furniture dealer, Bargoed, to whom the debtor has given a bill of sale on the whole of his household effects, including his library, in respect of money borrowed and interest.

“Merthyr Express” 25 February 1905
Fochriw Curate's Failure: Meeting of Creditors at Merthyr   A meeting of the creditors of John Alfred Rees, Talybryn, Pontlottyn, clerk in holy orders, was held on Monday at the offices of the official receiver at Merthyr. The statement of affairs showed that £576-3s-2d was due to two unsecured creditors, and £51-5s to one creditor fully secured. The assets were put down as nil. The Conservative Club Company caused an execution to be levied on the 30th January, but the debtor filed the petition on the 3rd inst., and the sheriff's officers withdrew on the following day. In his deficiency account, the debtor states that his expenses other than law costs in connection with the slander action amounted to only £23-15s. The public examination is fixed to take place at Merthyr Court on 22nd March.

The Curate of Fochriw's Bancruptcy   The public examination of the Reverend John Alfred Rees, curate of Fochriw, who alleged his failure to be due to a judgment given against in an action for slander brought against him by the Conservative Club Company (Limited), Cardiff, at the Swansea Assizes in August 1904, was held at the Merthyr Bankruptcy Court, before Mr. Deputy Registrar Jones, on Wednesday afternoon.  Mr. J. A. Hughes (Barry) appeared for the debtor, and Mr. W. L. Yorath for the club. Mr. J. Tertius Phillips, South Wales agent of of the United Kingdom Alliance, was present. In answer to Mr. Ernest Daniel, deputy-official reciever, Rev. Rees stated that his assets were nil and his unsecured liabilities were £576-3s-2d, of which £326-3s-2d were owed to the Club and £250 to his defence solicitor. He also stated that he had lived at Talybryn, Pontlottyn, for the past two years, and before that at Fernleigh, Blackwood, and before that at the Parsonage, Alltwen, Pontardawe. His stipend for the past three years had been £120 per annum, and he had no other income. Mr. Yorath asked Rev. Rees about the money raised by Mr. Tertius Phillips of the United Kingdom Alliance to finance his defence, and whether it was correct that Mr. Phillips had given a guarantee to the solicitor for £150 costs. Rev. Rees stated that no money had been passed to him, but that he believed that £80 had been paid to the solicitor by Mr. Phillips. He also believed that Mr. Phillips had given a guarantee to the solicitor for the amount stated, but he did not have certain knowledge of this. After brief questioning by Mr. Hughes, in reply to whom he said that he felt it was his duty not to apologise, the examination was closed.

“Merthyr Express” 17 February 1906
Temperance: Merthyr Licensing Sessions: Fochriw Curate's Objections   The curate of Fochriw rides his temperance principles firmly and enthusiastically. At the Merthyr Licensing Sessions, a number of licensed houses in the district were objected to by the Police and other people, these houses being selected as "not required." Mr. Rees, as a thorough-going temperance reformer, would adopt that principle as being applicable to every licensed house, for he instructed a solicitor from Barry to oppose the license renewal of every public house in and around Fochriw. When the solicitor in question enumerated the houses he intended to object to, the Stipendiary quietly asked - "Have you left one house in the district?" The solicitor replied that they had not, but would leave it to the Bench to say which one, if any, should be allowed to remain!

“Merthyr Express” 16 June 1906
District Council: Vochriw Curate Again - Inaction on Closure of Insanitary Club   The Local Government Board wrote enclosing complaint from the Reverend J. A. Rees, curate of Fochriw, in which the writer made a long statement, which in effect pointed out that there were many insanitary clubs in Wales, and although the medical officer of the Gelligaer Council had declared the Fochriw club to be insanitary, the Council had refused to close the premises. The Board now