Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder

CORSE-INON WEDDING. A wadding of great interest took place at St. Catherine's Parish Church, Gors- einon, on Wednesday, the contracting parties being Miss Catherine Louise Lewis, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lewis, Bryngwyn Hall, and Mr- Duncan Holford Oriiip- (late second lieu- tenant, R.F.A.), only son of Mr. and ill*. Omie, Granbv Bakewell, Derby- shire. The officiating clergy were the Revs. W. Morgan (vicar of Pontar- dulais), Harold S. Williams r. • • of Oystermouth), 1). A. Jones (curate, Gors- einon), Hugh Roes (rector of Loughor), and H. S. Williams (curate* tiakewell).

A deputation of prison warders and wardresses asking for the same pay and conditions as the police and equal pay for equal work by women was received by the Home Secretary on Wednesday. ,Air. P. J. Williams, secretary of the Carmarthen Bit-Badge" branch, is a very forceful and incisive speaker. As an orator he has a future—his speech at the Swansea Conference clearly showed this. At the Institute, Goreeinon, o» Satur- day evening a mass meeting was held in connection with the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, the speakers being the Rt. Hon .John Hodge, M.P. (Pensions Mini- ster and president of the Confederation)^ and Mr. John Baker (assistant secretary). At a meeting of the Swansea Guardians on Wednesday the Chairman (Mr. W. Owen) said that the relief committees were up against a big problem. They found that old people were not really in receipt of the wages represented.. He moved that they should call on the Government, on account of the increased cost of living, to increase old age pen- sions.-—Carried.

GALWAY CASTLE LOSSES. The latest official figures of the saved and, missing from the Galway Castle are as follows:— Saved. Missing, j First Class 35 18 Second Class 2111 8 Third Class 9$86 231 112 :!3J 112 Note..—The iirft repoits gave the iiiiin- I bcr of missing as 154. This included 31 of tha crew, who are not included in the above figures. I Mr. and Mrs. Tritider. of Skibbereen, and their three little children, who were on board the torj)edopd Galway Castle, have arrived at their home. Mr. Trinder states that the liner was hit by two tor- pedoes, and that the attacking submarine was blown up. All hands in her were lost.

MARGAM REGISTRARSHIP. At a joint conference of representa- tives of the National Federation of Dis- charged Sailors and Soldiers at Neath on Saturday the recent appointment of re- gistrar for thi Margam sub area. Lack of space prevents us from using the com- plete report. A Miss Beynon had been appointed, and the application of nine discharged soldiers were not con- sidered by the council. It was resolved to appoint a deputation to proceed to London and wait npon the Registrar- General, contesting of delegates repre- senting the various branches, and place the whole of the circumstances before him. It was further resolved to hold public demonstrations to be addressed by members of Parliament and other6 to protest against the appointment.

POLICE WAGES. The qeustioa of police wages wits re- ported upon to the Swansea Borough Council by Ald. Dan Jones chairman of the Watch Committee), at Wednesday's meeting. Aid. Dan Jones reported on the negotiations for an increase of'wages, and said a scheme had now been agreed to under which all the ranks would receive increases. Giving typical instances, Aid. Jones said that if the Council adopted the scale a live years' constable who get 36s. in 1011, would now "receive 63s.; a sergeant of similar service would now get Tie. as compared with 43s. in 1914. Aid. Jones also referred to the move- ment on the part of municipalities and county councils to get the Government tx, pay a proportion of the wages of the police. A conference for the whole of Wal es would bo held in Cardiff on Oct 4th, and it was hoped that these confer- ences would bear fruit. Mr. W. Owen referred to the applica- tion of the detectives for an increased al- lowance towards the cost of clothes. Ald. Dan Jones said the application was being sympathetically considered, and would be dealt with, among other matters in connection with borough exttiision. In reply to Mr. OiYL-:i. Aid. Jones said the Committee would consider the ques- tion of making any concession fiven rle- trospective. The minutes of the Watch Committee were then .adonted.

WELSH VALOUR I ———- ? | CUMMAHCMGOFfiCE.TSSLCWiM TRIBUTE I luajor E. L. Wi-lleox, ofh.i command- ing the Welsh Regiment depot at Cardiff, has received th& following copy of an Order of the Day issued by a divisional commander in France:- I desire to take this opportunity, dur- ing a brief period of rest, to express to all ohicers, warrant officers, N.C.O.'e, and men of the Welsh Division my very deep gratitude for, and mv unbounded admira- tion of, tho magnificent success that has been achieved by them during the past sixteen days of strenuous fighting. Durinjr this period Thiepi-el, La Boi- selle. Orviller". C.{)ntahllain, Posieres, Hazcntin-le-Petit and le Grand, Mamctz, Morval, Hih Weed, LoBKucvaL DelTi'lc Wood. Civenchy, Lesboeuis, a¡lly Sai!- Iise!. Mesnil, Etricourt, and Manancourt I; have all been captured by this division, together with over 2,000 prisoners, hun- dreds of machine-guns, numerous trench mortars, :;1d field guns. In addition, the passages of two rivers have been forced, and the division has met and smashed elements of :13 regiments H2ft battalions), a truly glorious record. This has been attained bv hard fighting, magnificent leadeithip. and the irresis-j tibio dash of the troops. The enemy was not voluntarily retreating. He was forced and fpught out of all his very strong posi- tions by determined fighting. The divi- sional frontage ha-s never been less tlinn •000 vards, and each brigade has Rurally made one, and sometimes two attacks on each day of the IS dty, battle. Artillery and machine-gun support has never been "-0 close and so perfect. I desire to ex- press very special thanks to my own staff, to artillerv and infantry brigade com- manders and their staffs, and to battalion commanders and their substitutes. All have been backed up admirably by the Roval Engineers, the Signal Com- nanv, the Pioneer and supply units, the' Divisional Ammunition Column, the police and traffic .control. Above all, I wish to emphasise the eignal success that has attended the untiring efforts of the Divisional Administrative Staff end the A.IL\f.S:. while the salvage work has been beymd all praise. All have worked at full pressure and with complete success. The subordinate leaders and the men have displaved qualities of leadership, of cour- age. and of stnying power that have never been surpa3sed, 1, am confident that our future efforts will be maintained at an equally high standard. The reputation of the Wl'l«h Division never stood higher than to-day."

TAIBACH CLAIM FAILS. At Aberavon Crmnty Court on Tues- day, before His Honour Judge Lloyd Morgan, K.C.. Re« Bees and Co., Tai- bach, claimed ?2t! ?s. 4d. from George Hunt, Tiiibach. — Mr. A Evans, Neath, was for phmtdL and Mr. 1/pwis M. Tbpmas Xo <!?"?????.?<;?Mr!?'  t ?BM?'C ?p,C.: ??.)?' ?t. 1'Ok' ?U'?;.S Su!?. (wMch was not ??putpd?, ?d ?t3 !s. lor ttee -hire of" a horse at 5s. a week.— Defendant, giving evidence, said that the plaintiff spnt the hors*; to k-r, op for the winter, and no arrangement for hire wa,tlwn in;1d, Later plaintiff asked for os. a week. Mr. 'Lewis r. Thomas: Did you agree to this—Defendant:1 Yes. His Honour: I don't > think there is any answer to the "laim now. Mr Thomas: Tiic, dtfendint has proved the for the plaintiff. Defendant:' That is the truth at any rate. His Honour: It is very commenda ble on your part. I wish everybody did tho same in this court. (Laughter) Judgment was given for the plaintiff.

FOR THE DISABLED. The Welsh Plate and Sheet Manufac- turers;' Association have given the first donation of < £ 5,000 to the King's Fund for disabled officers and men. and the matter is to be further considered at a ''irther meeting of the, conference.

BLACK POWDER BARRED I Mr. W. S., Wardlflw, agent for the Cewdor Collieries, Garnant, was charged at Ammanford on Monday by Col. Pear- son, H.M. Inspector of Mines with a breach of the Explosives Order, 1913, by using black powder which is not a per- mitted explosive. There had been an explosion with the result that two men I vere b:il.v burtie(l. John, Williams and William John Morgan. For the defence Mr. Wardlow said the same explosive was used in surrounding I collieries working the same seam, and workmen, preferred black pow;5er, and complained of dizziness in the head and j weakness while using permitted explo- sives. t p to the 2Ath there was no report of gas in dangerous quantity. i The agent and manager were each fined £ 5. The manager, Morgan Evans, charged N-ith in allowing the men to enter the working-place, and with i. f[liling to fence the ?at. was fined ,£1 in-I clupivc in each cuse-

SPECIAL CASES. A deputation from the South Wales Miners' Fedpration attended on Wednes- day at the Coal Controller's Department in London with reference to the dismissal or a clerk from the Hill's Plymouth Col- liery, Merthyr. Suggestions were made with a view to the man being reinstated, and after some discussion the deputation were informed that a decision would be sent on. Another matter brought before the de- partment was a dispute at the Main Col- lieries, Neath, where, it was stated, a wind i ug. ongineman was being paid at a lower rate than certain other enginemen i employed, and it was claimed that hp should be paid at the same rate.

PLASMARL GIRL'S BABY. At Swansea on Thursday William I Danes. tin worker, was summoned by Cecilia Griffiths, aged 20. Plasmarl, to shew cause, etc.—Mr. I). Seline represented the sirl. and IIfr. Edward Harris the tin worker. The case had been partly heard last weok, and adjourned so that com- plainant might obtain legal assistance. Complainant repudiated the suggestion that -he had been intimate with nny other mun. Confronted with a letter ad- dressed to her from a man in Landoxe. she said she knew nothing of the man, and that the letter was first brought to her notice at the last court Mr. Harris submitted there was no case to answer, but the chairman (Dr. J. A. Rawiinjjs) said the magistrates felt they must hear the case through, and ad- journed it again till next Thursday.

:c.=. m At an inquest, on a man. aged 68. a tel- graphist at the Central Telegraph Office, it was stailtf that since the war he had j worked 77i hours a wpe?. mcluding four hours' overtime every night.

y •» jW* *— ■ VERY LATEST News of the Day, buy the 6.30 LEADER. The Latest Printed Newspaper circulating in West Wales. 6.30 LEADER.

WEEMmim Splendid Progress. Thousands of Prisoners Captured. immense Quantities of Booty I in Our Hands. Another week's chapter in the ftiry ot the war may, at the outset, be summarised in the brief summary—fighting continues and in every phase, and from every field of operations, .success continues to attend the plans, the actions, and the movements of the Allied forces. The end is not yet in view, but the at- tainment of our object is now a certainty aud even those among us who formerly clamoured for a statement of our war aims are now suggesting that our cliiunts should include the punishment of the Kaiser and those with him who are responsible ior the brutalities which are acknowledged to have been contrary to international law. As to the Central Empires, a peace offensive has set in, and Austria has asked —and even apl)ea.Ic-d-.o- a conference o; all the belligerents to discuss peace terms and conditions, but included in the -Noto sent to the Powers an outline of tileit own ideas, which are impossible and absurd. President Wilson's prompt re- ply—" We have laid down our condition- and adhere to them "-is alrearly being endorsed by all; the military power of Germany must be broken, and acknow- ledged by the Germans to have been broken. Meanwhile, some of the official reports of the. battles of the week may be taken as an indication of the position and prospects. GERMAN INFANTRY ASSAULT. (From the Press Association Special Cor- respondent with the irrencil Army;. Wednesday, It) p.m. (received Thurs- day) .—General Debeney's army continues its advance in the direction of St. (Juen- tin in liaison with the 13ritisli Army north of it. n this region, which 1. dominated by the tower of the Cathe- dral of St. Quentin, the Germans are offering a vigorous resistance a few. hun- dred yards in front of the Mindenburg. line which runs to the west of the town, "whose suburbs form a part of the Ger- man defences. This was the starting point of the great German offensive in March last, and dotted all over the ground here groups of infantry, plentifully sup- plied with machine-guns, are trying to hold up our advance. At such a stort distance from the Hin- den burg line these enemy detachments naturally benefitted from the close co-op- eration of the German artillery, and from the old observation posts of the Hinden- burg line, which overlook the country in every direction. ?everthele&s. for SV-II era] days the French have ))?en pujil, etcadily forward towards St. Quentm, "wiiiret^nies by >-ueh«B; itflft2" tration Sávy Wood, part of, which was' captured yesterday, was completely cleaned up to-day and our troops have reached houses in the villages of I/Epine de Dalloft and Francill.y Selency. These three points surround Hill 134 on the north, west and south. In this sector we are only two miles from the suburlvs of St. Quentin. light- ing is taking place at the junction of Itoisel-St. Quentin and Han :3t. Quentin Railways, immediately to the west of Sary Wood, and quite near to the highest /point of Hill 114. On a wide stretch of front the French are already holding some of their old trendies. j WEDNESDAY'S BRITISH OFPtOAL. Guneral Headquarters, France, Wed- nesday, 10.10 a.m.—As the resuit of our operations on Tuesday on the southern portion of the battle front, we gained possession of Holnon Village with several prir.onew. This morning (Wednrsda y) our troops attacked north-west of St. Quentin. Tuesday evening the enemy attacked at Moeuvres under con-er of heavy artil- lery barrage and pressed jur troops back to the western outskirts oi the village. By a successful local operation carried ut during the night, we advanced our line slightly immediately fouth OT the La Bsis ee Canal. France Wednesday, 8.25 p.m.—At this morning troops of the Fourth and Fifth British Armies attacked with com- plete success on a frolit of about Hi mil"? from Holnion to the neighbourhood of Gonzeauconrt. On the whole of this, front our troops, advancing in heavy "rm"of rain, car- ried the enemy's positions by assault. Sweeping over the old British trench system of March, 1918, they reached and captured the outer defences of the Hinden- Wnrg line in wide sectors. On our right divisions composed of English and Scottish troops captured Freisnoy-le-Tetit, Berthaucou rt, andPol- tru, meeting with and overcoming strong hostile resistance, particularly, on the eT- treme right of our attack. In the rjg-h t crntre two Australian divi- sions captured the villages of Le Vernier Villeret and Hargicourt. Pushing forward with great determina- tion they established themselves in tli- old German advance positions west and iouth-we^t of Bellicourt (on flio St. Quen- tin Canal, 2J, miles south of Le CareleD having penetrated the enemy's defences to a depth of three miles. < In the left centre the 74tli Yeomanry Division and other divisions composed of East County and London troops, eantured Templeux-le-Guerard, Ronssoy, Epeliy. and Paizieres, also penetrating to a great depth. Korth of Paizieres the 21st Division at- tacked over the northern portion of the eector defended by it with bo much gal- lantry on the 21st and 22nd March. Having captured its old front trenches, together with the strong points known as Yaucellette Farm (north of PaiaieresV and Iveaten off a hostile counter-attack, it pressed forward more than a mile beyond this line, capturing several hundred pri- soners and a German battery complete with teams in course of its advance. WELSH TAKE GAUCHE WOOD. On the left of our attack other English end Welsh troops carried the remainder of the high ground south of Gouzeancourt, reaching the outskirts of Villers-Guislain and capturing Gauche Wood. Over 6,000 prisoners and a number of puns "have been captured by our troops in the course of these successful operations. THURSDAY'S BRITISH OFFICIAL. FRANCE. Thursday. 11.35 a.m. Yesterday afternoon a violent bombard- ment by a large number of guns was opened by the enemy on the northern por- tion ot the battle front, between Gouzeau- ccc;rt and the Arras-Cambrai road. All telephone communications with the divisions in the line were reported cut by the intensity of the hostile tire. At 5 p.m the German infantry attacked on a wide front from the neighbourhood of Tre-scau.lt northwards. At all points they were completely repulsed with great loss by troops ot the Guards of the 3rd and 37th Divisions. Another strong attack which was .delivered shortly afterwards north ot ?ceuvres was also driven off with heavy German losses. In certain localities a body of the en- emy succeeded in reaching and entering oI ii- t,-ep-clies, -.vlier*e-\ they were over- whelmed by our counter-attack. Inallsnchtocalities Our lines have been restored and are now intact. Many prisoners have been taken by our troops, and a great number of German dead are lying before our positions on the whole front of the enemy attack. South of Gouzeaucourt the oper- I ations of the 3rd and 4th British Armies were continued successful yesterday afternoon and during the night. English troops made progress north of Jontruet, reaching the outpost positions of the Hindenburg line in this sector. On their left the 4th Australian Division renewed the attack at 11 p.m., and carried the outpost posi- tions of the Hindenburg line after; heavy fighting. Many prisoners and a number of machine-guns were taken in this success- ful operation. This division and the First Aus- tralian Division now hold the out- post positions of the Hindenburg line on the whole of their respec- tive fronts. Further north severe fighting is taking place east of Ronssoy and Epehy. Our troops have gained possession Ot Pempiere, and have beaten off de- termined hostile counter-attacks. In the Villers-Guislain sector the 17th Division, which in yester- day's advance took severai hundred prisoners, have captured Gauche Wood, which the enemy had regained by a counter-attack, and later in the atternoon repulsed with heavy loss a strong countei- attack launched by the enemy from Vil- lers Guislain. At Gauche Wood repeated attacks de- livered by the enemy during the after- noon and evening were in each case re- pulsed. I By a successful local operation carried out yesterday morning, We ,4 s and east cf Ploegsteert and cap-! tured a number of prisoners.. THURSDAY'S FRENCH OFFICIAL. I FRANCE, Thursday Afternoon. ti-i the region 01 St Quentin our troops continued their progress and penetrated Contescourt, where the enemy is stubbornly defending himself. To tho north of the Aisne there is j much artillery activity } A strong enemy counter-attack in the rcgion of Moisy Farm attained no re It. We have maintained all our posi- tions and inflicted losses on the as- sailants. On the Yesle front a Germau attack north-east of Corlandon was broken up bvour fire before :t could reach our bv f)ir fire 1)4?fore I t cotild r(,zie h oiir We repulsed two enemy surprise attacks in Champagne and on the heights of the Meuse. There -s nothing to report elsewheie. BAKU EVACUATED. LONDON, Thursday Afternoon. ] To-day's military survey states:-We j understand: In the Caucasus our troops have I evacuated Baku. On September lltli the j Turks made a determined attack in torce, and after a iiglit lasting 16 hours, the brunt of which was borne by the British, General Dansteiville decided to evacuate the town. v J

TEA-CUP MYSTERY. There is a good Ilrn oi mystery aoont ) this tea cup, and we give the defendants I the benefit ot the doubt, 60 we dismiss the I case, said the presiding magistrate (Mr R. W. Evans). at the Llanelly Police Court, when two munition girls nameo Ida Young and Nellie Young, of Vincent- street, Swansea, were prosecuted for .steal- > ing a tea-cap from a West Wales factory

ABERAVON GOUHCIl ——— ——— Price of Gas Raised by 5d. per 1,000 Feet. At Abernvon Town Council w on Wed- nesday night the, Mayor (Aid. J. 1\1. Smith, moved a vote of condo- lence with Lady Evans and the family of the late Sir Samuel EYans.A vote of condolence was also passed with Ald. D. Jenkia Jones on the death of his wife. r-i i E,?- d from 3s. 9?l The price of gas was raised from 3s. 9d. to .45. 2d. During Juiy and August there were 72 births and 27 deaths reported. Reporting on housing conditions, the Sanitary inspector said that in Water- she-d three adults occupied a room ten feet by twelve as living and sleeping apartments. The premises was formedy a four roomed cottage, Iflit the staircase had been removed, and there was no access upstairs. In another case two ftamilies ot five adults and ten children lived in a Seven-roomed house. The bathroom was bemj; tised as a bedroom by some of the children It was decided to approach the owners of vacant lock- up shops in Water-street to let some of the living rooms at cottage rentals during the war. The Inspector reported having destroyed 500 lbs. beef, two cases of eggs, 190 lbs. cheese, 40 lbs. shell-fish as unfit for human consumption. From the sale of ivaste paper, rags, and tins .18 Gel. was realised during two months, bringing the total of the year's collection to CSG. Owing to complaints that double fees were charged for the burial of Aberavon residents in the new Margam Council cemetery, the Town Clerk was asked to write the Local Government Board to have them placed on an equal footing. Estimates were adopted providing a borough rate of id. (a half-penny in- crease), and a general district rate of 25. (same as last year). The Local Government Board wrote asking the council that in any appoint- ments made by them to give preference to discharged and disabled soldiers and sailors. The Town Clerk was directed to ask the Board that the nominations of applicants for the post of registrar of births and deaths liquid l>e left to the three local authorities aif-ected by the vacancy. Mr. James Evans, representing the Ministry of National Service, attended and explained the Ministry's part-time service scheme. <

NOT IN THE ARMY. I At Swansea Tribunal on Thursday (Ald. T. MerreUs in the chair), a number of anonymous letters had Ien received, it was said, asking why some young men were not in the Army. The latest case was in respect of four eons of a partner in a firm at Morriston. No individual replies could he given, as the names of the writers were not given. In many cases there were satisfactory reasons why certain young men were not in the Army, 01/ -II'! -.oJ: '.J

GU5LTY—BUT INSANE. Eva Grace Thompson, aged 3.1, lately a night nurse at the Sydenham Infant Wel- fare Centre, was found guilty at the Old Bailey on Friday of the wilful murder of James Matthew Ernest Smith, aged1 two months, who died from a fractured skull. The jury accepted the defence that she had been addicted to drugs, suffered from epilepsy, and was not responsible for her actions, and Mr. Justice Darling ordered her detention during the King's pipasiire Charges of murdering another child and injuring and neglecting three others were not proceeded with.

LABOUR NOMINEES. I A special meeting of the Llansoinlet Council was held on Wednesday evening to receive, the Tesplt of voting of the various lodges affijjated to this council. on which tnvol,of (he follor, ing nominees were to stand as la bour candidates for the Llansamlet Ward lor seats on the Greater Swansea Borough Council' in the Novem- ber election: Moaefe. G. H. Goodwin, Ed. Henry, Edwin Thqjnuy. Councillors T. J. Richards, James ifcorrie, and T. W. Wat- kins. Twelve lodges wre re-prmentei, it the meeting, and it was decided that it should be one lodge, one Vote. The result of the voting was in favour of Councillor T. J. Richards (Birchgrove), 9 votes; and Mr. I nichalxl Henry, tiifworker (Peniel Green), 8 votes. The two candidates selected will be sub- mitted to the Swansea Labour Association for confirmatioil. At the Llansamlet Parish Council meet- ing held on Wednesday, over which Conn. T. W. Watkins presided, the following resolution was unanimously paesed:— That this Conncil, as a body of men. strongly recommend to the elector's of Llansamlet the name of Ald. J. Jordan, Parcyderi, as a most suitable person to represent5 the Llansamlet Ward on the Greater Swansea Borough Conncil."

Temporarv Captain 4vor Thomas F>'nn«, D.S.O.. M.C.. Sooth Wale, Border 's, v. ho j appears in the new honours list, is a E4 n j' of Mr. David Evans. Llanwrda, and l nephew of Supt. Ben Jivuns, Neath, and I Deputy Chief Constable John livans, dÜO. J

ABERAVON DIVISION — Hpated Discussion "nd Rejec- tion of Ballot. A L./i't(-rcnce of delegates from organisa- tions w.nposiny• the Labour Party in the new Aberavon division was held at the Dockei- Hall, Port Talbot, on Saturday night ,to consider an order from the National Labour Party that a ballot of workers should be taken to select a Labour candidate. The conference was not open to the Press, but at the close the secretary. Mr. Ivor II. Thomas (.Britonferry) issued an official report which said that the chair was occupied by Councillor Joseph Branch, Britonferry. There were over 20H delegates representing 76 out of just over 100 of the organisations composing the party. The voting strength was approxi- mately 20,200. The question of a ballot was discusscd at some length and with stoe heat. Voting took place as to whether they should take the ballot and thereby cancel the candidature of Mr. Robert Williams, who was selected at the last conference. The result was— Against a ballot 143, representing 14,300 For a ballot 59, representing 5,900 Very few delegates did not vote. This, said the secretary, means that the con- ference will not accept the decision of the National Labour Party's Executive, and so far as the Labour Party in the divi- sion is concerned the candidature of Mr. Robert Williams stands. i From a conversation after the confer- ence our representative was told by the supporters of Mr. Win. Jenkins, J.P., the miners' candidate, that the voting- was no u-ue index or the position, as they claim that about 76 delegates did not vote—their organisation taking the view that the con- ference had no right to override the de- mand of the National Party and Mr. Henderson's recommendation of a ballot. The conference lasted nearly three liotirs, and included several women dele- gates. Feeling ran very high and there seemed to be no hope of unanimity be tween the parties. Ormplaint is made of overlapping representation. The division has aoout 30,000 voters, including women and soldiers. Yet this conference claimed a voting strength of 20,000. Take Alier- avon and Port Talbot as an instance. Every trade union branch sent delegates. The I.L.P., composed of trade unionists, sent delegates; the Labour Representa- tion Committee, composed of trade union- ists, I.L.P., and the Co-operative Society, etc., sent delegates. Again the Co-opera- ii"e Society—which includes all these people practically, sent delegates; and yet again the Co-operative Guild—a jear-old body dead as a door-nail—they sent a representative. Where the Co-op. sec- tions obtained their mandate to vote at the conference js not known. They had no meeting of members. Porthcawl is now included in the Aberavon Parliamentary Division, and the Liberals of the town and district. having been called together by the old secretary, Councillor D. J. Rees, J.P., a meeting was held on Thursday evening, s 1 iwmg- voted to the chair. The old association was duly dissolved, the liabilities of the treasurer, Mr. Chas. Clement, being discharged, and it was unanimously resohed to re-esfablish an association for Porthcawl. the members to elect officere; at next meeting. It was re- solved to send 20 delegates to the general meeting to be held at Aberavon at an early date. The following were appointed to the Executive of the 300:—Messrs. Grindley Morgan, 11. B. Comley. Thos. James, J.P.. and D. J. Rhys, J.P. It was resolved to advertise the date of the next meeting, and to invite the ladies of the town. •The question of the Liberal candidate was not considered, this matter being left for this central meeting. There_ is a gen- eral feeling among the Liberals of the town, however, that the seat should be contested in their interest. It was stated by one present at the meeting that Messrs. Percy Jacob and S. II. Byass had definitely refused to contest the seat in the Unionist interest.

NEATH DIVISION. On Saturday afternoon a conference of the Neath Divisional Labour Party was held at Swansea, under the presidency of Councillor D. D. Davies. The conference re-affirmed its determination to abolish plural voting and representation in the party. Mr. Meth Jones read correspon- dence from the Proportional sCepr *»-i it t- tion Society congratulating the patty upon its, resolve to con.i r It" ballot i; the selection of a candidate upon the single transferable vote. A letter was read from Rev .T. Rhon- dda Williams withdrawing his noniina, tion. The four remaining candidates—J Dicks, Wm. Gurrier (railwayman, Y^taly- fera). Councillor Ivor H. Gwynne (Swan- e-ea, general secretary of the Tin and Sheet Workers), and the Rev. Herbert Morgan (Baptist minister, Bristol)—were invited to address the conference. The selection will be made by a ballot < the affiliated members.

I ADDED AREAS I PLANS fOR CREATE SWANSEA Chief interest in Wednesday afternoon's j meeting ot the swan.ea Borough Council centred in the statement oi Jir. David Matthews, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee and the Extension Sub-com- mittee. on the success of the Borough Ex- tension Bill. Mr. 3!atthewo> said that the Order was now law, which meant that Greater Swan- | .sea \,as an accomplished laet. and we were j at the enu ot our journey. ThE journey hfcd been a difficult one. and the sub- i committee had had a heavy "task. He did not ciaim any special credit for him- be lt, bur the .sub-committee nad put forth efforts which lie tru.itcil wcuid meet with the approval ot not only the Council, but the town. He himself bad for the past ten years ii^d a passion to *ee Sv. an.ca take its p:-s.iM-r uiace among i the great n>wiis of the country, and he had t. i,,o ini;ia.i v.- when in office | about ten years ago. There was an in- cident aijout that time that made him j very determined, lie had in Lori- don on public business, and on sending a telegram to the town was surprised to find that the clerk at the Post Office counter had Itai-dl)- heard of Swansea, and thought 01 it as a little village, ask- ing whether it was near Cardiff, lie had then -ëinJ there madè up his mind to remedy that stats of things, and was proud that this Order was an accom- plished fact. The extension increased the- population from about 125,000 to 165,000, and tho acreagr from 6,229 to 24,193. makidg tL the fifth largest municipal area in the J country. The Act wouid come into oper- ation on November 9th, and that brougnt him to the cjuestion of elections, which in his opinion were bound to take place on November 1st. He had every faith that that btatement would prove correct. The Local Government Board had re- served to themselves the right to im- pone the elections If they (ievuied lec- tion, impracticable. The only thing thnt could make them impracticable was the possibility of the voters' lists not being ready," but he felt confident the lists would be ready by November 1st. Circumstances, however, had changed since the scheme was started, and he ven- tured to bay that the rate, of Swansea would not increase in any shape or form as a result of the extension scheme. He said that with confidence. Mr. Ashmole and Mr. Fox, of the County Council,"had sucessfully settled the question by adjust- ments—a problem which often in such schemes caused trouble. I He called the attention of the Council to the question of the Llansamlet road, and the matter of the commitments and the commitment eo far as the extension went as regard the road wa.s £ 66.000 only I The Council had agreed that a new secondary school Was essential in the northern part of the borough to serve Llansamlet, Clydach, and Morriston. They would too have to enlarge the girls' secondary school. That was thf work of the future. No chairman of a committee had ??r??u?Ttj?ed??u??.? < J'grfaESr importance, than the extensi^ on scheme he was now submitting, and he sincerely hoped the new Council would realise their responsibilities and carry out the high ideals which had been in the committee's minds during the whole time. As to the question of compensation to displaced o?<-??".??n? People had asked what th(? amount would be. But until the Council was able to have a full state- ment of what oiffcers they were going to retain it was impossible to arrive at a definite figure. Alluding to the services of officials, had their -officials been specially selected for this task the Council could not have been more fortunate in their Town Clerk and Borough Treasurer, upon whom the bulk of the work had fallen. As far as the Town Clerk was concerned, he had been with them for the last four or five years, and they would be most un- grateful if they did not recognise the great cervices he had rendered. He hoped the recommendation of the committee as to recognition of the services of the officials would meet with the approval of every member of the Council. Mr. Ashmole had been dealing with a most vital matter— that of finance. There were so many difficult points that it would have been absolutely impossible without bif, as- sistance to arrive at an agreement. J No town in the country which had pro- moted schemes such as this from time to tim' had ever been better served than Swansea by its Town clerk, borough trea- surer, and borough surveyor. ?The*. there were the ?ervire- of Dr. Evans in matters of health, and Mr. T. J. R-(Ns in matters of education. Mr. Matthews then i!i"ved i??oiutionf placing on recoid 'he Coum:il' appreÓa- tion of the able and indefatigable scr"'i of the town clerk, the 1'?rough tN"asurer. and the borough surveyor in tho promo- tion of the scheme. j Mr. David Williams seconded (Ae N..>t)o lutions. Following a lengthy .ind lucid state- ment liy Mr. Ashmole, which Aid. Col- will declared had cleared the air very <vn- considerably. and gave the explanation he wanted, the three resolutions proposed -by Mr. Dd. Mattheteft, and also the min- utes of the Parliamentary Committee, were passed, and at the suggestion of Mr. Will Owen a special resolution was passed adding a tribute to the staff of i.he C.,r- i poration. Mr. Will Owen pointed out that tribute was not r*gotiable. lie wanted them to have some financial recognition. Mr. Dd. Matthews called attention to a minute of the Parliamentary Committee that anticipated Mr. Owen's point, to the effect that the sub-committee was to re- port on this matter.

MAYOR'S WAR TROPHY. We learn that the Mayor of Swansea has received a German machine gun which was captured from the Germans by the Swansea (14th Welsh) Eattalion. In order that the public may have every opjiortunity of seeing the trophy, the Mayor has sent it to Mr. W. Grant Murray, Art Gallery, Alexandra-road, for exhibition amongst our local collec- tion of war trophies.

Presiding at a special meeting of the Neath Town Council on Thursday, the Mayor (Aid. Hopkin Morgan, C.B.E., J.P.)! referred to the lamented death of Sir Samuel Evans, who, he remarked, was a former member of the Council, and a freeman of the borough. A vote of con- dolence was passed. At the close of Aberavon Town Council on Wednesday, cups and prizes won in the recent allotment competition pre- dated. Cups given by Councillor W. J. Williams, Councillor T. S: Goslin, the Mayor (Aid. J M. Smith), and Mr. W. B. Turnock, O.B.F. were handed to Messrs. R. Field, D. Cochlin, H. John and Ralph [Coulson.

TOWN TALK. Two witnesses in an assault case were named Crust and Cheese. Quite natural to expect scraps I —:o: — During an action at Aberavon County Court it transpired that a grocer insured the lives of some of his customers to cover their debts! — si Yr ben gownt" seems to flourish is Cwmavon. A County Court action re- vealed that one grocer had book debts amounting to £ 5,500. Some collier fami- lies owed up to ÆI00, Customer: Have you any talking cheese? —Grocer: Sorry, mum but all our cheese has reached the stage ot chanting. Will you taste it. please ?--Customer: No, thanks; please don't disturb it. —; o. — The first time for many months the Chief Constable ot Neath presented a vlearl sheet at the Police Court on Mon- day. A pair of white gloves might have accompanied the sheet, but* there's a war on 1 —ia — An allotment observer rushos in to say that according to unchallenged statements, Swansea is on top for pump- kins; Neath for cabbage, Skewen for car- rots, and Ammanford for onions. Hands up for fvuds! Now that the Government has d"tided to release 2,000 miners daily from the Army and Navy, pacifists who have for some time been very near the brim of the military melting pot are heaving deep sighs of relief. — x>:— Hide the poker is one of the injunc- tions issued by the coal authorities as an aid in the saving of coal. But for the determination of the lady of the house to keep it handy, many men would have hidden it long, long ago. -:0:- The new members on the Neath Group of Schools are anxious to appear business- like. But they must not forget the apt remark of Mr. Edmund Law some time ugo: Why, bless me, we haven't the power to purchase a bar of soap! —. o. — This is to warn uncles" and others who wish to stand well in the estima- tion of the kiddies that the recognised amount to tip them with is 2d. One man who offered a young nephew a penny on Saturday was promptly reminded that sweets now obtainable cost tuppence an ounce." The Neath Corporation ought to do something to their asthmatical tram- cars." A Skewen lady started from Keath on one of these cars the other night at about 9 p.m. and reached home about 11 p.m. The car went out of breath at Neath Abbey. — :0.— In answer to a Llansamlet correep-ua-, dent, it may be mentioned that Sir. Samuel Evans was Lot the first Welshman to occupy the position of President of the Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty Division 01 tht iitgii Court. Sir x-coline Jenkins, the founder of Cambridge School, was a worthy predecessor. — x>— An Aberavon lawyer had a disconcer- ting experience when visiting the theatre last week to witness My Old Dutch." He was late and came in just where Joe Brown enters, decLgang that those lawyers had swindled their son's money!" He enjoyed the humour of the situation just as much as his trends. :0 We are not likely to fall back on our old ways in neglecting the land for our food supply," said an Ammanford man, a<> they discussed allotments. No," re- plied the Bettws man, but I don't see why one man, with a small family, should have three allotment plots while others, like myself, having a large family, have not got One plot, and can't get it." Ie that EO? —: o: At ft eisteddfod held at Skewen a short time ago, the adj udicators were all' natives of that place who have become famous in their various vocations: Dr. David Evans, Cardiff; Mr. Phillip Thomas, Neath; and Mr. D. Rhys Phillips, Swansea. The other musical adjudicator. Dr. Dan Protheroe, was un- able to come from the United States to attend the gathering. —. o. — Somebodv's dinner ale went west on Wednesday. Just after one o'clock a cyclist riding down Oxford-street dropped a flagon of the best in the middle of the road. Needless to say. he did not dis- mount to gather up the pieces, so an obliging shqp assistant swept the glass into the gutter. One old boy who hap- pened to pase at the time appeared as if his heart would break. -00;- H Very recently," writes a correspon- dent, rivetters in the various shipyards of the country were vieing with each other as to the number of rivets they could fix in a day, and by this means quite a lot ot important national work was speeded up. What a difference it would make," he adds, if the colliers in the different mines emulated the example of the rivetters and entered into a friendly competition in the matter of prodncins coal. —iw — Some of the late Sir Samuel j Evans's best platform speeches con- tained most apt Scriptural references, quoted as a rule in his mother tongue. At a meeting in his native place, his use of the words: Os anghofiaf di, Jerusalem, anghofied fy neheulaw ganu (" If I for- get thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning"), sent a thrill through the great audience. At one of the political conferences at Cardiff, he re- ferred to the arrogance of the Lords in the words of the Psalmist (this time again in Welsb) "Their eyes stand out with fatness; they have more than beast could wish. Surely thou settest them in slippery places. Thou ca6test them down to destruction." :10: The brilliancy of the late Sir Samuel Evans was never so evident as when cross- examining a witness. A writer in a Car- diff contemporary sat out one of the most remarkable right-of-way cases ever heard in Wales, and which occupied the atten- tion of Mr. Justice Bncknill and a special jury for seven days at the Brecon Spring Assizes in 1900. Leading counsel were B.F." and S.T. and never were heard in the Court before such sparkling tallies of wit and humour as these two great learned friends" indulged in at each other's expense. One of the many old farmers who gave evidence was par- ticularlv caut:ous with S.T. and. with a suspicious look at counsel, assured him that he "wanted to tell the ftrith, mind you!" Why do you say you want to I tell the truth r" sharply asked S.T." Well," replied the old man, with sweet 1 candour. I "-1" thinking, mind you* what you might pull out of me."