South Wales Weekly Post

There can be little doubt but that the Meeting which ha.s just concluded between the Austrian and German Emperors and their military and political chiefs deepens in effect the subservience of the Dual Mon- archy to the Germans. The increasing un- rest amongst the Slavonic elements in the touth and the north, the mutinies in the fleet, and the disaffection amongst portions M the sffmies, though due to diverse causes, remind the Austro-German and Magyar Min- istries who dominate the remainder that without the support of Germany they would be speedily engulfed. The Emperor Charles, though no doubt from dynastic ambitions desirous of asserting independence of Ber- lin, realises .tha.t pcrsona.!]y he is powerless to alter this fundamental dependence, of the governing peoples in Austria-Hungary upon the Germans. The peace offer which he communicated to France in 1917 through a brother-in-law of his wife, who is reputed to be pro-French, was the most striking and probably the last effort of self-assertion. There is little doubt but that the Emperor sought to make his dynasty impregnable by restoring peace to his distracted Empire. He sought to achieve this by a course which would assure him also of a certain amount of sup- port amongst the Allies; and upon terms that would preserve for his Empire its in- tegrity, whilst in reality leaving it much stronger, with the danger that was always in the past to be apprehended from a strong Russia dispelled, and with an enlarged Po- land, the new Ukraine, and a discomfited Rumania, as fresh pawns with which to play in a,diplomatic game for the future aggran- disement of his Empire. The policy of the Allies towards Austria- Hungary remains unchanged; it should even be hardened. The tremendous convul- sion that has swept away the Russian Em- pire is destined to leave an enduring and mighty mark upon the political face of Europe. Its main effect upon the Western Powers is the leaving of Germany, even despite such territorial restrictions as may ensue from a peace enforced by victorious Allies, much the most powerful and homo- geneous body in the new Europe. We need some compensation for the disruption of Russia, and can only find it in a correspond- ing disruption of Austria-Hungary into its racially component parts. How to attain that, at the moment, failing a miracle, is a problem only soluble by the complete over- throw of German armed power. With Ger- many cast down to the ground, Austria- Hungary will have no power to resist the Allied demands; but that end may be pre- cipitate^ by the upheavals which are con- tinually breaking out in the Dual Monarchy. As a warning against that, we must recognise the plain fact that Austria-Hun- gary, beset at one time with powerful enemies, always weakened by the racial an- tagonisms which even army discipline could not suppress, has weatherer the storm. Italian prospects of victory, which might have been bright when Russia, Rumania and Serbia engaged the main energies of Austro-Hungarian arms, have been sadly dimmed. With the full power of Austria concentrated against her, Italy has enough to do with an effort to expel the invader from her territory without attempting the grandiose aim of the complete defeat of the massed strength of her ancient and arch- enemy. Austria ooold best serve German pur- poses by an increased contribution in men and material to the Western front, by the transfer of a large proportion of her army to France to swell the power of the Ger- man blow against the Franco-British forces, and bv maintaining a firm hnld upon the vast region in South- East Europe which runs from War- saw towards Moscow, Kieff, the Sea. of Azoff, and the Black Sea. In this region the Germans will find the foundations for the replenishing of their strength in the West, and for its development in new quarters in the East. There is reason to believe that the Germans do not intend, in the matter of food, to allow bad to drift to worse, without making a characteristic- ally thorough and vigorous effort to tide over the crisis. The Russian and Ruma- nian grain and oil lands will be systematic- ally exploited this year to assure, as far as possible, a cessation of the food anxieties of the Central Powers for 1919. Certainly, it will be essential to the Ger- mans, if they are to endeavour to protract the war for some years more, to put an end to the malnutrition which is" now play- ing havoc with the German constitution. There is no reason why they should not do no. "A German peace in these regions means, whatever else it signifies, order and tranquility, improved transport, and general conditions totally different from the war-strain and anarchy which has thrown the staple in- dustry of the Ukraine and Rumania into abaos. The demobilised Russo-Rumanian peasantry will supply an abundance of labour, and the Germans will find the direction and the transport. The enemy will no doubt hope that, at the same time that he is striving to revive the agricultural prosperity of the conquered lands, he will revive a certain amount of commerce with them, and will lay broad and smooth and firm a great road to the Eiast which will enable him to develop his plans in the Middle East, against India, vria Turkestan and Pemia. For the moment, with su<.h military effort M he is making, with an almost exhausted Turkey, we are replying with counter-offensives from Bag- dad and in Palestine. The hostility of the Caucasian peoples, the Georgians and the Circassians, to the Tiirco-Germans has to be overcome before Ratum and Baku, com- municating by sea with Odessa, Sebastopol, the Danube and the rail and river water- way of Austria and Germany, can be em- ployed as bases for a new campaign. For the future we should be able to look forward with confidence to armies raised in India. There is an abundance of fighting men in the Indian Empire to deal in ample numbers with any armies that the German is ever likely to organise. The difficulty of officering large new Indian formations could be overcome by a, much more liberal use of native officers who would be at least equal to the average Turkish officer in mental cali- bre. 1* ew people can survey the war with- out a consciousness that we have totally failed to realise more than a small pro- portion of the enormous value of India as a fighting unit. Turkey haa but a fifteenth of the population of India, but the Germans have probably wrung five times the amount of. battle power out of the Turks and their subject races. A Middle EMtern campaign, conducted by native raised armies on either side for the main part, with some small stiffening of white troops, may seem to lie far in the ftibure.. But we see already its commence- ment in the operations north of Bagdad, and with the Rtuuiang out of the way, the capac- ity Of Turkey, ttiough almost squeezed white, to serve still further German plans, is re- newed. Iff the coming year of slaughter in France dies down. as all other years of war have died -down, in a. winter lull, with the weary armies nursin thelMelves into convalescence in fortified fronts for a. new campaign in 1919, we may expect enemy plans in the Near and Middle East to be • pressed on energetically. The plain facte ape that the Germans/are in a position to put an end to their food troubles, and to face the war in 1919 with full stomachs again. They have the grain lands, the people to till them, and certainly ,he ability to exploit them to the best ad- vantage. New fields of ra,w material are • onenea out to them. They have, from their standpoint, secured such success in the East that advantages won in the West, and once of vital) import to them, no longer mat- ter greatly. So it becomes now a necessity, not for the mere expulsion of the enemy from invaded Allied territory, the liberation of France and Belgium and the approach of the Allies to the Rhine, but for the com- plete crushing of the German Army-an- other- and much harder task. At so many points do the Germans hold great gains (,f illimitable future potentiali- ties, that the most drastic overthrow is needed to undo their calamitous work. At one stage ir. the war the driving of the, Germans out of the invaded Western zone would have signified decisive defeat for the enemy; now it. will mean that no longer, for it will not necessarily in the least df*- gree relax the enemy's g-rip upon Eastern Europe. Far more than ever does it be- come imperative for the Allies to battle on until tHe German armies are so crushed that non-conditional surrender can become the Allied terms of peace.

There seems to be a general agreement amongst experts in these matters that the German losses on the battle-fronts since March 21st now total 500,000. This is, ot • course, a suspiciously round number, but, strange as it may seem, it is now possible to make fairly accurate estimates of enemy loss very soon after the actions in which, they have' been incurred. Nowadays, these estimates are worked out by a num- ber of independent investigators on their own individual dwta, and a surprising degree of harmony is attained. One method is to discover by repeated examina- tions of the records of German units, from the corppany upwards, what is the general average of loss which a division-the stan- dard unit for estimation—is allowed to incur, before it is taken out of 'the line for rest and refilling. 'When that average has been worked out, it is a simple matter, by discovering how many divisions have been taken out and how often, to reach the total. It,is not nearly so dubious and uncon- vincing a method as some may imagine. Many divisions will, of course, suffer more than their proper proportion, a few will suffer less, but allowance is made for this, and, as a matter' of fact, the Germans, now that they are on the offensive, are very fairly consistent in their treatment of units. During the battle of the Sorome, in many cases divisions were allowed to bleed to death; we know that several lost 8,000 men, their total complement, in three weeks, but, superficially and temporarily, the German man-power position is easier than in those days. So this estimate ot 500,000 can be accepted with considerable confidence. So also can the statement, j made by a. distinguished German states- man" to the Politiken," to the effect that Hindenburg stopped the first phase of the offensive abruptly owing to the lasses it WoQ,S entailing. He is, of course, prepared to sacrifice, many more than that number to secure a decision, but, a.fter the first few days, the rate of loss became pro-, hibitively heavy. The capture of the Bapaumo line entailed a brutal massacre, which we were able to I,ea.rn had even shocked the Germans. At such a rate, long before even Amiens could be reached, the German army would have been in a etate bordering on dissolution. Therefore the main offensive was abruptly stopped, a subsidiary operation begun in the North., and under cover of it preparations made for renewing the main attack. A peremptory circular was sent round to all officers commanding infantry units to the effect that an altogether reckless use had been made of German lives, and more use of weapons and less reliance on human bodies was insisted upon. No doubt there have been many strict inquiries instituted as to the cause of the abnormal) losses, and when they attack next time we may expect cer- tain modifications and improvements, in their tactics. Such changes are. however, a sign of nervousness and weakness. The Germans have not :Yt!lfft' t'NIU\"i'-1 whelming loss, but the objectives gained have not bu worth the gaàifice. That is the certain ruth. Had not hopes been so deliberately inflated; had not the internal situation of Germany become so perilous; were it not for the menace of America, it is possible that the Germans would be content with their jy&ius and would try a diversion. They might lend a spear-head of half a dozen corps to Austria, ginger up the Bulgars for an attack on Salonika, or give the battered Turk the tonic oif strong reinforcement. It is just possible that Austria will get a few divisions, but otherwise the day of diver- sion is past. The greatness of the stake in the West, its comparative accessibility, the inevitable and speedy increase in the weight of American assistance, all point but one moral, "What we have to do, we must do quickly." So another 500,000 will follow the first in the effort to get home just in time. On the whole we may be well content I that this is so. —————— ——————

In some highly sensitive quarters in this country objection has lately been made to the use of the phrase "peace offensive" as a description of certain diplomatic manoeuvres of the Central Empires. The term exactly flits the thing, and no other conjunction of words would express its nature so aptly. The efforts of the rulers of Germany and Austria-Hungary to split the Great Alliance by creating an antagonism of purposes, and interests are carefully planned and concerted attacks; they are offensives, and peace is used as the pretext and the lure by which the attacks arte made practicable and for- midable. These attempts to break the unity of the Entente and overcome the members of the group in detail by diplomatic aggression have nothing whatever in common with honest overtures sincerely intended to end the war, and only the Kaiser's friends in our midst are concerned to obliterate the dis- tinction between the two and so befog the discernment of the British people to its own great peril. An excellent example of the Austro-Ger- man initiative in a "peace offensive" and the concerted support given to the move by the pro-German cliques in these islands is sup- plied by the history of the notorious letter written last year by the Emperor Charles to his brother-in-law, Prince S'xtus of Bourbon- Parma. The subject was thrashed out in a most instructive debate in the House of Com- mons on the eve of the adjournment for the Whitsuntide recess. For weeks the pro- German and semi-pro-German Press in Bri- i tain and elsewhere has been full of a start- lin,g series of assertions and insinuations so pieced together as to form a consistent in- dictment of the British and French Govern- ments, and especially of the two Prime Min- isters concerned. The main count in this elaborately fabricated accusation was that the Emperor of Austria about a year ago submitted to the heads of the Frenoh and British Govern- ments a genuine and promising- proposal which should have served as the basis of general negotiations, that the Prime Minis- ters of France a.nd Britain in concert with a few confederates hurriedly and furtively burked the Austrian dove because they wished to prolong the war, and that they concealed from President Wilson the fact that the Emperor of Austria had signified his willingness to treat on a practicable basis. It is quite plain that neither a French nor British statesman could withhold from Pre- sident Wilson information which the ruler of Austria-Hungary wished him to have, for the Emperor Charles can at any tiitiet com- municate with the Government at Washing- ton through channels which are always open. But that is only one of the considerations which show the factitious nAture of the Ger- man and pro-German charge against the responsible leaders of the French and British democracies. In his statement to the House of Com- mons before the adjournment, Mr. Balfour disclosed the ground plan of the intrigue by which the recent attempt to mislead 'the British public was guided :—"The letter which has attracted public attention was a private letter written by the Emperor of Austria to a relative, conveyed by that relative to the French President and the French Prime Minister under the seal of the strictest secrecy, and without permis- sion to convey it to anybody except the Prime Minister and the Sovereign of this country, and without permis- sion even to communicate it to the Cabinet colleagues of the Prime Minister' of this country. There is this curious ana significant fact, that' the offer made by the Austrian Emperor to the President of the French Republic under the narrow limita- tions which I have endeavoured to describe to the House consisted of an offer by the Austrians of something that belonged to the Germans. The Austrians are hardly in a position now, and hardly were in a posi- tion then, to offer the territory of their infinitely more powerful ally to anybody without that ally's consent." Mr. Balfour pointed out that the French Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs has conducted a searching investi- gation into the whole transaction;—"The conclusion they came to was tha.t the letter of the Emperor Charles did not provide adequate or .satisfaetory oases tor at honourable peace. You may say that the Committee of the French Chamber were prejudiced. You may say that other motives than a judicial consideration of these historical facts animated the verdict, but observe, if they had prejudices at all, it would surely have been in favour of a, peace which gave them Alsace-Lorraine without further fighting. That is the point." The episode thus reviewed shows precisely what the nature of an Austro-j German peace offensive is and why it I should be known to the public in this country under that name. a

In Russia the enemy continues to con- solidate himself by seizing as much as pos- sible of the North Black Sea coast. We may expect renewed naval activity in the Mediterranean when he has put in trim the warships taken at Sevastopol. We have enough vessels available to deal with these, but the Danube waterway is a new road of access for the submarines to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The queer treaty of Brest Litovsk put no period to Russian affairs, which drift steadily towards even more complete anarchy and disintegration than ever, if that is pos?ib)e- Vague news from Petrograd and Moscow, capitals alternately hidden from the ken of the outer world and briefly revealed, pligger-t the imminence or the prospect of German occupation of either place. II there, how- ever, remains in Russia a nucus of power which is still anti-German, it is worth the- while of the Allies to cultivate even that. But careful circumspection is enjoined by the bitter experience of the past.

———— Wales has contributed more men in pro- j portion to her population to the fighting I forces than any other country of the realm I she has contributed more women to the! female Auxiliary Corps than any other country, and she has now (through the mag- nificent performance of Carmarthenshire) secured pride of place by being the country which leads the kingdgm for weekly support to the war fun/Is. Carmarthenshire I (largely, we suspect, through the extraor- dinary enthusiasm of Llanelly), averages a. war savings certificate a week per head of population, and that is half as much again as her quota., If all: other counties did as well, or nearly ¡ as weLI. we could contemplate cheerfully, from the standpoint of money, a prolonga- tion oif the war to a remote date. Latterly, there has been some falling off in the coun- trv. That is natural, for "Business Men's Week and the peregrinations of the Tanks have pretty well pumped many localities dry of their realisable cash. And Swansea is now asked to find a "Swansea" Trfnk, and will doubtless do it.. But. never- theless, the money to realise the ideal of ths Government a. woklv subscription covering the expenses is in the country. The encouraging sign is that the war sav- ings' habit is growing fast upon the coun- try. —

The renewal of aerial activity upon an extensi ve scale is a certain prelude to a great offensive. The inferiority the German air service has been pronounced. In the last two months the French have accounted for 322 enemy machines, and have lost them- selves only 96. The disproportionate sever- ity of the enemy's losses is even more mark- ed in the case of the British achievements, In sevcn day,, NN-e put down 71 enemy ma- chines and lct-;t ourselves only 17. On Thursday last alone we destroyed 40 ma- chines and lost ourselves only an eighth of that number. Since the end of March over 1,000 enemy 'planes have been brought down. All this is being don". without as yet any aerial contribution by the Ameri- ca.ns worth mention. But a vast influx of strength from that quarter is certain. Besides this purely air fighting, our air- men do service of the highest value in the destruction of material accumulated by the enemy and in impeding the movement of troops and further material by him. It cannot be claimed that this is of decisive importance, but it is all of the greatest value. It ma,y be pointed out that the suc- cess of the German attack upon the Fifth Army in March is another great failure for the aeroplane in its capacity as scout. It has been repeatedly demonstrated in t,he course of the war that it is possible to con- centrate suddenly great masses of troops (chiefly by night) in iginorance to the side about to he assailed. The aeroplane is not infallible, and it has several .big failures to its debit. Nevertheless, that does no more than warn'us against an excessive estimate of its value. — 1 « It has been observed with justice that "considerable as is the dislocation which aviators may introduce into the arrange- ments for an offensive, we must not fancy that they can stop one. They cannot hold a. line; the heavy burden of that task has still to be borne by the 'infantry." Aero- planes by thousands and heavy artillery in masses beyond count have utterly failed to supplant infantry. They have but added immeasurably to the ordeals to be borne by the latter; yet he survives them, and in 4 he long run wins. the battle after artillery and, the air services have done their utmost. 7.

The Germans are now venting their spite on the old town of Bethune, after having battered Arras, Albert, Amiens, and Rheims, out of sheer devilry. Many cherish recol- lections that linger of the fine old place, so near the scene- of blood, because of its being the, only really habitable rendezvous for social evenings for many mjles round. The Theatre Municipale was quite a. tolerable kinema., and its picture programme almost up-to-date, although the sub-titles, etc., were generally in French. Who will forget, also, the innumerable "pomme-de-terre-fritt-avec- ceuf" shops that, lined the picturesque streets? The provision of fried chips and eggs seemed to he the staple industry when the town was hung on the verge of Arma- geddon. Bethune and its environs fio-nre largely in Dumas' "Three :\{usketeerg,"lIld it was near here that "Miladv" met her death at the instigation of Athos and his comra,des.-("Cycliste.")

A popular Swansea docksman is one of thirteen children--all alive. Butter was so plentiful in Ctrmarthenlast Saturday that sellers were hawking" it about tile streets. The finest display of May in blossom in Swansea town is .provided 'by the trees in King Edward-roaJ. "You can't get rid of war. Man is a fighting aiiimal-aiid so is woman, too. (The Earl of Denbigh.) Skew^n is ahead of Swansea so for as lady cobblers are concerned, as they can boa.st of a few crack hands at that! A pleasing feature of Swansea, lite to-day is the activity displayed by Sir John Llew- elyn in his many-phased interests in the Ublic weal. May his days be long in the ?land. <  -< >- < >-<  -0 Mr. T. Henderson's carving of the bor- ough coat of arms, which be has presented to the Chamber of Commerce, is to find a final re-sting place under the clock on 'Change. :t:$ The appearance of the Northern Lights in the early hours ci Friday morning provided the Swansea specials on night duty patrol- ing the outskirts of the town with an im- pressive spectacle. Mr. W. T. Farr, through Harbour Trust duties, could not be present at the meeting on 'Change on Friday; but he came in at the finish with a £ 100 cheque for the "Daily Post" Prisoners' of War Fund. Councillor David Williams denounces Castle Ward as the "refuge of incompetents." Members of the Swansea Chamber of Com- merce and the Swansea. Harbour Trustees will be pleased. ("Docksriiaii. ♦ ♦$>-< £ —<S> The "gilt-edged" person with the fancy waistcoat who waved off a pretty girl flag- vendor ii,i High street, Swansea, oil Saturday received a weet refly: Hope you 11 never bs captured, sir," she said. The a-ctivities of Mr. T. J. Williams, M.P., among the Parliamentary Secretaries of State, exhibits aptitude and op- tional knowledge of the require.. of Swansea and the immediate locality. A patriot, the Earl of Denbigh urged at Swansea on Frjday, was one who fought and died for his country. But the patriotism we must not lose sight of. urged his lord- ship, was to see the enemy patriot die first. Mr. Steve Morgan, who handles ten thousand tons of potatoes in the course of a year, has taken over one of the allot- ments of the policemen called to the Colours at Park Wern, and is now diligently cultivating five potato rows. Mr. C. Vivian, of the Ixmdon City and Midland Bank, will be the doyen amongst Swansea bank managers now that Mr. Frederic Edwards is retiring. Mr. Vivian has been a bank manager at Swansea now for 21 years. Someone has aptly said that he scarcely looks ten years older. j Those who missed Major Fox, D.S.O.'s, exposure of Hun barbarities at Swansea on Friday missed a t.iie insight into the. Ger- man character. No wonder the major has sworn an oath and no wonder he desires to meet pacifists to recount to them his own personal experiences. "It wi)l be regrettable it' the Glamorgan County Council allows itself to carry io.the' floor of the House of Commons its hitherto ?futile ()p'$ition' to the realisation of Swan?- i sea's legitimate ambitions as a great con- solidated community. ("South Wales Daily News," Cardiff.') One of the most striking commentaries made by the Earl of Denbigh and Major Fox at Swansea, on Friday was the way we at home looked upon the war. They urged we did not regard it from the. German point of view at all, but merely from our own, and the dAnger of party politics was emphasised to the full. 1 Many in% teresting sights are to bl,- seen when one walks round the Mumbles allot- ments. One enthusiastic allotment-holder, setting on a high bank, was so Engrossed in admiring his handiwork, and dreaming that he had already won all the prizes in the agricultural shdw, that he suddenly lost his balance, and all that could be seen of him was a pair of feet showing above the bank. But what we heard—well—brought tears to the.eyes of the potatoes! A smart young sailor was the central J figure of a pathetic little incident at the Llanelly Station the other day. He was obviously returning to take up his pt in the war. and just as the train starteti out an aged mother and a group of young sisters buist out crying. The young lad mastered his feelings splendidly, and all that his mother and sisters could see was his partially I closed hand 'as he disappeared from view. It was the British tar's mute but eloquent ex- hortation—"Thumbs up, rroth-4 A prominent Cardiff citizen, writing to the Western Mail," complains bitterly that a lonely wounded subaltern in a local i military hospital has had one solitary caller during "miny weary months of pain." I The writer proceeds: "From here he has been sent to a convalescent home in Swan- sea. He had not been there 48 hours be- fore receiving more than a dozen personal invitations to visit Swansea homes (though an utter stranger there as here) from ladies who had been at the pains to get to know of his arrival there. Is this case typican I fear so, and, ii so, what a contrast!" I I, But bless you, it's our natural way at Swansea! A Brynamman collier, who often pro- claimed himself to be an expert angler, once went with a colliery excursion to Swansea. I Whilst walking about with his chums he noticfd ,two or three persons sitting on the pierhead dreamily waiting for something to tug at their lines. The "expert," after I having impatiently looked on for a few min- utes. declared, "Bless me, Dai, they don't know how to tackle them around here." With that he walked indignantly away, got to a shop. and bought a complete fishing out- fit. "1'11 show these Swansea, chaps how to catch, bass!" he exclaimed as he dropped his baited line down into the water. The next moment a, big fish began to drag away his tackle. The fish was swung on to the pier- head, where it flopped away energetically. The collier detached it from the hook and threw it back into the water. "Y ou beg- gar he exclaimed, "don't swagger so much, will you? You must come up in a respectable manner next time." In another second or two the angler felt another strong tug at his line. "O'r tri chwaxter pound a ti he ejaculated, a8 he gave a, tug. The next moment something reaJJy big landed on the pierheadi. "Hen skillet, mwn uffern i," shouted the "expert" as he jumped away from his "catch." We reproduce the following from the "Western Mail" saiis comment' .AN-hen we find at sucoesfive meetings of Swansea Coun- cil a, member saying he < Mild "bring a tailor to fight an alderman," and another time a councillor ad.vising another to "get his dirty soul washed before he joined a body of honourable men," it is, perhaps, natural for outsiders to assume that the Swansea Cor- poration are a quarrelsome and ill-natured body. Nothing could be further from the truth. These things seem rather k, spring from long interludes'of aH-too-ple.'sant com- radeship. Excitable they may be, but ill- natured not at afl. It is almost like the explanation of a Jack Tar of an epithet pecu- liarly offensive to ordinary ears M ,a term of endearment."

STOP PRESS. I I

EISTEODFODAU. At the Whitsuntide Eisteddfod at Llandovery the principal awards were:— Mixed choirLlandoYery (conductor, Mr. Tom Thomas). Children's choir— Llandovery Council School. Champion solo—Divided, Mrs. Davies, Llanelly and Miss Thomas, Maesvrhaf, LIandovery. Champion solo—Mr. D. J. Evans, Bryn- aman. Penillion singing-D. Bnvàn Glanamman. Champion reeitation-Mi-. Dan Matthews, Pontardulais. At an eisteddfod held at Bridgend yesterday the following were among the results:—Contralto solo—Miss Jennie Griffiths. Nantyffyllon, and Miss Dorothy Richards, Briton Ferry. At Kidwelly Cast Jo the principal winners were:—Open rebitation—Mrs. Millicent Rees, Ammanford. Bass solo —Harry Roberts, Gorseinon. Tenor solo -John Edwards. Soprano solo--M:ss Annie Davies, Carmarthen. Quartette— John Howells and pairty, Trimsaran. Champion solo—Mr. Harry Roberts, Gor- seinon. Children's choir—Sandv United, Llanelly (Mr. R. Charles). Chief cWal -C.a,rmaxthen (Mr. W. Jones).

■ v j WELSH HOME RULERS IWELS HOME RULERS SWANSEA COUNCILLOR AND SOME M.P.'s. I In connection with the Home Rule I decision at the Llandrindod conference on Tuesday the following were included I in an executive committee appointed to draft a Welsh Nationalist programme for the next conference to be convened:- Ald. Ben Jones (Mayor of Swansea), I' Councillor Ivor Gwynne, Swansea; Ald. Hopkin Morgan, Neath, and Mrs. Coombe-Tennant, Neath. During the conference proceedings Councillor Ivor Gwynne (Swansea) sup- porting a resolution of confidence in the Government, and to further the prosecu- tion of the war, said Germany must over- throw her own autocracy, or we would do it for her. Wales, he added, must make its representatives toe the line." This was no time for writing letters to the Press, nor for past Prime Ministers to initiate unnecessary debates in the House of Commons. In the whole Em- pire no man could take Mr. Lloyd George's place. He wished to add a rider expressing "strong condemnation" of the misguided action" of some Welsh members of Parliament. This was met with loud cries of dissent. The Chairman immediately ruled the rider out of order.

I MORE PJGS. BREEDING LAND AT COCKETT DISTRICT. The inhabitants of Cockett, Fforest- fach and Waunarlwydd are answering the Board of Agriculture's call for more fats, and arc going in for piggeries on a large scale. Land is to be acquired near Hill Hand Farm, Tycoch, Sketty, of aliout three acres, at an annual rent of 35s. per acre. Cockctt Council discussed the matter at their monthly meeting: on Tuesday at their month]-,v meetin'- :N fayt,yBn oaxd of evening, and Mr. T. J. Martyn (clerk) read correspondence from the Board of Agriculture, and stated lie was negotiat- ing for the purchase of three sows-price not stated. Once a start was made and a breeder had his certificate he would be entitled to lilbs. of meal a day for his pig. pi Public meetings are to be convened in the wards.

"TIZ"-a Joy to Sore, Tired Feet TIZ is just wonderful for sore, aching, swollen, perspiring feet and corns. After the day's word, f thanks to B TIZ I feel as fresh as a R daIsy. Good-bye sore feet. burning feet, swollen feet. perspiring feet, tired feet. Good-bye corns, hard skin, bunions,-and chilblains. No more shoe tightness, no more limping with pain or drawing- up your face in agony. TIZ is magical, acts right off. TIZ draws out all the poison- ous exudations which puff up the feet. Use TIZ and wear smaller shoes. Use I TIZ and forget your foot misery. Ah J how comfortable your feet feel. Don't forget to include TIZ in your parcel to the boys at the Front. "I cannot speak too highly of Tlf,"de- clares Nurse L. A. Clears, 22, Fawnbrake- avenue, Herne Hill, S.E. "It has given me wonderful relief after being a great sufferer from tender feet and bad corns. I have used TIZ three times and can now walk anywhere without disctomfort." Get a Is. 3d. box of TIZ now at any chemist's or stores. Don't suffer. Have good feet, glad feet, feet that never swell, never hurt, never get tired. A year's foot comfort guaranteed or money refunded. At the meeting of the Swansea Chamber of Commerce next Friday the following new members will be proposed: —Messrs. Horace B. Jones, A. J. Phillips, and W. A. Roderick. Our Portrait Is of M rs. C. LEESE, of 1 Roehead Cottage, Mirfield Moor, Yorkshire, who writes:— I was suffering with Glandular Abscesses under both arms, having several, one after the other, and was in wiai I hardly knew how to bear it. I had one of the abscesses lanced by a doctor, but did not derive much benefit, as the abscesses kept coming again. Then a friend of mi who was completely cured of Rh matism by Clarke's Blood Mixture.' recommended me to take it, so I decided to try a bottle, and the relief it gave me was really wonderful. Having finished it, I got one of your 11/- cases, which, I am n.ore than glad to say, completely cured me. It ib now some 18 months since T took your 'Clarke's Blood Mixture.' I shall always recommend it to any of my friends, as I think it a great medicine." Clarke's Blood Mixture, by reason of its remarkable blood purifying proper- ties, can be relied upon to effect a lasting cure in all cases of Eczpma, Barf Legs, Abscesses, Boils, Pimples, Sor< and Eruptions, Cl-ndular Swellings, Piles, Rheumatism, sciatica, Cout, etc. Over 50 years' success. Pleasant tc take and free from anything injurious. Ask for and see that you get Clarke's Blood Mixture, EVERYBODY'S BLOOD PURIFIER." I t Of all Chemists & Stores, 219 per Bottle. I — ■' 11 11 Mr. A. R. Dawson, late collector of cus- toms at Swansea, and now of Cardiff, will be presented with an illuminated address at the Swansea Chamber of Commerce meeting next Friday. MUSICAL. pIANÖ BARGAINS.—Gors and Kallman *■ Upright Grand, RFO; Farrand Upright, £ 54; Bishop Upright, £ 24; Collard and Colla.rd Gin :d. £ 100; IVeber Upright (when new 90 guiiK-as), All Instruments de- livered carriage paid.—Write for oomplete Catalogue and Bargain List to C. Milsom and Son, Ltd., The Great West of England Piano House, 15. Itilsom-street, Bath.

The brightest Whitsuntide on record. Bathers will find excellent accommodation provided on Swansea foreshore this summer. As many horse brakes were seen on the Gower road on Whit-Monday as in the pre- petrol davs. mmmmm Money, we are told iii-fiiiaicla I circles, is easy. AstoiiiF)iii-ig it tiqht with scr many at Swansea. Amongt their comrades of the Swansea "Specials" the three star men are known as the proprietary brand." m The spectators at the ladies', football match at Swansea on Monday appeared to, be hotter than some of the plivers The news of the Northern Lights having been seen at Swansea has. it ft; said, made one enthusiastic special" more alert than ever. m ♦ ♦ » ♦ A Swansea docksman is now an enthu- siastic yachtsman. He is the possessor of one of the best yachts in the Bristol Channel. ¡ Ijjo [ It was the Children's Day yesterday and pater and mater simply looked on and vo- ciferated. ever and anon, 1,1 Now, mind those new clothes of yours new clothes o? yours The Northern Lights were seen from Swansea early the other morning. It is understood that efforts to screen the. lights under Dora have proved ineffective. It is stated that, Swansea's housing scheme will ba practically the tin i- if not the actual first-d-eposited in detail with the Local Government Board for loan approval. To bring their war efforts up to a round million Llanelly has to raise a sum of L200,000, tnd Swanaeaites say that with the visit of the Tank the baby borough will io it. I Although, of course, there was no regatta on Monday, a fleet of little French trading craft "reaching" down Channel formed a pretty sight, for these Bretons are splendid seamen. R It should be an interesting meeting when Major Fox, D.S.O., comes across a couple of German commercial travellers. Those who heard his lecture at Swansea will ap- preciate the point fully. Mr. Victor Evans, the Swansea Food Controller, by a wave of his food controlling wand, conjures sides of bacon and cheese from sources which have been previously tapped by retailers unsuccessfully. There is no authority for the rumour that Alderman Ben Jones is about to present the members of the Swansea Council with a copy of Dr. Watts' classic, "Let dogs de- light to bark and bite; it is their nature to!" A one time Swansea resort of the "f.ancy" j still bears the announcement, "Boxing nightly." But the erstwhile patrons and participants, are now "over there" slog- ging the Huns. and the building itself is utilised for. the niak iiig < f niunition". No one cuuld listen to Major Fox's story of Hun barbarities at Swansea, on Friday without being moved. His was a first-hand story of what was done to the "Old Con- temptiblee" who fell into the Germans' hands. No one would hardly have credited such horrors possible. <¡14**1I In Hebrew nomenclature "David" is sup- posed to signify "beloTed." "Ishmael" is, of course, the stigma that attaches to one "whose hand is against everyone, against whom is everyone's iTand." We have no c.onfirmation of the rumour that a certain Swansea legislator is about to apply for a deed to change his name. The one-third of five per cent. broker- age charges which the Swansea coal ex- porters have always been in the habit ot receiving, and which the Coal Controller is now diverting to the collieries, will in some cases locally affect business incomes to' the extent of 33 per cent. "I> ■» T^ ajor Fox, who is a l:ioxei* and an ath- lete,. who in his day tackled all comers, was inspired by a real British sporting instinct when upon capture he offered his German captors a cigarette, commenting at the same time upon his hard luck. He was reward ed by an officer marching up to him and spit- ting in his face. One prisoner of war in Germany has written home stating that he is perfectly happy, and that there is only one place he would rather be in. Their he gives the name of a local cemetery, which evidently es- caped the vigilance of the German censor. The story points it-s own moral, and em- phasises the necessity of rendering gener- ous support to the "Daily Post Fund. I Whitsuntide weather invariably provides a problem for indoor and outdoor public caterers. As Mr. David James remarked, it is "all or none." But how, with a de- pleted staff and the phenomenal weather conditions, the tens of thousands carried by the Swansea and Mumbles Railway over the week end weT' so satisfactorily and ex- peditiously dealt with remains a managerial secret. "Mumbles" writes:Jiist a word of ap- preciation for the ladies who sold the War Prisoners' Fund flags at Mumbles on Mon- day. Notwithstanding a very hot, tiring, and dusty day, they stuck to their work well, which was all the more creditable when they could see the thousands who were only bent on enjoyment. Bravo, ladiee Many a gallant lad will be the happier for your self- sacriricing efforts. The possibilities following upon the pro- jected railway line by the GermMM to the Persian Gulf formed an attractive magnet in the Earl of Denbigh's lecture at Swansea. It would, he said, if the German aims had been achieved, have been possible (following the construction of the Channel Tunnel) to entrain at Victoria (London) in a through carriage to Calcutta, or, in another, go di- rect to Cape Town. Pickings from Punch." A Nottingham man has been sent to prison for imposing on a solicitor. This innocent a.nd helpless class must be protected. "The secret of health," says a contempor- ary, "is the eating of onions. The trouble, of course, is to keep it a secret. We have not had to wait long to see the effect of the "No Confetti" order. At a Dorchester wedding one of the gtiesta hurled two plates at the bridegroom. The fifty thousand pounds' worth of jewel- lery stolen en route to Bombay from the mails has not been recovered, and the postal authorities are considering as a Inst expedi- ) ent whether they ought not to offer the thieves fifty per cent. of the film rights if they will appefr and reconstruct the main incidents of tht robbery. t The names of the standard ships have a war-time flavour. Further supplies of beer are expected in South Wales shortly. No paper published in Wales inserted the 4s. per inch articles advertising the As- quithians. Swansea has its one star, two star and three star special constables. The latter are the the constellations. There is a big demand for sailors and fire- men at Swansea just now and sufficient men can with difficulty be found. Better shipping times Judging by the scarcity of drinkables at the bays this week, one would imagine that there is a strong possibility of lemon- squash prohibition. • • • ♦ Long-line fishermen at Swansea, complain. about the shortage of bait. Conger will not touch bait unless it is fresh. Sometimes it has to come all the way from Scotland. During last week numbers of wagons were seen discharging their loads of frozen pigs into a cold storage not many miles off. We should be well in hand for pork ere long! The Figure 8 did splendid business on Whit-Monday, and the cars were generally packed to their utmost capacity. Local war funds. will consequently benefit materi- eiiy- A Welsh deserter was discovered the other day sewn up in the bed-ticking. His wife nearly succeeded in "bolstering" his pur- suers, but he was not able to give them "the slip. Jones I've just met a man who said I looked like you." Brown "What blithering idiot was it? I'll Ipiock him down Jones "You needn't trouble; I knocked him down myself Bjshorn Gwynne, again mentioned in dis- patches, is erroneously stated in a contem- porary to be a native of the Mumbles. He i'31 of course, a Kilvey bov, and his career as Bishop of Khartoum has been a notable one. "Would you." asks a correspondent, "like to be a Corporation employe and to be made a helpless target for the assaaults of emhit- terred politicians who say that they are out to protect the interests of the workers'" Forget it! The fact of the northern lights having been seen at Swansea led a dear old lady to express her opinion that it might not have been a fire at all but the opening of the fur- face doors at Morriston, or, perchance, Cwmbwrla. .»♦»»» An applicant for a post under a down-line authority, when tested as to his knowledge of Welsh, said, his duties would be to "super- intendo y dynion, checko y pay-sheets, and paratoi yr accounts am yr auditor." He did not get., the job. Parents are wondering how to employ their children during this week's holiday. It was a great pity some scheme was not devised to aid farmers and put the children's energy to profitable use as well as giving them,a real good t.ime. Tin shows a drop of L20 a ton during the last few weeks. The price of tinplates is regulated by a sliding scale. t With tin at £ 240 a ton the pric e of standard plates is 30s. a box with 10. a box more for each L5 that tin exceeds that figure. A Swansea lady whoee son came home baatly gassed was telling a friend what shal had rfcid about the deadly noxious fumes which had prostrated her son. They make the gas on the field," she said; "and they sometimes Set it out from two thou- sand meters at once." By the purest ciiam-e in the world—the accident of being casually near the orderly- room when a. man was urgently wanted for detached service at half an hour'e notice—a Swansea man missed going out with a Bl draft. Of thaft draft about 75 per cent. have since gone under—killed, wounded, or missing ♦ ■»»»■» It was noticeable that a barbed wire ar- rangement near the paddock at Clyne Valley racecourse had been replaced by a wooden- railed structure. A horse a-fter it had fin- ished a race dashed into the wire at the pre- vious meeting and threw its jockey into the tilled field. It was a miracle the animal was not badly mutilated. ♦ ♦ ♦ '> Mr. Chairman. I hope you'll excuse me, Mr. Chairman. I'm not much of an English speaker.?Thua an Ammanford delegate at Tuesday's Labour conference at Cardiff introduced his speech, and when he was pressed to speak in Welch he convulsed the audience by remarking that his Welsh was not much better. He went on to speak in the Sassenach. Another effort to help the "Daily Post" Prisoners' of War Fund will be made next Saturday evening at the Hotel Cameron, when a gra4d whist drive has been arranged, and as some weeks have elapsed since the Swansea Social Committee organised the last "drive," there should be a much bigger at- tendance than usyal. The prizes offered are numerous and handsome, and are well worth winning. Thomas Davis, the Irish poet, ù; the author of the anthem favoured of National- ist" demonstrators, though it is now being ousted by a song more in accordance with the ideas of the Sinn FeineM. An interest- ing article on Thomas Davis, his life and work, was contributed to the Red Dragon" many years ago by Alderma-n David Davies, of Swansea, who pointed out that Davis was really of-Welsh extraction, and displayed "strong partiality for a.nd sympathy with the Welsh people."—("Western Mail.") Haunted houses are becoming fashionable. There is a, residence not many .kilometres from Bishopston which is reputed to possess a phantom lady. Its occupants (whom we learn are quite hard-headed persons, whose chief concern is the difficulty of living1 oh their rations) are as yet quite insensible to the stories of spooks that are being ban- died about. Perhaps that is why all at- tempts up-to-date in the way of japes have met with ignominous failure, and about the only apparition that is ever likely to dis- turb them will be the appearance of a spec- tral Lord Rhondda cutting down the present rations by a further 50 per cent. More Piokings from Punch. A Kingston-on-Thames publican recently I returned two barrels of beer to the brewers, because he had too much. Since this .an- ounoement we understand that it has been offered a good home. First Combatant "If the copper 'adn't stopped me I'd 'ave smashed that ugly face of yours." Second ditto (keen student of the war news) "Yus, yer tried! to, but yer didn't gain yer objective." American Wilife (to seasick husband): "See here, dearie, don't you worry about me. I'm not lonesome. There's a crowd of officers from Noo York below--and it's some joke. They think I'm a widow!" I