Llanelly Star

MOTHERS I I Do you want your little Children to look well and f&ol strong, then give them Dr. Carter's Children's i. Nourisher. It is an Ideal Tonic, pleasant to takt j s Children taking thie Nourisher for a short time beooa strong rigorous and happy. 1/11 per Bottle. Sole Ago"+- JOHN GOWER, M.P.S. (From London and Cheltenham), Chemist and Phar- macist, Vaughan Street. Llanelly. I

Quality The First Cwnsidsratiss! T D. MORRIS, M.P.S. Dispensing and Family Chemist. MARKET STREET, (Near Vint't), LLAMELLY. London and Colonial experience in first- daaa Pharmacies, and for four year 3enior Pharmacist to a large firm of Chemist* in South Africa. All goods of the hi t quality and lowest possible prices. PRESCRIPTIONS CAREFULLY DIS- PENSED BY D.M. PERSONALLY. Tel^pfaqpe 116.

I Gambling among Boys I PLAYING BANKER IN OXEN STREET I I At the Juvenile Court -on Thursday, before Mr. Thomas Jones and Mr. H. D. Evans, two lads, Clifford Lewis., 8, Oxen street, and David Thomas, 4, Cilheol, were summoned for playing "hanker" in Oxen street on September 15th, and pleaded guilty. P.C. Lodwick said he saw the defend- ants playing for money in the street and when he approached they ran away leavmg the cards and 10Jd. Replying to the Bench, one of the de- fendants said he was employed at the Tins tamping Works wliile the other was engaged at the Mynydd Mawr. Inspector Nicholas said there were con- tinued complaints about gambling, es- pecially in the New Dock district. Defendants were each ordered to pay os. 6d. towards the costs.

A RECKLESS CYCLIST. Glanville In-sley (14), Trinity road, pleadcxl guilty at the Juvenile Court on Thursday to riding a bicycle without giving warning of his approach. P.C.. D. J. Davies said the defendant- knocked a youngs girl down near the Station Hotel. He had not given any Tramirtg of 'his approach. The defendant was dismissed with a caution.

Volunteer Battalion. I —— 4 Battalion Orders hy Lieut.-Col. W. N. Jones, commanding 1st Battalion, Car- marthenshire Voln.nteer Regiment.—Di-m Han, I?anpl!y. AVcek ending 6th October Monday: 7.25 p.m, JN.C.O. 's Cl:?.?. Tuesday: 7.25 p.m., Extended Ext(??,iideci Wednesday: 7.25 p.m., 'l\I1Jskctrv. Thursday 7.25 p.m., Musketry. Thursday 7. 2 p. m Musketry. Friday: 7.25 p.m., Platoon Drill. Dress.—Plain Clothes Armlets to be worn. Armlets.—N.C.O.'s and men in posses- sion of Armlets will return same to store at the Drill Hall, Murray street. Sections A, B and C.—Enrolled mem- bers can enter Sections A. B and (' (as eligible) hy signing Army Form V. 4010, on any of the above drill nights or during the day-time at the temporary offices of the Battalion. (Signed) A. G. Thomas, Major, Acting Adjutant 1st Bat. Carm. Vol. Rgt

Nine magistrates, a police inspector, two sergeants, and five constables, two clerks, the clerk to the Guardians, and a relieving officer attended the East Barnet Petty Sessional Court, w here the only case was that of a man summoned for deserting his wife. —— ,i i rV i—

Good Luck I Second-Lieut. Tom Evans has left Burry Port, hound for one of the theatres of war. This is the second time he goes orv. the "c.t occasion he served in the ranks. Kyen'ono wishes him the best of I hck.

1 Welcome Home ill LLANELLY RECEIVES THE V.C. HERO. I ENTHUSIASTIC PROCEEDINCS. We regret that owing to the necessity of sending the "Star" to press early, it is not possible for us to give a report of the enthusiastic greeting accorded to Sergt. Ivor Rees, V.C., to-day. The gal- lant soldier attended by royal command at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, where he was invested with his well- earned decoration by the King. On Thursday and Friday he spent a quiet time at Newport and Cardiff with rela- tives, and this morning he travelled to Llanelly where he was due to arrive at 12.40 o'clock. A great enthusiastic crowd was gathered here, the town being repre- sented by the Mayor and Corporation, and members of other bodies, including the Pwll Reception Committee with Lady Howard as chairman, the Volunteer Battalion, Boy Scouts and Church Bri- gade. A procession was then formed which paraded the principal streets, finishing up in front of the Town Hall, from the balcony of which a number of speeches were delivered. Luncheon was afterwards served at the Stepney Hotel where a presentation of a sum of money was made to Sergt. Rees. Later on, he visited the sports at Stradey Park, and afterwards proceeded to Pwll, where a tremendous reception awaited him. ILLUMINATED ADDRESS. I Appended is a copy of the illuminated address beautifully executed by Mr. T. Rhys Davies, Vaughan street, presented to Sergt. Rees by the Pwll Soldiers' and Sailors' Committee:- To Sergeant Ivor Rees, V.C., 11th Batt., South Wales Borederers. On behalf of the inhabitants of Pwll, near Llanelly, we the Committee of the Pwll Sailors' and Soldiers' Fund, beg you to accept this Address as a mark of our appreciation of the great honour you have brought to the village by your heroic con- duct in winning the V.C. during the military operations in France in July— August, 1917. When the Country in its hour of need called for men to fight its just cause you volunteered immediately. You have now been fighting in France for many months, and you have won the highest distinction it is possible for a British soldier to win. You are the first native of this district ever to win this high distinction, and in doing so you have brought delight to the hearts of your wife and parents, and honour, not only to the village of Pwll, not only to the town of Llanelly and the County of Carmarthen, but also to your native land of W ales, and to the famous regiment of which we as Welshmen are ever proud—the South Wales Borderers. You have set an example which will live for ever in the history of the village. To you, and others like you, who have borne unflinchingly the rigours of this ter- rible war, we owe a debt we never can re- pay, hut the memory of your valour and self-sacrifice will he, to every one of us, always a source of pride and inspiration. The gallant deed for which His Gracious Majesty King George V, decorated you with the Victoria Cress at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. 2i)th September, lUll, is described as follows in the Lon- don "Gazette" of 14th September, 1017: No. 20002 Sergeant Ivor Rees, South Wales Borderers. For most conspicuous bravery in attack A hostile machine-gun opened fire at close range, inflicting many casualties. Lead- ing his platoon forward by short rushes, Ser?t. Rees gradually worked his way round the r'.?ht ihnk to the rear of the gun position, and when he was about 20 yards from the machine gun he rushed forward towards the team, shot one, and bayonetted another. He then bombed the large concrete emplacement, killing five and capturing 30 prisoners, of whom two were officers, in addition to an un- damaged machine gun. In conclusion wo trust that you will live happily for many years to enjoy the respect and admiration of your fellow- villaa:ers end fellow-countrymen. "Cymvu• am byth." Meriel Howard, president Pwll Sailors' and Soldiers' Committee; Rev. R. Owen, chairman Rev. Thos..Jones, Vice-chairman; Rev. Philip Richard Thomas; David Anthony, Dd Brazell, Thos. Brazell, W. Bassett, Thomas EVans, Wm. Harries, James John, Joseph "Lewis, J. TTnghes-Reos, Thos. J. Samuel, Griffith Saunders, G. J. Thomas, Henry Thomas, Thomas S. Walters, Geo. Worgan, Benj. Jones, hon. treasurer; Walter Hoskin, hon. secretary. October 2nd, 1917.

I 150 Guineas 6 HANDSOME GIFT FROM THE TOWN. At the luncheon this afternoon one of the most interesting parts of the proceed- ings was the presentation to Sergt. Rees of a sum of 150 guineas. This was the amount subscribed to the Fund promptly opened by the Mayor, and towards which all sections of the community have sub- scribed. .0 LOCAL TRADESMAN'S FIVE POUND NOTE. ♦ In the early days of the war, Mr. E. M. Dickens, the well known clothier of Stepney street, wrote to the "Star" in- timating that he would present t5 to the first Llanellyite to win the V.C. We un- derstand that Mr. Dickens will carry out his promise and will hand over a hank note to Sergt. Rees today.

I. Pwll Notes. I ♦ Mr. Hector Rees, Stepney road, the local horticulturalist was a successful exhibitor at Dafen Show. Most of the Pwll and Sandy people contributed to the V.C. Fund, house-to- house collections having been made this week. A few whose motto is "Take all and give nothing," were deaf to the momentary appeal. It is to be hoped that fine weather will favour the V.C. celebrations today. Need- less to say Pwll will be "en fete." A social will be held at Bethlehem on Tues- day in honour of our gallant hero. The most conspicuous greeting that will catch the eye at Erwfach to-day will be one bearing the words: "Pwll greets her gallant son." This neat piece of work was executed gratis by Mr. Williamson, the local painter. Second-Lieut. A. Samuel and Bombar- dier B. R. Samuel, are home on leave from France. The former has been in France eight months, whilst the latter has spent 22 months on the continent. This being their first leave. Pte. Gerald Samuel, another brotliei-, is expected home to-day.

Anthony James Smith, landlord of the Leathern Bottle Inn, Cobham, Kent, near which Mr. Pickwick discovered "Hill Stumps, his mark," was fined £ -5 by the Rochester magistrates for failing to keep certain vouchers of meals supplied under the food control regulations.

At the fortnightly meeting of the Burry Port and District Trades and Labour Council, Mr. Henry Davies protested against the suggestion that he was not a labour representative, and he offered to resign if the Trades Council did not approve of the appointment. It was decided to recognize Mr. Davies as the direct representative of the Council on the Food Committee.

Dr. J. H. Williams, Mr. D. Williams and Mr. W. D. Jenkins have been ap- pointed to interview the authorities with regard to the proposal to establish a sub- 1 1" t'?to Labour Exc h ange at ]' I' ;l'_l The ll:l'c:bl;o c di): sion at the Trades and Labour Council.

Sugar Distribution. » — I REQUEST FOR TEACHERS' I SERVICES REFUSED. It was reported at the meeting of the Borough Education Committee on Wed- nesday evening that the Town Clerk (Mi- H. W. Spowart) had, on behalf of the local Food Control Committee, asked that the boys' schools should be closed for a week in order that the teachers might assist in the enormous amount of work entailed by the new scheme for sugar distribution. Coun. D. Jennings: I am dead against closing the schools for this purpose. Lady Howard said that children were lawless enough already, and some other means should be found of getting the clerical work done. Ald. R. P. Thomas: Why not ask the ministers of the Gospel and the clergy, together with the police and the pupils at the Arcade School of shorthand to assist ? I do not believe in closing the schools, and especially at this time of the year. The Chairman (Coun. D. R. Jones): The first suggestion was that one teacher should be taken from each department,- but it was found that there was a short- age of teachers already. Coun. Jennings: How many teachers can we spare ? The Clerk: The schools at present are very full and I don't think you can with- draw any teachers whilst the schools are open. The schools have never been as full as they are this month. Coun. W. E. Clement thought the Council's officials should be prepared to work on at night until the pressure was relieved. Coun. Jennings proposed that the Food Control Committee be informed that the Committee could not see their way clear to accede to the application. Coun. J. L. Jones seconded the motion which was agreed to, and on the motion of the Mayor it was decided to ask the teachers to render what voluntary assist- ance they could in the cvpningg and on Saturdays.

I LLANELLY V.T.C. ALL PERSONS having any accounts outstanding against the Llanelly V.T.C. are requested to render same at once to the undersigned. HENRY W. SPOWART, Town Hail, Llanelly.

I OBITUARY I Irs. HAMAR WILLIAMS, Brynmor rd. It is with great regret we have to chronicle the death of lfrs. Williams, wife of Mr. Ebenezer Williams, (and elder daughter of Mr. Daniel Jones, Brynmor road. She was an active member of )ark C'hurc:h. The funeral on Monday proved the great respect in which she was 41d by a large circle of friends. Rev. Rhys Griffiths, M.A., (Park), and Rev. Roland Evans (Lloyd street- officiated. We extend our deepest sympathy with Mr. Williams and family in the very try- ing circumstances. I

TRACTION CO.'S EMPLOYE KILLED. 1 The Llanelly and District Electric Lighting and Traction Co. Ltd., are sorry to hear that another of their employes, Sergt. J. H. Jones, who joined up in December, 1S14, has been killed in action on the 4th September of this year. He was employed on their Permanent Y\ ay1 Staff.

1 ? I'? Sergt. Jim Thomas of the 4th "W clsh has volunteered for service in East Africa and left for his distant destination yesterday.

The many friends of Pte. Nathaniel I Jones, Felinfoel, will he pleased to learn that he. returned hnme en Thursday on ten days' furlough from France. Pre. Jones has seen a good deal of heavy fighting and has come out unscathed so far.

On the estate of the late Hon. Lionel Walround, Ufieulmc, Devon. Robert James, 07, is felling for the purpose of } aeroplane construction a-pen trees which he lives in the same cottage as he then oc- cupied.

To the Bitter End. + I STIRRING SPEECHES AT RenRY PORT. I PACIFISTS WARMLY TROUNCED. I A War Aims meeting was held at Burry Port on Monday evening. I The Mad Mullah. Mr. Towyn Jones, speaking in Welsh, with much force, said that after all the great sacrifices Great Britain and her Allies had made, we must not falter nor be depressed when we were on the point of securing victory. He could not under- stand the attitude of the pacifists. They had some excuse for all the atrocities of Germany, but on the other hand they failed to appreciate and give full credit for the great sacrifices and heroic deeds of their own kith and kin. As to Ger- many's reply to the Pope's Note, Mr. Towyn Jones described it ws a mere garble of words, evading important points, and trying to throw the responsi- bility for the carnage on other nations. The hon. member said he desired peace, but peace by negotiation was at present impossible. How could we negotiate with a "Mad Mullah" like the Kaiser, whose words are full of sound of fury, and whose clutches still extended over the countries of innocent neighbours. The world yearned for the sovereignty of democracy, but that could not be realized except by extinguishing Kaiserism. Duty to Posterity. I Mr. Gieve said We are one great I I -NVe are one great. united nation today (ap^ause). We have one purpose and one purpose only. What is that purpose? It is the duty today, of every right-thinking man to remember what his ancestors have done before him. We must carry on the fight and leave the world a little hetter place than it was when we came to it. There were people who could cry for a premature peace, a peace which would inflict upon humanity in the future the same calamity as we are now witnessing. If it were accomplished we should go down to the fn + ure not with the blessings of posterity, but with the ei-rses (applause). j I No politics. Our advance is slow and people are say- ing "We have only got so far after all this time." It is a great deal easier to kill the Germans where they stand than to follow them. The soldier is doing his work—and doing it well; it is up to the civilian at home to supp-rt him to the ut- most. (applause). "We have forgotten today every little political difference. There is a greater object than party.—the freedom of the world, at stake. There can only be one peace—when Germany is crushed (loud applar.se). We have got to see this thing through to the bitter end (applause). Success is looming in front of us; let us see to it that we obtain the victory which will make secure a perfect peace (ap- plause). Civilization with us. Mr. Shippabot-ham roundly trounced the pacifists. "Civilisation is on our s ide." he said. The war was plannecl hy Germany and found nt unprepared. It is said that we wc re as responsible as Germany for the war, That is not true (applause), and the pacifists knnT; it. To- j day the Kaiser talks and says that his one aim has been to maintain the peace of the world. That is not true! He did not talk like that in the early months of the war. He was then Oil!, to ride roughshod through Europe." Powerless Socialists, Proceeding, he ridiculed the notion held by some people of the power of the Socialists in the Reichstag or in Germany "In the German Parliament they don't count. There were- people who said they did not see what different it would i-iakc if the Germans came over here1. Remem- ber, that it is not the Social Democrats that will come over here, it is not the S.'cial Democrats who will rule but the Prussians (applause). You know what tiiey did m Belgian after a snort resist- i auco think y»<u that we should fare bet- ter a fter thwarting their purpose for you that your protestations of trade union rights on have sacrificed a little liberty, a little freedom. a little justice. Think you you would have more freedom, more justice ur more liberty under Germany? Selfish PccMiesr. j Dealing with the refusal of pacifists to aah t. Mr Shippalvthnr!! bitterly vent on: Toe greatest idealism i- to lay down one"? life for someone else. I don't sav every- I ?:? must do it. Lut mat is the supreme i?? T'- ?-- paei;—-L 11 oJee:t to other pcci?p b-yiJ1 Jo?-? their lives for them."

I ASTERISKS, ——— Sergt. Ivor Rees is the nineteenth Welshman to win the V.C. in this war. < < A sailing vessel which recently brought a cargo of scrap to Llanelly has been sold for £ 20,000. Ten years ago she changed hands at £ 2,000. 0 9 0 c There is great Excitement over a fashionable wedding in vhifh a beautiful October bride will figure. That will be a joyful, stamping day. to be sure. The Intermediate School was opened for the first time exactly 20 years ago this week. To-day it is not only one of the largest but also one of the most sue cessful secondary schools in Vi-ales. 0 The last census disclosed the fact that there were 181 houses in Llanelly where overcrowding was serious. These premises contained a population cf 1,1C3. To-day the overcrowding is undoubtedly worse. Eleven years ago to-day Mr. Lloyd George addressed a great meeting at Zion. Speaking to the writer later in the evening, the orator said: "I never want to appear before a finer audience than I always get at Llanelly." After the meeting of the Finance Com- mittee on Monday one of the members was heard explaining the mysteries of "strange strategic statistics." A nice little supper followed of "fresh fried fish freely flavoured frizzling finely." A marble tablet has been erected in Llanstadwell Parish Church in memory of the late Vicar, the Rev. D. L. Davies. The rev. gentleman will be remembered as a former vicar of St. Pauls and a play- ing member of the Scarlets fifteen. "TV It was six years ago this week that the Llanelly Post Office was opened. Some wag at the opening ceremony, suggested that a slight mistake had been made in building it in i a t Tumble. Certainly the premises are utterly inadequate for a town of 40,000 people. Eleven years ago last week Lord Roberts visited Llanelly to unveil the Fallen Heroes Mt-monal n. the Town Hall grounds. Probably this was one of the wettest days that Llanelly has ever expierieiieed-in-hicii is saying a great deal. The deluge, however, did not pre- vent thousands vi people assembling to greet "Bobs." "It is not fair." writes an indignant Pwll man. "for you Llanelly people to claim the V.C. as one of yours. Sergt. Ivor Rees is a Pwll boy and as. such we ere proud of him." We are sorry to dis- appoint our correspond-, rt. but we 1-(.- lieve that the gallant hero is Llarelly boy by birth. It was in the Cupel Newydd district that he first saw the light. I After his brilliant speech at the Market Hall on Monday..Mr. Bra', f.;r relaxation on Tuea^ay no explored t-ic waters of the Teifi in •.•onipany with Mr. David Jehu. The- great vent of the day was the landing of loir. brought about by the joint efforts of the I uder Secretary for Hone and the right lion, member for Felinfoel. We would like to tell the whole story, but our space is limited. < Thirty-five Y«1: ago to-day is painted :ed in the annals of Llanelly, w hen tram- cars ran for the first time between the station and the t'>wn. They wore horse- drawn vehioL which in later years, George R. Sims was load of venting his i sarcasm upon. "I trove ikd irom the j station," he wrote. "in '1 antiquated J rll -t. j saap-box on wheels drawn by an ante- del avian horse dri ven hy r. venera ble gentleman in winskers to match."

CLARKE'S THE MAN. Living up to hi- reputation a- the pro-' Aider ot the best pictures, Clarke's the Man has prepared another fine pro- gramme fer his paiivns next week. It is a great feature at tins well-appointed Cinema that one can enjo;* ail that is iiC-st in films under the mosc comfortable conditions. This explains the remarka ble popularity which the Llanelly Cinema has gained &inco Clarice s the man became re- sponsible for its management. On the ii-st iniglits, "The Innocence of Lizette will be shown in four and there will be a real thrillo- ir. "Thr<e:di solid wall," as well a- other pict.Ji vi. ^oinmenc:n Thursday, C'lams wilt be 1 ,• piece de re- s i -s tance, and "A w: f) at bay" i a 1 so Certain tj e^i iie ven.i. r veti as hi- miration. There will be ■ mthiuous per- ( fermnneos daily from 2.3c io iu.oU.

? ?F TMp DAY 1 NOTES OF THE DAY. ——— —— t from Our London Correspondent. THE GERMAN REPLY. I Hope. -of an <»arly Peace which had been I Raised by apparently inspired speakers and inspired -newspapers in Germany, I have been dished to the ground by the Mature of Germany's reply to the Pope's l*eace Note. The German Chancellor in- dulges in platitudes and vague general- ities, hut never once puts his feet on the solid oajth. There is not a word in his "tv to .the Vatican about restitution, Qr reparation, nor about guarantees for the future peace of Europe. Belgium is bot even mentioned. In well-informed 'circles here, it is believed that the in- sjured statements made by certain Ger- man speakers and writers a few weeks -ago accurately reflected the original 'character of the German reply to the Pope; that an acute struggle followed between Moderates and Extremists; and that the latter won, with the result that the original reply was radically trans- formed. Colour is lent to this belief by -the bellicose speech delivered a few day -ago by Admiral von Tirpitz, who, so far from apologising for what had been done to Belgium, rather gloried in the infamy, -and declared that Belgium had only got what she deserved. If this is the mood of Germany after all her crimes and more "than three years of war, we must banish the hope of an early Peace and make up our minds to continue the grim struggle until outraged right is vindicated and a bloodthirsty military caste is humbled and overthrown. VICTORY COMINC. I I was speaking a few days ago to an -ex-Cabinet Minister, who expressed to me the conviction that the war will go on far into next year. This statesman, who lias a cool, reflective mind, believes that if only our people at home exhibit a spirit .of determination and sacrifice worthy of -the temper and achievement of our heroic troops in the battle line, victory will he ours next year, with complete realization -of all our war aims. THE -RUSSIAN COLLAPSE. I What has strengthened the extremists and weakened the moderates in Germany in the past couple of months, is the mili- tary collapse of Russia. Nearly a year a -o, when sapient military experts in ■this country were talking big about tie great things that Russia was going to do, Major Moralit,, a German' military writer of high repute, dismissed these predictions as the fruit of illusion. Russia, he said, "is on the verge of death from a military point of view. This opinion was expressed several months before the Revolution that over- threw the Tsardom. Major Moraht's didumwas based on his knowledge of .the disorganization of transport and sup- ply in Russia, its backward industrial development, and the corruption and in- efficiency of its administration. At one time it seemed as though the Revolution would succeed in restoring vitality to Hussia. lmt the disease was too deep- seated, and when the wilder Socialists get the upper hand and destroyed discip- line in the Army, Russia almost ceased to count in the war. To do Kerensky and tll(, do not want a separate peace, though they passion- ately desire an end of the whole war; but it is plain now that for a long time to come the Allies will have very little to expect from Russia in the way of military Tielp. The directorate now controlling Russian destinies will have its woiii cut otrt in dealing with internal troubles. A verv trying winter is before Russia, for it is a tragic paradox of the situation that one of the greatest food-producing countries in the world is threatened with the grim spectre of famine. No wonder the Germans treat Russia, for the time being, as of no account., THE MINERS' DEMANDS. A very bad impression was created by the action of the British miners this week in demanding the io per cent, in- crease of wages. A settlement has been effected under which the men have ac- cepted the Coal Controller s offer of an increase of Is. 6d. a day for woriveis o\ei 1G years of age, and ltd. per day for workers under that age. Even this con- cession will add about £ 20,000,000 an- mially to the cost of coal. Every penny of this increase will of course come from t]ie general community, a largo section of which is-. much poorer than the colliers. Those pooe people will have to pay more for their coal in that the best paid workers in the Jvingdom shall lecehe fetill higher wages, Usually I sympathize with the claims of Labour, but this last imperious demand by the miners, who are deliberately taking advantage of the nation's extremity in war, grossly off (fads one's sense of justice. It is not as though Capital in this instance was ex- ploiting labour. Private profit has for the nouce disappeared from the coal trade all the mines now being controlled by the State. In these circumstances for the miners, who were already well paid, to insist on still higher wages, was conduct of which every self-respecting miner ought to be ashamed. EXEMPTION FROM INCOME TAX. j Side by side with this selfish insistence, was a demand by the miners for their ex- emption from income tax One is really left breathless at this audacity. Have these men no sense of obligation to the community, no comprehension of the meaning of patriotism ? The Miners' Federation has been making clamorous protests against high prices, but the miners themselves have done everything in their poVfcr to send prices leaping up. Coal is the raw material of every in- dustry, and when the miners make ex- tortionate demands for higher wages and obtain them, the effect is to send 1lp the price of every commodity, and to make the conditions of life in war-time harder for millions of people, whose earnings are far below those of the miners themselves.. It is a sorry business, profoundly dis- creditable to the Miners' Federation,