GAINS AT POLLS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 144, 21 June 1938, Page 9

GAINS AT POLLS

MR. DE VALERA'S PARTY

69 SEATS WON

SEVENTEEN RETURNS

TO COME

[ United Press Association—By Electric Tele- | graph—Copyright. I DUBLIN, June 20. The latest slate of the parlies in the Eire General Election is as follows:— De Valera Party 69 Cosgrave Party 39 Labour 6 Independents 7 It is believed that Mr. de Valera is assured of a majority of four to seven seats over the other parties. The de Valera Party so far has not lost a seat and has had five gains, four from Labour and one from the Cosgrave Party. The de Valera Party's success is attributed to the Anglo-Eire Pact, which has won it thousands of votes. The leader of the Farmer Labour Party, Mr. William Norton, has been re-elected. With seventeen returns outstanding, Mr. de Valera's Party has already secured the same number of seats that it occupied in the Dail before the dissolution last month. The position then was:—Fianna Fail, 69; Fine Gael, 48; Labour, 13; Independents, 8.

REMARK IGNORED

"WHIPPING TO JOHN BULL"

REFERENCE IN COMMONS (British Official Wireless.) | (Received June 21, 11.20 a.m.) RUGBY, June 20. The attention of the Dominions Secretary was called in the House of Commons to a reported statement by the Vice-President of the Eire Executive Council during the election campaign that in the recent Anglo-Eire agreement, Eire "had administered a sound whipping to John Bull." Lord Stanley, in answer to the question, said: "Honourable members know as'well as the deteriorating effect which General Elections sometimes have. Mr. O'Kelly's statement does not represent'the'view generally taken of the agreement. It may be as well if I recall a passage in an election address by;: Mr. de Valera in which he stated .that to promote harmony and good will among all sections of the Irish people and friendly relations with the neighbouring people of Britain must in the coming years be the„chief preoccupation of those who liad; been given the commission of Government:" Lord Stanley added: "I think in these circumstances Mr. O'Kelly's remark may well be, ignored."