COMMONS ASPIRANTS

Northern Advocate, 23 May 1929, Page 5

COMMONS ASPIRANTS

FINAL TOTAL 1730

ONLY SEVEN UNOPPOSED.

R 1 RM.I XGI! AM SIDE-ISSUE

(Australian Press Association.) (Received 9 a.m.) LONDON, May 22. The nomination of several University candidates at the general election, has brought the final total up to 1790, divided as follows: Conservatives 590 Labour 570 Liberals 513 Communists 25 Others 32

/Seven of those nominated are unopposed, leaving 1723 candidates to fill 008 vacancies.

Intense interest has been given to fhe election for the King’s Norton Division of Birmingham by Sir Herbert Austin’s declaration that if the McKenna duties are repealed he might have to close his motor works. The Labour candidate, Mr Robert Dennison, now declares, in fhe name of the Labour Party, that if the party is returned to power and the works are closed Labour will, fake them over and carry them on in the interests of /the workers. The threat recalls the ignominous failure of the workers creating Soviet control at the Fiat works at Turin, from which the first seeds of Fascism fructified. Sir Herbert Austin, replying to Mr Dennison, says the statement that the Government Av-ould take over the works, presumably after they are mined, is too nonsensical to be worthy of consideration. Ho would not dream of closing the works, even iif he had the power to do so, without making a desperate struggle to keep going. The 'motor industry dreaded repeal of the McKenna, duties. If would have ’been criminal on his part to have remained silent until the damage was done without | giving the electors the facts as he saw them.

Labour headquarters decline any statement regarding Air Dennison's assertion.

Mr Ramsay MacDonald is due to speak at Birmingham on Wednesday, and will make a statement on the position. Meanwhile Labour leaders say they are bound to silence.