Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder

?-jsard's Stands Pre-eminent  He?'?s Stands P?e=e?!?ent 1"UK "FIRST-CLASS I PBUST, VEGETABLES, arid CONFECTIONE'RY, II WHOLESALE AND RETAIL. HEARD'S STORES, 17, Station Rosd, PORT TALBOT, 67, Hinh Street, ABERAVON, 10, Parade, N Al-Fl, 18, Windsor Road, NEATH. )

-T« -t The" LEADE.R It: gives the Latest and Best 1: I; War New;

 The WW 7' 1 WW  cek s ar Otory. The New German Thrust. I Sharp Check and Counter 1 Blows. Notwithstanding the tact that the week "has- been nn. eventful ojje. and that tlto heaviest and bitterest fighting ever kno-.vn in this or any cth,-i, vii, has taken place, the Allies remain full of confidence as to th ultimate result. Starting oil r story where we left off la ,t week, we must mention the minor inci- dent of the resumption by the Germnr.s of the bombardment of Paris by the long- range gun, and come to successful sur- prises by the French to the north of Atontdidior and the west of Noyon. with the capture of some prisoners. British troops raided a hostile post north-east of Befliune, intlidingcflsualties on the gar- rison and capturing a machine-gun. Then come a couple of uneventful days, except for further minor incidents, y;hieh in- cluded a daring exploit by three men— British jwldiers—who crept into a village, captured a post in Strazeele, and with its garrison of nine Germans And a machine- gun. THE NEW THRUST. I Then came the new thrust of the Ger- mans, which was reported on Monday, and concerning which 31. Marcel Rutin, in the Echo (le -,ix o'clock in thp morninrr ten divisions were identified. At 11 o'clock four fresh divi- sions arrived in support, and at 4 n.m. five other divisions were seen in the rear of the contra] attacks. The rlremy re- newed his methods of a central blow, and was able on a front cf about 1S kilometres to. make a pocket of two or t hree kilo- metres in depth and*brinsr his storming columns to about fifteen kilometres north of Lonti^ne." This is how the Petit Journal (Pitris) described tiie thrust and the situation as it then s tood :—" On our right fiank the enemy's attack was just as violent and as determined* as on the rest of the battle- front. The famous position at Plemont, which was the. scene of a. terrible conflict which lasted for seven consecutive hours. was the object of attacks bv Dic ked troops. If towards noon they succeeded in re- gaining a footing there, at 3.o0 in the afternoon an energetic counter-attack gave us back the greater part of, the lost ground. On the two flanks the with- drawal of our troops did not exceed 1,000 imetres, and was brought about by the heaviest enemy losses. In the centre the entire divisions were decimated in the conquest of ground three kilometres deep on a front of four kilometres. SWANSEA MAN HONOURED. I Tn pacing, it should be recorded in the War Story of the Week." that .Signaller Trank^ G. Thomas, son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Thomas, 39, Watkin-street, Swan- sea. who was formerly employed in the G.W.R. shipping otnce, has been awarded the Crois de Guerre in Palestine. He was ",a.dJ.1i,tJ.cillg with the infantry as «.$naile?, with the observation offic-er, wlien 'they x-aptured a hill, but the enemy forced the infantry to retire. The observation officer and Signaller Frank Thomas, however, stuck to the hill, frc.m whence they di- rected a barrage, from our batteries which enabled our troops to eventually recap- iure the position and prevent the enemy from counter-attacking:. MAGNIFICENT DEFENCE BY THE t FRENCH. ( The official communique which reached ( tos on Tuesday morning showed how vio- 'Ia ii tIlL, (Yf the Germans vprp, Ac- "i*)'r<HtHr to the T rench report, during Mon- day, "ft't the close of the day and during th nichi, the enemy continued his pres- sure in the direction of Estrees St. Denis-/ Ribecourt. To the left, the resistance of our trooy> was efifcacious. The enemy vas unable to capture either Playron or Courcelle. The village of Mery was re- captured by us ypsterday at 10 p.m. On the centre the principal efforts of the Germans was directed against Beloy- Marqueglise front. A pt>wei;ful attack fondue ted with lirge effectives succeeded 1 -i t, f Jif: first in driving us out as far as Oiannde. but by a magnificent return of- fensive our troops drove back the enemy bn the whole of this front, and we r- stored our position on the line of Yeloy nnd St. Maur, south of Marque;jlise and Vandelieourt. On our right violent eODY- bats took place i,,i the to tho north of Drcslincourt. The enemy, who had accumulated great forces in this re- gion, was able to reach Autoval, compel- ling our troops to withdraw their line of | 'resistance to the w est and south 01 Dies- J lincourt. AUSTRALIANS TO THE FORE.. A'id tho lii.ii ish official, dated France, Tuesday, a.m.. said:—"Last night another minor operation was undertaken with complete success 11.: Australian troops in the neighbourhood of Mcrlan- court. Our line south of this village has Keen advanced to a dbpth oi nearly half a mile on afronL ot a mile and a half* and :?3;) prisoners. 21 machine-guns. and a trench mortar haye been captured by 1.11". j Successful raids irt which we efcptured several prisoners and tvro .machine-nuns,' and inflicted numerous casualties on the enemy, were y.uriedout'by us during the night north-west of Morlim court. south of the Scarpe, and east of Nieppe Forest, The enemy raided one -of CHi püts near Avehiy Wood. One of our .men is miss- ing. Ho?tilp artiU?r.' v'ns active during the night ?ith ?as h(>lbwe:,t cf J?.i& STILL BETTER NEtyS. On W edncsday we had still better news. wdiich recorded the forestalling of the German attack by a French one; an ad- vance by our Allies and the capture of 1,000 prisoners; and from the 1oint of view of what may be anticipated when the 700.000 Americans who have now reached the Western front are brought into action, and are supported by further drafts of this vast new army from across the Atlantic, the American troons cap- tured a village. Following this, we were told that fighting was renewed on Wed- nesdav in the ditrict west of Soissons and south of the Aisne.- where nh1¡.r2!lt forests of Villers Cotterets and Coiiusicgne bar the enemy's waf. A severe f-tru-jgle tk- veloned. On the left of the )I011tclidier- yoyon front thg French runde further pro- gre^s.ea^t cf Mery, and in the centre do feated further attempts by the enemy to reach the Aronde. On the right of this front, where the Matz and the Aronde join the Oi-so, the Germans were unable to gain the southern bank of the Matz. A SURVEY OF THE SITUATION. Writing on Wednesday evening, a special correspondent whose views and information we have had recourse to on several occasions in the course of the Story of the W(?,ck," says:—" General Foclv's tactics, which are to tight for caeli inch of ground, hut at the same time to put the absolute minimum of reserves into action, are hearing their fruit. The Trench recapture of the Merv plateau un tho enemy'.s right wing not. only was a very brilliant feat of arms. but is a nasty blow for the Germans. Thejr right. wing being driven back, their centre jq (somewhat jeopardised. They hold stm very stubbornly on their left wing. To- day's news confirms this position pletely. M. Henri Bidou sums it n:> cogently. Tie'says that the battle i-s now in classic form, with each adversary "fcucr cesr-ful on oi\o wing, the French on their left and the Germans on their'left. Thii insecure; equilibrium will, he thinks, be settled very .shortly." k, -I FROM SERIOUSNESS TO GHEER- FULNESS Mr. G. H. Tom*. in the Tpi&?r?ph says: Faces that wotr? a serious air yes- j ierd.iy morning are decidedly cheerful t^- j day. The batti" has, in fact, taken a bet? tcr.turn. It.is? yery dc[dfnl struggll" —no Frenchman can t'M??t that fact—?nd in the fcvprof weighing and uieasurjn? -results more distant, observers should not for a moment, overlook what they mean in flesh and blo-td. But that said, we "may join in the satisfaction of our Allies that on the third day the German onset has suffered a distinct check. The thrca critical daystof the offensive have, then, iriven the ensmy, at the cost of enormous losses, a not ve-v magnificent re-.vilt. We now know, what the programme was to reach Cumpieene on the second day. Gene- ralYon Huber must he greatly disap- pointed. The attack was begun with J! div icons' at full strength in, line. They j included at the centre a division c-f the Prussian Guard and four other crack divisions. About twice 'as many divisions j have now been thrown into this battle, i ten already holding the sedor, and the rest fresh reserve?. These figures may be measured by the fact thd the tot:,1 Ger- J man forces in the West amount to 207 divisions, and that of these before the offensive only sixty-two were in general -■ reserve, the rest being engaged upon the front. The more we consider in the light of matprial considerations like these what the German command essayed and what it has accomplished, the more we shall j appreciate the. valour of the French armies j ajid the qualities of the:r chiefs, and it is impossible tu do justice to oither without such reuectioii. Arul he -ignifienntly adds, at his closing j wcids: Yon ITutier has met "himatch."

OFFENSIVE WEAKENING. l PARIS, Thursday. Renter's Expert Commentator writes: — fietv^een Montdi(Jier and the Oise, the battle which began four .lays ago is being continued with the same violence without bringing about any notable change.in the siluatiou. On our left the Germans have ^launched powerful counter-attack'- in ortter to retake the grcund gained troops yesterday, but these attacks Ipve been broken by oilr resistance, and lWvc suceeeded in increasing still fumier the already heavy losc which they suf- fered. During the day a total of 1,100 prisoners belonging to iuore than four dif- ferent divisions remained in our hands as a result of this brilliant affair, as well as several field cutis 1 ra iny machine-guns. Our line on the whole, remains marked ont by the same points as after our vic- torious reaction yesterday, and has even been advanced in the neighbourhood of Belloy and St. Maur. In .the centre the Germans again tried III vain to throw us back across tfie Mamo, but they are (still contained along the St. Mam Loges Farm— Antheuil front. On our right they succeeded in debouching on the south hank of the Matz, and after the whole series of fruitless and costly assaults they occupied the heights of Melieotq and nicard Cross, live miles to the north of Ccmpiegne. Between the Oise and the Aisne it is officially annoimeed this evening that our troops have fallen back to the south of the Forest of Carlepont, on the Bailly Tracy Le Val line,-west of Vampchel, which movement was a prudent and necessary reeifieation of our positions on account of the enemy advance on the right bank of the Oise. It was intimated yesterday that this movement might be expected. Tiie Germans only perceived it 24 hours after its accomplishment., The withdrawal was carried out without the slightest difficulty* and we have now re- tired to almost exactly the same positions in the Oifto sector as we held in 1914. 'To- day the struggle was extended to the south of nv Aisne, and tho Germans at- tacked between thfe river and the "Aortliprn confines of the Forest of Villers Cotterets. in the direction of the Forest of Compiegne. was directed from east to west, had as its j objective the capture from the rear óf a frtrip of ground held by us between Bailly. Tracv le Yal and Namycel and the Aisne. The attack took place on a front of dbout ten kilometres, marked by the villages Am'nleny, Cutry and Domi- nuhrjs. At three o'clock, in the mornjing I the Germans besan to b:JÍnb:4.tl with- !{;J. ?'.c'lls the batteries of the Forest '?f ? ilersl Cotterets in such a way us to kc'?p d?wn te reply of our ar?Hcry. At 6.30 the infantry attacks JtlIl. and during the whole day motit yfafent fight- ing took place, often leading even to hand to hand struKslee. Nevertheless the Germans cnlv made slight progress on the -plateau south-west of Commiers with- out bcing able to take either Ambleny or St Pierre Aigle. Thus, the Germhns were contained -on the- whole from, and moreover their offensi ve spirit is hegÚI- ning to weaken to such a point that the lietacombs to which Ludendorff subjtx;ts his armies wil soon cause their efforts to be felt. Finally, on, the Ourcq, our troops showed their grit once more by taking the southern part of Bussiare's village and lwmlet of Moncourt Boquet- eaux, thus making a decided advance and bringing them nearer the western ap- proaches of Chateau Thierry.

TALE OF TWO WOMEN. At Swansea on Thursday Mrs. Cather- ine Zonzee summoned Mrs. Maui James for damage to a window in the dooi of her shop, 2, Wassail-square, amounting to 12s. 6d. She said.that Mrs. James threw a cup at her twice and broke the window. Defendant said the mill," she had bought was had; that complainant used bad lan- guage—called her a British and threatened to poison' all the British babies in the town. Chairman: What nationality is com- plainant? Defendant: Austrian. Another witness for the defence -said Mrs. Zonzee also threw a cup at Mrs, Jaraes. Both ladies were bound over for aix months. ^y'" t* a^n. ..Í/i,.

CRAUE MEN I — j Sir D, Macseasi ami National j| S?r?aceJ?str?cto?s.' before the Houe-H of Commons Trihu- fw! on Thursday applieutipu was made for the regrading of a man] aged-44, and giaded' Al. Counsel for the applicant ,a)'d tlizit tite III,I] w as silfferiii;- from hammer to?, was flat t'ootini in both feet, ¡ und had an overlapping toe* on the left j foot. He also suffered from defective teeth and eczema. Sir Donald Maclean, r'-ferrin?to -ati(J-1 nal Service hMtructiHns I?tiM' ct Novem- ber lust, said it stijted that Grade 1 men were equivalent to category A m'n for sjeneral service, and that mrar.t they u11.st be free from organic disease or de- formity to be placed in that category. Sir, Donald. what • anybody says, or what the authority is, j no ordinary man of common sense would '?ipve that a man with admitted physi- ?t!dM?';t?.v.]iich ?re in t], papers o< the National Service represen- tative;' is in Cattery A under the old cla?iScatiou. He i5' n'?t. (t k:s becn ?4afQ(I, in Grade ] under the new military a?p.' It is a distinct (-oDtravpatmn of the r'?K"??L'? issued and 11 contra\'entiOH¡ n the u .I v.-Itit-it th? 'H1ibr.Y Service Act' I through the House of Commons. It was clearly under- stood that there was t>» be no alteration inithe medical shmdard. but now we know there is an alteration." 'Application for re-grading was allowed by the Tribunal.

SWANSEA TRAEl fFATALITY. An elderly man named Joiro Jones, who was. knocked down by a tram near St. Mathew's Church. Swanoea, on Monday evening, and received serious injuries, necessitating his removal to the hos- pital,- succumbed on Wednesd ay. evening, without -regaining i-oase.iousness. He v.as a labourer, of no fjxpr] address, but was well, known at Cockett.

RUSSIAN ARMY. An Exchange delayed Mot-cow telegram states that the Don Government has com- menced the establishment of the army ,.1) tiie old- basis, and Cossacks arid Kahvy!:?" arc'bei ng recruited. The artillerv of the Soviet forces con- tinues to bombard Po-tock. In the out- skirts, where the Gefmans are concen- trated. Fighting continues-* in the vicinity Tfr'arit/,yu: and tiie lastcst reports -show that the Cosaeks are gaining (he ,up;>er hand and consolidating -their position in this district.

"A TALL ORDER." The Neath I'V.ral 'District Council en •Wednesday had before -ilnm a" request fioiix the Crynant Parish, (.'cur.cil that the electric cable at the, Aberdulais jiriretion | be i7i 'timp to pro- vide':proper lighting next -u-inter. Mr. 0, David: It's a tall order. .'(h.o,cliairman,(Major_W. B. Trick): The !3\-l'jis V?Uny- peop? are n?t in Uw com- lyTied-scheme, and l.sv.wost that if be,re- j  ylai,3 Lig?tuit{  fer:'c4.-t-&.?e Dylaia; Elaotric Lighting Comi'uittee.^ II This was' agreed to'.

1. "THE NATIONAL." ,;v Neath National Eisteddfod, has received the following entries in connection'' with the Original work <if research (11), history of the hards of Glamorgan co-, Welsh poem (li); epic poem (5), lyrics (30). Welsh balad (1)', humorous poem (5), hit' a thoddiad (21), histuiy'of VTale of Neath (7), hand- book oi Neath (1) the trend of modern j)hilo-ophy (6)-, history .oi'- Wfclsli musjc {'.)). the influence of. the war (in), short dialogues (6). tor, children (-), Welsh Tiovel (11), series of letters ( £ ), translations (62), Heroic iwem, Walds and Musical compositions: String quartet (3); song (13), virrange- iUGn<:ot lv(,I?-?ll airs .(G) The total number of co, isitt L literary and musical—amount to 496. ii t4?rary a,,i(i to

"TEETOTAL SAUSAGE" To-day Mr. Justice Eve. in tlie Chan- cery Division, continued his sitting to assess damages in the action vi. Wood- man, butcher, Ystalyfera, agaimt tho Pjvllbach Colliery Company. Plaintiff, cross-examined, said he never had: any trouble until "the nuisance oi dust from defendants' colliery damaged !us b'usiness and cut his feet right, clean from under him." When tiie nuisance became generally.known people wore pre- judiced against tiie home killed meat ho sold, l Plaintiff estimated his sausage pro- fits at, 100 per cent. lie produced figures how,ing that the ingredients in U0 lbs. of sausages .included 17 lbs. of meat, and S lbs. of water. Thè J ulke: I should think it is teetotal eauyage. (Laughter,) Plaintifl admitted he did not ask other l-iitchers to let him uee their slaughler- i For 12 years he carried on busi- ness with success without a slaughter- horse. though with great difficulty lie ur-c ids slaughter-house, until tllcit" ¡)u",t-<c,lleding pbllt was put in by be ,cunitn, Mr. Maugham, K.C. (ior the (Glliery). But.,you liac, your .injunctions,. and could have used ycur sldughter-house and ob- takied da nages. ii you were, injured by v Plaiptiff said- there was no alteration at'tlie colliery., and he did not know-when the collie y was going-to commence again. Tl»ere v.'ii a -notice po»stcd up that Owing to judgment for Woodman this colliery is going to be stopped." The notice wo 2-1. round.. and did not do him arty good. ■Ami this irade you unpopular?—I WS Po ijl,,tr bd('rc that. and think I am popular now > It. was not true that he (lid not use his slaughter-house because ho wanted to jn- crease his damages, He was-'waiting for the1 dust-collecting plant. Plaintiff al- leged he closed the Ystradgynlais shop b'.cause he could not get meat there in time; also that rumours got out about the shop. Business Went down and the shop ceased paying. Counsel said that waswhollX unreliable Plaintiff, re-examined, said when he first entered thd business at Graig he had a. very small shanty and lived in a house rented at 14s. ,a month. His position gradually improved, and he built a slaughter-house and cottages. Out of the business his wife kept pigs, and made money. When hard times came he bor- rowed from her. He denied that he parted with his business to his wife who began to help him soon after the trial. His Lordship said that no doubt at the end of 1,913 tnera was. a serious falling off in business, In one of his affidaiits plaintiff E ti- mated his loss at £ 3,000. The case was adjourned.

OLD FRIENDS FALL OUTI Neath Litigant and Tenancy I of a House. At Neath Lutility Court on Wednesday, his Honour, Judge Lloyd Morgan, K.C., had before .him an application to recover possession of, a hoilso by Mr. Edmund Law, money lender, Neath, against Mr. Clement R. Trueman, the vell-lutuwi, litigant.M.r. Loyat Fraeer appeared for the applicant, and Mr. Trueman con- ducted his ?'w? case. w -,is AppHcant e^id that Mr. Trueman was a tenant of Ú hcMsc ?n Penrhiev.tyn- cireet, which belohgfd to him, and. all the rent was'.pa id for 1917, and the: last payment ?as?iaadc in April for ? fe.. AppH'/ant gare Mr. Trueman a ?.pp?'s nHt-i?e to<qmt\on the 6th May, and about £ 7 Its. Hd. w;;s due. >■ Mr. Fras-r; What did Mr. Tnfeman Wh{,Il you; gave him the notice* Mr. Law: He told me to go to —j— and :?t .on with ^he job. ConUnuin?.?appH- (;ntEJd tiie-. condition of the lIml(,S was disgraeefol. Mr. Trueman. asserted that qe ten- ancy was a yearly, one it 'i rental, of £ 20 paid quarterly, but this was denied by Mr. Law. His Honour H ow did he pay tiie rent? Mr. Law: paid at interval^. Mr. Triteiiiiiii I paiijAvhenever it was convenient. for me to oo so. • In subsequent examination, Mr. Law denied that, Ur. Trueman caughf, him by the scruff of his neck and threw,him into tii,n road. a concoctionf a con- coction." exejajmed Mr. Law. i Mr. Trueman: Is it a fact that until recently we ,liavc, been on the terms of Mr. Law: FIa" been on my guard; I know that. Mr. 'I'ruenrao raid that Law had be. friend^d^ him by keeping h/m out of pricon for twelve months, and during that friendsliip Mr. Law told him that he ctfuld life ii, lli,5 house for the re- mainder of lisjs life. Mr. Fraser l yo-,i still owe £ 7 16s. for rent?. ?■ < Mr. Trueman.- :\0. Mr. Law owes me a great deal -jnore than that. Hi: Honour- held that the tenancy was a weekly, one' and gave judgment tor ap- a at),d ?6,ave jiidgitieiit ?(,r ep- '(1ceisioii, Mr. Trueman, pointing to !?r. Law, exclaimed: "Oh, you vampire!, If you can disturb the Icuancjfr ci' Mj" James, try it on!" James, t7 itoil.

LOCAL ^PEAL DISMISSED. In the Kini's Bt-nch Divisional Court, iT&'iices 'Atkip* and Shehrman 'hea' the oppen'l <'t'?rf''?L)"!t? Pegge igr-ns* <t d?t'?.m)'? ?.:d?t-brvti Ku?c??ntthe Sr'iui?a' Co?n..?'??ft.. tfi 1'?<? C.?jtal and<?? t .'1? Hn:tk m all action to recover the. vs'tue of a note sioien h) J.um\ ? 1017. A named Gwyn J.onts stele a. <20 note ficiii plaintiff. This lie gave to., a lad Jiamfd' tvor Gu who changed it at. the deendajit "■■> Neatli duanch for smaller nWIlF. Curtis received :1::5 for disuiisse(t.

FANIY CHOCOLATE. I "• A: Abemv^i .Police;Court on Thtus-day, E Vmzzani,^ lofie^lipient house keeper, Wa?er-str??Abct'a?on.?aud (..vennic Jc'p?tss, :T.n.n-?::t'an?, wpr'?? summoned tor a breach of the S.ug?r ?<ct!f?ction"ry) Ordpr.ni7, s!'<?ioi) 5f,.by se?in?cho?l.it? ? a t'ri? (?eeedinp :M. per u?ncc.—M: h M. Thonia- pro-s\It(>d Qit ?ha??' o) t?e loca 1 Fo:;d ('on t roLe Commitlee, and Mr. C.WfhrlRd?eudptL .WilHam R, Tuwnshpnd, clerk, Station- road, Port 'falbot, said that on Monday last he tailed atdefendallt's premises and purebred a found of chocolates, for which he v, charjred Is. tid, When challengfM about the. prlce the assistant Jenkins said it was ouitci;corrcct. r. Wchjjlc; êJid that Viazzani was ignorant of ;tho transaction, and the girl thought the| she-was entitled to charge J.s.Ccl, tor fjjney boxes. Jenkins ,"vld that the chocolate only came in on the 8th, and had. nnt been, marked. She had not .e-ld chocolaje'previously. ViazKBHi i'as fined .£5, and Jenkins < £ 2, t. f "t 'J! and ad' oca ts >'e c-i t-.vo guineas, al lowed.

-7- =  7 7- I A FI ME APPRECI ATION. I -A F- I -RE A, I I- Mr. Warwick Brookes, writing m the "Civil Service Gazette," savs it seems to be the fashion to jeer at the Office of vvprk^. and L notice a gay and ferocious onslaught in the "Outlook," trom. which 1 tako the following passages as a type This Ofiice-now. after se\cral moves, occu- pies a. vasv and imposing tmildms?.^ com- pleted durifits the war. comprisinsr scores, if not hundreds, oi rooms, and has no.w de: veloped into one of the departments, in which economy is vhsie- Karded. •, • „ Now', I ani }Jot.. out" unreservedly to I defendall Government Departments, but hftl assert-thecs is not ope more effectively run than the Ijffico; of Works, not .one which has done better work, or which has -done, national work at a more leasonttble outlay, or which has shown greater brains and enterprise in doing it. 1 am a warm and uncompromising sup- porter of extending .and not lessening the powers of this Department. Its duties are a,glorious mix-up through no vault oi its own; statesmen of bygone days have added to a£¡d suhstraet-ed' froui its respon- sibilities Without the slightest regard to zideed, I hsve always HE.dcr&tood"that the sole original duties oi: the Department are to give the rail- ings in Hyde Park a coat ot-paint every three years. Since then it has been askej to do much and deprived of not a little power. Thus, it looks after the land in Regent's Park. but not after the structures; after Windsor Castle, but not after the Park. It does -not manage the Crown Woods, though it ought to. It has nothing to do with Crown buildings i t, foncloti, though it should. It only deals with them in other countries. It has no voice of its own. It never commandeers for itself, but it has to do so for others, and thus gets all the odium. It is the general maid of all-work. It has to undertake jobs which private firms will not. tackle. It has hardly ever done anything badly. It has accomplished maivels. No. if we are to denounce Governrilent ineptitude, the extravagance of the Office of Works is a very poor cock with which to fight. We think Sir Alfred Mond has done exceptionally well. Let us be fair.

At.the opening -of"the Svans<M, ?ron?h Tribune o? Thursday, Mr. Dnn .bmes and ?<-?prs congT'atulatcd Ald. T. Ierrélls. M.B.E., upon the distinct?n c?nf?ired ?pon him by tl?e Ei?. <;v,j,y¡.'

TANKS IN SOUTH WALES i TANK TAKES £ 302.710 FBGIW NEATH. The closing stages of the Tank cam- paign at Neath were notable for a climax of Enthusiasm and practical loyalty. Otafory from the Tank speakers which included Mr. J. Hugh Ed wards, M.P., and Lieut Da vies, and selections by the Neath Orpheus Male Voice Party, kept the assembled throng entertained, and will: the bare-meter rising above tl, quarter. of a' million p(:und. tbe last hour was full of specuhitive interest. At 9.30 Major W. B. Trick anruwnced 'that the amount subscribed totalled the figures were received with tremendous cheering. Thousands ot people watched, "Julian's" departure, who, true, to reputation, cleared all obstacles as she crawled *aloug to the .rail- way station. I. ABERAVON. At, a meeting of Margam, Council on Monday -night it was decided that the chairman (Capt. James Preston, J.P.) should hand" in at (he bank a cheque for £ 310, the proceeds of thé sale of the Coun- cil's s'.eam Toiler. The Finance Commit- too also recommended that the- chair- man oi the Finance Committee and the clerk should see their backer to ascertain whether the hank would advance to the Council £ 5,000 at a low I late of interest to invest in War Bond s during the Tank's visit. Mr. W: Lewis suggested that they .should make* the ¡ amount £ 10.000, but as there were certain difficulties in the way the committee's recomjm'idatioii was aloptcd. The visit or Julian tank to Port Talbot I and Aberavon oh Friday and Saturday is looked forward to .with tremendous inter- est. and it1 is confidently hoped that the quota of will ba fortheomirur. Port Talbot and Aberavon have thrived remarkably during the war, and they will have an excellent opportunity of con- solidating their position in readiness for the coming industrial offensive by bringing in their notes in thousands to the tank. The War Savings Committee, which is arranging the tank's visit, is ca,ptained by Mr. J. David,, and has effi- cient secretaries in Messrs. F. S. Wehrle I and J. T. Jones. A prize scheme for in prizes is being run in connection with the Tank's visit to Aberavon. The musical commit- tee are arranging excellent open-air con- certs. Selections will be given by St. Mary's Band; the National Eisteddfod Choir (local section), a children's choir, and probably a variety turn from the New Theatre, through the kindness of Mr. Vivian Aldridge, will be arranged. LLANELLY. The Tank Julian concluded its visit to Llatieljy on Wednesday evening,when tin (Aid. D. James" Davies) announced that u-total had been invested. As the llectluntsof the Post Office he. 1 not hp?n b?.l.inced th?re w?s still more to come iu-

I M A L-tD Y C -a-0-n E-. To Have the Freedom of the II Bcrough of Swansea. The Mayor of Swansea (Aid. lien Jones) has received the following letter from Mr. Lloyd George:— 8;nr Sir.- "1 have to thank you for your letter of the 7th inst., in which you convey the very kind invitation from the Cor- poration of the ancient borough of Swansea to join the distinguished com- pany of those on whom has been con- ferred the high honour of the freedom of your great city. It is with much pleasure that I accept. "The ancient borough of Swansea has played a notable part in the great struggle for the vindication of the cause of freedom and justice against the in- satiable ambitions of Prussian militar- ism, and I am sure that the nation can "eount on its efforts in the future a6 in the past. j Yours faithfully, D. Lloyd George." The Town Clerk, on ■ behalf of the Mayor, has replied stating how gratihfd II and honoured the town will be at receiv- )hg a visit from *Mr. Lloyd George and the presentation to him of the freedom of the borough.

Î NEW CHEESE ORDER. After the 18th 111st., new conditions will be made regarding the distribution of cheese. Tradesmen will have the right to nominate their official factor under tho I distribution scheme, and they will be able to supply the necessary form as soon as issued. Mr. J. II. Chuhh. director of Messrs. Hunters Dairies, Ltd.. Highbridge announces that cheese, other than Caer- philly cheese, can be delivered by the maker within 21 days after it is made. It is proposed shortly to'bring into force a .scheme by which CaerphiHy cheese will be requisitioned. The above firm have been • appointed Government cheese fac- tors, and their divisional district manager is Mr. J. P. Williams, Gore-terrace, Swan- sea.

Now that the allotments have produced the green peas there should be a spirited demand for clucks. London Opinion, speaking of Mr. Ben Tillett, ears that nowadays one fre- quently sees him lunching at Romano's, and hobnobbing with the smartest.

NEWS IN BRIEF. Co Wires From All Parts. A hundred thou-and wrist watches have been ordered for American Army otheers. It is expected that the new order re- garding coal and lighting will be issu-xl next week. Swansea last w-eek invested < £ 23,070• in War Bonds, m-king a total for 3S weeks of £:?,Gfifi."]t; Halifax (-Nova Scotia) has enlisted 200 aimed special constables in view of 1106- sible raids -bv air or sea. The lrlln Tageszcitung t-tates that a great tire has almost entirely destroyed the •Eisenach flour mill and ^reat stocks of Hour and grain. The folowiug notice appears in a Bal- Iiam shopSorry, no new-laid eggs to- dnv. ijur chickens have signed an armifi- tiro for a few days." The Inter-Allied After-Care Exhibition at the Memorial Hall. Farringdon-street. will close on Saturclay evening, and the collection will he transferred to Cardif I The license of the Britannia. Plasmarl, was at Swansea on Thursday transferred from Mrs. Mary Anr. Hardee to-Mr. Evan Dayies. The Paris Excelsior states that the historic house at Chateau Thierry where La Fontaine the famous French writer was born, has been destroyed by Germill1 bombs and shells. J adge MaeLennan, of Montreal, has been appointed bv the Dominion Govern- lIlFnt to investigate alleged irregularities in the allocation of military votes cast i l t he Canadian general elections. n. At Swansea on Thursday, Kathleen Turner, described as van-woman, charged to with failing to h ke PlfticllLiršèf p:"rsonEo lodging at her house, 2, Ncrfol?li-?"17"t ?1' \,?ii failing i? enter them oB the register, was 6npd 40s. At M-.idenhead Tribunal on Wednesday j Mr. Arthur j'i. WTimperis, dramatic j author, 41, Grade 1. was granted six weeks,' exemption to enable him to com- plete one of three plays to be produced ,;n London in August. The Mumbles Branch of the Discharged and Demobilised Sailors and Soldiers' Federation intend erecting a shrine in a prominent spot in the village in memory of the local men who have fallen in the war. The three German ofifcers-Braue, Thielmann, an:l Klaiss—who escaped from the internment camp at "\J*ater-lane, Strat- ford. E., were captured on Wednesday at Walsham, Norfolk, a distance of nearly no miles from Stratiord. An importatitstMement: trtj"contrcl -of the milk the wholesale milk supply will be made in a few days. The Government will probably take an option to purchase United Dairies, Ltd., within a given time should they. deem it necessar; Mrs. Page, wife of the American. Am- bassador, has launched a new British WjJJship_.on.-the Tyjie, christen b<? i "H.1<? ?w? ?'?n?l??T'rsr'rornV" invitation expressly approved by the King. Mr. H. G. Elledge, of. the Mellin Insti- tute of Industrial Research and em- ployed by the American National Laun- drymen's Association to find substitutes for soap, declared at Milwaukee that beer was excellent for the purpose An order just issued by the Cot ais- sioner of Police statas that special con- stables of the new military age who are in Grade 2 or Grade 3 will not be called up for serviee providing they perform their prescribed duties satisfactorily. Mr. Lloyd George has &ent a message to M. Cooreman. the itt-w t Belgiait Premier, assuring him of "the unshak- able resolution of the British people ,to liberate your country and your com- patriots from the iniquitous oppression which they now endure so heroically." Washington, Wednesday.—A fubmarine sank an American freight steamer, Pinar Del Rio, 70 miles off the Maryland coast, 011 Saturday. A. boat with the captain and 1i of the crew is missing. Seventeen of the crew have been landed.—Press Asso- ciation War Special. Mr. de Yalera has sent a letter to the Sinn Fein headquarters in DuTJlin stating: We. have decided that on principle food .,en t to us frotil parcels should not be sent to us from Ire- lant1.1. It is for the English Government to feed us properly. Inform those con- cerned. When a man was sentenced to six months' hard labour at Worthing on Wednesday for wearing a Mons star, long service ribbons, the D.S.O., and a number oi wound stripes, it was stated he had served in all eighteen months, twelve of which were syent under deten- tion. Washington, Wednesday (received Thursday).—To meet the needs of the Allied Armies and civilian populations, the Food Administration requests the peuple of the United States to limit the lise of b'eef. There is enough of pork this summer to permit of the economical ex- tension of its use. t Amstt r. iam, Wednesday.—It is officially announced that from June 15 to Septeni- 1 be" 15 every German man and woman will be entitlMt to purchase one pair of slippers or one pair of tennis shoes with special permit, and without the usua l police in- quiry as to the necessity of the purchase. Exchange. On Thursday, at Swansea, Mrs. Louisa Adcock, Bond?treet. summoned Louise MitcheII for assault. It was said one lady had thrown a bucket of water over the other. Cold water, was it?" asked Capt. Bradford, and witness replied ? the affirmative. The lady had already been lined 40s. for a similar offence, and was now asked to contribute tiOs. The marriage was solemni-ed at Christ Church. Swansea, on Wednesday, of Lieut. Frederick Phipps, of Cheltenham, and Miss Patricia Rupplc, of the staff of Messrs. Kirkland, Goat-street, Swansea. The Rev. Canon Watkins Jones officiated, and the best man was Mr. D. M. Thomas. The honeymoon is being spent in Chelten- ham. Addressing the company at a military boxing competition at Liverpool Stadium on Wednesday night, on behalf of St. Dunstan'o Hostel for the Blind Lieut.- General Sir Wm- Pitcairn Campbell said that while we' have sport England will always come, out on. top. While-we have racing, football, cricket end baxing Eng- land will never degenerate. The action brought, against Messrs. WCodthorpe, Browne and Co., solicitors, Miss Ruby Miller (.the actress), Mr. Ben- jamin Bridgwater, and others, by the mother of Miss Ruby Millers (now Mrs. Augustine Catherine Weiss), and two of her children (Miss Augustina Lout* a Miller and Mr. George William Miller?. was settled in the Cha.ncery DivLsion-?3 ivas c?ettled in the Chancery k

TOWN TALK. ———*——— Law was against Mr. Trueman at Xeath County Court on Wednesday. • —• :0:- •»•• .(. ( "Something" between onkwvs '— nii- paraffin" is a Hafod description'of this week's war-brem Well, boCi are dear cheugh. — :o:— •' f<tu For throwing a bucket of -,w4ter over ,a niece wh) was was at Neath orderld to pay 10s. Auntie will know better next time! know better J'\£>xt time 1 — :Ol— Gower people are a hardy, clean rdcc of people, and can stand almost „^ny kind of hardship. Hl1tol1le.of them$ra stagger- ing under the hardness of thfi, war bread. I've never seen a rabbit drink, lwut l'v 8cpn thousands canned," declared, a Llanelly wag, but at the timV lie5 half-canned" so that possibly it was excusable. —- She's Irish, all the rest are English, and I'm real Welsh," exclaimed a v fn"c, at Neath court and they're all down on -Nf.,at,i (-,iui?i ind happen to Scotch It is recalled that Sir Alfred Yond studied law in the chambers of Mr. Up- john, K.C., along with the"'n\C'.OÚnty Court Judge for Swansea. Sir Alfred him- self has been called to the bar. —, Judge Rowland Rowlands who sat at Swansea County Court for 1 be first time on Tuesday, has already made a favour- able impression, for on alb 'eid»s -many eulogies and- nice things were heard. 0:- 1. ö; I I Some time back it was pigs* vr,iiild be as rare, and expensive as a Prince Charles pup. Up totli4- present, however, no one has advertised an ex- change ot hjs piano for, a healthy porker. -'0.- i 4 "YOUNG PEOPLE'S SERVICE at 2.W, presided oyer by Mr. W. H. Parrott. Address. iiy the Rev. C. W. Screech. .Speciit Singing by the Scholars." Local Paper. As Punch" says, it .should be a har- monious jrathering. A" Swansea man had some tea, brem- butter and a piece of cake at a MumbTas cafe on Thursday. The charge for this was a shilling and ninepence, and.^s Le spent half an hour over hi* -meal, --be wants to know if that charge was in- clusive for board and lodgings! -;ø: A gallant little band of cat6, Witt cul- tivated throats and repertoiras- th-at vary, appear to have a particular regard for the Walter-road vicinity, where wfefy "night they give renditions of in Catland: It is &ad to relate "that the .mewsio is not appreciated.* -;0:- ,< There was a remarkable ,V. haul i»v cently in a net used by fishem in- Swanse > Bay. A patent fuel brick tti#,mpql;oltt, hy, Swansea works that has been closed 4!o: 35 y ears was brought up. It was 'encryistec -with barnacles, but on being =Gleum ,1 -tl'"W'a'S^TCTrirct- -trJ-'tKf-ftr yr-1 t -i-o,. rffrttfn — :Ot— -f I..c Now that the price of tlw-weed .has gone up, a correspondent is curious to know whether the old practice of supply- ing visiting preachers with tobacco is still in vogue in the chapel-houses of the Swansea district. In the' old days baeco'r pregethwr was aD. important item in the list of week-end aecessaries., — -.O Two woiindt-d"Teniiiiies wandering iu Greenhili the other afternoon espied a long Italian name over a sweet, shop. Ned," said one of them, pointing to the sign, is that Irish? « I tatVt say," said his comrade, and Ican't -pronoun(,-(, it. But if I had my flute with me I could pIny it for yer-i' play it for Ter- A soldier of herculean build,had co^re home, and he was passing along to* stneet, travel-stained, when he stopped sod called on a "street arab to shine his boots. His feet were in proportion to his height. Looking at the tremendous Ijpot?" before him, the arab knelt down on the pave- ment and hailing a companion near by, exclaimed: Billie, come o'er and give's a hand; I've got an Army cont&tl"- The bathing tragedy at Three-Cliffs Day on Sunday" should be taken as a f rrther warning to local swimmers. the spot where young Mr. Petters waa-dro-wned is .described by a native as most treacherous, and onlv who know the bay "'ll should bathe there. Only a fortnight ago a man nearly lost his life, and a few y ears back Mr. Donaldson was droirned « £ the same place. T* -:0:- Some of the large firms in Swansea dis- trict are taking up welfare work With earnestness and enthusiasm„ The Mond Nickel Company have long led the way in providing 'acilitics for the recreation ot their-employes, and now on the MaBseIton Racecourse the MannesmaYi'n Company are making preparations to keep the boys together which are lacking in neither trouble nor expense. The laeu of to-day are a lucky lot. — -o:— The doggerel "Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy* was a thief," was falsified at Car- marthen last week. Whilst a' large num- ber of men were waiting to examined hy the Medical Board, one of, them picked up a 10s. note, and. after making in- quiries, handed it over to the person who Ilad "loot it. This little incident, however, faded "into insignificance later fri the dhy, for--during the dinner hour a jmeml^or the clerical staff left a box of matches on » table in the yard. On his return be fgund it untouched. Now if this took pli>ce in JtJngiaudr j — :0:— lie is a C.O. and he would die fir before he would move a hand to do any- thing to help the. war to be-carried on," a What is your occupation?. asked, a gentleman. A collier." he answered. Well, my man, you ought 't,) Iw, dead a long time ago," came the you are a strong supporter .of the war. That's a darned lie," shouted the C.O. Keep your hair on," advised the cate- chiser, coal is one of the --t-htt-f-- sities to carry the war on, and, as you are cutting it every day, you• are a strong sup- porter of the war." Collapse of the C.O -!O:- tlbo f4loving. Of curious coincidences tba f-óUo1ri. relating to three Swansea bt?taere, -it of interest. The youngest joined regiment in 1913. and was s?nt France when war broke out. He *;4? there a month when he was so ba4J.y wouasj oi in the arm that it had to be amputated. Another brother was also out early in the campn, but <.nly for one month, he losing a hand through wounds. Last wtl,& the third brother, after bein.; in Franks a month, was wounded in the foot. Inci- dentally it may be mentioned that tp.tI) youngest brother was the f&rc-t, Swansea 11 man to los-o a limb and vaf patient to'enter the city, of Manchester.,

INTERNED IN GERMANY. At Swansea County Court before j his Honour Judge owl and Row- lands—Carrie Louise Wit hell sued Francis Noel Bosse. for the setting -itsi(le of an agreement made between them with re- syxect to the occupation of. a house' at Sketty. Mr. Ivor Evann represented the plaintiff; Air. Thorpe was for the defen- danL .1 Plaintiff's husband, Mr. Evans ex- plained. while an engineer on board a ship at Hamburg, was arrested by the Germans and interned, at Ruhleben. He had now returned to England in a most shocking condition, with an open wound in the side, and he had also developed pleurisy. He and his wife had lived at Sketty, hut the wife had let the house and furniture to defendant. She now wanted the use of both. His Honour suggested that there were difficulties in the case. If the agreement were set aside, that would not mean the delivery of the furniture or securing the house. If the facts were as stated, it was a case where defendant ought to meet plaintiff, apart from legal rights. It was a good denti of a squabble. After f>0Rie further conversation, an agreement was suggested by which action in High Court would be withdrawn, as well as any allegation of fraud, and defen- dant should deliver up the house and fur- niture within two months, and the case was adjourned for a month.