Evening Express

THE COUNTY'S CRIME -I Having daubed over his native county with the full contents of a blacking-pot, Judge Gwilym Williams has now pro- duced his bucket of whitewash. He splashes the contents about and leaves Glamorganshire a pie-bald sort of criminal. At any rate, his honour has come to the conclusion that his former picture of black Glamorgan was rather overdrawn, and now he makes a graceful apology to the feelings of his compatriots by pointing out that it is not the Welshmen who commit all the crime for which this fair county is famous, but the Scotchmen and Irish- men and Englishmen—especially the Eng- lishmen—who come here from counties happily rid of their presence. Oh! for the Cymru Fydd, with a cry of Wales for the Welsh! We do not know what pro- cess his honour has followed in fixing the nationality of the delinquents; but, pre- sumably, the place of birth, not the speech, is taken into account. The Scotch- men comes easily first as the paragon in this particular district of the Celtic fringe. Then comes the foreigner, then the Irishman, then the Welshman, and finally the Englishman. The fact, how- ever, that most of the crime is committed by Englishmen does not relieve the county from the unfortunate obligation of paying for it all. Into the why and the where- fore of this international scale of crimi- nology we cannot enter but it would be valuable to know why the Scotchman i, I so much better than all the others, and why the Engluhiuau is so much worse. At t 9 another quarter sessions Judge Gwilym Williams may vary the monotony of pro- i ducing alternately black and white paint- pots by providing us with the key to this comparison.

By the agreement between the assess- ment committeee and the colliery pro- prietors the assessments in the Ponty- pridd Union will be reduced by nearly £ 60,000. This is an enormous sum and must necessarily make a big difference j to the rate in the union. It is unques- tionable, however, that the agreement arrived at between the parties is a wise one. The action of the assessment com- mittee m raising the valuations by such a large sum irs questionable. It might have been desirable to extract a little more from tlic, colliery proprietor in such excellent times as the coal boom;' but j that has passed away now. Profits have gone down considerably, and it. is a revela- tion to all concerned that some collieries are working at enormous annual losses. On the other hand, some are still making a profit, and very substantial profits, too, we daresay; but the losses which are made must form an important point for consideration between the masters and the men in the present negotiations in the South Wales trade, no less than as between the masters and the assessment committee. [John W. Barrack, of Tiffin, Ohio, declares that he can predict the weather twenty hours ahead by his eyebrows. If the weather is going to be wet they point upwards, and if dry downwards.] "Pray. neighbour, are your eyebrows Ul?" Asks Jones with an inquiring gaze. "At Dinas Powia I would sup. And I have read what Barrack says. My glass declares it will be fine, And fine the forecast has it. too; Bar, what if Sol neglects to shine. And skies are damp instead of blue?" Quoth neighbour, "Truly grieved am I, .Your ardent hopes I cannot crown; But, though my brows to drop I try, I cannot keep the beggars down!" IDRIS.

Reports of a well-intentioned, but ill- advised, piece of work come from Aber- ystwith, where the Free Church folk are going to try to stop the new railway from running Sunday trains to the Devil's Bridge. It seems that no Sunday trains are run on the Manchester and Milford Railway, which has its terminus at Aber- ystwith and the only train on the Cam- brian Railway is the mail train morning and night. The new railway runs a train in the afternoon, leaving Aberystwith at the hour of Sunday School, and on Sunday all the Free Church congregations passed a resolution protesting against the running of the train, and asking for it to be discontinued. What a dreadful sin to study the works of the Lord on the Lord's Day What a pity a big tarpaulin can't be let down over the Devil's Bridge from Saturday night till Monday morn- ing!

Mainly About People. Caste has chains of cast iron. It is an ancient jest (says "M. A. P." in its "Society" columns this week) that the actress who desires an advertisement frequently con- trives to gain one by losing her jewels, the said jewels being more or less apocryphal. This may or may not be the case in truth, but as a joke it has stood the test of time, and is an able and hardy annual. There is, however, at least one famous lady of the stage who requires no such notoriety, and has taken careful steps to see that she does not obtain it. For her jewels are pearls (and other things) beyond price, and she is attached to them for sentimental as well as financial reasons. It would not pay her to lose her jewels, though the advertisement would be enormous. So would her loss. Accordingly, she has endea- voured to make safety doubly safe. The lady is Mme. Melba, and her method of guarding her treasures 1% to place them in the sole charge and custody of a detective. This gentleman only recently retired with an inspector's pension from Scotland Yard, where he was attached for many years. He has had the handling of many notorious criminal charges, and is eminently fitted to act as guardian of a portable fortune. He accom- panies Mme. Melha everywhere, in England and abroad, and his sole duty is to keep his eye on her jewellery. When madame wishes for her jewels he hands them to her and she dons them. When she has finished with them the detective stands ready to receive them as she doffi4 them. They are touched by no other hands than her own and hie. It sounds as though the detective had an easy berth, but his responsibility is great. The possession of precious stones would appear to entail a vast amount of anxiety, trouble, and expense; but it is doubtful whether one could truthfully declare. "Happy is the woman who has no jewels!" In his volume. "Musicians' Wit, Humour, and Anecdote," Mr. Fred. J. Crowest tells the following, which illustrate the idiotic infatua- tion that some women have for certain musi- cians. "When Strauss visited America," he says, the 'Blue Danube' waltzes were as well .known in the States as Yankee Doodle,' and thus, when the composer was found to be a handsome dapper little man. with lovely eyes and a mass of wavy black hair. almost as extravagantly long as Paderewski's. the musical women went almost wild over him. The musician at the time was a great dog fancier, and was accompanied by a magnifi- cent black retriever. Towards, the end of the concert season a young lady conceived the idea of securing' a lock of Straoss's hair for, her locket. The fad became a fashion, and the king of waltz music promised every fair applicant a memento; and in due course the locks were distributed-many hundreds or them, too-each one accompanied with the compliments of the compoaer. Sufficient hair has been distributed to make Strauss look as though he had been sandpapered; yet when he left the States hia locks were as abundant as before; hut when the beautiful black-haired retriever took its departure the poor animal looked like a shorn poodle." "It is said that all parsons' sons turn out to be worthless. Do you believe it? "Oh. dear, no! Some parsons have no sons, you know." The flight of the Crown Princess of Saxony from Salzburg again calls the attention of the world to the sad fats of Royal ladies unhappily married. The divinity that doth hedge a king seems in these days to be more akin to devilry. The Queen of the Belgians. who at last had the happiness to die, left a claim upon the world's sympathy in those pathetic letters to her old tutor which told only too clearly the horror and the misery of her married life. The wife of Prince Phillip of Coburg is incarcerated in what professes to be a sanatorium, and is vir- j tually a prison. But stone walls do not a prison make. and anywhere away from Prince Phillips is. no doubt, to her a para- dise. And there are. have been, and will be, many othera. There is one good sign, how- ever. that Royalties are beginning to cast off the vain pretensions that lead to misery; many of them. renouncing their claims, are marrying ladies and gentlemen. Perhaps (remarks "Free Lance") their peoples may some day decline to accept their renunci;v tion. and prefer honest-minded, pure- blooded princes to the regulation Royalty, suffering from all the physical, mental, anti moral evils that intermarrying for genera- tions inevitably bring upon them. The late Mr. R. H. Fry was often justly described as the leviathan of bookmakers. lie might with equal truth have been designated the prince of good fellows. The following story is illustrative of his lavish hospitality. His club was having a smoking concert, and on that occasion Mr. Fry was chairman. A very choice brand of cigars was running out and a waiter told Mr. Fry. "What the dickens are yon bothering me for? Get a thousand at any price, and put them down to me," said R. H. F. "And here," calling the waiter back, "if they run out- get another." Mrs. Frances Hodgson-Burnett will next week have the rare pleasure, which Mr. Barrie has also enjoyed of late, of seeing two of her plays running simultaneously on the London stage. Mrs. Burnett has made some interest- ing confessions about the books which have made her famous. She writes them, she once said, "as another woman does washing"— because she needs the money to support her. The days have gone by when the authoress of "Little Lord Fauntleroy" could make such a confession: few women have earned such a princely income with their pens. Dr. J. M. Buckley recalls in a New York contemporary an interview he once had with Dr. Parker. By request. Dr. Buckley waited on Dr. Parker, who told him that he had' an ambition to influence Christian thought by his pen, but as the people were weary of sermons and theological discussions in the ordinary form he had determined to write a work of fiction, without revealing his identity as the author. and to have it published in America. Dr. Bockley carried the manuscript novel to the American firm which had under- taken to publish it. The novel appeared, but its "turgid style" killed it. Even an enthusiastic commendation of it by Dr. Peter Bayne failed to win it popu- larity in the UnitedStates. "So far aa I am aware," says Dr. Buckley, "Dr. Parker never acknowledged it; he did not refer to the sub- ject in our various subsequent interviews; and never have I met a person in the United States who owned or had read a copy of it." Queen Alexandra is considered the most generous of the Royal Family in giving Christmas presents. Some of the English noblemen keep up the old custom of sending presents to the King at Christmas. The Earl de Montalt, sends over a hamper of game from his estate in Tipperary. The Dulle of Wellington commemorates the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo by sending a minia- ture reproduction of the English and French flags. Lieutenant Jones was third officer of his ship, and was being court-martialled for being inebriated while on duty. He asked permission of the court to call his man, who, he said, could prove that when he retired to reat he gave instructions to be called early in the morning. The Court (to the servant): Is it a fact that your master instructed you to call him early in the morning following his alleged breach of duty? Servant: Yes, your honour. The Court: Did he assign any reason for being called early? Servant: Yes, your honour. He said he was to be Queen of the May! The Westminster Cathedral grows apace, and when it is completed it will have: the widest have of any cathedral already built in England. Mr. Bridge and twelve lady artists are employed) doing the mosaic work in the interior of the chapels dedicated to the Holy Souls and SS. Gregory and Augustine, given by Mrs. R. Walmsley and Lord Bra.mpton res- pectively. The altar-stone, a solid piece of Cornish granite weighing nearly fourteen tons from Mr. Freeman's quarries, is already placed in position. It is a strange coincidence that just as the tower was being completed the Campanile of Venice (which was the only other Byzantine tower in existence) fell.

CARDIFF POST OFFICE STAFFS AND THE CHILDREN Over 500 of the poorest children in Cardiff were on Tuesday evening made the guests of the Cardiff postal telegraph staffs at Andrews hall, in St. Mary-street. The little ones assembled in the spacious room in two batches, and were regaled with an ample tea of cake and bread and butter, afterwards receiving each a bag containing an orange, mince-pie, and a quarter of a pound of sweets. After the meal a magic lantern show was given, followed by a musical entertainment, kindly contributed to by members of the Post! Office staffs and friends. The whole of the costs were met from the proceeds of the reoertt staff concert at the Park-hall.

FAILURE OF A RHONDDA LABOURER A meeting of the creditors of Daniel Jones, labourer, 58. Primrose-terrace, Porth, was held on Tuesday at Merthyr. The debtor returned his liabilities at X173 Os. 6d., all due to unsecured creditors, numbering altogether 47. The assets were given as S-15 4s., there being thus a deficiency of L162 16s. 6d. The causes to which the debtor attributed his failure were illness of himself for the last four years and defective eyesight, owing to an accident.

THE SUICIDE OF A LIVERPOOL SOLICITOR At Liverpool on Tuesday an inquest was held on Mr. Percy Dobell, solicitor, who shot himself on Monday. The evidence showed that since he had an attack of typhoid fever about three years ago Mr. Dobell had suffered from pains in the head, occasional lapses of memory, and nervoua prostration. There was nothing whatever in his family or busi- ness affairs to account for the tragic incident. —The jury returned a verdict of Suicide whilst temporarily insane."

NEW CATHOLIC SCHOOLS AT NEATH I For many years the IWman Catholics of Neath have been labonring under great dis- advantages owing t4 unsuitable and insuffi- cient school accommodation. But Tuesday opened out a new educational vista, for on that day the Mayor and Mayoress of Neath (Mr. and Mrs. E. Evans Bevan) opened the new schools, which are situate in Pendril- street, Neath. The school buildings are neat in structure, and afford accommodation for 15Q children. They were built by Mr. D. Gorman, contractor, Cardiff, from designs by Mr. J. C. Rees, architect, Neath, at a cost of £ 1,400. The mayor was presented with a handsome gold key. and for the mayoress there was a handsome bouquet. After the opening ceremony the company assembled in the main room. and in the subsequent pro- oeedings it was announced that the mayor would give fifty guineas to the building fund, and also give a tea to the children. — I

CLERGYMAN'S DOWNFALL I At Staffordshire Quarter Sessions on Tues- day Wm. Andrew Parsons. 46. a clerk in Holy I Orders, pleaded guilty to the theft of a pepper caster, the property of James Richardson, of Lichfield, and a tobacco pouch belonging to ) Dr. Sculthorpe, of Tamworth. He further pleaded guilty to being an habitual drunkard. —Counsel for the defence urged that grief was largely accountable for the habit the defen- dant had acquired of taking drugs and intoxi- cants. He asked the court not to send him to prison, but to order his detention in an inebriates' home, in the hope that he might be cured of his intemperate habits. Dr. Dyer, prison surgeon, was not of opinion that impri- sonment would be good for defendant, but, having regard to his history, he could not recommend his detention in a home for a short period.—The Court ordered the defen- dant to be detained in an inebriates' home for three years.

BAROMETRICAL INDICATIONS. I The following are tho reading* giuce five o'clock last evening, as given by the barometer in the vestibule of I the Evening Express," St. Mary-street, Cardiff, which I is 33ft. above mean sea level.

THE MAD MULLAH. British Preparation for His Capture. ?_ I)apture. COST OF THE SOMALlLAND CAMPAIGN. i A Berbera message says:—Three months' stores have been set aside for the columns which will move to Obbia, and half the 1st Battalion of the King's African Rifles have been notified to hold themselves in readiness for instant embarkation. In addition to these preparations, the work of pushing up four months' stores to the posts upon the lines of communication has been practically com- pleted, and once the decision has been made, and the corps arrive at Obbia, there will be no further delay in the general advance. In the meantime, however, if the conduct of the operations is to be influenced by conside- rations of cost, the result will be the more difficult to determine. A campaign in Soma- liland is essentially one to which it it impos- sible to assign a fixed cost, and any con- sideration of its more salient features reveals how easily the development of the operations might demand unlimited disbursements. The Mullah himself holds it in his power to pro- long the operations indefinitely. and simi- larly to pile up the burden of expenditure. The impossibility of divining the plans of the Mullah makes it equally impossible to assess the coat; since, if he chooses to retreat from the Mudug region into the country between the Juba and Shebeyle Rivers, the employ- ment of a third column might be necessary. This contingency cannot be averted, nor can it be satisfied by the apportionment of a quarter of a million sterling for the credit of expenses. Aside from the principles of economy, which have becomfe the guiding light of our little wars. an increase in expen- diture out of all ratio to present estimates might very well come about. If this conside- ration is animating the Government, the a.bandonment of the operations rather than any further prosecution of the war itself is. in my opinion, in complete accordance with the requirements of the situation and the interests of the Protectorate. It is almost impossible to kill the Mullah, and it is impro- ba.ble that he would be captured. Somaliland has hitherto paid its own way, accomplishing a feat which our other African protectorates have failed to achieve. Even with the disturbances in the hinterland the Colony has continued to return satisfactory accounts. Nevertheless, the interest has always been a debit account, the present con- dition of pecuniary prosperity, which the annual report discloses, being secured upon the coastal trade. The Somali is a born trader, and if we content ourselves with establishing our authority within our own sphere and define our economic policy by the development of the ports of Bulhar, Zeila, and Berbera. and by the opening of the native ports between Berbera and Basaso, the corner of the Italian zone, such as Hais and Mait, the trade and produce of the interior will continue to come down to the coast, while the commercial centres will remain within our hands and under our protection. It is most improbable that the dislocation of the interior will leave any permanent effect upon the resources of the tribes. They have continued to trade during the period when the activi- ties of the Mullah were threatening the existence of the Colony, and they will begin to despatch their caravans again to the coast so soon as some adjustment of affairs has been obtained. Trade in Somaliland necessarily follows the line of least resistance, and in the case of the existing trade routes that line leads to the coaet. Therefore I have come to the opinion, after careful consideration of the questions at issue. that the Mullah may, with equal profit to ourselves, be permitted to stew in his own juice." At the moment we should content ourselves with safeguarding our frontier and the tribes that look to us for protection, creating for this purpose a line of established' posts which should embrace all strategic points of importance while it held the wells. The accident of Erego is, of course, unfortunate, but as the troops are already in Somaliland nothing can be lost by a demon- stration in force. More than that, however, is unwise, since it will be impossible to draw back once the forward movement has begun, and it is idle to expect that any accurate estimate of the expenses of our future move- ments can now be submitted.—Press Associa- tion Foreign Special. The concentration of troops is proceeding both at Obbia and Burao. Four Italian officers are accompanying the expeditionary forces. The Mullah remains inactive. The Abyssinian force which Colonel Rochfort and Captain Cobbold are to join will be about 2,000 strong. It will block the country from Harrar southward to the Webbe Shebele. Two British officers left Aden on Monday to join the Berbera column.

ST DAVID'S COLLEGE WELSH PROFESSORSHIP It was reported on Tuesday that the Rev. J. C. Morrice, M.A., Trefdraeth, Anglesey. had been elected to the vacant Welsh pro- fessorship at Lampeter. This report is in- correct. Mr. Morrice haa only been nominated by the St. David's College Board, and his name is to be submitted to the council at Shrews- bury on Friday last. The original list consisted of nine candidates, and the number was reduced to two, namely, the Rev. W. Williams, M.A., chaplain to the Lord Bishop of Bangor, and the Rev. D. Aeron Jenkins, chaplain to the Lord Bishop of St. David's. These names, along with that of Mr. Morrice, will be submitted to the council at Friday's meeting.

FREEMASONRY AT CARDIFF The Bute Lodge of Freemasons (No. 960) held its annual festival at the Masonic Temple, Cardiff, on Tuesday, when Bro. Geo. F. Fors- dike was installed Worshipful Master for the ensuing year, in the presence of a large num- ber of brethren. Afterwards he invested the following brethren as his offteers:-Wor. Bro. Cholton James, I.P.M., Bro. A. N. Nathan, S.W.. Bro. G. H. Silcocks. J.W., Wor. Bro. W. B. Ferrier, P.P.G.J.W., treasurer, Wor. Bro. J. Thompson Willows. P.G.Std.B., D.C., Bro. A. J. Solomon, secretary, Bro. T. E. W. Taylor, assistant secretary, Bro. C. H. Dean, S.D., Bro. W. L. Blight, J.D., Bro. G. H. Cole, organist, Bro. F. Martin, I.G., Bros. J. T. Avery and W. E. Lowe. stewards, Bro. S. Williama, charity steward, and Bro. Edward Church, tyler. The brethren adjourned to the banqueting-hall, which was decorated with taete by Bro. Thoa. Richardson.

FUNERAL OF MR LEWIS* NEWPORT The funeral took place on Tuesday of Air. Herbert Emerson ("Bert") Lewis, of Newport, who met with such a sa.d death on Saturday morning last. The chief mourners were Mr. E. Willey and Mr. E. W. Pratt (brothers-in- ],&w), Mr. W. Pratt (nephew), Mr. G. L. Thomas, Mr. D. Jones, Mr. J. T. Hughes, and Mr. A. S. Mills, whilst the bearers were members of the Tredegar Constitutional Club (with which Mr. Ijewis was prominently associated), and included Messrs. J. Morgan, D. Lewis. A. A. Price. F. Chase, T. Pinchin, W. Prothero, and W. Diamond. At the cemetery church and the graveside the service was conducted by the Rev. T. L. Lister, vicar of St. Mark's Church. Three beautiful wreaths were laid on the coffin-one from the widow, one from the brothers-in-law, and one from the Trede- gar Constitutional Club.

STRADEY PARK ACQUIRED BY A SYNDICATE Sti-adey Park. the well-known enclosure made famous by the Llanelly Football Club, has, we understand, now been acquired by a local syndicate, wh-, have secured a leage from the owner, Mr. Mansel Lewis, Stradey Castle. In all. the syndicate have a taking of about 40 acres, which includes not only the foot- ball field, but the cricket field and the adjoin- ing field as well It is intended to make the Park the headquarters of athletics in Llanelly, and a scheme for laying out the ground is being considered. Negotiations are now pending between the syndicate and the football club for the use of the ground for next season.

SWANSEA PARKS COMMITTEE At a meeting of the open spaces committee of Swansea Corporation on Tuesday the report of the sports sub-committee was read, also the regulations, which included the fol- lowing proli biti(,ii :Any park keeper accepting a gratuity is liable to instant dis- missal." 'I he committee favourably enter- tained the application of the Swansea Horse Show Committee to revive the Swansea Ho-se how at the Victoria Park.—It was also decided that the laying out of Dyfatty Field should be now doue by the unemployed of tLt town.

QUARTER SESSIONS. The Confirmation of New Licences. THE TRIAL OF PRISONERS YESTERDAY. The Epiphany Quarter Sessions for the County of Glamorgan commenced at the Town-hall. Cardiff, yesterday (before his Honour Judge Gwilym Williams, chairman). ELECTIONS. Mr. John Blandy Jenkins was elected to fill the place of Colonel Tyler as a lunacy commissioner for the Cowbridge division, and Mr. David Duncan the vacancy as assessor under the Clergy Discipline Act in the place of Sir E. Hill (deceased. ASSESSMENTS. The report of the assessment committees on various properties in the county was sub- mitted. Mr. Redwood Davies appeared for the assessment committees. and Mr. Rhys Williams was for certain colliery companies. The assessments were fixed as follows:—The Alice Colliery, in the parish of Llandyfodwg, at £ 1,400; the Bryndu and Port Talbot Col- lieries (Limited), in the parish of Llangynwyd. at L75. and the company's property in the parish of Tythegatone Higher at £ 1,000 ratable value and £22 10s. way-leaves. It was decided that the committee should pay the taxed costs of the appeals in each case except the costs of the respites from the Midsummer Quarter Sessions to the October Quarter Sessions, iu all of which cases the property owners are to pay their own costa. which are to be taxed by agreement. TRIALS. OF PRISONERS.—FIRST I COURT. ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT PONTYPRIDD. I Mary Ann Palmer. Z4, married woman, pleaded guilty to a charge preferred against her of attempting suicide by tying a scarf around her neck on the 24th of December lagt. —Mr. Llewellyn. Williams prosecuted, and the evidence showed tha)t prisoner acted 33 house- maid to Mr. Masey, residing at 2, Factory- lane, Pontypridd, and on December 24 she was seen by her employer to try to strangle herself in the kitchen with a handkerchief. Masey prevented her, and she said that if she could not succeed that way she would try another course, and ran out of the house towards the Maritime Pond, but she was taken safely home. On the following day, about twelve o'clock, she went upstairs, and. her employer becoming suspicious, followed shortly afterwards. He found her with a, scarf tied tightly round her neck and fastened to the bed-post, while she was black in the face. He cut the scarf, and she came to without much trouble.— The Jury found the prisoner guilty.— His Honour: What do you say of your future conduct. Whatever troubles you have. got you should not try to kill yourself. You will ha-ve to go to prison for one calendar month in the second division. BARRY TRAVELLER ATTEMPTS SUICIDE. James Stancombe Calmer, commercial traveller, was charged with attempting to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head with a revolver on November 29, 1902, at Barry. Mr. J. L. Fraser appeared for the prosecution. and prisoner, who admitted the offence, said he was very sorry, and would not attempt such a thipg again.—The Prison Warder informed his honour that prisoner had been under constant observation while iu prison, and had behaved exceedingly well.- His Honour, addressing the prisoner, said he was not worthy of the name of man if he could not meet trouble in a bold manner the same as any other man. He should face trouble and fight it. He was not the only man in the world who had troubles, and he would I have to go to gaol for another month to reflect over what he had done, and to pull himself together for the future. ALLEGED FRAUDULENT MONEY TRICK AT I PONTYPRIDD. Edward White, 37. hawker, surrendered to bail on a. charge of feloniously stealing the sum of 10s.. the property of John Drew, land- lord of the Prince of Wales, Pontypridd, on December 29. 1902. Mr. Vaughan Williams prosecuted, and Mr. St. John Francis-Williams (instructed by Mr. Harold M. Lloyd) appeared on befalf of the prisoner, who pleaded not guilty.—According to the evidence, prisoner went into the public-house named and asked for a glass of beer, in payment of which he placed half a sovereign on the counter. The landlady, Mrs. Drew, went to the till and gave him the proper change, deducting lid- for the beer. When prisoner received this in silver and bronze he suggested that it would be more useful to her, and, making up the amount to 10s., he asked her to change it for half a sovereign in gold. This was done, and then prisoner put the half sovereign back into the landlady's hand and said she was to give a sovereign for the lot. The landlady, not realising what was taking place, on finding that she had 10s. silver and half a, sovereign in gold gave a sovereign to the prisoner, who immediately got away with- out drinking his beer.—Prisoner was sentenced to six calendar months' imprisonment. THEFT AT LLANHARRAN. I I John Pike, of Llanharran, was sentenced to I one month's imprisonment with hard labour I for stealing a handbag and two teaspoons, the property of Harris Vilin, Swansea. AN ALIBI. I Mary Ann Jones, 46, a married woman, on I bail, pleaded not guilty to a. charge of feloniously stealing one suit of clothes, one pair of brown boots, and several other articles, valued at L6 5s., the property of the Taff Vale Railway Company, at the Porth Railway Station, on the 6th of November. Mr. H. 0. C. Beasley appeared on behalf of the prosecution, and Mr. Rhys Williams defended. The defence was an alibi.-The jury found the prisoner not guilty, and she was acquitted. I SECOND COURT. I (Before Mr. (t. H. Jones, vice-chairman, and I Mr. Herbert Lloyd, deputy-chairman.) I NOT GUILT i I James Thomas. aged 21, a comer, or ry- I newydd-street, Pontlottyn. was charged with I unlawfully assaulting Mrs. Elizabeth Bowen, I also of Tynewydd-street, Pontlottyn, on November 27 of la-st year, at Gelligaer. Mr. A. Parsons appeared to prosecute, and Mr. St. John Francis-Williams defended.—The jury found prisoner not guilty, and he was dis- charged. THEFT OF FOWLS. I A charge of stealing eight towls, the pro- perty of Mr. Thomas Lewis, at Llancarvan, on December 29. was preferred against two labourers, named William Jenkins, aged 26. and John Tonsill, 30.—Mr. J. A. Lovatt Frazer appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Llew- ellyn Williams, who was instructed from the dock, was for the defence.-Prisoners pleaded not guilty.-Prisoners were found guilty and sentenced each to six weeks' imprisonment, with hard labour. A GROOM'S OFFENCE. 11 Henry Williams, aged 21. a groom, lately employed at the Druids' Inn, Cowbridge, was arraigned on a charge of assault, with intent, on one Mary Jenkins, a spinster, at Llan. blethian, on "November 16. Mr. Douglas Lewis was for the prosecution, and prisoner was undefended.-Prosectitrix alleged that while on her way home shortly before ten o'clock at night on the date given prisoner stopped her and committed the assault—Accused admitted that he wrestled" with pro- secutrix, but denied any intent.—He was found guilty of the charge, and, as he had been in prison six weeks awaiting trial, was now committed for five months, with hard labour. PEMBROKESHIRE. I The Epiphany Quarter Sessions for the County of Pembroke were held in the Sbire- hall, Haverfordwest, on Tuesday, before his Honour Judge William Stevenson Owen (chairman) and a number of other justices. STEALING FROM TRAWLERS. Thomas Mayne, fisherman, Milford Haven, pleaded guilty to stealing-six soles. value 6s.. the property of Messrs. Sellick, Morley, and Price, from the steam trawler Baronia at Milford. on the 10th ult., and defendant (who had been admitted to bail) was sentenced to two months' hard labour, a similar sentence being passed upon a Swedish fisherman named Andrew Ericksen (on bail) for stealing from the same firm's trawler Fuschia, on the 15th nlt., twelve whiting, one megram, a pound of currants, and a pound of sultanas, value 3s. 6d.—In each case Mr. Marley Samson (in- structed by Mr. W. J. Jones, solicitor, Haver- fordwest) appeared for the prosecution. This concluded the business of the sessions. BRECONSHIRE. I The Epiphany Quarter Sessions for the county of Brecon were held at the Shire- hall on Tuesday, before Mr. R. D. C'leasby (chairman) and other magistrates.—A depu- tation from the Brynmawr Special United Committee (consisting of the Rev. D. E. Wil- liams and Mr. Enoch Williams) waited upon the court with respect to the reduction of the number of licensed houses in Brynmawr oh the lines of the Farnbam decision.—Colonel Jones Thomas said that no doubt the persons who could, and, he hoped, would, take action in Brynmawr were the magistrates of that petty sessional division. The court of quar- ter sessions might have to deal with the matter in this respect: that if the licences were reduced they might have to act in the capacity of a court of appeal. He hoped similar action would be taken in every petty sessional division of the county, because in England and Wales there was no county which had so many public-houses in propor- tion to the population of the county of Brecon.

SCHOOL EXTENSIONS Policy of the Merthyrj Board. MAKING THINGS EASY FOR THE NEW AUTHORITY. Interviewed on the subject of the policy of the Merthyr School Board in going in for a. comprehensive scheme of school extension on the eve of its dissolution under the operation of the new Education Act, Mr. W. L. Daniel. chairman of the board, said there was some difficulty in supplying the information asked for. I may state, in the first place," said Mr. Daniel, that all proposed extensions of premises not yet ca,rried out were considered and projected by the board long before the Education Act of 1902 was drafted or made public. In the second place, I may state that the Education Depart- ment first and subsequently the Board of Education have repeatedly urged the board to carry out the whole of the proposed exten- sions. In fact, it is no new thing, no sudden idea, which has dawned upon the board—they are all matters with regard to which a, very large number of committees, many visits to sites, and considerable negotiations with landlords and other interested parties had been taking place for some yea,rs. The difficulties which we have had to encounter are of such a nature as to make it impossible for me to explain them in detail in a short interview, but I may say that the board have been dealing with this matter in precisely the same way as if they were to continue in office to the end of the term for which they were elected, viz., March, 1904. The Georgetown Schools. With regard to the large Georgetown Schools which are contemplated, the board decided to take land for the new girls' school as far back as May. 1897, but owing to opposi- tion and difficulties in acquiring ground in that neighbourhood it became the duty of the board to obtain an order for compulsory powers. This order is dated November 2. 1900, and the Provisional Order received the Royal Assent in August, 1901. The total payments already made on account amount to EI15, and Mr. Corbett. of Cardiff, who was the arbitrator in the matter, decided that the sum to be paid for the land should be CI,400, as against f,2,750 demanded by Messrs. Crawshay Brothers. These buildings will be proceeded with as speedily as possible. The present boys' school will also have to be put in order, and it is estimated that the total cost of this, together with the girls' school and the infants' school, will be between £10,000 and £ 12,030. With regard to the Dowlais Central Schools, these are known to be very spacious schools, capable of accommodating a very large num- ber of boys, girls, and infants in three depart- ments, as they are worked at present. But the difficulties in connection with the carry- ing out of the proposed alterations have been such as to make it impossible for the board to proceed with -the work as they would have wished. The board began talking about the alterations at these schools in the year 1892. Pant Extensions Absolutely Needed, "Then, as to the Pant school, an extension became absolutely needed there owing to the large number of houses which bad been erected and were in course of erection, and the board, acting upon their invariable principle of dealing with different districts as neces- sity arose, took steps to enlarge this school. It was also found desirable to have a new infants' school at Penywern. The delay in relation to the Dowlais improvements is entirely due to the delay in connection with the obtaining of the lease. With regard to the Abermorlais School, which may be termed the oldest and the largest central school in the town of Merthyr, this school has been crowded, and. in fact, overcrowded, owing to the great increase in the population of the district, and it was resolved in February, 1854, to take land at the Quar for a new infants' school, in order to relieve Abermorlais. The plans for this new school were approved in June, 1900, and the school was erected at a cost of £ 5,085. and opened in April, 1902. As to Troedyrhiw School, it was discovered that the boys' school was in a bad state of repair, this school being held from the vicar and trustees of the district of Troedyrhiw under a lease, and the board began to negotiate for the purchase of the school and land as far back as April, 1896. After considerable nego- tiations and the consideration of plans, a valuation was obtained in November, 1900. and the board, in May, 1901, agreed to buy the present building and land at a cost of £ 2,010. It is proposed that a new school should be provided on this land for the accommoda- tion of boys, at a cost of from £ 6,000 to L7 000 In the neighbouring district of Aberfan, owing to representations made to the board by resi- dent ratepayers and parents of children, the board decided to erect a new school there, and obtained land on lease. A tender, amount- ing to 14,467, for the erection of the school was accepted in January, 1902, and the build- ing is now early completed. The extension of the 1'enydarren Infante' School was completed in March. 1898. at a cost to the board of £ 2.076. An enlarged class-room was also com- pleted at Clwydyfagwyr in July, 1901, at a cost of £108. The Lower Part of the Parish. Then dealing with the lower part of the parish the Board of Education urged the board to extend the accommodation of the Treharria School in June, 1901. A committee was at once appointed to visit the district during that month, and they selected a suitable site for a school at Quakers' Yard, which appeared to them to be suitable to meet the wants of Tre- harris. It was also found that the growth of the district necessitated the erection of an infants' school at Edwardsville and one at Woodlands. Quakers' Yard, also one at the rear of Webster-street, and, owing to repre- sentations which have been made by the Board of Education, through his Majesty's inspector, from time to time, these will have to be proceeded with as quickly as possible. It is impossible at present to give anything like a reliable estimate of the approximate cost of these several schools. It should also be noticed that extensions to the boys' and girls' school at Twynyr- cdin became necessary owing to the large increase of population and the present crowded state of the school. The recommenda- tion of the Board of Education to acquire additional land was received in April. 1902, and negotiations were commenced in June of that year and are still proceeding. The school at Pant was enlarged in 1898, and the work cost £ 1,826. Alterations and additions were also found necessary in 1898 at Pengarnddu School, which cost the boa.rd 1400. It will thus be seen that it is no new departure of the board to proceed with alterations and extensions of schools-that the wants of the parish throughout have been regularly and systematically met from time to time aa occa- sion demanded. Value of the Property. I It is but right that the ratepayers should know precisely the value of the property which will be handed over by the board. There are no less than six freehold schools to be handed over, viz.:—(l) Abermorlais-boys, girls, and infants—valued at present at £ 10,485, which waa handed over by the old British School Committee free of charge; (2) Peny- darren gcliool-boys. girls, and infants—which has cost £ 12.705; (3) Twynyrodin School—boys, girls, and iiifanto--which cost £ 3,601; (4) Cae- draw Rchool-ooys, girls, and infants—which cost £ 8.890; (5) Abercajiaid School—boye, girls, and infants-which cost 15.147; and (6) Troedy- rhiw School—girls and infants-which was given over to the board by the old British Hchool Committee, and which has cost the board £ 3,887—making altogether freehold pro- perty of the value of 149,713. The money for the erectioft, alterations, and improvements of these schools was borrowed for 50 years from 1873, thus showing that 29 years have gone and that 21 years are still unexpired. Three and a quarter per cent, is paid to the Hank of England for the money, and when it is considered that these equal annual instal- ments have been paid regularly for 29 years it will be easily seen what valuable property is handed over. Other loans have been obtained for the board for 50 years from 1880. showing 22 years gone and 28 years unexpired at the same rate of inter.est-3i per cent. Since then a consolidation of all the loans of the board has taken place. and it is believed that a great saving has thus been affected I consider it to be my duty to state that from the first it has been the invariable practice of the board to keep all the school buildings and masters' houses in good and efficient repair from year to year, and that the new authority will not be called upon to incur any large expense in this direction. With regard to the action of the board in pushing forward with these new and neces- sary schools to which reference was made at the last meeting of the board. I can state.. without fear of contradiction, that the board is doing all it possibly can to make it easy for the new authority when it is appointed to take over the work of elementary educa- tion in this large and important parish. No money has been intentionally expended on what may be called extravagant architecture. The great desire has been to meet the require- ments of the age and to carry out as fully and as completely as possible the valuable suggestions which have been made from time to time by the distinguished and experienced gentleman who has acted as his Majesty's inspector in this district. 'Personally I have a great desire to put the work of the board on such a foundation that it will be easy for the new authority to take it over, and whether that date will be the 26th of March next or the 26th of March of the following year, or any intermediate date, no effort shall be spared on my part to hand over the work in as complete a state as possible both as regards the valuable property of the board and the efficiency of the education of the children eaUTUBted to our choree."

NEW LICENSING ACT Judge Williams on Its Working. HARDSHIPS IMPOSED ON PUBLICANS. The following report appeared in the later editions of yesterday's "Evening Express": — At the opening of the quarter sessions for the county of Glamorgan at Cardiff yesterday Judge Gwilym Williams, addressing the grand jury, referred to the new Licensing Act, and said there were many emendatiolls-be used the word so that it should not be controversial —in this new Act which. he thought, it was necessary that they, as licensing justices, should take particular notice of. They had had additional powers conferred npon them by this new Act, and, to speak for himself, having read it very carefully, and consider- ing it in all its bearings, they could, if they enforced the Act very strictly, do a very great deal to lessen the frightful state of things which had existed in this country for some years. It was not necessary that they should be very severe, but they should, he might say, act strictly by the letter of the law and carry out its spirit. There were one or two matters in connection with the administration of it which, he thought, they. a-s well as the police. would have some difficulty in carrying out. That would he patent to most of them. One of the principles was that which dealt with habitual drunkards and the responsibility which was being thrown by this Act upon licensed victuallers. It was probably impos- sible for licensed victuallers to be able to guard entirely against committing an offence against the clame of this Act. It would be absurd to suppose that a licensed victualler in one district was likely to know that a man had been put on the "black list" in another district; and, although this Act made it com- pulsory upon him to acquaint himself with that state of things, he did not think, in administering that part of the Act, they should do so very strictly unless the man before them had been very negligent in the performance of his duties. It was some- what difficult for licensed victuallers to carry out their trade without offending against that clause of the Act. That would im- prove itself as time passed by, and the black sheep-those men who were on the "black list —became known not only in that parti- cular district, but all over the kingdom. •rthi, ereft ore, the licensed victuallers would run less risks than in the first starting of the A-c,t He did not himself sit as a licensing justice other than on the confirming com- niittee, and. therefore, he felt some amount of delicacy in touching upon some of the mat- ters which he thought it his duty to touch upon notwithstanding. Although he had had some considerable experience in years gone by, he knew the methods adopted by the dif- ferent benches in the county. But there was one thing which he would very much like to see brought about, with the sanction of the standing joint committee, and that was that. when a licensed victualler refused to supply refreshment other than drink, that the person complaining should have the right to make complaint to the police officer living in that neighbourhood. and that the officer, with the sanction of the chief constable and the. stand- ing joint committee, should take cognisance of that complaint, and that it should be looked upon as a black mark against the house, and that it should also be brought for- ward when application for'the renewal of the licence was made. There were very many instances of this kind which had come to his knowledge—two instances had come to his own personal knowledge, not that he had been refused refreshment, because he was rather well known-(Itughter)-and if he wanted to get refreshments in a licensed house the landlord would have to hesitate before declining to give him what he required. Two cases had come before him this year, and he thought something should be done in the interests of the public, and licensed holders should understand that their houses were not only for the purpose of supplying alcoholic drinks, but also for other refreshments, and artyone had a right to obtain reasonable refreshments both in the way of eating as well as drinking in his house. They had no power at the quarter sessions to give orders to the police, but only through the cha,innan of the committee to the standing joint committee. There was another provision in the Act which lie wished to call the special attention of the licensing justices to. and that was the ques- tion of whether in any district there were I NOT TOO MANY PUBLIC-HOUSES in a. given area. It might be that if they took a whole petty-sessional division into con- sideration they would find that the number of licensed houses must be admitted to be excessive, having regard to the population, and in granting licences, of course, one of the first points to be considered was the question of population. It would be unsafe to say there were too many or too few licences held in anv particular division, but he thought that now that they had their powers defined, and could require to be informed of the number of licensed houses which existed in some parti- cular division, they might come to the con- clusion that there were too many houses in that particular locality. If they did, they had the right to require the licensed holders in that particular district to come forward and justify their application for a renewal, and they had a right to refuser to grant renewal to one, two, or more licensed holders upon their being satisfied that one, two, or more were not required, and they had to chooee which were required, and which were not. There was one provision of this Act of Parliament which would very likely assist them if they took the matter up, and that was the question of structural adaptability of the house..When an application was made, after considering whether it wae wanted for the population to be served by that house, their next consideration was that of the structural adaptability of the house. Under the old dis- pensation they could not refuse to renew a licence on such grounds; they had practi- cally the same jurisdiction with regard to the renewal of a licence a-a they hnd with an application for a new licence. His view of the matter was that if they adopted and car- ried out the provisions of the Act dealing with this question they would get rid of a great many houses which were utterly unworthy of being called licensed houses, and in getting rid of such places, what they might call "tiddly winks," they would be doing a great deal of good to the community, and they would have remaining in the county a, number of substantial houses, the owners of which would have a certain greater responsi- bility than the owners of small houses. (Hear, hear.) It was perfectly patent that they had only to drive through certain districts in this county and they would find that there were several houses which were not adapted to be held as a licensed house, and, conse- quently, not required. He had had figures supplied to him by the courtesy of the chief- constable with regard to one village in this county. When he (his honour) told them the remarks of the superintendent to his chief with regard to some of these he should say that there could not be any (inestion that the justices in that div'sion—if they were anxious to carry out the provisions of the Act—ought I to move in the matter, and GET RID OF MAXY I of the houses, and also, at any rate, to compel the licence holder or owner to make their houses materially better before they felt justified in granting the renewal of the licence. The superintendent mentioned to his chief that there were three houses adjoining, and he pertinently put the question to his chief, "Do you consider these necessary?" Then, in another place where there were four houses. he said they could not have proper supervision by the police on account of their position. One house was only a small cottage, very inconvenient and with very poor accommoda- tion, while another was more like 11 workman's cottage, pnd the tenant of the adjoining cottage had to pass through the licensed premises to get to his own house. That was a direct contraven- tion of the old Act as well as this one. One house had two bedrooms added to it for some purpose, and now they could understand why they were added. With regard to this dis- trict. out of 74 licensed houses 29 were with- out stable accommodation at all. They made it a. condition now in granting new licences that there should be stabling accommoda- tion. He said this, not to tell them what their duties were. but to call attention to the most particular sections in the Act, and to ask them to give the Act their minute and careful consideration, because, he thought, if they did. it would bring about a state of things which he had been hoping to see in this country for a long time. (Hear, hear.) There was no question about it. that the Act, so far as it went. was an honest attempt to reduce drunkenness. and they knew drunkenness and crime were ) inseparable. Not only was that his own expe- dence. but the experience of all who had to administer the criminal law. If they would carry out this Act in its proper spirit they would be doing a great deal in lessening drunkenness, and a great many people who were interested in licensed houses would benefit immensely, because the Act would lead to their houses being properly conducted, and there would not be required the same assiduity on the part of the police to look after them. A great many of theae "tiddly winks" would be swept off the face of the earth, and he was perfectly certain that if the Act was applied- properly lie would be able to state at the next January sessions that there had been a. great improvement in the criminal et? tistics of the county.

TAFF VALE CASE I Important Report by I Mr Bell. RAILWAYMEN'S SOCIETY DECIDE NOT TO APPEAL. As reported in the Special and later editions of yesterday's "Evening Express." A special general meeting of the Amal- gamated Society of Railway Servants. adjourned from the annual conference held at Swansea in October last, opened jester- day at the Holborn Town-hall, and will be continued throughout the week. The presi- dent for this year (Mr. W. L. Loraine, of West Hartlepool) occupied the chair, and all the delegates present at Swansea, with five exceptions, were in attendance, the absence in two cases being attributable to illness. A vote of sympathy with the two suffering members was adopted. The President wished the delegates the compliments of the season, and expressed gratification at so large an attendance. He thought that they ought to express their thanks to the managers of the various com- panies for allowing the delegates to attend. He knew that it must tax the resources of the railway companies to allow such a large number of men to be absent from their duties at this time of the year, and he moved that the secretary be instructed to write and express the thanks of the conference for this consideration. This was duly agreed to. The President next went on to remark that the business to be dealt with was of the most important character, having' regard to the fact that the meeting was being held so soon after the Taff Vale decision. They had hoped for a decision more favourable to their organi- sation, but he appealed to the delegates not to allow the judgment to thwart them in their efforts to improve the conditions of the rail- waymen. While there were combinations on the other side, it was necessary that they should improve their own combination, and, however much they might be disturbed by the decision already given, no one could gainsay the fact that the condition of the railwaymen had been improved by the efforts of their organisation. They did not claim to be infallible, but they felt that the Amalgamated Society had done good work. The first business on the agenda paper was the consideration of the secretary's report on the case of the Taff Vale Railway v. the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants. Mr. Perry, of Stratford, moved that the dis- cussion be conducted in camera, and Mr. Charles, of Quakers' Yard, having seconded the motion, it was unanimously adopted. Mr. Griffin, of Swansea, moved, and Mr. Cole.' of Penarth, seconded, that the con- sideration of the Taff Vale question be ad- journed till this (Wednesday) morning in older that all the delegates who had been pieaent at Swansea, and who might be able to attend to-day should have an opportunity of taking part in the discussion. On a vote being taken this proposal was lost. The meeting then proceeded to discuss in private the report of the secretary on the Taff Vale case. In the course of the report, Mr. Richard Bell, referring to the Taff Vale case and the decision against the society, says: "I desire to express my sincere regret at the verdict of the jury. which was largely based upon the summing-up of Mr. Justice Wills. The trial, which was of a very protracted nature, lasted thirteen days, and I am pleased to be able to say that our defence was most ably con- ducted by the eminent counsel engaged. The position of this and every other. Trade Union in the country is now very serious, but, while the verdict is a. severe one, yet I must con- fess 'that it did not come to me as a great surprise. I feel my own position most acutely, for it has been decided by the jury that I was a conspirator whose object was to injure the Taff Vale Railway. This never was the case. It will be well known to the members of the society that I was opposed to the move- ment right from the beginning to the end, and on the 17th of'August, at the request of the President of the Board of Trade, I went to Cardiff with a view to preventing the strike taking place." Mr. Bell proceeds to say that the society has been held to be a conspirator, and as the result it is expected that it will be mulcted in damages and costs, probably amounting in all to nearly a fifth of the accumulated funds. Later he goes on to remark:—"The experience I have gained during the last five or six years tends to show that the members are not sufficiently careful in their selection of executive members. Instead of electing those with grit enough to rigidly administer the society's rules the tendency in many cases seems to be to elect the members who have become popular through the exercise of their oratorical power. As the result of this we have to put up with the Taff Vale strike, the cost of which, including the House of Lords case, the present action and the probable damages, will amount to close upon £ 50,000. This is a heavy price to pay for the gratification of irrespon- sible members, and those not the most thoughtful. In view of this enormous cost, and the damage done to the prestige of the society, which has done so much for railway- men in the past, and which is capable of doing still more in the future, I feel that the members should know how the difficulty has been brought about and where the responsibility for it lies. During my term of office as general secretary I have done my utmost to cause things to be conducted in the right way, but by the executive commit- tee I have not been supported as I ought to have been. As a result a few irresponsible persons have run away with the governing body, and landed us in the present difficulty. The responsibility upon you at this juncture is very great, but I know that you are quite competent to bear it-to do that which is right in the interests of the society, to restore and maintain the confidence of the members. employers, and the public, and to win back that high prestige which has been the treasured possession of the society for so many years. You can do this by seeing that the proper persons are placed in the proper positions, and insisting upon the rules being strictly adhered to. If that is done we may look forward with great hope for a more pros- perous future." The conference deliberated in private all the afternoon. There was an animated debate, at the close of which. about half-past five, Mr. Bell made the following communication to the press;- "We have decided not to appeal in the Taff Vale case. but in the event of the trade unions of the country appearing desirous of appeal- ing we shall support them, and pay our pro- portion of the contribution." After coming to this decision the conference deferred the further consideration of the Taff Vale case till this (Wednesday) morning, and passed on to other business, which was also conducted with closed doors. Mr. Scott (Nottingham) moved that the annual general meeting be asked to give per- mission for a movement for an eight hours' day for all railwaymen under the auspices of the society. Mr. Loxton (Southampton) seconded. An amendment was moved by Mr. Charles to add the words to be obtained by legisla- tive enactment." and this was adopted. The conference then adjourned.

CRUELTY TO CHILDREN at CAERWENT At Chepstow Petty sessions on Tuesday Bichard and Ann Stevens, of Caerwent, were charged under Section 1 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act with such conduct to three children under their charge as to cause them unnecessary suffering and to he preju- dicial to their health on the 15th of Decem- ber. the children in question being George Ciark, aged eleven years; John Stevens, aged three years; and Wilfred Robert Stevens, aged one year (sinee dead).—Mr. Lyndon Cooper prosecuted on behalf of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to C,Ilildren.-Tlic infant was found dying aid in a filthy and verminous condition, and with no clothing on except some rags. which were filthy, saturated with wet, and stank horribly, and, apparently, it bad not been washed for several days. The inspector went to the Vicarage and obtained some wadding and camphorated oil, and when he returned he found tha4, the womaji had washed the child and put on him some clean clothing, which the inspector had previously seen on the hedge outside in the damp. The next day the infant, died, death being ascribed to bron- chial pneumonia, and the doctor expressed the opinion that such conduct as described would have acceleiated death, and the jury ceiisured the parents. THe other two children were well nourished, but extremely vernii- ncne.—The Bench sentenced defendants each to one month's hard labour.

CAUTION'.—*HOW TO TEST THE ITKITY OF COCOAS.—If treated with alkali and chemicals such cocoas will have a medicinal l'ent when the tin is opened, and it will be a darker colour when, in liquor. CADBURY'S Cocoa lias no addition of ajay kind, and is guaranteed absolutely pilre. «3435—I

"Cochfarf's" Comments. In December, 1899, the First Lord c.f the Treasury appointed a Committee, with instructions to inquire and report as to any arrangements now in operation for the collection, cust-ody, indexing, and calendaring of local records, and as top further measures which it may bo advisable to take for this purpose* As a preliminary step, the Committee have obtained definite information in regard to existing arrangements for the custody of documents, as well as suggestions for the future, from persons and bodies who have records of importance in their possession. I am pleased to find that the work of the Committee has stimulated an interest in the uncalendared papers of the eastern part of the diocese of Llandaff, and that a meeting is to be held at Cardiff which may induce ecclesiastical, municipal, and other authorities to count their treasures and opeli them to inquiring historians, even though the owners of the papery may not feel disposed to undertake the cost of printing what antiquarians have been longing to know for a very long time. Following my note on the formation of a fire brigade at Bridgcnd from the town police, a correspondent asks why the Bridgend Council or any other urban council for the matter of that cannot have the same con- trol over the local police as is possessed by Cardiff, where members of the police force form the larger portion of the town, fire brigade. I am afraid a full answer to the question would take up more space than I have at my command. Im- portant changes were made concerning the control and payment of the police by the Local Government Act of 1888, and their control outside boroughs or county boroughs is exercised and discharged through the standing joint committee of the quarter sessions and county council. In those boroughs (not being county boroughs), which according to the census of 1881 had a population of less than 10,000, it is provided by the above Act that the powers and duties of the watch committees should cease and be trans- ferred to the council of the administra- tive county which comprised these boroughs. County boroughs, as defined by the same Local Government Act, are those cities and towns each of which on June 1, 1888, either had a population of not less than 50,000 or was a county of itself. Thus the reason that the control of the police at Bridgend is vested in the hands of the county police authority is because its population is much below the number ordained by the Local Government Act as being that which would entitle its council to control the police acting within its administrative area. I may add that the prestige of having the control of its own police, were it legally possible, would bo an expensive matter, for not only would the ratepayers have to provide the lion's share of their pay, but also to provide them with clothing and a pension fund; whereas at present the contributions towards police maintenance is equally .distributed over the whole county. I hope I have given W. G." the informa- tion he desired to obtain. Sir George Bridwood's letter to the Times" protesting vigorously against the proposal to remove the signs which were erected in Lombard-street in com- memoration of the Coronation has passed almost unnoticed through the attention given to the Drunkards' Act and Mr. Chamberlain's excursion to South Africa. He pleads strenuously for the artistic embellishment of our streets bymes-ns of signs. Every street should be a school of art, lie contends, presumably owing to brackets and projections giving object lessons in freehand drawing. But muni- cipal authorities granting the right of placing signs over streets should have its art committee, or signs" would degene- rate into ugly swing-boards, pained in every unlovely colour, which colours. would wash away with the earliest shower of rain. It is suggested that the dis- carded signs in Lombard-street should be distributed among our museums; but, as they were all designed to harmonise with their street surroundings, their artistic value would be lost in the narrow confines of already overcrowded museums, and I am afraid that for museums we must write marine stores." A few years ago Cardiff was overrun with impudent, able-bodied beggars, but a few energetic plain clothes policemen and sharp magisterial punishment greatly minimised the evil. With the long even- ings of mid-winter these pests have made their appearance again, but they now avoid knocking at the doors of dwellings, and have taken to following timid young ladies, and if refused money they resort to the use of filthy language. If women who are so troubled overcame their ner- vousness sufficiently to enable them to walk back to the nearest policeman and offer to give evidence of molestation these cowardly brutes might give Cardiff a wide berth for a few more years. There is a wonderful telegraphy among beggars, and a knowledge of special attention being paid to them in a, given town will reach their confreres over a wide area in a few days. Circular houses are regarded as being a new irlea in British architecture; and we arc tempted to exclaim that there is nothing new under the sun, for next to cave and mattle dwellings round towers are the oldest known kind of dwellings in these islands. When the late Dr. Wil- liam Price--ho of the Llantrisant bonfire —was in the zenith, of his eccentricities he contemplated the building of a house for his own use on the British round tower plain. I believe such a house was com- pleted at Treforest, but his litigous t.emperament brought him into collision with Ids ground landlord, and his "castle" became the home of owls andbats. What the latter history of the interesting build- ing is I cannot say. I believe it is sti II a landmark to passengers by the Taff Vale Railway through Treforest Station, and, perhaps, some reader of LUC Evening ex- press" in that neighbourhood will vouch- safe some information concerning it. Judge Gwilym Williams has again called attention to the unwisdom of eexposing goods outside places of business, and thus tempt, needy persons to heelp themftelv. to such goods, when, without such tempta- tions, they would never depart from the path of rectitude. More often than otherwise wearing apparel or cloth can be seen outside certain shops absolutely unattached, and very ofteeu unwatchecl. and a shivering, poverty-stricken passerby's imagination is bred with the comfort such articles will add to his barely- clad person, and he lays his hand upon that which is not his own, and the law provides that he must punished. In- deed. it is only those who know how fre- queiitiv theft.s from outside shops are committed, and the class of people who. commit them, can fully realise to what extent tradesmen are contributing to the loss of goods in this way, for many more cases are dealt with than are reported in the public press. If the losses in this way are more than made up by the trade done by outside showing of goods, traues- men alone can say.