The Dominion TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1929. THE LUCK OF THE ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 212, 4 June 1929, Page 10

The Dominion TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1929. THE LUCK OF THE ELECTIONS

Now that the first flush of excitement over the British elections has passed, the Press and the party leaders are beginning to analyse the results a little more closely. What at first sight appeared to be a sweeping Labour victory is assuming a somewhat different aspect. Indeed, the figures of the polling are in some respects confusing, and the results certainly indicate that the luck of the election has been very unevenly distributed. . In reviewing the position yesterday mention was made of the fact that the total Conservative vote recorded was larger than the total vote recorded for Labour candidates. Yet Labour (at time of writing) had secured 287 seats as against the Conservatives 254. But the number of seats secured by the Liberals is still more disproportionate to the total vote recorded for that party s candidates. In round figures, the results worked out as follow e Total votes. Seats won. votes per seat. . Conservatives 8.g6,835 254 U:6i4 91,000 v qiooo In other words, the Liberals only secured one seat for every 91,00votes recorded for the party's candidates; the Corves one for every 33,600; while Labour secured one for every 28,900 votes. The Labour Party thus had all the best of the luck of the voting returns Looked at from another angle, this extraordinary position is disclosed The Conservative Party increased its total vote at the polls from 7,838,225 in 1924 to 8,536,835 in 1929, and in spite of this increase it won only 254 seats as against 415 in 1924. That is to say, the net result of its gain of 698,000 votes was a loss of 161 seats. The Labour Party, on the other hand, increased its total vote from 5,423,589 in 1924 to 8,317,025 in 1929; a gain of 2,890,000 votes which brought it 135 additional, seats. The Liberal Party as between the two periods increased its total vote from 2,925,142 to 5,226,614, a. gain of over 2,300,0CX) votes for which it was rewarded with only 15 additional seats. How very one-sided the luck of the elections has been can be seen by contrasting the results as affecting the Labour and Liberal parties. Labour increased its vote by 2,800,000 votes and gained 135 additional seats, the Liberals increased their total vote by 2,300,000 votes and gained only 15 seats. These figures are not the final returns, but the few results remaining undecided jit time of writing cannot affect the situation as here outlined. The results as set out above are of value as enabling the verdict of the electors to be seen in a truer perspective than can be. gathered from a comparison of the seats lost and won. If the voice of the people as recorded in the votes polled counts for anything, then the great weight of opinion in Britain is still against the Labour Party. Mr. MacDonald and his followers may claim that they have a mandate from the people to carry out their programme, but the plain 1 fact remains that thirteen and a half millions of the people voted against and only eight and one-third millions in favour of the

party. ' It is true, of .course, that it can be said that each of the individual parties is in very much the same position in being a minority of the whole House. But the Labour Party claims that* it is distinct and separate from the other two parties, and that those two parties are alike in practically everything but name. If that view is correct then the contention of the Labour Party that as the strongest individual party it should have first right to office is greatly weakened if not completely refuted. It probably will be some days, however, before the full effect/of the election results is made known, and Mr. Baldwin’s decision as to the course to be taken by his Government disclosed.