The Cambria Daily Leader

? u' "m -?—————/? ? J i us Tb? Cambria D&ily I | Leader gives later news than any paper J published in this dis- I | trict. f J _1

  M0NTEHE6R0 GIVES IN. I v-i PEACE NÉGOTlATIONS. I Last Hours of Doomed Capital. I IKING SHOULDERS RIFLE. I Amsterdam. Monday.—A Burlap pet tele- gram says that Count Tisza, the Hunga- rian Prime Minister, announced in the Chamber that Montenegro had made pro- posals for the opening of peace negotia- tions. lie added that Montenegro had accepted an UDcondition armistice, and that vhcn 1h &ipitulation had been completed peace negotiations would bo initiated.—Renter. Prussizn Diet Delighted. Amsterdam, Monday.—Before the Prus- sian Diet adjoi: rned to-day, the capitula- tion of Montenegro was announced. The news was enthusiastically received. Enthusiasm in Reichstag. ) Amsterdam, Monday.—According to a Berlin telegram, the announcement of the capitulation of Montenegro caused great enthusiasm in the Reichstag. King Victor's Meeting. A Milan correspondent gives n,5 of King Victor's meeting with Prince Mirko, f-i Montenegro, this in connection with I Vienna's desire to bargain with Monte- negro by promising the latter an extension inland, with a. new capital—in return for flill cession to Austria of Mount Lovchen. An Exchange Zurich wire quotes the Lausanne Gazette" stating that the King of Montenegro has rejected the lortnai peace proposals from the Kaiser made through Prince Bulow. Cetirje's Last Hours. Home, Monday.—A prominent neutrftl ¡ wlio returned to Rome from Cetinje tp-day gives the .following summary of thll last hours of the Montenegrin, capital fore l!:o Austrian occupation On January 4, 5, and 6 the bombard- ment of Mount Lovchen was intense, tind on the morning of January 7. when luy friend had an appointment with King Nicholas at ten o'clock, he received a message from the Prime Minister that the appointment had been postponed, as the King had left early in the morning with a rifle on his shoulder for the Mount Lovchen trenches, in orcjer to encourage his heroic but weary troops. Later in the •day he was received by the King, who slated that the bombardment was worse than ever, that the fleet had come out from Cattaro and was taking part in it, and that unless the homhanirntnt eased up within a few hours Mount Lovchen in net fall, lie was still hopeful, however, believing that the fleet must be attacked ard driven, back within the Bay of Catt.tro. Towards midday it became known in live town that the situation was critical. Every chop was closed, and the inhabi- tants, old and yatinf,. wpnt to the arsenal, demanded rifles and ammunition, and marched off towards Mount, I-ovchen to help their hard-pressed comrades. The lieip, however, came too late, and Lov- chen had fallen. Offer of Truce. T'f- Austrians then s^nt parliamen- bire with an offer of a truce, and de- manded that the Montenegrin army and the Serbian troops in Montenegrin terri- tory should be disbanded, all arms Sllr- rendered. and that the men should return to their various villager. Kjng Nicholas felt unable to accept these terms. On the morning of January 8 the "Prime Minister started "by etc am er for Scutari to consult the Serbian Government, whtch absolutely refused to capitulate. Mean- while, during the night, King Nicholas with the Government moved to Podgo- ritza. Cetinjo was evacuated by all the armed forces and quietly occupied by the Austria^s. The Serbian fiovernmont has arrived at Brindisi. probably en route for Salonika. The Montenegrin army, which has Buf- fered no great loss in the Lovchen fight- ing, hss retreated hv the Budua route towards.Scutari, w h j r h will lIe the next ohj«ct*Ve of the Austriane. The condition of t hr- Montenegrin army is pitiful. j man who was in the trenches on Mount j Lovchen states that the men have not tasted bread for twelve, and some for l.1f many illS nineteen, day»n. *11 the food they could obtain was brought on their :'aks for twelve or fifteen miles. Their i mor&Io. however, is unbroken.—" Daily Lxpress." KING CONSTANTINE'S ADVICE paris, Monday.—M. Henri Bailby makes nn interesting revelation iu the "Journal .He guarantees it absolutely authentic. At II thP ?B(! of ?pi?mber. 1)? eaTS, Priaee ??exa.B?er of Serbia sent a private 'te??- gram. to King Constant In e. asking it li-: cou ld count on Greere. :wnd her army io virtue of the treaty alliance. Kin? Con- st.->.ntine privately replied that Serbia's :.)le interest was to make peace with Ger- i many and Austria. Germany, he said, ti It?d 1?0 aniroosit v towards Serbia, and only I ar(!,4,Sorb ia, ane, oii], The King offered to act 33 mediator, TI(1 premised that Germany would induce .zi to cede a portion of DaJmaii^i to Serbia. At the same time, M. Zaimis, the Premier, pent itti -iy-I ing that the times were too troubled to j admit of a categorical reply, but that Serbia could always count on the support II of Greec? and her fidelity to the treaty. BULGARIA RECEIVES ITS DRIBE. (, IL iR sta?c?I that at Hie C?bin?t Council ?'?Id at ?fta on W?dne-id?y M. R.ado<:la.voIT (PrhBR Minister) read a mM??e from the German Government bestowing on P'u!gaHa all Macedonia recently in Serbian possession, including Monastir, ran, and Ghevgeli.—"Times" Corre- epondert in Balkan Peninsula (per Press l Association)—Copyright. l. — —. ¡t. of

ACTIVITY NEAR YPRESj ENEMY STORES REPCHTED BE-j STROYED BY ACCURATE FIRE The following telegraphic dispatch has been received irom British Headcpoarters in Prance, dated Monday- East night the enemy showed some activity with trench mortars and bombs at Givenchy. To-day wo made a combined attack with bombs, rifle grenades, aDd trencii mortars at. the tame place with excellent results Our bombardment has been effective at Freliitghien, Zwartclen, and north of Ypres, where a large fire was caused be- hind the enemy linos. Hostile artillery was active at Ypres. Long Range Fire. Paris, Monday, 11 p.m. — lo-nigncs official communique savs:— In Belgium, between Westende and Middlekerke, our artillery fired a.t lorg range on an enemy force, which sustained Two enemy aviators w ho were flying to- ward s Dunkirk, were intercepted by our special guns, and we-re. const rained to turn back. They tb rew four bombs on the Dunes, with DO result. Between the Somine and the Aisne we bombarded the German trenches at Her- hecouri., west of Peronne, an-d at Monlin- Sous-Tcuvent". t North of the Aisn<» firing by oil-, badri has caused serioin daniage to the enemy s organisation on the piaie-im of VJ-- ef.rc. and from the region of the Cholera Farm to the north-west cf Berry-au-Bar. Eastwards of the heights of ilio Mc-um our long range guns bombarded, 'he enemy's stores situated near Con<ians-cn- Jarnisy, south of Briery. Black and long columns of smoke were seen rising from the buildings bombarded. German Official. Amsterdam, Monday.—To-day s -official German I Wester-n Theatre c-f -veits. In Lens the enemy's gunfire killed and j wounded sixteen inhabitants.

HEAVY GUNFieiNG HEARD I ->0- Many Allied Aerepiarces Over German Lines. Amsterdam, Monday.—According to the Nickwo Rotterdamsche Courant," at Oostburg this morning heavy guniiring was audible from the western front. About a dozen. Allied aeroplanes cruis- ing above the Belgian coast wero heavily shelled by the Germans. Yesterday three Allied aeroplanes were observed, which also were shelled by the Germans.

BEROEN BLAZE I Four Hisrtdrsd Buildings Destroyed by Fire. Christiania, Monday.—About roo build- iags, mostly very valuable property, were destroyed in the great fixe at Bergn. One man perished -&nd a number of persons were injured. A special train with clothing, blankets, provisions, and straw was dispatched from here and from Stavanger.—Renter. The French Premier has sent £ 4;ffOO for the sufferers, and called yesterday on the Norwegian Minister in Paris to express the condolences of the French Govern- ment.—Exchange.

AUSTRALIA'S UNWELCOME GUESTS flong, Kong. Morula*.—Enemy 4 7 arrested here have bsen deported to Aus- tral ia. 9

r NO CONSCRIPTION FOR CANADA. Oftawa. Monday. — In the Dominion House of Commons to-day, the Premier declared there was no intention to iotro- duce conscription.

AH?MA? B?flO DEAIH. I AIR'?IA4 .BURNT TO DEATH. i While Lieutenant Boss, stationed at t.be aerodrome nt Catterick, Yorkshire, was.sorting on a flight or. Monday, the! tank of his aeroplane caught fire. He descended again as soon as he could. [ but the flames were so iferce that he was burned to death before the I maebjne I bouf??! tk? grnd, The ?M'?p?.M? was j vredbad. i

HIGHER RENTS i POSITION IN THE I SANOFIELDS I WHAT ABOUT THE NEW AgT I ) AGENTS ADVICE TO COMPLAllfINQ TENANT I I PAY-OR CLEAR OUT I In spite of the fa est. that the Increase of Rent (War Restrictions) Act has now been the law of the land since the end of December, tenants in some districts in Sv^-iinsea, notably the Sandfields, arc still paying increased rents. The Act applies in tho provinces to pro- perty of a ratable value of J.:21i, which In Swansea would include houses with tentais up --To Jtfc. 9d. per week. It pro-I vides that where the/rent of a dwelling- house lip-s been increased since the war, the amount of the increase shall bo irre- coverable except in respect of that which accrued due before November 25th. This clause apparently entitles a. kvndlord v) recover arrears of increased rent up to that date. What the Sub-Section Says. I A sub-section reads.: Where the land- lord has since the commencement of the present war incurred, or during the con- tinuance of .this Act incurs, expenditure on the improvement or structural altera- tion of a. dwelling-house (not including j expenditure on decoration or repairs) an increase of rent; at a race not exceeding | six per cent, per annum on the amount sç expend? shaH n?: be deemed io b? an in- j crease, for ib? purposes of this Act." An increase of rent is permitted by the Act where the increase is on account of an. increase in rates, but the landlord has (to furnish a statement showing how the increase is made up. and give four weeks' U hk)?,-e -,i- h o notice to |he tenants. Tho.se. who receive notice that their rend, will be increased on this account would be well advised to take the sbi.te.ment to the ofhee of the Borough Trea,surer (Air. W. It. Ashmodo) and have it. checked. The increase which has taken place in the rates of Swansea would represent a difference of only ld. on tho better class of houses, and in the ea,se of the smaller houses it only means about a halfpenny a week more. Usually, a landlord does not increase the rent for this reason until the rates have increased ?y a figure repi't?pn'tin? about 3d. on a hOII- No Remission Yet. From enquiries made in the Saiuifcids district on T Hesday a f-e/uier reporter gathered that in those cases where the rents had been raised during the past few mouiths no remission li-ad yet, been made. And at the houses he enquired none of the reasons for an increase stipulated in the Act could be urged in justification. A number of tenants cpcupying hou?R con- taining four rooms and kitchen or cullHY had their rent raised from 9s. to 10s. aome I months ago, and they were still paying it One tp.nant had been1 in the same house for 17 years. Pay-or Clear Out! I A tenant who told the agent that he considered the reht. high was politely in- formed that lie could either pay or clear out. In one ease, whope the tenant and his family had occupied i he houso for nearly 30 years, the .rent had been jn- creased from 9s. to 10s. a week. It was a four-roomed house, with a slope kitchen, and when they first caitio there the rent was about 5s. 6d. a. week. For the same ehss of house, people in the same district were paying 7s. (id. and 8s. 6d. a week..One tenant, who was at present paying 9s. ("0. a week, we were told, had been informed that, his rent, would be raised shortly by week.

:1. THE KAISER MYSTERY I Operating Theatre or War I Theatre?* I Amsterdam. Tuesday.- Travellers who hnv? an-ln", i n Rotterdam from Berlin cay the report is current iht'r? to <he effect that ?h? Kaiser has not Idt for i? I'T'ON I <?ii flit? contrary, he ¡1'¡Hlk to Southern G?rmam'. where he i< !<? undergo an operation. This is the reason the of'ic.ial statement did not give the theatre of war to which the lvaiser is going.—Exchange Special.

-CC-='C_u == J I HCLM8 ON TO BELGIUM — I Prussian Statesman on t Retention. ( Amsterdam, 1fonday,LOn the occasion of the roacling c)', of the first reading of the Budget in the Prussian Diet to-day, the Minister of the Interior staiod the giving up of Belgium i would be most foolish because Belgium was their security for peace. Belgium wa s an intriguer against Germany. Thoy only wanted a free passage through Belgium.

 WMMSE WAR EMMES. I The following war-time economies have been decided upon bv the. St. Pancras Board of Guardians: Single instead of double sheets of note- paper. Fire bricks in open grates. Coal mixed with coke- Chop t1wi r own fi ,WúOd, II' Medium weight cloak for ?ur?p;; to ?crve all the year round. j

FOR TROOPS AT SWANSEA Captain R. George Davison, of the Hh King's Liverpool Regiment, makes the following appeal in a letter to the Editor —- On behalf of the troops stationed at the docks in Swansea. I shall greatly appreciate the gift of any books, maga- zines or indoor games which your good readers may have finished with. These men are all engaged on guard duty, and the few hours' recreation which they have would be greatly enhanced with gifts of this nature.—I feel sure I have onlv to and they will receive. R. George Davison, Captain, j Swansea.

RUSSIA TO DEAL DIRECT I Freeman tie (West Australia) Monday) (received Tuesday).— Russian advices state that that country wants wool and fati <HrMt from A??tt<m instead of through Germany, a? hitherto. I

ELEVEN MONTHS' LOSSES -1 According to the Bed Cross of Geneva, says the Paris correspondent of the Moruiyg Post." the following were the losi>lwof certain of the belligerents in thej first eleven months of war: Killed Wo'nd'd Pns'n'rs Total n'o.ooo 4,385,000 England 180. (WO 2<tf,000 90,000 170.00ft I C'rnr'nv l.tiSMKW 1,8.50.000 821),000 4,390,000 Turkey.. 118,000 148,000 95,888 345,809 i

ill EAST AFRICA GERMANS SEVERELY DEFEATED SMALL BELGIAN OARRlSOffS SPLENDID ViCTOSr MAY RAIDS CHECKED Rec^fved to-day:— Renter's Agency is informed that details naye Just reached this country of a ser'«j\»s defæt inflicted on the Germans near the East. African frontier by a small Belgian I garrison, in which the latter, after nine- teen hours' hot fighting, drove off the enemy, who» wss in greatly superior nlm- bers, and remained masters ot the battle- lield. So far as can be ascertained this is the first news of this affair that has got through, although it occurred three montiis ayo. At 5.30 on the morning of September :!7tlt an enemy force, under 150 Europeans with 600 regular soldiers, and a large num- ber of Askards,with maxim,hotchkiss,and tield guns, attacked the Belgian garrison at a plaoe ca',Ied favingia. The Belgian I garrison numbered three Europeans and 180 soldiers, with one girn. This was sup- ported by two companies, with eight Euro- peans and three machine-guns. The fighting was of a sanguinary char- | acter, and, as a??dy stated, lasted ?in?- tp?n hours. The Germans were jpry d?s- pcra?a. and had dMfn.red that th?'r?nt?tn flag should fly over the post before the day was out. On the Belgian side both oiffcers and men displayed the greatest bravery. They lost one oiffcer, with twenty-nine soldiers kilipd and forty-six wounded. Many Small Raids. j the enemy suficred hpavily.and suc- ceeded in removing a large number of (lpaq and wounded from tho battlefield. The Belgians found and buried one white j Gorman officer and sixty-«x soldiers of tho enemy's forcp. They also captured j machine guns, ridc? a?d cartrid?'s and equipment before the pn?my Sn?Hy 1'0-1 tired and ?sca}?H under cover of darkness. N?ws has !?wen r?ceiv?d of a number of HmaIIer raids. On October 19th, the enpjny bon? reported at a di??n? of seven and a half miles, a force of Rhodes.ian Police and Rifles was sent to intercept them. This force joined other I columns to attack the Germans before' t dawn. but the latter had vanished. )

SWANSEA TRIBUNAL Meeting to Take Place on I January 28th. The Swansea Tribunal to consider re- ferred claims frn the Advisory Commit- tee under the Derby scheme, is to meet on Wednesday. January 2fith. Many per- plexing points will have to he settled.

'-m_ I BELGIANS EXECUTED Accused and Condemned for I War Treason. Amf?rd?n, Tucpday.—T)? 13rl1"5(>1. I correspondent, of the Handelsblad states that Desidere Do Gucht. of Charle- roi; Lodew'k autier, of Maubeuge; and Gaston Samair, of Sous 1?? ?oiB, a?ar Mau}?p. were ?n?nt-? to dp;?h hv court-martia 1 on Dec. 28th, and executed for war treason. Charles Frank, of Tlauf Mont, was sen- tenced to penal servitude, and I three other n),n and one woman to a year's penal servitud e each. L • ■

MR. REDMOND'S DENIAL — • — Irish Chief Not Going to II Resign. WW1 rf'fN'!w't'a. -pa. n\grrn JHJh-1 I[?L<?d In a London n<?paper on Tues- day. "That a rumour ?'fi?currfn?.n political in Co r k that Mr. Jofen asked his colleagues to accept his resignation of the leadership of the Irish Party, but at. tue. urgent request I 0" his followers he will remain as chief ?nti! a n(,CÆ.sor cn b? chf?Mi." Mr H.d- 'I mond. in reply ? an inquiry by t? rr?.p Af«ociation said It is a lot of rubbish. -TiMre? not a 1'Nd of truth in it from ¡ -bpg?.nmng to ?T?d." I

KAISERS AGENT Ftf ED I Washington. M?nd?y.—?'<mr of (he five I! German agents indited for the cnspi ra ('Y to abip rubber to Germany in sprre? violation of the Custom.* laws phvuled guilty. Max l^acgar (the ringleader iiid: agent of the German Governjfnent) was fined 1,500 dollars, and the others 100 to 750 dollars. Annie Dekaers, the fifth defendant, was unable to appear owing to all ge,.

SUGAR REFINERS' REW SCHEME I Tli, Liverpool Iv ho is informed I that a Livor|Kx>l firm of sugfl.r im|»rters and refiners have purchased a steamer for the pur- poses of their jmporting" business. The new departure has beer, deemed advisable owing to the difficulty of securing regu- lar tlelive.rieti under tlie present oircam- stancc*. and in view of the increasingly large contracts availa ble to tlie local sugar industry.

U,-U_ NO MORE ROBBERY FILMS French Mayor Puts His Foot Down Firmly. Paris. Vtiday.—The, Mayor of Argcn- teuil, a large industrial .1.dn¡rh of Paris, has waVned (-ini,n)a that they must show no more batglary or such like films, or <;lce lie i,ill thelug 01 all their halls. The dcij(\n is the outcome of an at?'mpt?d robl>cry last w<>ek at a district pot o?k'o (,I' tlii-w lads broke into ihe place at. right, and. with I drawn daggers, compelled the chief clerk —a Tftmian—to hand over the keys of the safe. j They had overlooked her daughter, who j was able to give the alarm. -Her screams caused the young ruffians to hurry away, and in their fright they dropped a cap and a pocket-book, by means of which they were traced and arrested. i J'lwy admitted that they -were j<=r] to commit the dt-oll by ain the cinema drawn from a sensational serial story r.W f running in a French paper. The tale' marks a new departure in n(,wj)aper! feuillotons, bcitiy run in collaboration i with the cinema, which illustrate it week I by week as the plot develops.

1 A I c LORD KITCHENER AND MARRIED rËN. No Extension of Bill Required. Jn the Commons??'ate tp? llc day on Gene-sal Sir Ivor Her- bert's amendment to the- Mili- tary Service Bill, Mr. Waiter Loitg said he was authorised by Lord Kitchener to state that he did not desire an ex- tension of the BiT:. Lord Kitchener so id the Bill would, by bringing in the married men, give him all the men he required to secure victory. i THE CANNONADE CONTINUED. j, The French official communique issued in Paris this afternoon says There was intermittent carnoriadi^g in the course of the nigh! of vn'riou- patt3  ,[ tùe frunt-. Tlic'c ? no im?r'?ut event to report. ? NEW POSTMASTER-GENERAL. Mr. Asquith. in the IIousc" c: Com- mons to-dmy, announced tuaf lr, J. Pease has K>e?o appointed rostraas^r- General. Von Papon's Paprrs. Lord Robert Cecil stated that a -ob.-etion from the documents taker, fro Capt. Von Papen would be iesued as a Parliamen- tary paper. i British Titles of Aitens. Mr. S^tift McNeil ga% c notiec oi a motion protesting against retentiou or British titles by the .D^ako of Cuui- j berland and the Duke or Albany. GERMAN RUNAWAYS CAPTURED. The Press Association Jare* 'Jiat'fhe German sailor? who escspea from <'tldcai'tlc been rc-cup^arcd. ¥ ) I < w

NO CONSCRIPTION IN CANADA. I ottawa, Monday.—In the Dominion House of Commons on Monday the Premier declared there was no intention j to introduce cOI1;.<:cr.i ptj(1!).

FULL MEET:NS Of THE CABINET FULL MfETNa OF THE CAB1NET A. meeting of the Cabinet. was held at, 10, Downing-streot, or Tuesday. The Prime Minister presided, and all the other I Ministers wero present.

CEN. SffliTMORRiE!! POORLY I Capetown. Monday.—General Si l" Horace Smith-Dorrien is rJightiy indis- posed, and lie is consequently staying in Capetown, He will proce«.d to Johannes- bury in a few days. and will thence go; to i-tay with Lord .Buxton.

WHALER A"fIREu- tN THË- CHMltlH WHALER AFIRE [H THE CHAKNEL The auxiliary whaling schooner Scotia, of Dundee, was observed to be on tire in i the Bristol Channel on Tuesday morning, "ith dense sim-.kc issuing from the holds. The vessel was eventuall y beached near Sully, where it is likely to become a total, wreck. "<

ALLIES' JOINT INTERESTS I li-ome Tuesday.—The Radical Deputies met yesterday, and the discussion disclosed the ieeiiag thyt the economic inteiests of <bo Allies were jQint ones, and that agree- [ u?ut? Rhould be catered i?to with U? üh- ??-t of ininsi'? vigour ?d 1mity ÜllO the poonoiuic policy of the A ikes. J <"■— • ■ ""JJtm

GERMAN PATROL-BOAT WRECKED I C.openJm??n. Monday.—A smaJl sic-am?r, ) supposed to be a German naval a.uxihary, i?undertxi <? ?a!?r'ia.Y night cdf Kon?t- hoej, on Aero Island (S.W. Baltic). The ship's name and the fate of her crew are unknown, bn" uniforms and caps markPd. with German characters have been washed arfxore.—Reutcr.

NEWCASTLE RAILWAY SMASH I Company Accepts Legal i ResponsibiHty. The adjourned inquest on the nineteen victims of the South Shields and New- • castle railway disaster was resumed at South Shields on Tuesday morning. Mr. Bf)othroyd, solicitor for the >,orth-Eastern RaiJway, ?focc the evidence wa« taken ?aid Jw was inst:Hd('d ? inbmak pub- hdy that th? railway company acc?pt?d legal responsibility for the accident, and! (Lci not attach any limit to the scope of I file enquiry.

BEER RIOTSJH VIENNA I 0- Rise in Price Causes Lively Scenes. Amsterdam., Tuesday.—According to a. telegram from Rotterdam, it is reported that serious riots have taken place in cafes in Vienna owing to the announcement of an increase of 5 kronn per hectolitre of beer. Numbers of oa?<-? have been at- i tacked by an infuriated mob, who dc- ?tr?yt?d everything. The iBhahifantc of Vienna arc very excited about the raising j of the price of beer, and trd?Me is ex- pected over the whol of Auetrm.—Ex- j change SpeciaL I

THE DUTCH FLOODS 1 I QUEEN VillnLM- INA VISITS SCEKE Of DISASTER j I REPAIRING DAMAGED DYKES Rotterdam,Monday.—Queen Wi33>elmma i to-day made a tour in a motor-boat of [ the flooded area. north of Amst&rdajii. She saw great gaps in several of the djkos which protect large tracts of land lower than ihe .sea known as polders. An idea, of the force of the tidal wave may be ?alherfd by ,a, viw of th? tm?e Zayder Zee dyke, which is broken in siX-! ffeu places. If th<?sc gaps are not quickiy repaired practically the whole provim-e of North Holland will be fhx>ded, for evon ai i low ticiB the water pours over the laud. Thousands of soldiers are engaged on-thei work, and the military authorities are studying the inundation in its reiaiian toj defensive flooding in time of war. j Tho Queen, visited the churches fiiled j with cattle saved from the fiood and] talked synvpa-tiiotically with theijr-o^fm«i"S. She also werrt on board fidli-ng boats har- j bouring refugees from flooded lands. j It is int possible to say at present thej total number of victims. The latest re-! jror.i gives 25 drowned. FundR t: the rrlief of the distressed have been wipeoed by various newspapers. I

QUEEN MOTHER AS A WAITRESS; How a Thirsty Soldier was Surprised. i I He was very thirsty, and the tea looked delightfully refreshing. But he I glanced at. the lady who waited on him I and something made him pause. Sud- denly tr> know. It was Queen Alexandra. ¡ The Queen-Mother, so very modestly and sn kindly, was showing hor grautu<de to the Empire's fighting men by waitimg on them iu their newest London rest; hut. He stood to attention and gravely fluted. a part-N? oF ii-ic,.n w "ho He W[ OD? of a party of men w?o had juRt oom? from Vi?toriA Station. hrf-d and worn, and they were very glad to he the jjrst visitors at the hut in Grosvenor- gardens, which was opened on Monday afternoon. So far the Royal Mewss have been the only accommodation available for the troops coming to and departing from Victoria Station, but this splendid club is now available for them within a minute's walk of the station. The Queen-Mother, who was accom- panied by I'rincraB Victoria, was greatly interested in the cubicles. Nearly a I hundred beds are ready, and close by are hot baths—a great luxury alter the mud at the front. There is a brighUy fitted- up recreation room, with comfortable chairs and tables, where hours of leave that would otherwise prove so weary can bo happily wiled There is a staff of eight voluntary workers, who, under the direction of Lady Ponsonby. do everything possible- for the comfort of the men. One of the Helpens is Lady de Ramsey, whose husband is a prisoner of war in Germany.

THE MAYORS THANKS I The Mayor of Swansea (Alderman T. Merrells) writer as follows to the editor:- Dear Sir,—I desire, to convey to you my sincere thanks for the valuable assistance j rendered by you in connection with the patriotic concert at the Albert Hall ou Thursday last by the publicity you g-ave j to the same through the columns of your paper prior to the event. This concert was undoubtedly a brilliant success, and this, I may say, is largely due to your kindness and generosity. i Guildhall, Swansea, Jan. 17th, 19H5. j

jTHEWAR e Resume of To-day's I Messages. "Leader' Office 4.50 p.m Of principal importance in to-day's budget of war now? in the intelligence that Montenegro has given in. This its tantamout to raying that negotiations fur peace have been ope nod. I'rom a Russian source comes the claim that several miles of Austro-Geraian trenche's, have been captured. It would appear that the German defeat in Last Africa has been both complete and severe. Additional information on the point has now come to hand, from which it would appear that the Ger- mans suffered heavily. W here is tlie KaiserTravellers who have arrived iu Rotterdam from Berlin say that he has not kit for the front, but has gone south for an operation. Serious riots have taken place in the A ienna cates owing te the aniicTuuce- ment of the increased price of beer.

SWANSEA HARBOUR BILL —————— Sent for First Reading Next Session, House of Commons, Tuesday. The'Swansea Harbour Bill to postpone the repayment or certain mortgages j granted by the Swansea .Harbour Trustees to-day passed the standing .order stage, and was ecnt for lir^t reading next Session.

THE POPE AND ATROCITIES Cardinal Mercier Pressing for Pronouncement. Milan, January 1-1 learn through friends at the Vatican <^says a Daily Chr)llidéu ¡<perinI correspondent) that Cardinal Gaspari, Pontifical Secretary of tatt., has regretfully informed Cardinal Mercier that it has not been possible to distribute to members of the Roruan Catholic hierarchy in Imperial Germany the joint letter addressed to them hy tlio Belgian Episcopate, the substantial' con- tents of which I was enabled to lay before your readers iu a message a few days ago. The Pope entrusted this important un- J'rtaking to Cardinal H;utma!m. but alter his arrival in Colo?m' an ordpr came irom the Ka?c-r?hsolutcly ?orLidding his eminence to forward copi-pt- to the Bishops, or otherwise to divulge the contents of the letter. Cardinal Mercier io now pressing | ,eE, ] ,S nc,lv for an authoritative Papal pronouncement on the subject of German barbarities. ]

i- i THE SLUMP IN THE SOVEREIGN | Drop in Pu?chasmg Power of ? Money. i | I The Board of Trade Lainiur Gazette' shows that, though the British house- holder has bad to bear a considerable in crease in food prices, the plight or our | enemies is infinitely worse. | The following table gives the incix^asesi of retail food prices in the latest returns available for tho United Kingdom, Jferlin,! and Vienna, compared with the figures I prevailing in July. 1011;- Ltd. Kingdom -+- 5 per (Jan. 1. 19JG) I Berlin -f82 per cent. (Nov., 1915) V ienna -j-lll per cent. (Oct. 1915*. ihcsc figures, reduced to t?p purchas- ing power of ?] b?turf T?e wa?. ?h<.m' that! 20s. is now worth— 13s. 9^d. in England. I 11s. Od. at Berlin, and I 9s. 6d. at Vienna. In this country price« W(', on the I av?ra.?". l<?s than 1 per cent.. hi??t'r on 1 January 1st than on December ivt. and f there was a slight -all in the prices of eggs and butter. In Germany the goneral level of prices was b.6 per cent. lower m November than in October, due to the [ fact that the maximum retail prices D..100 in Berlin are well below those locally cur- jI rent in uncont rolled market*. I It follows, therefore, tlutt tlie drop of f about 61 per cent, in the general level of ¡ food prices, based on the latest Pru&sian J official statistics, does not necessarily imc j ply a corivsponding relaxation of thej strain due to short supply's. The- German Press, indeed, affords plenty of evidence of the difficulty of purchasing in Novem- her the lIsual supplies of the newly con- trolled articles at. the officially reduced prirae.