will have to be condemned, and others improved, but before this is done, at least 150 new houses will have to be provided. We recommend that the council call in an architect to advise them on the class of honsei, and prepare plans, etc. A rough estimate, say, for 150 houses similar to those already provided at the Garden City, at f,300 eacb, includ ing roads, lands, etc., would mean £45,000." < The Finance Committee having con- sidered the report, recommended its adoption by the council, and that the County Council be notified that they intend applying for a loan of £ 45,000. FINANCE—The report of the Finance Committee showed that the Collector (Mr Ben Jones, J.P.) had since thf last meeting cyllected the sum of iC284 19s. lid., in general district rates, housing rents, &c. The committee went through the several bills against the council, and passed same f jr pay- ment. Cheques were drawn on the several accounts, amounting in the aggregate £ 706 6s. 3d. HEALTH MATTERS. The Medical Officer of Health (Dr. R. V. Redwood) reported that there had been 27 cases of notifiable disease during the month, all except one being at Abertysswg, with no death. Usual precautions had been taken and instructions given r at each house. These were disregard- ed, more especially owing to the mild- ness of the illness. The School Medical Officer had visited the homes of all I children absent from school, including the above cases. It was foand that no attempt was being made at isola- f h tion or proper nursing of most of the cases. The lack of care on the part of parents inevitably results in a propor- tion of eases becoming complicated, with serious lung affections, and death from this cause, also the danger of the disease spreading throughout the dis- trict. For this reason, after commu- nicating with the County Medical Qfficer, Dr. Redwood recommended that the council engage a nurse to visit infected houses daily in the present epidemic, unless it rapidly subsides, and in future epidemics at their commencement. TEIANKB.-The Surveyor reported that he had received a letter from Private William Eyre, a former em- ployee of the oeuncii, asking him to please convey to the council his very best thanks for the way they had received his application for the renewal of the grant of 7s. per week to his mother, and for granting the same.

PENGAM. I SCHOOL ASSAULT. It costs the county P-3,600 a year for attendance officers to force children to take ad- vantage of free education," said Mr C. Daunoy, olerk to the Monmouth- shire Education Committee, in prose-, outing Mary Hobson, Pengam, at Blaokwood on Friday for assaulting J. C. Badge, an attendance officer. Defendant complained that the officer called her a cheeky husay," and she admitted smaoking him in the face. Defendant was fined 93 or 14 days in default,

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