Cylchgronau Cymru

nearing his peak of fame as a poet; indeed, the very next issue of the Pioneer recorded Nicholas' 17th victory in an eisteddfod chair competition. In his column, Nicholas introduced readers to the work of contemporary Welsh socialists such as David Thomas I ) and R. J. Derfel, together with extensive samples of his own and others'/poetry. There was (j<1Íit poetry elsewhere in the Pioneer, too; the first issue appropriately contained a short poem in praise of the newspaper itself. Appropriately, too, there was a Parliamentary column by Keir Hardie, the first of many he would write between 1911 and his death. The first dealt with the vulnerability of the Liberal Government and the opportunities this offered to the Labour Party while future columns dealt with major issues of the day or gave vivid accounts of Parliamentary debates. This was the secret of the Pioneer's success as a local newspaper. It managed to combine the requirements of a local paper while at the same time fulfilling its functions as an instrument of political propaganda and education. Its coverage of national issues was admirable. Articles of interest were often reproduced from other newspapers but there were frequent exclusive articles by F. W. Jowett, Fenner Brockway, Philip Snowden and, in 1912-13, a series of articles by Sylvia Pankhurst, the suffragette leader.14 Visits by eminent speakers were fully covered, and indeed, there were plenty of them at this time. The Rink at Merthyr was the venue for large rallies addressed by some of the most celebrated socialist speakers of the day, while in 1912 the Annual Conference of the ILP was held in Merthyr, an event which was comprehensively reported in the Pioneer. The main focus of the Pioneer, however, was local. In its pages were reflected the ebb and flow of local politics and the burgeoning Labour movement vied for supremacy with the local Liberal establishment. Nothing was sacred and no-one was spared. Keir Hardie ran a series of articles on 'Sweated Dowlais', singling out the Guest Keen management for some stinging criticism, while the Deputy Town Clerk's salary rises provided opportunity for some revealing comments on relative wages in the borough. Vitriolic attacks were made on leading personalities, both in the borough and more widely afield; Clement Edwards, Rhondda's MP, Captain Lindsay, the Chief Constable of Glamorgan, and D. A. Thomas, to name but a few. Local elections were keenly anticipated in the Pioneer, their result carefully scrutinised. But the Pioneer's conception of politics went further than this. One remarkable feature of the paper, for example, was the can- dour with which it discussed the most intimate details of posts filled in the borough. On one occasion, for example, a chart was published giving full details of the salaries and date of appointment of individual teachers working in Merthyr and this prompted one councillor to comment, in the pages of the paper, that Mr. Wilson, a class teacher earn- ing £ 90 a year, was obviously "a favourite with someone". 15 When senior appointments, such as the Director of Education, were made there was considerable comment in the paper on the merits and demerits of individual candidates. Much of the Pioneer, however, was devoted to less controversial matters and to non-political news. Each week, for example, the paper gave full coverage to the forthcoming attractions at the Theatre Royal or the Electric Theatre. In the case of the former, there were usually large photographs of the leading actors, together with pen-portraits of the repertory company and a synopsis of the play being performed. And each week, in the season, the fortunes of Merthyr Town football team were discussed avidly. This was a