The Cambria Daily Leader

I "GREATER SWANSEA" AND ITS TRAMS. We are looking forwar-d to a time when the borough boundaries of Swansea will extend to Killay and Dunvant. to Fforestfach, to Clydacb, and to Birch- grotve and Skewen. When this G rcater Swansea" conies, the tramway problem will be all-important. Exercising our imagination, it is not difficult to forosoe the day when the town-workers will have their residences scattered over the dis- trict, when it will be. the normal condition of things for the workman to have hia home at Killay or at the Glais. Wlieu this time arrives, it will not only mean that questions of tramway fares will arise, but also of tramway speeds. The dweller in the suburb will not be content to travel in and out at the present rate. That we are on the eve of important de- velopments appears from the paper read by Mr. S. A. Brodie, city engineer at Liverpool, before the Congress of the Tramway and Light Kailways Association. Mr. Brodie's main contentions were as fol- lows:-(I) That very wide main thorough- fares, from 80 to Ion feet wide, arc re- quired.; (2) that subways are raroly if ever desirable, provided, of course, the streets are properly widened and tramway facili- ties provided; (3) that tramway speeds must be at least doubled; ki) that the tramway tracks and thoroughfares must be protected; (5) that fewer stolipages are desirable; and (6) that the trams themselves must be improved. High speed will be a necessity in Greater Swansea." At the present time the trams are confined to low speeds, the Board of Trade exercising a watchful eye over their rate of progression, whilst the motor vehicles have far greater liberty. Upon this matter an engineering expert, commenting upon Mr. Brodie's paper, asks if there is a.nything very revolutionary in protecting the tramway tracks and letting the trams run at motor-car speeds. This question, he asks us to observe, is not essentially affected by the possibilities of the motor-'bus or the trackless trolley-car. Under any of these systems of public transport the time must come when we shall want the wide road, though, given a road of certain width, the trams are more obstructive, if less dangerous, than the la uses. ————- —————

THE HOLIDAY QUESTION. I The minute of the Swansea Education Sub-Committee directing the Superin- tendent of Education to write to the local secretary of the Pearson's Fresh Air Fund, that in future the committee would decline to close the schools for this outing and would also forbid the distribution of tickets in the schools unless the outing was taken either on a j Saturday or during the ordinary school J holidays," nays either too much or too little. It singles out one organisation from among many for special treatment, ;Ind. unless there are reasons which do not appear, for unfair treatment. The Pearson's Fund Outing most be placed upcm the same footing as others of its kind; indeed, we should be inclined to think that it deserves somewhat more sympathetic consideration, since it pro- vides for a claw of children not as favouJfd. from th? social p?nt of view. m the m)ority in the S?ntd?y N-hM]. We dare say th? there is 6ome abuse of ¡ the fund. aud that children attend the who have other opportunities of getting a day in the country; but this sort of thing is inevitable, although wto. know that every effort is made to ,ee that the object of the promoters is attained. If the Pearson Fund Outing is in'the future to take place on a Saturday or "during the ordinary school bo1 jday," the rule ought to apply also to the other outings of the ypar. And we know that this is impossible, as Sa-turday is an in- convenient day, and that during the month of August too many of the Sunday School teachers are away oil holiday to a How the ".treats to be held. Another solution of the difficulty will have to be found. We believe that the best will he to fix upon three consecutive Thursdays between June aud July, and then to enter into a working arrangement with the School Unions and other organisa- tions responsible for these outings to have all the events brought within their coL,-),i,ss. At present there is no rule and no at-tenipt is made to secure co-operation I bebreea the schools. It ought to b6 pointed ont, upon the holiday question, that compared with the county system, aDd that obtaining in Cardiff, the Authority at Swansea is more niggardly. Twenty half-days used to be allowed; the number has now been cut down to ten. And still there are complaints

THE NEXT DRAMA TOUR. The North Wales tour of the Welsh Drama Company will be watched with considerable concern. Although the North has produced a surprisingly large number oi dramatic societies, there will stTonger prejudice to meet in the "highlands" than the company en- conntered. in the South. How will they fare in such places as Llanidloes, Machyn- lleth, Dolgclly, Tovvvn. Aberdov,y, Bar- mouth, Portmadoc, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Criccietli, Pwllheli, Llanberis, Carnarvon, Amlwch, Bethesda, Penmaenmawr, Llnn- rwst. Conway, aud Bangor—places in which the theatre is looked upon by the old school as the very habitation of the evil rille We hope that the North Wa les journals will follow the course adopt.ed by their contemporaries in the jSouth, and give the movement all the help in their power. How far we have travelled within the last twenty years we are reminded by the recent publication of Elphin's paper on The Prospects of the Welsh Drama"- read at the Cymrodorion meeting during the Abergavenny sessions in the Tran- sactions of the Honourable Society of Cymrodorion. A.t Bangor in September, there will be contests for the finest acting in Welsh drama. "When some boldj spirit had the temerity to suggest at a meeting of the Corsedd Committee, held at Liverpool in 1900," says Elphin, "that the Crown should occasionally be offered for a drama, the bards turned up their eyes with horror an though such an innovation were certain to bring down upon the Eisteddfod the fires of Sodom and Gomorra." Elphin, who is a notable wielder of the sword, attacked the preachers who opposed the drama because he did not think their opposition was altogether disinterested. We dissociate ourselves entirely from such an ex- pression of opinion. There are grave diffi- culties present in the minds of many ministers who are too great to cherish small notions concerning the prospective rivalry of pulpit and stage. But the point we have often sought to make in these columns—the point we offered for the consideration of Dr. Rawlings-is forcibly put in the Abergavenny paper; A moment's reflection ought to con- vince the leaders of the Nonconformist churches that even from the moral stand- point, it would be infinitely better to en- courage the growth of a healthy home- drama, springing naturally from the genius of our people, than to leave the youth of Wales at the mercy of the dubious things which occasionally cross the border, the very sweepings of the third-rate English theatres. They may be quite sure that these foreign importations will increase in volume with the spread of the English language in Wales unless checked by some counter-attraction. The best auxiliary to a healthy pulpit would be:' a  I bo a healthy drama." #

There is no resisting the arguments ad- vanced by Councillor David Williams at Tuesday's meeting of the Education Committee with regard to the staffing of the Secondary School. Upon an earlier occasion, we protested against the frame of mind under which the Staffing Com- mittee was induced to attach less im- portance than they should to the Welsh M.A. degree. Councillor Williams now takes up the caM of the local B.Sc. men. There are a number of these in Swansea, and as he said in making his protest against a short list which did not con- tain a local candidate for the post of chemistry master, These men did not take the degree merely to show they had the knowledge, but in the hope that they would some time get into higher posi- tions." It is the duty of the authority, of course, to appoint the best man on the list without heed to hia place of birth, but we are afraid that in some quarters in Swansea there is a disposition to wonder whether any good can come out of Nazareth.

After the reminder given the Swansea Corporation on Tuesday by the Chairman of the bench of magistrates, thero ought to be speedy action taken. Three young men were proceeded against for riding horses on the Sands at a dangerous speed, and during the hearing of the cases, The Chairman remarked that some time ago the magistrates ha-* urged the. Corporation to pass a bye-law in order that the magistrates could get at the .owners of the animals. Inspector Hill promised to bring the suggestion before the Chief Constable in order that the matter might be brought, before the notice of the Cor- poration. Another matter also deserves the atten- tion of the Corporation. Thoughtless young men have, on evenings when I he Sand s were crowded with people, :j "p cricket wickets, and hit. balls about with no consideration for the a.fpt, of passers- by. The practice ought to be prohibited at once.

■ ■■ POWERS AND THE WAR ) I THE POSITION OF FRANCE AND RUSSfA DISCUSSES. THE DUAL ALLIANCE. Below we give to-day's views on the out- break of war. It will be noted that Sir Harry Johnson discusses England's posi- tion, and that t he attitude of France and Russia is the subject of much interesting comment. Will the Thread Hold? The peace of Europe would at first sight seem to hang by a thread; yet (says the Times ') everywhere there appear to he hopes that the thread will not be s«ivt-^ed. A Bosnia Proverb. In Bosnia, as everywhere, in the South Slavonic States, says a traveller in that country, the cynical proverb of their enemies holds true: Four Slavs, live political opinions.' Croatians or Catholic Slavs, and Servians or orthodox Slavsiiite one another even more than they do their Mohammedan ielloivs or their German over-lords." The Only Tribunal. The military correspondent of the Times" snys that The Austrian opinion is that the campaign now begun is a tight to the death with the Pan-teerb ideal; that war is the only means ior ensuring the safety and the iuture of the Monarchy; anVi that the only tribunal to which Austria appeals is not that of The Hague, but of History." Crossing of the Frontier. The Austrian^ might have had Belgrade on Monday had they wished, says the military correspondent ot the "Times. But it was important for aJl the armies to advance together. and only when they were ready to attack, for the crossing of tho4 frontier may be the signal ior a Kussiun ultimatum to Vienna, and it was an Austrian interest to defer that dis- agreeable moment. The Position of Russia. There is no substantial reason for the interference ot Russia in the quarrel (is the comment of the Daily -Nc;ws and Leader.") Shs is not the guardian of the BaUt.ta States and cannot wish to be held | responsible for the misbehaviour of Servia. If her intervention was called for it should have taken place at an earlier stage whrn she had it in her power to mate Servia understand that if she .con- tinued to provoke Austria she would have to take the rik; which that, course involved. German Strategy. It has long been a well-known axiom of German strategy (says the "\)nHy Chronicle'") that the instant Russia starts mobilising on the I'russian iron- tier, France must be attacked. For it is one of the chief weaknesses of the Dual Alliance, that Russia mobilises more slowly than the Western nations; ami Germany cannot afford to throw away the advantage, by allowing her to 111001- lise at-, ledsiire-t Jit, German aim must be to crush France before ttussia can come up. This is of course well recognised by iili the Chancelleries; and St. Petersburg not give the mobilisation order un- less war is decided upon. Tho Political Effect. With the declaration of war by Austria it was recognised, in political circles yes- terday (says the Lobby correspond ant of the Daily .News and Leader") that the situation in domestic politics is trans- formed. Whether the European conflict will be a solvent of the bitteruess between our parties here at tome or not, it is plain to all thinking men that it eliminates un- certainties. In the first place, the idea that there should shortly be a General Election—which has been preached by the Opposition and their camp followers as if it wore a jehad—has become unthinkable. It will save time not to discuss it further. Intervention of France. Where does danger for Great Britain lie in this Teutonic conflict with the forces of This is the question asked, and answered, by Sir Harry John- son in the Daily Chronicle." In the intervention of France. France, lika every other PoweT, ourselves in- cluded, is perfectly selfish in her policy. Her thoughts are concentrated mainly on revenge for J870-1 and the recovery of Alsace-Lorrrame. That is the only reason she has allied herself with Russia. If she can take Germany at. a disadvantage she may recover all or part of her lost provinces. She is indifferent to t he other conse- quences of a German defeat (and in all this talk about Austria-Hungary, Ger- many is the protagonist we all have in view), careless as to whether or not it may mean a Russian advance through Lapland to the North Sea. and an enfeeblement of Sweden, a Russian annexation of Asia 1: Minor, and an advance of the Persian Gulf. Our Hands are Free!" The suggestion that we should spend British lives and British treasure to estab- lish Russia in the Balkans would be an inconceivable outrage to a democratic country- Our hands are free in this busi- ness and we must take care to keep them free.—" Daily News, and Leader." The Storm Centre. The storm-centre of the Austro-Servian trouble is the province of Bosnia, which lies to the east of Servia. It was at Sera- jevo in this province that the Archduke j Franz Ferdinand was assassinated; it was the final annexation of Bosnia in 1908 which started the simmering discontent of the whole Serb races of the Near East, No one can appreciate the complications of this problem without considering the racial divisions of Austria-Hungary, which are thus given by Mr. Ellis Barker in an article in the now" Fortnightly Review :— Population. Gerinani 11,987,000 Czechs H,436, 000 Magyars 10,000.iH) ])ol(>S 4,968,000 Ruthenians 3,900,000 Slovenes 1,253.000 Slovaks 1,968,000 Roumanians 3,200.000 Serbs 3,800,000 Croatian 1,8311100 Italians 768,000 There is no other European nation which in such a population of little over 50 mil- lions, contains so many racial and religi- ous divisions. I

EX-SWANSEA CURATE'S PROMOTION I The Rev. T. E. Meurig-Davies, M.A., curate of Holy Trinity, Smethwick, Bir- mingham, and formerly of St. Mary's, Swansea, has be-,n appointed by the Bishop of Lincoln and the executive com- mittee of the Church of England Temper- ance Society organising secretary for the diocese in wieceasion to the Rev. C. C. Weeks, M.T?-C-S., L/K.C.P., who has heen appointed vicar of St. Rjlri(\'Levisbm. .London. Mr. Meurig-Davies is a native of Gaxtheli- Cardiyamshij)'^

1 SHACKLETON'S TASK, —— I EXPLORERS SHIP LEAVES LONDON j TO-DAY. THE PROGRAMME. (By HUBERT ST. JCHN, F.R.G.S., F.S.A.) The Endurance, the first ship of the Shackleton Trans-Antarctic Expedition, left the West India Decks, London, to-day, on the first stage of its journey South. T Lil-, objects of the imperial T ril-lo- An (arctic Expedition were laid I before the Royal Geographical Society by Sir Ernest some little time ago. The aim of the party will be to crosa Ilh\ ')l¡l h P01.11' Contlncnt from tha Wndddl Sea to the Ro? Sea,- and unless to s?y, this will ncccsaitate <hr longest Polar journey of all times, for the mini- mum ditftncc traversed will be 1,000 geographical (or about 1.700 statute) miles. Everyone who has read the account of past Polar expeditions will know that this distance will, in all prob- I ability, be yr;\itly increased owing to the numerous difficulties which have to he surmounted on journeys of this kind, its, for instance, climbing ranges of moun- tains hitherto unknown ana transporting the baggage piecemeal over dangerous anci difficult purts; this latter task often no ocssitafing half a dozen journeys over tltf same perilous track. Geographical Importoo^v. It. is difficult, indeed, to estimate the importance of thi3 expedition from a geo- graphical point of view, for it is only in this way that the map of that giganti* frozen. <-ontiuent— the Antarctic—can be completed. As Sir Ernest Shackleton sayp: No one knows whether the great, plateau dips gradually from the Pole, towards the WcddeJl Sea, and no one knows wheaher the Great: Victorian chain of mountains, which has been traced to the Pole, extends across the, continent and linjvs np with the Andes. The solving of this problem is of intense interest to -eograplt,-r,- all over the world, and the discovery of the great mountain range, which we assnmn is there., will be one of the biggest geo- graphical triumphs of the age." As is usual in most expeditions of fhii kind, much attr-ntion will be given to the geological formation, and whilst at. ita winter quarters the party will make a thorough search for specimens in addi- tion to picking up a.? many as possible en route. Nor is this all, for meteorological observations will hn made and biological work will also be carried on; in fact, a l- though the main object will be to crors the continent, rt is hoped that every depart- ment of science will benefit from the data collected by the experts in their variouir branches. The Trans-Artarctic Party. Sir Ernest proposes to limit- the Trans Antarctic party to six men with 120 dogs, two sledges driven by aeroplane engines and propellers, and an aeroplane witk clopped wings to taxi" over the ice. In addition to this party, there will be a. biologist, geologist, and physicist on each of the two ships. One of these parties will go with the first ship to station at the winter quarters in the Wcddell Sea, and it is hoped: owing to the handsome in- crease to the funds, that another party, of three will be able to explore the un- known laud east of these quarters. After tho winter the first ship will proceed around the coast to the Ross Sea. The Time-Table. The Endurance will be the first ship in sail, leaving the West. India Docks to-day* for Cowes, where it will probably h" visited by the King, and afterwards pro- ceeding to Cardiff or Bristol to coal before leaving England on August 8th of 9th. The Ross sea ship Aurora will sail in October. The main expedition party leaver Buenos Ayres in October, proceeding- direct to the Antarctic, and given favour- able conditions a landing should be made in November. The shore party will then start, without delay, for the Pole. If, however, the ship docs not arrive in the Weddell Sea early enough, permanent winter quarters will be laid out and the Continent crossed the following season. Should this happen, the first ship will; continue Us work in the Weddell Sea and on the Graham Land coast a? long as the conditions will permit, and then return to South Amarict unt\! tbe following seaKou, when it will again be re-joined by the Wedder Sea party. The second ship will leave New Zealand for the Ross Sea in order to meet tneo trans-Continental party, wbicli will re- turn in that ship to New Zealand. Tha precise route this party will take on their: overland journey will be, more or less,, decided upon on the spot, aod it is quito possible that Sir Ernest will not use any of the routes of the previous explorers. but strike out on an entirely new track, thus covering new ground from aea ta sea. In spite of the formidable appearance or this task. Shackleton hopes, under favourable circumstances, to complete the journey in five month?, but this, of course, depends upon the difficulties which -will have to be 'faced when traversing thi previously untrodden land. The Equipment Only oil fuel will be burned on the two ships, thus greatly adding to their radius of action, for, as Shackleton says, when the oil is used up water can be pumped into the tanks and the saiJs brought into use, so that they will be Abla to remain at sea for a very raiieb longer period. An interesting feature of the ships is that they will he provided with tanks and cages, so that, for the first time. penguins and seals may be brought lioms from the Antarctic alive. Eurl Curzon wrote recently to Shackle- ton that the expedition appeals to th. imagination as one of the few achieve- ments in exploration that are still open to the human race-a greater, achieve" ment, indeed, than any yet recorded the history of the Antarctic or the Arctic." These words must convey the feeling of the vast number of men in- terested in the great werk of exploration. Wjth the great record of his past achieve- ments before us no one can doubt for a moment but that Shackleton ia the right man for the great task. Before his departure he may bear the "bon voyage" of many voices-aftea that we can only hope that the brightest star in the southern skies may prove t< be his own.

Covent Garden gallery-goers during the ) final performance of the season made a presentation to Mme. Enuny Destinn on the completion o fhar tenth season. The onowise thing that a man can do on this earth is to live peaceably with hitt wife," said Mr. Hedderwick, the magi- strate, at North London Police Court. The Court of Common Council de- f cided that a marble bnst of the late Mr. I Joseph Chaemberlain should be placed ia the Guildhall at a cost of not more thai" .£2n2 IDs. Disapepariug from a horrse in Chaneer- road. Bedford, a young domestic servant named Payne was lying in a field outside the, fown hv some wor-kmpu. Sh* could give no accouojt of That had > peaed. i I i