f DEAR MILK. I To the Editor. Sir,—In your issue of November 3rd, under the above heading, "Pro Bono" undertakes to enlighten the public as to the enormous profits made by retailing milk. According to "Pro Bono," the difference between the amount paid the farmer and the selling price is clear profit. If he really thinks this, his know- ledge of business is very crude. Does he think a "round" is-vorked without utensils, without wear and tear of cart and harness ? And, mind you, all these things have ad- vanced in price 30 per cent. to 40 per cent. Then there is the leakage through measure and bad debts, and each rise in price means bigger debts. Taking all these things into con- sideration, it means 10 per cent. depreciation or about 2d. per gallon less on the profits. Has "Pro Bono" ever tried to measure a gallon of milk out in small quantities and made the full price out of it ? Let him try the experiment. If it is such a money-mak- ing game, why not try a round for himself ? There are dozens going cheap now, and I know several who would gladly give theirs over for a period gratis.—Yours, etc., A. J. COOPER. 1 29 King Edward Street, Blaengarw.
STRANDED SOLDIERS. I To the Editor. Sir,-In your last issue a paragraph ap- peared under the above heading in your Nan- tymoel news that a movement was on foot with a view to raising a fund to secure com- forts and conveyances for the Ogmore Valley soldiers who happen to reach Bridgend late at night on their way home, and that a com- mittee of representatives from all the- churches, Anglican and Nonconformist, and Federation lodges. attended. As an interested reader of your paper, this paragraph contains the finest bit of irony I have ever read. A committee was formed at Ogmore Vale for these very purposes in November, 1914, and it has assiduously done the work ever since, and many commendatory remarks have appeared in your issues from time to time on the excellence of the work done by it. But, Mr. Editor, the paragraph in question is a sorry commentary on the apathy shown by the local churches, who now, after twenty-seven months of war, are beginning to realise their responsibilities. Indeed, were it not for an appealing letter from a Bridgend pastor, it is only fair to sturmise that they would not even now have awakened from their lethargic con- dition. As chairman of the Ogmore Vale Reception Committee since its inception, I may be al- lowed to state that every Ogmore Vale soldier from the front or from hospital who has found himself stranded at Bridgend has been met and conveyed home free of charge by the com- mittee, when the latter has been told of the position and here, Mr Editor, you may please allow me to offer the committee's thanks to the various members of the Ogmore Vale Motor Cycling Club for their gratuitous ser- vices in going down, even twice the same night, far our "stranded" heroes. The committee has also arranged terms with Mr. Morgan, Wyndham Hotel Garage, Bridgend, to convey free to Ogmore Vale any stranded soldier from hospital or the front provided he shows his "pass" at the Garage, and the Bridgend atationmaster (Mr. Crom- well) has kindly undertaken to notify every Ogmore Vale soldier of this arrangement. Inasmuch as the Ogmore Vale Reception Committee has done, and is doing this work, what need is there for duplir-ation ?-Yours, etc., WILLIAM BARTLETT, Chairman of the Ogmore Vale Reception Committee. Nov. 6th, 1916.
PORTHCAWL. I CURATE HONOURED—The Rev. D. G. Samuel, curate of All Saints', Porthcawl, has been awarded the certificate of the Royal Humane Society for a gallant rescue last sum- mer. A Cardiff boy was in imminent danger of drowning while bathing at the Rest Bay. Mr. Samuel dashed into the water fully clothed and succeeded in bringing the lad safely to shore. ALL SAINTS.—Bishop Frodaham, D.D., late Bishop of Queensland, Australia, preach- ing to a crowded church at All Saints', Porth- caw!, said with reference to the present great conflict he had been asked, "Why did the great G,ad-the God of IOTe-will this war ?" His reply was that God did not will the war. It was the result of the same selfishness of the world that put the Holy Son of God to the ignominious death that He suffered on the Cross.
Advertise in the Glamorgan Gazette." If you want to Bell, buy or exchange; yGIU I cannot Ao better.
COAL SHORTAGE. I RECOMMENDATIONS AT KENFIG HILL.! A mass meeting of Aberbaiden, Ton Phillip, and Cribbwr Fawr (Baldwins, Ltd.) Colliery workmen was held at the Talbot Institute, Kenfig Hill, on Thursday last week, to re- ceive the reports of the delegates to the Lon- don Conference on Absenteeism, on October 25th, and the Cardiff Conference on the In- come Tax and the high cost of living, on October 80th. Arising out of the report of the speeches of Mr. Asquith and Mr. Herbert Samuel to bring absenteeism down to a minimum, so as to ensure a maximum output of coal, it was felt that a resolution should be sent to the Prime Minister, Home Secretary, etc., with a view of calling their attention to the fre- quent congestion of mineral traffic, and to have same remedied. The resolution was:- That we urge upon the Government the necessity of immediately instituting a com- mittee of enquiry to look into the question of shortage of coal wagons at these oollieries, resulting in the poor clearance and conse- quently the decreased output of coal. We feel that, if an enquiry was made into the fre- quent congestion of traffic, the present diffi- culty (that is, ahortage of coal) oould be obvi- ated to a very large extent. We are also of opinion that the oongestion of mineral traffic could b* avoided if portions of same could be diverted to ports other than Port Talbot and Swansea." It was also agreed to fall in with the sag- j geetion of the Cardiff Conferenoe to stop work for one day in conjunction with other Trade Unions to force the Government to take up the matter of the very high cost of living.
I DEATH OF A PENCOEDIAN IN SOUTH AFRICA. The numerous friends of that well-known Pertcoedian, Mr. John Williams, Durban Villa, will regret to learn of the death of his only surviving son, Mr. D. J. Williams, in Durban, Natal. Young Mr. Williams spent the first sixteen years of his life in Pencoed, where he was a member of the Salem Sunday School. The following from the South African papers of Monday, October 22nd, 1916, on the ocea- sion of his death, will be of sad interest: Mr. D. J. Williams in his time was re- garded as the finest reader in South Africa. Indeed, he was a great reader, in a double sense, and a remarkably well informed gentle- man on all subjects, yet of a retiring disposi- tion. He was, also, a physical culture enthu- siast, and a clever tennis player." From the" Natal Mercury on which he served as reader for over 20 years, we cull the following: A true born Welshman, with all the sturdy pride in his native country, so charac- teristic of the best of his race, Mr. Williams was educated in Cardiff. Circumstances led him to accept, a position in the reader's depart- ment of the Western Mail," where he found scope for his exceptional talents, and where he got a splendid first insight into journalism. His connection with this medium synchronised with its growth from a small medium to its present size and importance, and he was un- doubtedly one of the men who took a great part in moulding it on the highest traditional lines.
HEOLYCYW AND DISTRICT NOTES i By "SILURIAN." The enthusiasm on behalf of the Belgian Refugees who had to flee their deTastated country in the autumn of 1914, nowhere rose 1 higher than in Coychurch Higher. Our col- lieries were then at a standstill, but we never- theless invited, and were allotted, a Belgian family, and up to now we have honourably kept our pledge and maintained our guests in comfort. But here, as elsewhere, enthusiasm has somewhat fallen, and as a consequence contributions have decreased, with the result that there is now a small balance on the wrong side of the account. Unless the mat- ter is tackled at once, this must inevitably grow larger, which would be a calamity and an injustice, not only to our guests, who came here at our invitation, but also to the com- mittee. Ill That committee originally consisted of: Messrs H. V. Thornley, J. B. Hawkins, G. Whittington, E. Kinsey, E. R. Davies, G. Fitzgerald, J. Evans, H. J. Jones, R. Daw- kins, G. J. Hawkins, E. Clatworthy, W. D. Jones, W. Morgan, W. Evans, J. L. Morgan, W. Rosser, R. Dav ies, J Palfreman, W. J. Sheppard, T. Owen, J. Backinsale, E. Howell, E. Llewellyn, and LI. Lewis, Miss Walker, Mrs. Kinsey, Mrs. W. D. Jones, Mrs. J. B. Hawkins, Miss R. B. Evana, Mrs. H. J. Jones, Mrs. G. J. Hawkins, Mrs. W. Morgan, Mrs. F. Parsons, Mrs. W. Parsons, Mrs. J. Beckin- sale, Mrs. W. Evans, Mrs. E. Howell, and Mrs J. Palfreman. The first six gentlemen and the first five ladies named have left the dis- trict, while Mr. and Mm. J. Palfreman re- signed early in 1915, and the committee, which was given power to add to their num- ber, have recently appointed Messrs. M. Rees, (manager), D. Griffiths, M. Watts (Plough Inn), T. Hughes, Watkin Evans, E. Mad- docks, J. Cook, D. Lewis, Mrs. D. Griffiths, and Mrs. John to fil 1 the vacancies. The committee, therefore, now oonsists of 35 mem- bers, and loyalty and faithfulness on the part i of these ladies and gentlemen is, we believe, sufficient guarantee that the undertaking of the public meeting of two years ago shall be carried through. < 1 1 Here as elsewhere we shall have to do for another winter without evening classes. For- tunately, however, we shall not be entirely without means of culture. The Rev. D. J. Hywel, the popular and esteemed minister of New Bethel, has commenced Bible classes at Heolycyw and Heol-laethog, which already bid fair to repeat, if not eclipse, the sucoess which attended the rev. gentleman's efforts at both places last year. Our Bands of Hope are in full swing, and we believe the Heolycyw Dra- matic Society, notwithstanding its depletion by enlistment, is about to undertake a new work. The society has already done good work, and we wish it continued and even greater success. Ill Coychurch Higher rate for the current six months is 4s. Id. in the pound, as compared with 4s. 7d. for the six months ended Sept. 30th last. On the principle that we should be grateful for small mercies, we thank the local authorities for this reduction. We must, however, respectfully remind them that but fate is still nearly twice as much as I Brynna and Llanharran, which have every- thing we have, and sewerage and light in ad- dition. If Porthcawl, an urban district, which, as a resort, has necessarily to incur ] heavy expenditure, can do with a 4s. rate, one of 2s. 6d. should be ample here. Rotten sys- tems, however, have to be discarded, if we would reduce the ratepayers' burden. Ill It is gratifying to learn that our Parish Councillors at last know that their books have .for years borne the names of nine or ten ap- plicante for allotments. Until quite re- cently some of them were entirely ignorant of that important fact. Now that they know it, let us hope the allotments will be forth- with provided. Applicants should not be put off by being told that they must wait till the Regulation Order for the Commons goes through. Now the allotments are required, and if the applicants had them now, they would have been participators in the profits I of JB60 per acre we read of as realised else- where. Besides, when the Commons Order goes through, there will only be 25 acres to I be disposed of for recreation purposes, public buildings, etc., so that it is evident allot- ments, if provided at all, will have to be found elsewhere than on Commons, which very few I' parishee have, while the Act says that allot- ments must be provided wherever required. The Act, however, will remain a dead letter while men out of sympathy with it administer it. If Cardiff and Maesteg people have allot- ments, surely Coychurch Higher applicants I. should have them.
I YALE N 0 T li ft. ♦ It (By PELA-GIUS.) Amongst several letters from Vale men who have beem in hospital recently, we are pleased to I note epistles from Capt. W. Trigg and Pte. T.. George (Pleseers), who ar& both recovered from I; enteric, and have re-joined their battalions. If 1 1 The weather is not favourable to sowing wheat, and there is little hope that the acreage —which fell last year 260,000 acres below that of < 1915-will be much increased in 1917. I 111 Many reaoena are given for this sudden falling off in acreage after the increased acreage t'f wheat in 1915, to the years immediately preced- ing the war. We believe the weather was one! of the reasons. We are told that shortage of labour was another. We wonder if those who attribute the fall in acreage to shortage of I labour will assert that this is the reason why the acreage of wheat fell from over 3,160,000 in 1906 to under two million acres in 1913? Was not the decrease rather due to the fall in the price ef wheat during that period, and to the rise ia the price of agricultural labour? Un- I willingness of the farmer to recognise the fact' that to secure labour he must raise wages, and I the increased prices he got for fat stock, no doubt tempted him to put land down in perman- ent pasture, which enabled him to dispense with many of hie men. Ill Another matter that demands serious con- sideration ia why the yield per acre in Ger- many, which was below that of the United Kingdom in 1870, has to-day increased to such an extent that it is now much above that of the United Kingdom, which has, in fact, decreased I in almost the same ratio as Germany's lias in- I creased. The climate is almost identical, and British soil is more favourable to wheat-grow- ing on the average; yet the Germans, by ecien- tific farming, have improved their soil, while we, if yield is a criterion, have allowed ours to deteriorate. I Ill While the Government is out for an increase of wheat acreage, experts differ as to the best way to accomplish this. Some advise the guaranteeing of a minmum price of 40s. or 45s. per quarter to the home producer; but will this secure us an increased wheat acreage, or guar- antee that the farmer will pay the increased wage necessary to tempt farm workers back to the land? If not, how is the increased labour, to the foandP For, after all this talk of a shortage of labour, the cause is mainly eco-! nomic. Further, we doubt if, say, a guaran- teed price of 45s. for a period of four years after the war, would tempt farmers to cut grass land for the purpose of wheat growing. It is very probable that for some years after the war, wheat will not fall below the above figure; hence there is no temptation to the farmer to turn his pasture land into fallow. j 111 I Again, it is advocated that a bonus of so much per acre be given to those who increase their wheat acreage. If the bonus is tempting enough and guaranteed for a number of years, this may suceed in increasing the acreage of wheat, but unless compulsory measures are taken to compel the sowing of a percentage of corn on every farm, we have little hopes of a large increase by portative means. What a sweet pair Messrs. Runciman and Prettyman are! The last-named told us that the prices of certain articles of food were "not of the first importance." Now Mr. Runciman tells us we eat too many potatoes, and we must eat something else. It is a pity he omits to mlive the substitute. If we eat more bread, we shall increase the shortage, and still fur- ther add to the shortage of shipping, so much needed for our Armies and Allies to win the war; and the price of bread will soar to a still higher figure. If we eat porrage, we shall have a shortage of oats for feeding our horses—used I to help to win the war. Coal is too dear to eat and burn, and if we use it in increased quan- tities, the navies of the Allies may run short. Perhaps Mr. Runciman suggests we must do as Nebuchadnezzar was forced to do—eat grass, like the oxen. Alas! Mr. Runciman is no Daniel to break the sad news to us. This advice of the President of the Board of Trade reminds us of the Valian who came to the conclusion that for a horse to eat was only a bad habit, and so gradually reduced the rations of his steed until it consisted of one helping of hay per day-then the horse died. In what manner will it benefit the country, or help to win the war, if we bring our rations down to a potato a day, and then depart hence? Surely, a live gourmand is of more use to his country than a dead donkey! Ill The death of Pte. M. J. Crook in action, after having won the Military Medal, reminds as of the patriotic action of this brave Valian aad his brother. It was. in August, 1914, when the country's call for men went forth. The two brothers were at work on their father's farm with the harvest. A lady, in her carriage, teove to the field and asked if one of the brothers could be spared to help his country in her need. One of them immediately stepped forward, and said, "Yea; I'll go." "N o," said his brother, "you stay here to help father." The first Im- mediately retorted, "You do as you choose; I am going." The lady tried to persuade them to de- cide amongst themselves which should remain on the farm, but all in vain. Both were deter- mined to enlist, and the result was they left their >i.Tk, walked to Cowbridge, took train to Cardiff, and joined the same regiment.—What a splendid example to others those brave brothers showed, and what a debt we owe to such !llen- a debt we can never repay.
PENCOED. ACCIDENT.—On Monday of last week, an. accident oocurred to Mr. Gwilym Jeffreys, Wihborne Terrace, Pencoed, employed as a shotsman at Spion Kop colliery. As he was walking along a heavy fall took place, the fall- ing,mam striking him on the head. It is a remarkable fact that the injuries to the head were of a slight nature, while the leg was fractured. The force of the impact on the head brought this result about. Some idea of the size and weight of the fall may be gathered from the fact that it took three or four men to prize it away and set Jeffreys free. MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY.— Following the very successful opening social given by the President, Mr. W. J. Walford, that gentleman presided over the Society's first debate. The subject was: What form of Government will the country require after the war?" Papers were read by Mr. Owen James in favour of Republicanism, by Miss C, C. Howell in favour of the present party sys- tem, and by Mr. W. J. Walford in favour of Socialism. An interesting debate followed. The Society is to be congratulated on its promising beginning. WAR HONOURS.—While only one distinc- tion so far has come to a Pencoedian there are two recent instances of officers with intimate local connections coming to high honous.. In one of the last lists of winners of the Victoria Cross there appears the name of Captain Buohanan, South Wales Borderers, who won the coveted distinction for bravery in Mace- donia. Captain Buchanan's mother is a native of the village, but has resided with her husband, Dr. Buchanan, at Coleford, for ytars. Mrs. Buchanan is a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Edward Williams, and has near relatives living at Pencoed at the present time, namely Mrs. William John, Maesyrhaf, and Mr. W. Potvell, Penprisk, sister and brother respectively. Another sister, Mrs. W. Hopkins, resided for years at Caellysi Farm but is now at Trecastle Farm, near Llanharry. The other officer who has been honoured is Brigadier-General Arthur A. Howell, a son of the late Dean Howell, of St. David's, and a nephew of Mr. W. Howell, J.P., LIetai. General Howell's mother was also a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Williams. Conse- quently the two gallant officers are first oousins. General Howell who was untn re- cently in command of the 3rd City of Louflon Regiment in France, saw aervice in the Boer War with the C.I.V.'s. He holds the C.M.G. for his services at Neuve Chapelle.