BRITISH ELECTIONS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 1 November 1924, Page 5

BRITISH ELECTIONS

CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY INCREASED ‘ V

FIFTEEN RESULTS STILL AWAITED

STATE OF PARTIES

The Conservatives’ victory at the British elections was. greater than the most sanguine of the party -anticipated. With fifteen polls yet to be declared —and they may he expected to increase the lead — the Conservatives have a majority of 228 over aE other parties. Mr MacDonald’s intentions are not known. He may resign immediately or he may remain in office in the meantime in order to thoroughly investigate the Zinovieff affair. LONDON, Oct, 31. • The Morning Post gives the state of parties as follows: CONSERVATIVES and CONSTITUTIONALISTS .1 414 LABOUR .. .. . 146

LIBERALS 36 OTHER PARTIES .. 4 Fifteen seats have not been decided.

LONDON COMMENTS. SOUND ADVICE. fcY CABLE—PRESS ASSOClATlON—copyright. Received Nov. 1, 9.15 a.m. LONDON, Oct. 31. The Times says: “Despit© the greatness and decisiveness of the victory it ■will be a grave error to imagine that we will not be troubled with Socialists for a long time. Labour is not only the second strongest party, but .the voting shows 'that its defeat is not due to any diminishing energy or discipline. Socialism has been .beaten, but not because it did less well than at the last election. The Conservatives did not do much better. The Socialists claim’that there is an increased aggregate vote, and that the setback is only temporary. .. There is just sufficient truth in these statements to warn their opponents to constantly remain on guard, not relaxing a most intelligent vigilance. If they relapse into apathy and reserve their strength for the next election they will find. that the rank and file meantime are joined to the other side. There is no room for neutrals. Whoever is not actively engaged against Socialism is for it. The Liberals’ check may not be more than temporary. The election was fought under circumstances particularly unfavourable to Liberalism. The nation was asked to decide the broad issue of Socialism and replied effectively.” CLAIM FOR ELECTORAL REFORM. LONDON, Oct. 31. The Daily News, in demanding electoral reform, points out that 7,500.000 Conservative votes returned over four hundred members, while 8,500,000 Liberal-Labour votes secured .less than two.hundred members.. A Conservative was elected for every 19,632 votes, a Labourite for every 38,474, and a Liberal for every 94,100. CRUSHING REPLY TO SOVIET. COMMENTS BY MR W. M. HUGHES. (Received Nor. 1, 9.15 a.m.) : MELBOURNE, Nov. i. Mr W. M. Hughes, commenting on the British elections, said that Labour's chances of, victory in Australia at the next election had not. been strengthened by the defeat of the British Labour Party and, the subsequent removal of the probable bad example. The Singapore base will now be constructed, but Australia will have to attune her defence policy to the strategy- which is developing in the Southern Pacific. On the strength of Mr Baldwin’s speeches we may expect some measure of trade preference in the near future. The election has. been a most complete and crushing reply to Soviet propaganda. THE YOUNGEST VOTER. Received Oct. 1. 8.50 a.m. ' LONDON, Oct. 31. Probably the youngest voter at the election was a. baby twenty-two months old who was taken to a. polling station at Truro by its mother ami allowed to vote, a>s its name was on the register. A woman voter at Dudley was taken ill and gave birth to twilts when she arrived home. They will be named after the rival candidates. — Sydney Sun Cables. COMMENTS ON THE RESULT. STABLE GOVERNMENT NOW POSSIBLE. FORECASTS OF NEW CABINET. LONDON, Oct. 31. A stable Government is now possible for four years is the pronouncement of all moderate -poli.ticiia.ns. Even the Liberals, who are bitterly disappointed, and even resentful at the debacle their party suffered, insist upon this aspect of the situation. Cabinet will meet on Friday to coneider the question of resignation. If the Premier (Mr. Ramsay MacDonald) decides to meet Parliament, thus getting time to clear up the rights and wrongs of'the Zinovieff publication, a want of confidence motion will be carried on November 2d. but Mr. Stanley Baldwin , (Conservative Leader) will already Irave prepared the list of Ministers for submission to the King. It is expected that Mr. Austen Chamberlain will be Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lord Birkenhead may succeed Lord Cave, who is in poor health, as Lord Chancellor. Mr. Neville Chamberlain is likely to have the portfolio of Labour, Lord Derby War. Mr. L. C. Amerv First Lord of the Admiralty, and Sir P. Lloyd-Greame the Board of Trade. These, with the addition of Sir Robert Horne and Mr. Winston Churchill, will make the Cabinet far stronger than Mi| * Baldwin’s ill-fated first administration. 1 Sixty-four candidates, including Mr. Tom Mann, forfeited £l5O deposit because they failed to poll one-eighth of the total votes. Five of those penalised are women.

feeling in regard to Labour’6 Russian policy. “We are certain,” he said, •‘that the Conservatives later on will suffer mortification by making an ar r rangement with Russia similar to that which Labour proposed. They won’t dare to reverse Labour’s foreign policy.” The Workers’ Weekly, commenting on the sweeping victory of what it calle “Tory imperialism,” says: “After eight months the Labour Government aroused neither enthusiasm nor /hope. It betrayed. the principles of the class it represents. The Labour leaders have been l guilty of treachery, which brought about their defeat.” The Daily Ghronicle’s political correspondent says Mr Baldwin’s huge majority was given him in panic. The Zinovieff letter convinced-a large section . of the electors that the Government was under the control of dangerous extremists, and the electors saw red there. „ There is general agreement that women voters played a great part in this revolt. Though the Liberals nominated nearly 100 fewer candidates than in 1923, they polled almost 3,000,000 v °tes, and they are entitled l to two and a half times as many members as thev S9t. The - Daily Express says: “The Conservative triumph confounds the wildest optimism.” The Daily Telegraph says: “It is the masses whom the Labour Party. profess to know and understand better than others who have been quietly awaiting ™ opportunity to rid themselves of ■Mr JMacDonald and. his colleagues ” . T " e Morning Post says the electorate has given the Conservative Party .a. clear indication that its first duty is to fight this horrible evil of international Socialism. “Let us make no mistake,” the paper says, “the » o^r: it is only beginning. lhe_ Communists, driven out from their hold upon the Government, will seek to avenge/ themselves through the power they _ma,intain in our industrial lite. ihe Communists brought about the downfall of the Socialist Government.” The Morning Post states that the votes cast for Conservatives and Constitutionalists totalled 7,807,524: for the Socialists. 5,503,197; for the Liberals, 2,87,349; and the others were allocated as follows: Independents 79,18 790" OmmUmStS 45 ’ 582 ’ Republicans ONLY FOUR WOMEN ELECTED. LABOUR’S AGGREGATE VOTE. GERMAN PRESS COMMENT. . CONSERVATIVES’ FOREIGN POLICY. LONDON, Oct. 30. Only four women were elected out of forty-one eanuidates, viz., Lady Astor, the Countess of Atholl and Mrs Philipson (Conservatives) and a mftvcomer, -mss Wiiki’nson (Labour). Last year eight women were returned. Women received 401,750 votes. Mr Ralph Hall-Caine (Censervative) was elected in a triangular contest at 'Dorset East, but his brother Derwent (Labour; was defeated at Clitheroe, I tfancashire, by Captain Brass (Conser.vative;, who has just returned from | Africa. Both are sons of the novelist ' (Sir C. H. Hall-Caine;. who in a recent ; speech on behalf of Derwent predicted that he would be a future Prime Midlist w. j\lr Jack Jones (Labour), who came into prominence in the last Parliament during several disorderly scenes, was again elected. Mr Wilson (Conservative) defeated Mr Frank Hodges (Civil Lord of the Admiralty) in a triangular contest at Lichfield by 1-LSSS to 12,512. - One of the most surprising results in Scotland was the defeat of Mr E. Shinwell (Secretary for Mines) at. Linlithgowshire, a Conservative turned a minority of 5000 into a majority of 600. The five outstanding University polls will be declared between November 1 and 13. The Argyll. Fermanagh and ! Tyrone results will be_announced tomorrow, and Inverness (Western Isles) in a few days. Well informed Labourites express the opinion now that Mr MacDonald will resign before Parliament meets to allow time for the formation of the Conseravtive Cabinet, which will submit the King’s Speech to the House of Commons. One objection, to Mr MacDonald’s immediate resignation is his intention to- inquire fully into the Zinovieff letter. Labourites are not too. disappointed with the result of the election to point out that the aggregate Labour .vote shows a marked increase, but luck was against them as regards representation. They declare that Labour, as the only alternative Government, must sooner or later gain an absolute majority. Mr MacDonald. at Cardiff, said Labour’s poll of 5,009,000 votes was a wonderful manifestation of its power. Mr Asouith’s defeat is attributed to Conservatives withholding support, and so marking their displeasure' at his placing the Labourites in newer m 1923.

Mr J. R. Clynes (Deputy-Leader of the House), interviewed, said the Labour defeat was not a political disaster. It was due to the manner in which the Tory leaders were able to exploit the misunderstanding and radlhl

BERLIN. o*ct. 30. The magnitude of the Conservative victorv in Britain and the overwhelming Liberal losses surprised the Press, which unanimously agrees that Mr Stanley Baldwin’s Premiership will not

greatly change the for'eign policy as far as Germany is concerned, ana the fall o.f the-Labour Government will not detrimentally affect Anglo-German relations, except possibly m regard to commercial negotiations. LONDON, Qct. 30. The Conservative triumph was remarkable. Essex, Sussex, Herts, Berkshire, Bucks, Hants, Lincolnshire, Somerset, "Wiltshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Dorsetshire, Kent, Sur_ fey, and Bedfordshire went completely Conservative. * The Premier (Mr. Ramsay MacDonald), in a speech at Cardiff, said they sometimes found that defeat was the finest thing that could happen to any party. ( In view of the state of trade and the general outlook he did not envy the Tory Party their job. Conservative headquarters are in the highest spirits, and are of the opinion that the results of the election are most satisfactory, fulfilling all anticipations. High officials of the Liberal Party declared that the returns overwhelmingly demonstrate the need for such a reform of the electoral system as would deliver the country from the peril of minority representation. The rout of the Liberal Party had stirred political circles. Even the Conservatives regret the eclipse of their historic opponents, but the Liberals staunchly declare that the eclipse is only temporary, and suggest that the disaster was not due so much to the fact that the country voted anti-Liberal as to the fact that it voted anti-Labour. Undoubtedly many voters normally Liberal voted Conservative in order to keep out the Labourites. The Liberals are of the opinion that , the informal pact was to the advantage of the Conservatives more than the Liberals, as the Conservatives did not vote for the Liberals so freely as the Liberals voted for the Conservatives. How great is the blow Liberalism has received is shown by the fact that old strongholds like Cdrmvall and Devon have gone entirely Conservative. The triumph of the Conservatives is not confined to any area, or type of seat. It is as noticeable in the industrial as in the agricultural centres, and extends to the Clyde and other parts of Scotland. Mr. Stanley Baldwin (the Conservative leader) is receiving shoals of telegrams of congratulation. He is leaving for a short rest in the country after.the strain of the campaign. Mf. Baldwin, in a congratulatory message to his supporters, says: “You have achieved a. phenomenal victory, more than justifying the confidence I have always had of the political judgment and common sense of the British people when confronted hv a grave issue.”