Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder

The Present Crisis. -I A distinctive feature of the present I Parliamentary session has been the large i number of extremely interesting and even critical incidents. This week has added the greatest to the list. According to arrangements made when the House of i Commons rose on Friday evening, the Home Rule Amending Bill was to have been taken on Monday, and politicians of all grades ere anxious to know what j course the Government would propose with regard to that measure. At that time, the only question was whether the Government would accept or reject the Lords' Amendments to the Bill. But when the House met on Monday, it was told that the Bill would not be taken at once, but that a conference of leaders was arranged, that the King had com- manded their attendance at Buckingham Palace, and that some further attempt would be made to arrange au amicable settlement. Reports of the conference meetings, together with a short speech delivered by the King, v, ill bo found elsewhere in our columns. At the outset, it may be men- tioned that a lot of unreasoning discus- sion has followed upon one phrase in the speech. Tc that discussion the answer is, firstly, that His Majesty has acted quite constitutionally in the whole affair, and, secondly, that the phrase in question has been misread in a very ridiculous manner. The whole reason for the conference was that people of all grades and shades of life in the country had been talking about the threats of rebellion aud civil war in Ireland. Nothing could be moro true than to say that the cry of civil war has been upon v the lip., of the most sober-minded people, irrespective of politics, creed, social grade, or any tiling else tending to make tip the community. Those who have objected to the phrase have talked and written as if the word threat had been used instead or the word cry/' and in making that mistake they have placed the King, themselves, and everyone else concerned in a false position. It would be far better to regard the matter from a different aspect. The King is not alon^ in hoping that an amicable settlement of a difficult question might be reached. No oue except the most rabid and unreasonable partisau could advocate anything worse. At the time of going to press, the conference again stands adjourned, so that all one can say now is that there is still the; possibility of a reasonable, peaceful apd; honourable settlement of the Ulster tion. That such an end will be attained must be the fervent hope of all who take I IHi í n tenst in the welfare of the great Empire to which we belong.

W:'odrot!in? on the rinh at Mount Piea?aut, has been me hn popular that the juveniles of Neath have lost all interest in the Recreation Ground. In other words, j the 'hildren'8 paradise," in which al-c j ,?wings, a'ø-gaW', and a giant's stride, '?! barred and loc-ked except during school hours. Thi: has bepn a keen disappoint- ment to hundreds of children during the summer evenings. The complaint, which is unfortunately too general, can ue remedie I. at. small ext)ea-c. As a result ot investigations we learn that the care- taker's time is monopolised on the rinks, and, in consequence, the gates of the children's paradise" are kept locked. It has been pointed otit that if left alone the children quarrel, also that some of the I more vditurosome trialse the swings an element of danger to themselves and others, but why lock the gates' If the bowling greea. yields such a big revenuy, surely "he Corporation can afford to give evening employment to a. person to take charge of the children's department. The Reci-eation Ground was la id out at a. cost of sewra! thousand pound s to the rate- payers, and it W:J.ri tacitly understood at the opening ceremony that it wm, priullldly fo, the children. Instead, they are exhorted to keep cH the grass," and watch from the path their seuiors at play. No wonder that the boys break laws and windows by playing cricket in the streets ot Neath, when they get no encourage- IHent in a public park. ..————, -———

The report (1912) of the Chid Regis- trar of Friendly Societies in' to trade unions, issued this week, reveals au advance of nearly a quarter of a million in membership. The major part of this increase is found in the trades scheduled for unemployment insurance under tho National Insurance Act. But the Chief I Registrar also points out that apart from these trades, a most remarkable in- crease is found in the National Amalga- mated Union of Shop Assistants, .Ware- housemen, and Clerks, which almost trebled its membership during the year, showing an increase of 'over M,M? mem- bers. This remarkable increase is .tho I miderftcod to be attributable to the In- euranc<e AcL? Such facts as these ought to lie useful to the Tory street orator in I his task of influencing trade unionists against the Insurance Act!

Tho full programme of the United I School of Social Service for Wales which is to meet at Llandrindod from August Slst to September 4th, has now been published, and the Rev. Gwilym Da vies, who is the life and soul of the movement, is to be heartily congratulated upon the catholicity of the subjects selected for discussion, and their timeliness. August and September have become famous months for such gatherings in Waxes, but we have no hesitation in saying that the I Lhuidrinriod meetings will be the most i important and useful of the year. We hope that the attendance will include re- presentatives of most oi the public authorities in Wales. Mr. David Davica. M.P., is to preside at a lecture upon local Authorities in Wales and the Housing Acts"; Mr. F. W. Gilbcrtson, J.P., is to speak, at another session, on I The Minimum Wage and the Em- TiL,.yer Dr. Thomas Evang, of Swansea, is to lecture on The Health of the I Child and Mr. Owihro Da vies is to lecture upon The Need of Small Hold- ings in tha thirteen Counties of Wales, and how it is being met." Many other timely questions are-also to be discussed. Llandrindod ought to be the Mecca of the Welsh social reformer in September.

The Bangor National Eisteddfod will i seem strange with no Swansea choirs in the male voice competition. Neither the Swansea and District nor the Ebenezer singers are competing this year, the j reason assigned being that both choirs, are working for a London contebt in November. We cannot profess any great j regret at their absence. The two com- binations have had their heart's desir i in the way of eisteddfodic honours, and, the lions being out of the way, t'he chance.,4 become brighter for another choir, hitherto unsuccessful, securing the great prize. Jnglund i? sending a ¡ formidable competitor in the Clevelnn(iI Harmonic ?Mf! Voice Choir, an organisa- tion ('ompoed of exceptionally Bne voices. Welsh choirs will have to be at the top of their form to get thf !p;?. Unrepresented at Han?or. 8aTO in the I competition for ladies' choirs, Swansea ov(i;ht to be now thinking of the- chief chora f at Aberystwyth in 1 Hj. Local enthusiasm will surely mount high enmiph in worthy rspr+i-cntaticn in this caatost i )

HOUSE AND LOBBY. A GREAT HISTORIC OCCASION. [SPECIAL TO THE HKUAu> I Events arc moving so rapidly that by the time these notet3 appear ill print it will be almost too late to spek of th) great scene in the House of Commons OIL Monday afternoon. There were all the elements of a great historic occasion— [members crowded and expectant, half wondering and half afraid. Qucbhons over, the Prime Minister rose and stood. cold and undaunted, to make a state- ment, the nature of which had been an- ticipated through, an act of treachery that is on a par with what has been done by the only people from whom such a. leakage of State secrets could have come. The official tmnouncement that a con- ference at Buckingham Palace had been called to deal with certain points con- nccted with a great political controversy was received with no enthusiasm. It was evident that the Tories did not like it, and feeling acionjjst the Ministerialists (Liberal and Labour alike) was evident when Mr. Redmond rose to say a few v. ords, for then there were unmistak- able signs that the party was still de- j termined to agree to no abandonment of the principles for which they have con- tendi^d through so many trying years. Points in the Situation. It should be noted, as an answer to some of the comments that have ap- peared, that the conference is being held at the suggestion of the Cabinet. Mr. Harry .Jones, a Parliamentary corres- ¡ pondent who is the best informed amongst the political journalists of the day, gives this emphatically. And the reason is not far to seek. Mr. Asquith I and his colleagues have always shown I t heir a nXiety and wiUiagHess to take I ??y teps that may be expected to lead to an amicable set tlnlHmt of a diiticult. problem, and, knowing what has happened during the last ten or twelve months, there is no need to fear a retrogressive action by the Government. li anything were wanting to assure Liberals of tii-"B, it would be the fact that Mr. Lloyd George is to be a member of the coiilerence, for the Chancellor of the Ex- chequer has already made plain to the King the extent to which the Government will agree to a settlement, and he has stated ut plain terms the limit beyond which the Government will not go. The King's Speech. When the terms cf the King's short speech to tho confereuce at Buckingham Palace became known on Tuesday even- ing, members of all sections of the House were busy discussing its terms. It may be said at once thai the effect was good. His Majesty's expression of hope thai danger might be averted, following a re- markably earnest allusion to tho salient facts of th" situation, were takeo as well worthy of the importance of a great occa- sion, aud many ot those who were at first inclined to quibble at ones recognised a justification for the step that had been taken. The Cutlook. At tho moment of writing it is, of course, impossible to express any opinion as to the outlook. All hopes tended in the right direction, but a preliminary cimferonce of lcs-s than two hours was not sufficient to give auy idea of what may follow. it is quite- evident, however, that reason must be brought to bear upon those who have been foremost in fomenting strife of the most extreme description, and one of the first essentials must be a suppression of the active operations in the shape of threats I of rebellion. it was thought probable that several sittings of the conference may be necessary before anything in the shape of a scheme that may be submitted to Parliament, can be reached, and some members thought that it would be next Monday before a defiuito announcement could be made. Meanwhile, tho King has made arrangement^ to keep within call should his presence be required. The Tories are Fearful. There is a remarkablp unanimity amongst Tory papers indicating that the Opposition do not like the conference. They know full well that they must reced e from the aggressive lines of action that they have followed for somo time past. The Government will stand no non- sense from them, neither will the King, Taxation of Houses. Sir Alfred Mond was fortunate in sw.uring an alteration. in the provisions of tho Finance Bill-an alteration that should he appreciated by owners and occupiers of houses under the annual value of £15. Income Tax under schedu le A is now charged on houses on the basis that where the owner is occu- pier, or where the landlord bears tho cost of repairs, or where the tenant as occu- pit r undertakes the cost of repairs, the assessment for the purposes of Income Tax is fixed at the rent less one-sixth allowed for the cost of these repairs and maintenance. By the great Budget of 1900-10, further relief was granted in the! caso ol houses on which, for tlw pur- poses of income tax the assessable value did not exceed t8 per annum. In these cases where the cost of repairs and main- tenance on an average of five years ex- ceeded one-eighth of the assessable annual value, the duty paid on the amount is refundable, but there was a limit of one-twelfth which is now re- moved. Sir Alfred Mond contended that the limitation of this concession to houses of an annual value for the pur- pose of income tax of X,i, confined this ad- vantage to houses in agriciiltui-al areas only, and that if it were to bo of any use to cottages in urban areas the liniifc should be raised to £.15. Reports by various authorities, he maintained, had shown that the vast majority of work- men's houses in urban areas were rented at a net rental, i.e. excluding rates of at least an average of five shillings per week. Mr. Lloyd George could not accept the amendment, but advanced in its stead one to -n. the limit at £I per annunl. This concession will (even in its modified form) affect the building trade. as it must mean that the fear of builders of workmen's cottages that the cost ",f repairs and maintenance prohibited ii good return through rent lor these cot- tages will now be largely removed. Welsh Affairs. Proceedings of the Select Committee of the House of Lords are already causing some amusement. Lord St. Aldwyn and one or two of his colleagues appear to bo taking themselves seriously, but the spirit oi mischievous fun seems to be animating Lord Sheffield, whose questions have done so much to destroy the "case" set up by the Church leaders. There are evident signs that tho Tory members of the com- mittee would like to put the extinguish' onr his lordship, but he is still the old "Lord Stanley of Alderley," and those wt. know him best as such will teams! that he is not to be shut up easily. Health Resorts Bill. Mr. John Hinds and Sir Francis Ed- wards are amongst the members of a committee that is den ling with the Health Resorts Bill, which, there is soma hope, may become law this year, The Bill provide Ihat local autltorities may raise a special rate for the purpose of advertising the attractions of their j localities as holiday and health resorts, the limit being Id. in the fi. Wales is interested considerably in this measure, j and a representative body of gentlemen from a large number of towns in Wales i is giving close attention to the promotion of tho Bill.

Through the motor car he wns driving) mounting a hank at a dangerous ( rvp between Laneaslyr ami Cat on and v.-r-! turning, Mr. W. Gardnw. 27, of Lanca&ter, was killed.

ULSTER DIFFICULTY. j CONFERENCE AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. | In order to try to arrive at an amicable sett lenient o( the Ulster difficulty connection with Home Rule for Ireland,1 a conference was opened at Buckingham !'ala.ee on Tuesday. j The Right Hon. James William Lowther, Speaker of the House of Commons, pre- sided, the gathering being composed of: ) Two members of the Government: j Mr. Asquith. Mr. Lloyd George. ) T Iro Leaders of the Opposition: Mr. Bonar Law. i Lord Lansdowne. Two Leaders of the Nationalist party: Mr. John Redmond. Mr. Dillon. Two Leaders of the Ulster Unionist party: Sir E. Carson. Captain Craig. His Majesty, having received th«i members of the conference, made the following specch :— Gentlemen,—It is with feelings of thankfulness and hopefulness that I re- ceive you here to-day, and I thank you for the manner in which you have re- sponded to my summons. It is also a matter of congratulation that the Speaker has consented to preside over your meetings. My intervention at this moment may La regarded as a new departsro, but the exceptional circumstances under which yon are brought together justify my actios, For months we have watched with deep misgivings the course of events m Ireland. The trend has been surely and steadily towards an appeal to force, j and to-day the cry of civil war is on thei lips of the most responsible and sober- minded of my peoples. We ha\? in the past endeavoured to ad as a civilisi? example to the 111.?.i?1 and to me it is unthinkable, and it must be to you, that we should be brought to the brink of fratricidal strife tipoui issues apparently so capable of atijust- meri t as those you are now asked to consider it liaudlcd in a spirit of generous compromise. My apprehension in contemplating such a dire calamity is intensified by my feelings of attachment to Irelami and of sympathy with her people, who j have always welcomed me with warm- i Gentlemen, you represent, in one form or another the vast majority of my sub- jects at; hom.e. You also have a deep interest in my dominions over sea, who arc scarcely less concerned in a prompt and friendly settlement of this quptj-, lion. I iv;;ard you, then, in this matter as trustees for the honour and of aH. "Sour responsibili_ ties are, indeed,! great. The timo is short. You will, 1 | know, employ it: to the fullest advau-; tage. and be patient, earliest, and con-j ciliatory in vj•'« of the magnitude of the inteITst", at stake. I pray that God in His infinite wisd(itn iijoy guide vuur deliberations, so that they may result in the joy of peace and honourable settlement. The King afterwards withdrew, and the conference, after deliberating for nearly two hoars, adjourned until Wednesday. A further meeting was held on Thurs- day, when the procecdingc w ere again wli,?rl the pi-occedinge were a,aiu The conference and the King's speech gave rise to considerable discussion, and several party meetings were held during the week. Meeting of Liberals, A meeting attended by upwards of 100 Liberal men iters was held on Tuesday at, the House of Commons to discuss thej present political situation. The follow- ing resolution was pi-oposerl by M r. Arthur Sherwell and seconded by Sir Thomas Whittaker: That this meeting of Liberal mem- bers deems the titi-te to place upon record its unswerving support of the chum of Ireland as put forward by the Nationalist members and embodied! in the Government of Ireland Bill, and renews its determination to stand by them till their cause«is finally won. "That this meeting further expresses; its most emphatic opinion that it is the, imperative duty of the Government to complete the whole of their programme under the. Parliament Act before a fliv-, ther appeal is made to the constituencies." It was agreed that Sir llcnry Dalziel and Sir Thomas WJaittakter should con- vey the findings 01 the meeting to the Prime Minister. The Labour Party. At a special meeting of the Labour Party in the House of Commons, the fol- lowing resolution was unanimously car- ried; The members of the Labour Party, having heard the Prime Minister's state- ment" that the King has considered it right to summon a conference of represen- tatives of British and Irish parties to dis- cuss outstanding points on the problem of Irish Government, and having been uu- j able to express their opinions in the House of Commons itself owing to the way in which the statement was made, though strongly wishing for a permanent settle- met, protest against such a command hav-1 ing been issued regarding any matter of political controversy as being an undue j interference on the part ot the Crown and calculated to defeat the purposes of the Parliament Act; they further put on re- cord their surprise that two of the repre- sentatives are practically rebels under arms against constituted authority, and regret this indication that in future an organisation of force is to be officially considered to be most effective in indus- trial as well as in political disputes." Premier Takes Full Responsibility. It In the Bouse of Commofis on Wednes- day. Mr. Ponsoubv asked tlip Prime Minister whether the lviug's Speecil published last night in the Court Circular." was drawn up and published' on the advice of his Majesty's Ministers, in accordance with custom and precedent. Mr. Asquth; The speech delivered by the King was sent to me in the ordinary way by his Majesty the day before. I take full responsibility for it. (Opposi- tion cheers.) The King left; it to the discretion of the Conference to determine whether the speech should be published, and the conference unanimously decided in favour of publication. (Opposition cheers.) Lcrd Robert Cecil: May 1 ask whether what has been stated in the other House | is correct—that the summoning of the conference was undertaken by his Majesty OJ: the advice of the Prime Minister? Mr. Asquith: The King throughout this matter has followed the strictest constitu- tional precfdenL (Opposition cheers.) His Majesty has not taken any stpp up to now except in consultation with and on the advice of his Ministers. (Clieevs). Mr. Asquith and the King's Speech. In the House of Commons on Thursday, i I. Henry Dalziel asked the I'nine Miuister whether, in view of the conflict- ing interpretations placed upon the sen- tence in the King's speech to the Home Rule Conference relating to Civil War, he. would be good enough to state what interpretation he himself plaeod upon it, when the speech was first submitted to him. Mr. Asquith: 1 rather deprecate such questions under the special circum- stances. (Loud Opposition cheers). )1') ivM" undcrstending t}" sentence in [ awesUoJo, 1"Ai apt lutend d, aqd ought not [ to be construed, to convey mArf than Ii .obviously true—that the j of civil strife is widely entertained and expressed by responsible and sobei* minded persons, among whom T may haps include myself. {Lou(l Opposition cheers)..

T .E CHANCELLOR AND SIR ALFaED I IlWS PliOrittAl. The Right Hon. Sir Alfred Mond, Jbrt.. M.P had an important amendmeilC down to a clause in the Finance -Bill, reached last night in the House of C()JIl mOIl), In moving it, the right hon. iiiell- her expressed Ins regret that the Cha'1' cellor of the Exchequer had not seen his way to extend the £ 12 limit to the aLaol-i-Orl of 1:15. Under the circumstances, ever, and after what the Chancellor hf* said. he would not move the amendment ho had on the paper proposing the largcf sum. It was true that .?2 would ord? narily meet the requirements in rural districts. In the urban districts, how" ever, and in his constituency 7s. per week was becoming by no means a high rent for a relatively small cottage. itel-It.4 ran up to 8s. and 9s. The cost of, building had gone up by 2.3 or ;I pet cent. in a comparatively small numbC of years, aud that was one of the difficul- ties in providing houses in either urbaO or rural districts. Mr. Bathurst hati named a rather high figure ( £ 300) as the cost of cottages. There were very good cottages being erected by a company with which he was concerned in South W al. at about that fulfilled ai* reasonable requirements, and containing three bedrooms, It depended largely on tho number of cottages they were build- ing and on the localities and the facili- ties for getting materials and labour- There had been so much said recently ù1) the subject of rural housing that urban housing had been rather overlooked What they wanted to-day was to eiv courage people to build bigger and bettet cottages. A L15 limit ixould iia(,ct t]10 cottage of the lietter class artisan and clerk. While asking for more and better houses we went out of our way to penalise in matters of taxation the pefcplc whe put up better houses. (Opposition chcersi The Chancellor of the Exchequer, whilst not able to accept Sir Alrred Mond's proposal, moved another amend- ment to substitute tl2 for £ as the annual value limit for houses to which th6 section of the Finance Act, 1910, dealing with the limit on the amount of duty which may be repaid on account of fid maintenance, repairs, insurance, and management of land or houses applies- He said that this increase would 'con,r practically the whol e of the cottages '■ Q rllrl areas. It would not oover th" whole of the cottages in the towns. but the Inland Revenue authorities would like to try the experiment of this 50 per cent, increase, and tbeo to consider thp increase of the limit and the question of raising the flat area. Mr. Pretyman (Essex. Chdmsforcl, Opp.), while not" isbing to divide again-t the amendment, urged that £ 15 ¡ would not be too high a limit consider- ing the present rate of the income-tax. In urban districts, where the demands of the local authorities on the owners of houses were more exacting and insistent than they were in rural districts, tlla limit, he held, ought to be .15. Mr. Montagu argued that before at- tempting to deal with the. urban prob- lent specially the Bouse should await, the results of further inquiry and considera- tion. The amendment was then agreed to.

DEA TH GF WELSH CONDUCTOR AND I ADJUDlCA TOR. We regret; te reeord the death, whiell took place ■ i!; .i .it ins residence in Liver) >, ii, .d r..nurry Evans, the well-know u musician. Mr- Evans had been gravely ill ft ? pome time past, and the news of his de- mise comes as no surprise, Mr. Hftrry Evans, F.R.C.O., was ¡,rJ) at Dowlais in 1873. His father, the lata Evans (Eos Myrddin), was a, renowned choral conductor. When quite an infant Harry Ativans learned tho tonic sol-fa notation from his sister, and when only five years old he could play hymn tunes on the harmonium. At the age of seven he mastered the staff not<f lion, and earned his first fee (five shil- lings, all in coppers), the proceeds < f a collection made for him for playing a harmonium t'olo when at a penny reading- In 1,83. when still a child, he was aj.1- pointed organist of Gwernllwyn Congre- gational Church, 'following Mr. LaH Price. Mr. Evans was. of course, well known in Swansea and the district. His .,rgall recitals in the Albert Hall have delighted thousands, and his abilities as a n- ductor were shown in the production "t such great works as the Messiah." As an adjudicator, too, Mr. Evans -ag very widely known. Although resident in Liverpool, Mr* Evans was Professor of Music at tie University College of North W ale3 (Bangor).

REMARKABLE! STORY TOLD IN THE DIVORCE I GOUlH. All undefended divorce ease heard b) Mr. Justice Uargrave Deane revealed the fact that respondent, Mr. Chas. William llaynes, was formerly a gunner in the artillery, became a coachman, and was left a legacy of £ 100,000 by his employer, Mrs. Pilgrim, Akeley Wood, Bucks. Mrs. Haynes sought a dissolution of hef marriage on the grounds of her hu!band" bigamy and misconduct. At the residence of his mistress, the re- spondent, living apart from his wife, made the acquaintance of a Miss Crabb. companion to Mrs. Pilgrim. He told bet he was a widower, and they were mar- ried in December l. He wai convicted for bigamy and sentenced to two months' imprisonment. After his release he lived at Sidmouth with his proper wife for some time, but eventuully came to London. Evidence of misconduct was given, a n't his lordship granted a decree nisi wit-to costs.

REPORTED RESIGNATION OF THE WE? I ?O?MAtmBA?. < Mr. A. C. Piowden, the well knowii Metropolitan police magistrate, is und^'i'" stood to be about to retire. Mr. l.'lowdfeo* wbi-) is staying at I love, has had A relapse, and his condition is causing some uneasiness. Mr. Piowden was born at Nteernt-, India, in 1844. and was educated at WestA minster and Brasenosc College, Oxford- lie was private secretary to Sir i. V. Grant, K.C.B., Governor of Jamdiril 1861. He was called to the Bar in 1870. He was Recorder of Wenlock ill 1878, and revising barrister Oxfordshire i9 1$S2-8?. In ISM he became ma?iatr&te 04 fl MaUiel)one. '??

NAVAL APPOINTMENTS. 1 The following naval appointments wert announced last night: ?ice-Adtniral Sir John R. Jellicoe t?Cotumunder-in-Chiei, Home Fleets, succession to Admiral Sir George Gai laghan, who will complete his tenure ()J the command at the end of the year. Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick tori to be Second Sea Lord "f filt Admiralty, in succession to ..r Ot,J1 Jellicoe. 'b" will 1: '\ItÆr#> September 1st next, prmr t" tatk«s; >*8 [ the coiamajid sLk the Jdooje Fleetj.