The Rhondda Leader

Ferndale. un d er the In the Jubilee Eisteddfod, _under the auspices of the South Wales Branch of the Working Men's Club and Institute Union, Ltd., which is to take place this week, the male voice competition will be keenJy contested by two Ferndale parties, viz., the Radicals (Mr. John James) and the Band Institute (Mr. Tom Humphreys). It is to be hoped that they will be sue- cessful in securing one of the prizes. On Friday evening last, Messrs. Amos and David Howells, eldest and youngest sons respectively of Mrs. Howells, Frede- rick Street, Ferndale, returned home from Patagonia, where they went about two years ago in search of better health, and which trip, it appears, has benefited them very much. Both these young men are well known through the district. The former, before his departure, was the popular trainej| of the Ferndale R.F .C. Miss S. Evans, Acron Terrace, Fern- dale, is progressing most favourably at the Cardiff Infirmary, where she has now been a patient for about eight weeks. Mr. William Davies, Brown Street, was taken to the same institution on Monday, the 10th inst., to undergo an operation, which took place on the 14th inst. We trust that both patients will have a speedy recovery. The Rev. T. Bryn Thomas (Tabernacle) is having one Sunday morning in the month specially for the children. On the Kith inst. a splendid programme was gone through, several of the. children singing and reciting, and at the communion ser- vice held in tho evening one of the parties had to respond to a special re- quest. These gatherings attract a large number. At several chapels of the town, the ministers during their services have been warning their members to be careful in what they are doing with tho people that are canvassing the neighbourhood for signatures against tho Disestablishment and Disendowment Bill in Wales. On Monday the trams onco more pro- ceeded through the place, and wero much welcomed. In the afternoon a troop of about 50 or (j() of the strikers marched through en route to Mardy with a card with tho following inscription "Keep walking, and don't encourage blackleg labour." The thirty-third anniversary in connec- tion with the North Street (E.C.) Church took place on Sunday last. There wero large congregations at each service, when Mr. S. R. Jenkins, B.A.. barrister, Car- diff, preached eloquent sermons. Miss Cassie Lewis, Penygraig, the favourite soloist, rendered several solos in excellent manner to the accompaniment of Mr. T. Rhys Davies at the organ. We heartily congratulate Councillor Abel Jacob upon being appointed as chair- man of the Governing Body of the Fern- dale Secondary School. There is no doubt whatever that ho is the right man in the right place.

HOW TO KEEP W ELL.-Take True- cure" remedies, prepared by A. E. Trimnell, The Herbalist, Moira Terrace. Cardiff. Book on Herbs and how to use these, sent free by post to any applicant.

I Literary Notes. The Liberal Insurance Committee, Mil- bank House, Westminster, have just pub- lished a. cheap People's Guide to the Insurance Act." The authors are the members of Parliament for Northampton, Mr. McCurdy (a well-known lawyer) and Mr. Lees Smith (one of the ablest economists in the country, who took a. prominent part in the debate on the Bill in the House of Commons). Clearly such a combination is admirably fitted to deal with the National Insurance Act. The book contains the full text of the Insurance Act (the cheapest form of which available hitherto costs (iWl.); full ext- planatory notes, which, by a neat typo- graphical arrangement, are clearly distin- guished from the text of the Act; intro- ductions explaining the general scheme of the Act; a table of 40 important ques- tions on the Act, with references to the parts of the book dealing with them a form on which any further question can be sent to the authors, who will answer- it by post; and a very full index, run- ] ning to no less than 26 pages, and form- ing an invaluable synopsis and guide to the Act. The price is only 4d. net. j Biblotheca Celtica. i The National Library of Wales has just issued the second volume of the Biblio- theca Celtica "-a register of publications relating to Wales and the Celtic Peoples and Languages for the year 1910. The register is carried out on similar lines to that of the first volume. The programmes, &c., of eisteddfodau have not been cata- logued as in the previous volume. Its place is now taken by a list of eistedd- fodau of which records are to be found in the National Library. The list, though incomplete, is a striking proof of the range and popularity of the eisteddfod. I not only in Wales, but in England and abroad. There are also lists of new books pub- lished, periodicals issued, transactions, reports of social and philanthropic move- ments, all indicating the ever-growing interests and vitality of Wales. We are pleased to note the following entries concerning the Rhondda. (a) Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the Year 1900"; (b) Ferndale Horso Show-Schedule and Catalogue; (c) Porth Cottage Hospital—Souvenir Programme (d) Tonypandy Mid-Rhondda Horse Show —Prize List; (e) Treorchy—Evening Dog Show (f) several entries of local eistedd- fodau; and (g) the issues- of the local newspapers and periodicals. Surely, the Rhondda can forward. a greater array than this of her activities- in the form of church reports, programmes of singing festivals, reports of Labour lodges, and the various monthly reports issued by the District Council and Educa- tion Authority. The publication deserves great praise for its care and thoroughness, and the librarian and his staff are to be highly complimented.

Porth. The Rev. J. T. Giles officiated at the English Primitive Methodist Chapel, Porth, on Sunday evening, and delivered a powerful sermon to a fairly lar&o con- gregation. A ballot of the Lewis Merthyr Colliery workmen on the question of weekly pays,. in accordance with the terms of the new Act, resulted in an overwhelming majo- rity in its favour. At the Coedcae House Coal, where 420 recorded their votes, only 20 voted against weekly pays; whilst at Cymmer tho figures were:—For, 1,914; against, 205; majority for, 1,709. A meeting of the Porth traders was held on Friday evening at the Washington Hotel, Porth, when it was decided to grant. the shop assistants their annual holiday on July 4th. Apropos of tho King's visit and the proposal to close the shops at Portli-, it was resolved that every trader should use his own discretion.

¡ Quoits- D. Edwards (Llwynypia United) and A. Earwood (Merthyr Vale) played the first round in the individual championship of the South Wales Quoiting Association on the Llwynypia pitch (Partridge F"A ield) on Thursday evening of last week. A fairly good crowd assem bled to witness the con- test, which ended in the local man win- ning by 28 points, the scores heing:-D. Edwards (Llwynypia^. 41: A. Earwood (Merthyr Vale), 13.

Messrs.MORGAN &00. Motor Engineers, etc., Beg to intimate that they have taken over the business lately earned on by the late IVir. Geo. Clark, at Tonypandy. Repairs to all makes of Cars and Motor Cycles a Speciality. Vulcanising done on Premises. Accumulators Charged All Accessories SuppHed ————————————— I Add™ss: 127, Dun raven Street, Addfess: p,okE14O TO?YPAMDV. I R ?M"III< ->???-?,¡- 989 IF YOUR BUSINESS IS EVER GOING §! ? ? TO GROW, IT W!LL ONLY BE ACCOM- H H PLISHED BY ONE MEANS-PUBLICITY R| S|||| You, naturally, as a progressive business man,  You, naturally, as a progressive business, man, ||||| realise that the only means of increasing your circle of Eligl jHllQ ljj customers is by judicious advertising. Much experi- ||||| BaBt menting has been done to prove which is really the most Byfl HB profitable form of advertising, and it has been proved ||j|g jjjgg beyond doubt that it is illustrated advertising that pays. ||||| I We have, at great expense, I acquired the exclusive right of illustrations and copy specially prepared for your business, and you will be under no obligation whatever, jr. J   ??????_?????j? ? if we show you these *^us"  any case they B  !&?.'?-?? trations.—in any case they When would you like to see them? MAESTEG, M M Ba sWdW Jb i i m "THB RHONDDA LEADER, MAESTBG, l|||g JBr?S.B??3?Mi? F it GABW&OGMORE TELEGRAPH," ||||J jV ?/? fl Excelsior Buildings. TONYPANDY. ||||pp ?j? ????S? y F?\  i? M JK flS Please submit me, /1" of eo", øf1wtisements suitable aM B ? O?C?M'! my business, without placing myself under ffliPfi ???y ?N at any obligation, I S?? be ??<M? ? MfMt?y your /'?OM?. ?  Date. ?.' i ¡, ?.? -'Mimmt lid* I————mM JT 9 m [Mi ill it  '¡?'4'>?? .?? ,,? "'Y ?-,

?n Open Letter to His Majesty King George V. May your Majesty grant ono of your most humble subjects the exceptional privilege of extending you a sincere Cymric welcome to Dinas, which in olden limes was a fortress of no mean repute. Exploration for steam coal was first com- meoced here. Other localities followed .us. Our coal it was which made the British Admiralty the greatest naval power in the world. The recognition of dts remarkable steam-raising qualities guaranteed for Welsh coal a world-wide demand. It was at Dinas one of the first colliery explosions tooK place—about tho year 1838. Ten years later, another occurred at tho Cymmcr Colliery. In 1879, another fearful explosion at tho Dinas Colliery caused the untimely end of Almost one-half of tho family main- stays of the locality. Nearly 35 years has elapsed since that sorrowful night, but the once flourishing village has not yet recovered its former status. Thosw j fearful incidents, which swept toiling I 'humanity into eternity without a, moment's notice, and without the least .-chance of escape, were the causes which made scientists discover means to reduce ,the disastrous results of colliery explo- sions. Rescue Stations should have been built before the first colliery was sunk, and many hundreds of valuable lives could have been saved. Your Majesty is making a Royal inspection of the noble institute which has been erected in the locality where one of the events which necessitates its pi-actical ujie first occurred. Over 70 years have passed before such stations have been established to combat the deadly effects of colliery explosions. How very cautious we progress in the -endeavours of life-saving. it lies in your Royal power to influence, your law-makers to make even tho good agencies of these Rescue Stations unnecessary, by the intro- duction of more stringent measures to compel colliery owners to provide better airways and other safeguards that would xemove the causes of these sorrowful catastrophes. The people of Dinas deeply deplore the fact that you do not intend to continue your Royal tour through this village, via Penygraig and Tonypandy, to Llwynypia .Sta,tion, wtiero you could rejoin the Ishloon, thus giving us in Mid-Rhondda an opportunity of a lifetime of seeing your Royal person, and allowing us on our part to prove our loyalty and respect. Your return to Porth from tlw Rescue Station for the purpose of proceeding to Treherbert seems a mcst childish arrange- ment, more particularly as it will hide from your Majesty's view the dear old village of Dinas, the neglected monument of the covetous landlordism which has always reigned supreme from end to end of the rocky estate. They wish you to believe that the Rescue Station is in Porth. A glance at the Ordnance. Map will convince you that it is at Pentref Pren Afalau—a full mile away from the entranco gate to the old city of the hills. The people of this ancient village humbly beseech your Majesty, when leaving the Rescue Station, to proceed over the I above-mentioned route. Mako a halt at Dinas to receive an address from the villagers and their unofficial Mayor, and confer upon the village a Charter of I Incorporation; don t keep it up your Royal sleeve until you reach the Rhondda. Council at. Ystrad. Since the rumour of your intended visit went abroad, the sur- rounding localities have done their utmost towards tho partition of tho ancient city. The Penygraig people have robbed us of a park given to us. Porth is stealing Pren Afalau. and now we hear that the people or Hirwaun claim Penrhys Moun- tain and its associations. Your Majesty will therefore see how very important it is that you should grant us a Charter, so that we may define and properly pro- tect our boundaries. At the Dinas Lower Pit the first tram of Welsh steam coal was raised- It is now dismantled. We discovered steam coal eaAjier than all others, and we com- pleted our share long before tho Combine existed. The colliers of Dinas were the best, without a doubt. They taught the art of steam coal cutting to all others. Then the locality was known far and wide for its successful eisteddfodau, its bards and its litterateurs. The glory of tho village has departed. Employment could be found here for many hundreds to-day. Your Majesty is a keen business man, and a visit would. I am sure, convince you how necessary it is that royalties and ground rents should be paid to the State instead of to ground landlords, who crush the life and energy from the souls of your humble subjects, without giving anything in return. May your Majesty re-consider your arrangements so that you may have an unbiassed evidence of the display of loyalty the Cymry of tho Rhondda sin- ceroly wish to show you. Tho coalowners have many opportunities of seeing you, but we, your poor and humble subjects, can but rarely enjoy the privilege. Long life to our King and Queen.—Your most humble subject. Dinas.. THOS. D. EVANS.

Fire at Trealaw. An alarming fire broke out at tho pre- mises of Mr. Charteris, outfitter and hosier, Trealaw, in the early hours of Saturday morning, and involved con- siderable peril to the occupants of the adjoining houses. Mr. Charteris was at the time alone asleep in the house, his family being away on a holiday. The discovery was made by a neigh- bour, who at once aroused Mr. Charter is. He immediately realised that the position was alarming, and jumped through the back window on to the roof of an out- building and sustained a. severe shock. The Mid-Rhondda. Fire Brigade were soon, on the scene, and had the outbreak overcome by half-past fivo. While it lasted it was so fierce that a telegraph post in front of the shop was ignited. The premises next door on each side caught fire, and it was only with difficulty that they were saved. At one time there was danger of the whole block, consisting of dwelling-houses and shops, being involved. In the base- ment next door was a family with seven children, and all had to leave in their night-dresses. Fortunately a number of workmen who were at home owing to :1 temporary stop- page at the Naval and Llwynypia Col- lieries were able to carry water at the outset, but it was not of much avail. Mr. Thomas' premises next door sus- tained considerable damage. r 1:

Club Concert at Blaenclydach. A special concert was held on Monday evening last at the Blaenclydach Liberal Club to celebrato the jubilee of the Working Men's Club and Institute Union, Limited. The chair was occupied by Mr. J. T. Howells, the president of the club, and a very large number of members were present. The Chairman, in his opening remarks, said it gave him great pleasure to preside at the celebration of the fiftieth year of their existence. Ho was informed by Mr. Walters, the secretary, that Mr. J. W. Kinsman, secretary of the South Wales branch of the Working Men's Club and Institute Union, Ltd., had promised to be. present, but at the last moment he had found he was unable to be there that evening. Mr. J. P. Da vies, chairman of the above branch, also was unable to be present. Continuing, the Chairman said that every club under tho control of the Union should celebrate tho occasion in somo way or another. They in Wales invariably wanted a, sing-song," and they were going to (10 so by holding an eisteddfod in Pontypridd on Saturday next, and he hoped every member of every club in Wales would show that a club was not for drinking purposes, but intellectual purposes. They were there to show out- side critics they were out for more than drinking. That club had a. party of fifty who were. competing oil Saturday at the eisteddfod, and he hoped they would come back victors (hear, hear). There was at the present time a Clubs Bill in the House of Parliament which aimed at doing away ,with jcertajin privileges in working men's clubs; but the South Wales executive had sent a resolution on behalf of the branch setting forth their objection as clubmen to certain clauses of that Bill to the Home Secretary and to all the members of Parliament for the various constituencies in their area, and undoubtedly the pressure which the whole club movement, of which they formed but a part, was able to bring in no uncertain manner upon their representatives in the House of Commons, was instrumental in inducing Sir W. Gelder to undertake to get the two objectionable clauses deleted in Committee or to withdraw the Bill. They as members could see that tho clubs in South Wales were doing some good (hear, hear). It was not only a fact that they were holding, the eisteddfod to cele- brate the jubilee of the Union, but he wa.s proud to say that overy penny-piece of the surplus from that eisteddfod would go towards the erection of a convalescent home which it was proposed to build at Llantwit Major (hear, hear). That fact alone proved they were not spending money entirely in drink (applause). A very entertaining programme of music was rendered. Mr. D. J. Lewis was an efficient pianist. Messrs. R. G: Jones and David Griffiths sang tenor and baritone solos respectively, whilst their duets were especially enjoyable. Mr. Si Hickman sang a very good song in refer- ence to the Titanic disaster, entitled Be British," and Will Hatton, comedian, created great fun with his funnicisms. The Misses Nellie and Gwen Davies sang beautifully, their final offering, the Excelsior duet, eliciting vociferous applause. The Blaenc!ydach Liberal Club Alale Voice Party rendered the test piece for the. eisteddfod at Pontypridd on Saturday next, entitled The Little Church," and their singing did them great credit. In proposing a hearty vote of thanks to the artistes, Mr. Brinley Price (late of Ruskin College) said he was sorry they were not celebrating tho jubilee of that particular club but if they lived long enough they would do so. Ho was once of the opinion that clubs were drinking dons, but he had now formed another opinion that they were not. Clubs could be used for the elevation of the working classes, and it was upon tho working class that the whole social system depended. In times of stress the clubs came to their aid; £ 5,000 was spent in one district alone between seven clubs (hear, hear). That club had spent over Mr. Price remarked that the Clubs Bill now before Parliament was a blow against English liberty. In clubs where the mem- bers paid only Is. 6d. subscription feo, the police could walk in, but where two or three guineas or more was paid, there was no right of entry to the police. The police, the speaker contended, should be allowed the right of entry to all clubs. Clubs properly kept should elevate Wales higher. Mr. Torn Jones seconded the proposi- tion, which was carried unanimously. A vote of condolence, was passed in regard to Mr. Moses Hopkins. Briton Ferry, a member of the South Wales Executive of the Clubs Institute, who lost his life whilst following his employ- ??4 h* s eiiip l oy- ment.

Singing Festival at Maerdy. I A very successful cymanfa ganu was held on Sunday in Silott Chapel, Mardv, under the conductorship of Mr. Gwilym Lewis. In addition to hymn-tunes, Schubert's Can Miriam and Mendel- ssohu's "Hear My Prayer were ren- dered, the solo part in each of these works belit, effectively sustained by Miss Teg wen Connolly. The anthem, "Pebyll yr Arglwydd." (Dr. Parry) was also given, and a quartet, God is a Spirit (Bennett), was sung by Miss Tegwen Connolly, Miss Maria J. Evans, Mr. Dd. Harris and Mr. Dd. Reos. The choir was accompanied by an efficient orchestra., under the leadership of Mr. Willio Davies. Ferndale, while Mr. Joseph Griffiths pre- sided atN tho piano and Mr. W. D. Evans at the organ. Tho Rev. J. Hope Evans; the pastor, was the president for the day. The large chapel was crowded at each meeting.

I Cymmer j An epidemic of typhoid at Cymmer, Porth, has caused four deaths there within the last three weeks. We are pleased to note that Mr. E. S. Williams, M.E., Cymmer, has been ap- pointed one of the four vice-presidents of the National Association of Colliery Managers; and on Saturday, at the meeting of the South Wales Association, he was appointed the representative upon the national body. The Cymmer Colliery Military Band, under the able baton of Mr. G. F. Martyn, were engaged at the Roath Park on Thursday, and were given a hearty recep- tion by the Cardiffians.