The North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality

frttbltc PLAS COCH ESTATE. T ADY HUGHES HUNTER, of PI?s J Coch, Llanfairpwll, Anglesey, wishes it known she docs not now employ an Agent. All communications respecting her Estate should be addressed to her as above with Property" in capital letters on left hand top corner of the envelope. Any remittance should be sent direct to the manager of the London Joint City and Midland Bank, Bangor, to be placed to her account. CARNARVONSHIRE HILARY QUAR- TER SESSIONS, 1920. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the J GENERAL .QUARTER SESSIONS OF THE PEACE in and for the County of Carnarvon will be held at the COUNTY HALL, CARNARVON, on THURSDAY, the 8th day of JANUARY, J.920, at a quarter past ten o'clock, in the forenoon. All Jurors and persons bound by re- cognizances to prosecute and give evi- dence, or to surrender in discharge of their bail and all Appellants, Respondents, .d their "Witness are to appear at the County Hall aforesaid bit the day and time before mentioned. A. BODVEL ROBERTS. Clerk of the Peace. Carnarvon, 16th December, 1919. THE CARNARVONSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL. fl""ŒIE above Council require the im- mediate services of an experienced Shorthand-Typist and Filing Clerk. The commencing salary will be £15Q per an- num. Applications should be made to the undersigned on or before WEDNESDAY, the 31st DECE-N-IBEP,, together with three recent testimonials. Preference will be given to qualified ex- oervice men. J. JONES MORRIS. County OfficeII, Carnarvon, 17th December, 1919. —* C. & U. ASSOCIATION BOWLING CLUB, PLASLLWYD-TERRACE. President: R. C. TRENCH, Esq. FANCY DRESS BALL at the PENRHYN HALL, P^"GOR, BOXING NIGHT (FRID 26th Dec.), from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. PRIZES.—2 most Original Costumes, iL lady and gentleman; two best Char- acter Costume, do.; two most Humorous and Prettiest. Tickets 2s 6d. Refresh- ments at Moderate Prices. tV 11 TENDERS are invited for the RE- JL BUILDING of 68 and 70, MARKET STREET, and COTTAGE in MOUNT PLEASANT STREET, in HOLYHEAD. Plans and particulars may be obtained on application to the Architect. No guarantee is given that the lowest 1 or any Tender will be accepted. RICHARD HALL, F.R.I.B.A., Masonic Chambers, Bangor, and 4, Stanley Street, Holyhead. FOR SALE BY PRIVATE TREATY. CAMBRIAN RAILWAYS COMPANY. TO BE SOLD BY PRIVATE TREATY JL the SEVERAL STACKS of Well- harvested HAY, of the growth of 1919, standing at the undermentioned Stations on the Cambrian Rail ways, and estimated to contain the respective quantities, more or less, also undermentioned, viz.:— Estini'd Estim d STATION% Weight.1 STATIOS, Weight Tons. l I Toni. -1- := 5à !Mon Wen 6 riccictb  32 labcrerch 54 For further particulars, and to treat, ap- ply to THE SECRETARY, Cambrian Railways Co., Oswestry. Oswestry, Dec., 1919. FOR SALE BY PRIVATE TREATY. RHOSMEIRCII, Near LLANGEFNI. SMALL Freehold Tenement, with im. mediate possession, PENTERFYN, about Hi Acres, small Cottage, suitable Out-buildings, ar-d excellent Land, ail late in occupation of Mr Evan Jones. Also, two Cottages called LLAIN- DELYN, adjoining Penterfyn.—Apply, J. S. Laurie, Solicitor, Llangefni. TO BE SOLD BY PRIVATE l p TREATY. Valley-road. Lianfair- feohaii, Freehold Cottage called Myrtle Grove, contammg nice Sitting-room with bay window, two Kitchens, Yard, three Bedrooms, ajid 2 Garden in front: immediate possession. J. S. Laurie, Solieitor, Liaiigefni. SIX-ROOMED HOUIYF, with large Gar- den. Coach house and Stable, in the Village of Bodedem. Particulars from David Jones and Co., Auctioneers. Holy- hoad. I THE 'SMALL' ADVTS. I APPEAR THIS WEEK ON THE FRONT PAGE. TOO LATE FOR CLASSIFICATION. WANTED, good Kitchenmaid.— i. Apply, Bull's Head Hotel, laaii- gefn i. LLANGEFNI.-1,4t prize. No. 546; 2nd, 137: 3rd. 300; 4th, 175; 5th, 208; 6th, 550; 7th, 37; 8th. Ill; 9th, 40; 10th, 494; 11th, 326; 12th, 376.. R SALE Cent's Bicycle, 27in. inch, Raleigh frame; in perfect order; also Circular Saw Spindle, 21-in. by H-in. -Apply, Williams, Joiner, LI an gaff o, An- glesey. CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.—TrecasteJl, Bull Bay, Anglesey, will have Select Party with SpeciaJ Mellus; Entertain- ments, Whist Drive, Dances, Oonoerts, Golf, Shooting. Write for Rooms now. Mr J. Krneat Rofrprg, of Pentrc Council Schools, near Wrexham, has been appointed headmaster of Abermarddu Schools, Cefny- becto. He is the eaerfetic secretary of the Denbigh CotmtJ Association of the National Union of Teachers. Your Next Concert ? CANTORION PENAF CYMRU For vacant dates, terms and all particulars, write to CONCERT DIRECTION R. T. EDWARDS, 62, DALE ST., LIVERPOOL. Telegrams: Education' L'pool.

I THE HOUSING QUESTION. Building houses is primarily a matter for the building trade, and the Prime Minister did well in meeting the leading r,ey,i-esk,i)tat.ives of-the employers and em- ployed to have a heart to heart" taJk over the difficulties of the present situa- tion. There is no question about the short- age of houses or the serious e.ffcet. of this shortage on social life. The Prime Minis- 'I' h e Pr i me I* ii i s- ter summarised the situation in a few words which went straight to the point. Half a million houses are required now to meet the demands of people who arc clamoring for decent dwelling places. For five years the I)uli(- five years the buiiding trade has been obliged to discontinue building liousc-, • and, as the normal annual requirements are something in the neighbourhood of 100,000 houses, the half million approxi- mately represents the accumulated arrears of our war period. Such a shortage in- evitably means that some millions of people are suffering under a grievance that daily becomes more and more intolerable. There may be many other explanations of the "social unrest" of which we hear so much in these days; but the housing difficul- ties in themselves are enough to produce a very serious measure of public discon- tent. It is all very well for a.rm chair critics to say that the Government should have foreseen all this shortage and made its plans and provistions in time. The Prime Minister was able to show a very admirable record of work in the coml)ara- tively short time which has really been available for dealing in a practical way with the housing question. We have pro- gressed so far as to be able to say that the work of erecting houses may now pro- ceed on an unprecedently large scale pro- vided only that the building tm- ployers and employod-take hold of the job with a determination to carry it through with as much expedition as they may. There have been a very great many complaints that the Government was hold- ing up building materials, and really im- peding progress. LooaJ builders, it was said, in some parts of the oountrr *'<' their plans standing over since pre-WtW thir pIau!! sta,nding over jn('C pre-wad' day?. They had actually drained the land and made the streets. TTie only oa-use of delay was the Government hold- ing up bricks and other material, of which there, were abundance under the control of the authorities. It is satisfactory to find the Prime Minister dealing with this asjxsct of the question. Building mater. Lais, as Mr Lloyd George ho, wild be available through "the ordinary trade channels" in a fortnight's time, and, what is of equal importance, the proper Govern- ment department will be invested with powers, and will exercise these powers "with the stornes$vigilance," to render profiteering in building materials in)pos. sible, so that advantage may not be taken of a great social need toO extract extra- vagant profits from the public. Sites, cash, and building material being pro- vided, the other esc^ntmls of rapid pro- grew arc ti-ati,lrrt and labour. The transport difficulties are i-caily formidable, but Mr Lloyd George s howed house build- ing can help by the most expeditious dis- charge of wagons and trucks. And it is reasonable to expect that transport will improve as the railways become more efficteittliv manned, the material increased, and other means of transit, more particu- la,rly by coastwise shipping, arc more generally used. But the great desideratum is the target possible employment of the available lab- oui, meaning thereby the moro really absorption of quickly prepared apprentices into the trade, the closest co-operation be- tween all part-ice, and the utmosit diligence ( i ?ligeiloc of an the workers. There is here, at any rate, every inducement to the very largest passible output. The builder is assured of a fair percentage of profits, the worker will increase his earnings with his output, and there is no possible excuse heire for what is sometimes so foolishly said in some other branches of employment, that the more productive workmen are diminishing the opportunities of other workmen to find remunerative employment. Irt the build- ing trade there is more than enough good paying work to go round, not for the pre- sent meTely, but for manv years to come. We had even in pi* war times enough work normally for a quarter of a million more men than the building trades num- her to-day. Yet, we have the accumulated arrears of work for five years, with, of course, the normal requirements of the country. It will require a generation of men putting their best efforts into the work to bring the balance even. There never was a finer opportunity for the workpeople of any country to" better them- selves, and, in this instance, at any rate, they have the opportunity of earning good ratee of pay at work which will give them and their fellow-workers the housimg accommodation which they so sadly need. We sincerely trust the, Prime Minister's a.ppeaJ for co-operation will meet with a quick and hearty response from both par- t" represented by the Building Trades Industrial Council

I THE DOUGLAS PENNANT I INQUIRY. Although the findings of the Committee of Inquiry instituted by the House of Lords into the case of Miss Douglas Pen- nant show that. she failed to substantiate by evidence some of the more serious charges she had brought against the ad- ministration, it must be generally recog- nised that in forcing the holding of the inquiry in the faoc of such strong official opposition, she has rendered a valuable public service. We rejoice, and we feel assured she also doos soo, that the suspicion so generally entertained that widespread immorality was prevalent in the W.R.A.F. proved, on investigation, to be unfounded, j It is matter of congratulation^ too, that j the persons whose names were particu- 1 laxly mentioned in that connection were (ablo to prove to the satisfaction of the Committee that there was nothing in their mutual relations which reflected upon their character. But, frankly recognising all this, we again assert- that in pressing for, and forcing an inquiry, Miss Douglas Pennant rendered a valuable public sor- vioeo, The strong, determined, relont.Los.s opposition of the authorities to the hold- ing of an inquiry at all was in itself evi- dence that there were matters connected wiitth the administration wliiah, from the official standpoint, it was not deemed de- sirable to have publicly disclosed. The evidence givelti at the inquiry justitied alike this official reluctance to submit to pub- licity, and Miss Douglas Pennant's in- sistence upon such publicity. The inquiry served to prove the haphazard, happy-go- lucky methods by which officialdom in high quarters rules, and how, under the system obtaining in the W.R.A.F., private rights and the demands of common justice may be subordinated to official, and occasion- ally purely personal considerations. The quibbles, for instance, that Mi Is. Douglas Pennant had never been officially a p poiaited," although the appointment was officially announced, and that she had neveir been "dismissed," but merely "super- soded," a.re discreditable to the adminis- tration- of a public department. Miss Douglas Pennant, even in losing her own personal battle, won a valuable victory for others who may be now, or hereafter, similarly circumstanced, and placed, as she was, at the mercy and the wlpm of higher placod officials. She has rendered the repetition of the injustice she suffci-cd im- possible in the case of others. One such inquiry as this is a warning for a long generation. She has awakened the pub- lie, and in a sense the official, conscience to the dangers involved in the system of administration adopted in the W.R.A.F. Boys and girls, no less than men and women, re^onded nobly to the country's call in its day of need. Through official ineptitude they were, in certain oases, subjected to needless trials and tempta- tions, Which might well have developed into national scandals. With Lord Cur- zo-n's assumption of superior wisdom and his self-complacent "I told you so" man- ner in the House of Lords, on Monday, nouther the House nor the country showed any sympathy. Lord Salisbury's retort was as pertinent as it was effective. The TMflfcter 13L T»K. l+rtptrfy*, placed will never again necessitate, for the assertion of the olaim" of common Jus < tice, another such sacrifice as that which Miss Douglas Pennant felt herself com- pelled, in the publite interest, to make.

STRAIGHT TALK. I Other leaders of British Labour might- do well to study and emulate the refresh- ing excursion into the realms of common sense recently made by Mr J. H. Thomas, M.P. Addressing a gathering of railway- men at Swansea, Mr Thomas told them: —" An efficient system of transport is a vital factor in the prosperity of the coun- try and tho speedy recovery of trade. The difficulties of transport at the pre- sent time are immonse. There is an acute shortage of waggons ajid locomotives, and there are many men st'll in the Army. I appeal to all sections of railway workers to do an they can to help in the removal of these diiffculties. It is of no use talk- ing about higher wages and shorter hours and a bettor standard of living if we for- get the means by which these things can be provided. Improved. conditions for labour are dependent upon the general trade and prosperity of the country, and any congestion of the railways must in- evitably tend to hamper trade and ma.ke the whole position of the country much more difficult." He added a fur- ther obvous truth when he said, "In the recognition of an eight-hour dav, rail- waymen 'ha.ve secured the ~*eeognition of a valuable principle, and they must be equally prepared to appreciate the diffi- culties of its ir' ,(I al)ly!cat loti. There must, in short, always be a cer- tain amount of give and take exercised by all who are engaged in industry. Ian- Labour leaders seize every opportunity to hold forth 011 the subject of the dignity and importance of labour, but they arc loss willing to discuss its responsibilities. It is obviously impossible to limit work to the fraction of a secoud as lecorded by the ccck, On this point Mr Lloyd George recently made some observations which are generally applicable. He pointed out that "there is no doubt that the eigh-hours day has been responsible for a good deal of the delay. Some men are prepared to work overtime; some men arc not. The eight iiours concession involves 30 per cent. more locomotive men al one an the railways. Some- times, although five nuoutes extra, woutd enable them to complete the journey, I am told that they have declined to do it. I have never seen it in an office. If another five minutes is necessary in order to enable a clerk to complete something, I have never seen anybody who refused to do it, and I really trust there will be a little more give and take and a. little moro spirit of co-operation and helpful- ness in case of that kind until, at ;.iiv rate, we are able to settle down into something like normal conditions."

THE COST OF LIVING. I According to Vie official Labour Gazette, the general level of retail prices of food and other items of working-class family expenditure at December 1st was approxi- mately 125 per cent. above the pre-wat level, or about the same as on November 1..t 0

r NOTES OF THE WEEK. I Carnarvonshire Surveyorship. I The County Council of Carnarvonshire on .Wednesday had before them a recom- mendation that the post of county sur- veyor, vacant by the death of Mr Evans, should be filled by the appointment of a whoie-timo officer at a salary of £000. but after some discussion tne proposal was referred back to the Surveyor's Com- mittee for further consideration. It is needless to pomf out that the post is all important one, especially as the duties in- volve the care and maintenance of the roads in the county, and the rate of re- muneration should be such as will com- mand the services of experienced men. In fact, Colonel LIoyd Evans, chairman of tho Surveyor's Commit-too, suggested the appointment of two surveyors, one for the northern and the other tor the southern portion of the county—-a suggestion wbioh the Committee w:il doubtless consider when deliberating further on the matter. The ertato of the roads alone will demand a good deal of the new surveyor's time, since it is impossible to overlook the fact that road transport has assume-d a posi- tion of great importance, and ala over the COUll troy there are complaints about the present unsatisfactory state of the roads. As a matter of fact-, there mu::t be a drastic change in our methods of road construction to meet the increasing demands of heavy traffic. 0 a I Carnarvonshire Light Railway I &chernes. I A deputation from the County Council recently visited the Ministry of Trans- port and tho Board of Trade in London to urge forward certain light railway schemes suggested for the county, but they seem to have returned with no very definite assurances. The prospective schemes comprise a line from Pwt'.hcit to Aberdaron, a luie from Trevor I,Lallad- haiarn) to Dinas, the North Wales far- row Gauge junction near Carnarvon; and the conversion of the Narrow Gauge Rail- way to Rhyd-ddu into a broad gauge, with its extension to Portinadoc. As alternative schemes, it was suggested that tho line from Trevor should be carried to Penygroes, and that the Narrow Gauge Railway be extended from Dinas to Car- narvon. There is no doubt that largo portions of the districts named could bo materially developed, commercially and otherwise, if adequate transport. facilities aro provided. Especially is this the case in tho LJeyn Peninsula, whery the Cam- brian Railway goes no further than Pwll- lieli. The promotion of light railways is evidently a slow process, as witness the efforts made for a long time in Denbigh- shire and Flintshire. The Carnarvonshire deputation elicited the information that the Ministry of Transport wou'd be in- clined to recommend part, if not the whole of the schemes, "if the nocess.iry support wore first obtained of one of the other Ministries." Furthermore, the Board of Trade inspector is to investi- gate the manga.ne.se mines which it is thought tho A berdaron line will help to develop. • « «  Death of Weir-known Bankruptcy Officials. -I Within the !aFt, fortnight two officials well known in connection with the work of the Bankruptcy Court on the Chester and North Wales circuit have passed away. Last week we recorded the death of Mi" William Evans, C.B., who was the first Official Receiver appointed for the district, and this week we announce the death of Mr W. G. Williams, a native of Bangor, who for many years was an Assistant Official Receiver. Both gained important advancement in the Govern- fLCllt service, Mr Evans attaining to the position of Inspector of Official Receivers for England and Wales. Different to Mr W. G. Williams, who was a fuljy qualified sohcitoT-, the Iate Mr Evaj? \Vll; a bank so l ic i t-or, t i-,o 'ate ?Nle Evmui-s .Tas a bank \-va -umxkataukut- -&2?' Holyhead and the son of the late Mr Daniel Evans, who was a schoolmaster at Dolgelley and at Holyhead. When Mr Evans was promoted to London, he was succeeded on the Chester and North Wales circuit by Mr LL Hugh Jones, the present Official Receiver, under whom the late Mr W. G. Williams served » » New Milk Report. Lord Boston's Committee, which has been inquiring for a year. fJa.'ilt into the milk question generally, has now com- pleted its report. The Committee also in- cluded Colonel Wc-igall, Mr Maefadden, Sir Bevil Stanier, and Mr Bagshaw, to- gether with Mr Buckley, Director of Milk Supplies. The report (says the Jhstf'l'Il Mail), which has been presented to the Government, and will bn available in a few days, covers tho whole field of produc- tion. both from the point of view of qual- ity and distribution. Special thought has been given to the problem of maintaining a high quality of miik a.t a reasonable- cost. The members recognise the neee'- slty for the universal <*kib!isbment of miik recording sooirtico, for the purpose, of taking periodical official tests of milk. They regard the development of educa- tional facilities as being urgent in the- far- mers' as well a„s the national interests. If rosearoh institutes are founded im every county, the Committee say, the farmers would have duta and facts which wosiid enable them to meet various problem*, i)at-ticularly with regard to milk produc- tion. » I A. "Egrs:s"— agrsrerated Statement. Airs Jones and AJrs Jenkins met ni a Bangor cafe the other day, and the in- evitable subject of Christmas cakes and the sum of proportion in relation to eggs arose. "Look," observed Mrs Jones, "I had a terrible shock th ■ other day. 1 ealiod on Mrs Jaiiiej, anti she was mixing her cake. iiiaity eggs do voli ti)iti,k I liave ntit'iti?' b he aked. And to flatter her a little — for I thought she might lend me her patty-pans if I got. her i ito a good mood—I replied, 'Six. Will you believe 1110, if the womall didn't say she had put eighteen eggs into that cake. 'Eighteen!' I called out so loud thai the waitress ran up quickly to take the order. 'Y C! replied Mrs James, 'eighteen birds' eggs; I don't know whether they were sparrows' or thrush's, but my husband got 'em, and they were cheaj:>er than half-a-dozen from the dairy.' I wa.S so startled that I forgot a ti about tlw patty- pans, and will have to go back for tiem. w I Flourishing: Mrs Malaprop. The char-lady was gossiping in the ap- proved manner of the genus, retailing iho affairs of a household which had the hon- our of her services. The elder son of this family was still in the army and intended taking unto himself a wife when he re- ceived his "ticket." The char-lady's ver- sion of the matter was that "Mr Jack is goin' to be married and waitin' to be monopolised." On another occasion the samo lady, in speaking of the trouble of another of hy employers, said *that Mr Brown 'ad been very bad. Weil, 'e wa.s that ill Mrs Brown neves* thought ,he\1 rear im." • « • m A Distinguished Welsh Surgeon. I A scheme is on foot to perpetuate the memory of the late Mr Hugh Ow(mi Thomas, of Liverpool, the distinguished Welsh surgeon, whose equally distin- guished nephew, Major-General Sir ito- bert Jones, C.B., held the important po- sition of director of oi-thol)aedi,c surgery to the Britush Army during tile. war. Mr Thomas, who was born in 1834, com- menced his medical career with his maternal uncle. Or. Owen Roberts, of St. Asaph. He afterwards pursued his stud- ies at Edinburgh and London, and after becoming a member of the Royal CoUegp of Surgeons, he established a wide prac- tice in Liverpool, which he continued un- til his death in 1891. < < Canon Fisher Honoured. h. I -1.. ?, ?, 11 ? I L:anoll t-isfier, lot Celu Rectory, St. Asaph, on whom the Uni- versity of Wales has recently conferred the degree of D.Litt., is a native of Car- marthenshire. He was educated at Lam- peter College, where he graduated B.A., B.D. He is a very eminent archaeologist, and is the joint author with the Rev. Baring Gouid of that monumental work, "The Lives of the British Saints," in four large volumes of about IOU0 pages. He ha.s written widely elsewhere, especi- Hilly in "Archaeologia Caitibrell!! S, of which he is the editor. He is the gen- eral secretary of the Cambrian Archaeol- ogical Association, and is a member of the council of the Welsh National Lib- rary and of other bodies. He is aho a leading member of the Welsh Biblio- graphical Society, and has examined for the Lampeter 11. A. degree. As was said of Walter Pater at Brasenose, so it may be said of Canon Fisher in h;s studious retreat at Cefn Rectory :— "To quiet tasks, unmeant for noisy fame, Far from the unsought voice of men s aelaim, Sweet Pater toiled with mind angelical."

THE PRINCE OF WALES AT DOWNING-STREET. PRIME MINISTER'S DINNER. [ The Prime Minister gave a dinner party at 10, Downing-street, on Wednesday evening, in honour of the Prince of W ales, who waa attended by Lieut.-Colonel E. W. M. Grigg, his military secretary. Dinner was served at one long table in tho oak-panelled banqueting hall. The Prime Ministeir occupied the central seat at one side of the table, with the Prince of Wales oIl his right, and Mr Bonar Law opposite. The other guests e.re: — Lord Lee of Fare-ham Earl Curzo-n of Kedlleston, Lord Stanifordharn Private Secretary to the King), Lord Birkenhead, Lord Inverforth, Sir R-obert Ho-rne, Sir Eric Goddos, Sir Joseph Maclay, Sir Wil- liam Sutherland (Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister), Sir Alfred Mond, Soir Gordon Hewart, Sir Auckland Geddes, Sir L. Worhington-Evans, Dr. AdJJWll, Mr E. S. Montagu, Mr Walter Long. Mr Shortt, Mr Munro, Mr Roberts, Mr H. A. L. Fisher, Mr Austin Chamberlain, Mr Balfour, Mr (Jhurohill, and Mr Ian Mac ph erson. I Lord Crawford, Field-Marshal Lord French, Mr Barnes, and Mr Illiiigworth 1 Pc -rtmasfcer-G en oral) wero unable to be present. eve?) r. I r l,lo?d Earlier in the evening Mr L!o?d Gcor?'e had had an audience of the King.

DISORDERED IRELAND. I RAID ON CORK STATION. I OFFICIALS LOCKED CP. A raid was made on the Cork and Bandoll railway station in Cork on Tues- day night by a largo body of men. A telegram trom Cork on Wednesday night stated (says tho Dublin correspondent of the Times) that 50 of the night staff of the Cor-ii, iiunOon, and Sout-n Coaet Hail- way were at work when a pairty ot armed men entered, and held up every official oai the premises, it is not Known how many raiders took part in the affair, but it is reckoned that there wtre at least between 150 and 2W melD. At 11 o'clock, wncn a whistle signal was given, every one oi I th{.,IU ?.? ap,?i-<nt?y at a?i allotted POII- t4Oil- "■ boxes by a?t!c< disguised men the $hunt. tio? ?_ the ?h unt- ?rs were removed from thei) posts, fi? | clerka from their offices, firemen and en- gine drivers from the footplates, and port- ere from their duty. Within a few min- utes all were imprisoned in a storo or shed, with an armed man mounting guard over them. An ofifcer of the company confirmed tiho belief t.1at well over 100 men at loaet too.A part in the raid. The affair could never have been carried out with so much thor- oughness and swiftne.ss by a smaller num- ber. While the railway employees were locked up. others of the raiders searched every part of the premises. Officer, stores, and tool-sheds wci.e visited, not a detail being neglected. If rho raiders had Anything definite in view they must have secured it, was the opinion expressed by the railway official on JYednt'.day morning. IIo said Vie raiders were almost an hour on the .}." e- mi^jkja and had the whole place to them- selves. They might have got news of a consign-nioxit of anna or ammunition to one of the military stations, cither Ban don or Captletowu-Berehaven. The" Ta Hwfty J officials would tt<> in tota.! igno-ranoe of th.. contents of such a consignment and there- fore they could not even yet state i_ i. any- thing at all was taken. The daring of the raid is enhanced by the fact that it took place within 200 yard:" of the Union Quay Police Barrack, which is the principal police station in the city and is the headquarters of the detective force. The raiders disappeared as my- re' io'.it'ly as they came, leaving no clue. The police were informed of the occurrence when the staff was released, I)tit tlic-v have nut so far been able to make all arrest. MANSION HOUSE CLOSED. I The Lord Mayor of Dublin (Alderman O'Neill) has addressed a letter to the newspapers in wilier he states that ill con- sequence of what occurred last- week, when the police and military prevented the hold- ing of the Irish Christmas Fair at the Mansion House, he fee's compelled to close the building to all gatherings m himro. He does not dec ire to haye any 'tonnx-t b&twecn the citizens and t.h? <<?!- ()it"'s or police which might end in b?"? or pol lee wiiielit ijilglit eiit i i'll _—————

NORTH WALES WILLS. I MR P. WILLIAMS, BliYMBO. l AN ESTATE OF £ 80,000. I Mr Peter Williams (63\ i»f BrymlK) ISaiJ. st,-clwoi-k gt,ii(,riil in;tii.Lg- er of the Normanh.v Park Steelworks, of Messrs John Lysaght, Limited, of Bristol, at Scunthorpe, and lately general manager ;tnd director of the Brymbo Steel Company, Ltd.. Brymbo, J.P. for Denbighshire, who eom- me need his career as a boy of thirteen in the Brymbo works, has left estate of the gro?s value of P-80,037, with net personalty ;&;(;300. Probate of his will, dated November 9th, 1910. has been granted to his widow. Mrs Mary Williams, his daughter, Miss Harriett Amel'a Williams, and his sous. Mr < hri-tinas Pricc Williams, and Mr Arthur Williams, engineers, ill! of Brymbo. The testator left all of his- properly upon trust for his wife during wid- owhood. and subject thereto for his children. REV. H. BARROW WILLIAMS. I The Rev. Hugh Barrow Williams, of Bod I ldris, ('Iement-ave'jitie, Llandudno, Calvinistic Methodist minister, left, eslate valued at, £ 4,501 9s 4d, with net personally £ 2,053 139 6d. I

OXFORD PROFESSORSHIP. I LLANDDULAS RESIDENTS I APPOINTMENT. Mr R. n. Dawkins, M.A., of Pla.- (lula,s, Llanddulas, Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and formerly for many years Director of the British ScliooJ of Archaeology at Athens, has been ap- pointed Professor of Modern Greek at I o( l ern (-;rec-k at Oxford. The newly elected Professor baa resided for a considerable time at Llau- j ddulas. j

A PARLIAMENTARY SKETCH. THE CONDITION OF IRELAND. CUTTLE-FISH CONTORTIONS. tBu James Fairlie.) HOUSE OF COMMONS. Thursday. The attenuated remnant of Irish Nationalism in Parliament, reinforced by its soniewnat reluctant udies, L-ne Lii Lij, i ait-y and the Independent" Liberals, contrived this weei to emulate the cu;t.e- by Uirowuig i,. ;.Crcc!i ot ink round the saucut facte of deplorable situa- tion in ireianu. I-wfoc cover ot a tnuuon tor the adjournment on suppression of the freeman s Jviiruat Uiey awclopetf a direct frontal attack 011 W10 whole lush jioucy of the Government, and though they succeeded 1:1 cussemmalmg large quantities of ponon ttuid, the antidote was very quickly forthcoming in tiiat ordinary common sense whwlI is the uiaia virtue of the Motner of Parliaments. Mr Devlin and his halt-dozen todowers sot out to demonstrate that there e.M.stcd a tyranny in Ireland worse than the wor.d iias ever seen; that repression was at the root of tho appalling wave of crime which is. over-sweeping Ireland; that rebellion was the duty of every true Irishman; and that un.'oss British rule in Ireland ecascv, blacker and more dastard- ly crimes are stil] ill store. Mr Devlin's hyperbolic verbiage against repression omitted any reference to the fact that. Ireland was never in her whoe history more wealthy and more prosperous than now. He forgot to mention that when Great Britain was di-tittied if the last of her lighting manhood by conscription, compulsory military service was never applied to Ireland. lie overlooked the petting and painper-ng of the Irish people throughout- the dark days of the war, when, its a nation, they refused to lift the sword in the world combat for free- dom. He forget these things, and "for his own part he thought everybody was right who was a rebel in Ireland." There is tins excuse, of course, for Mr Devlin. lIe was deliberately playing to the passions of the lawless mass in Ire- rand fur the obvious purpose of restor- mg the prestigo of the discredited leader- ship of the party to which he belongs. He is too sjirewd a politician, too much a man of alh-irs, not tu realisu that A Government, which indulged Ireland at a tiuio when it was subjecting the rest of its people to almost intolerable picture, is the contradictory of czarisin, and the antithesis of tyranny. The whole fabric of Mr Devlin's casu was shattered anJ the attitude of honest believers in eon- stitutionaj Government the world over was summed up an an able and restrained speech by Major O'Neill (the member for Antrim), who declared "that so long a3 the party who were working for the IIIdc- pcndenco of Ireland backed up their de- mands by assa.siuii iKji: and murder, there could be no settlement of the Irish t,ion. When they realised that the Bri- tish nation and the British Empire could: not be intimidated, some settlement, would mature. Tiian this, there could be no more frank or effective or genuine apolo- gia for the policy of the Government to- wards Ireiand, How little Mr Devlin and his frienda desire the accumulation of evidences of British generosity towards Ireland was evidenced by tho childish zeal whicii they displayed to prevent the introduction of the Government's great measure of Irish l educationa.1 retorm. The trouble in Ire- land is ignorance fed ou misrepresenta- tion. The so-called leaders who dupe and dragoon the iristi people desire least of all that they should have knowledge, The Education Bi,U had to be killed at all costs. Mr Devlin and his friends suc- ceeded ail too well in their object 111 an Qbtrudive demonstration which had not even the merit of cleverness. One can see the point of view of Mr Devlin and hilt friends in obstructing a great! ond comprenension t;  mSlght and eni.gh?nment of Captain VYcdgwood Betm should have joined hands With these Parliamentary ti-(inceiii-c-iii-s irA tho precipitation of the tragedy For the greater part of a sitting on the report stage of a few votes which an the ordi- nary course of events ought to have occu- pied oniy a few minutes of time, the seven: Nationalists and some of their "Inde- pendent Liberal confreres insisted on a. series of discussions und divisions which fQr futility and triviality must surely be unparalleled in the records of the House of Commons. They wanted to prevent) the giit of a great educational ,-y-tem to Ireland front the British Government, and they succeeded. But tills was only the preliminary to an even bigger travesty of the realties of British generosity towards lrelancj. With the heip of the Labourists and "In- dependent" Liberalism, the seven Nationalist representatives secured the. ncoessary forty members to support leave to bring in an adjournment motion liomi- nailly in protest against the suppression of the Freeman's Journal. Sympathy l/rityuiih was a very secondary, consideration to tite craving for misrepre- sentation of British rulo in -Ireland which consumed Air Devlin a id his friends. The only relieving feature in the grim farce enacted was the pathetic speech of Mr. T. P. O'Connor, sombre indeed in it- out- look, but imbued all the while by memo- ries of tho diabolical forces not in thia country so much as in Ireland which have vitiated what has undoubtedly been his lifo work—the consummation of a better understanding between the two j)npt. The House wiH;ng!y forgave T. P." his overdrawn picture of hiah grievances in its sympathy for Iii!? cala- mitous disappointment. In Mr O'Connor there is no bitteineas, In Mr Devlm venom, rancour and lIIalice stand per,) :Iicd. "What do we want) with an Education Bill?" he sneered, amid a tirade of abuse and incitement toO rebellion. To be a rebel i th, only real tilling tti.0 counts in Jre'and." In these two observations lie the pith of Mr Devlin's idealism," the ignorance of his poor dupes, and the negation of law and order. The Chief Secretary for Ireland wi'.<y rpfrained from sullying liisdignity. by intervention in a discussion which wae but a mockery of constitutional privilege. But the position of the Irish Loyalists was statOO with sober truthfulness and zealous longing for the peace of Ireland by Mr Jellett (the new member for Dublin Uni- versity) and Major O'Neill. No one more tdiitii a loyal Irishman desires the settle- ment of Ireland, but, they soe with dis- may tho hope of peace receding further and further in every new act of terrorism and every fresh incitement to devilry that flows from the distorted minds of the re- presentatives of Irish Separatism. Tho lesson is plain to tho who want < to read it. The British nation and the I British Empire will not be intimidated by murder and assassination. When I re- latid learns that, Ireland will have I)cacr,.

COSTLIER PRINTING. I I'iC advance in wages paid last week W I the workers in London printing offices of I 7s 6*1 a week to men. will moan, says the London Master Printers' Association, that the cost of printing is advanced a further 10 per cent.

I STILL MORE COAL. I I HIGHEST OUTPUT SINCE MAY. I The Board of Trade, in its summary ot I the total weekly production of coal since May 31st, 1919, gives the output for the ??k- ending December 6th as 4,008,524 tons. This is the highest figure reached in &ny week since the reduction of working „ hours in July, and is also the highest since the end of May last, when the output wu 4,b22,S05 tons,