NOMINATION DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25881, 27 June 1945, Page 5

NOMINATION DAY

THE BRITISH ELECTIONS THREE UNOPPOSED CANDIDATES RUGBY, June 25. The big surprise of Nomination Day for the general election is that only three men—all former members of Parliament —have been returned unopposed to the next Parliament, which meets on August 1, writes a lobby correspondent. Thus they are the first members elected to the new House of Commons. They are Sir William Allen, Conservative, for Armagh, who is 78 years of age, and believed to the oldest candidate in the election; Mr Will John, Labour, West Rhondda, former Whip; and Mr D. G. Logan, Labour, Scotland division of Liverpool, who is a back bencher with a quiet but persistent and effective way of pursuing his objectives in the House. For only three candidates to be returned unopposed is believed to be an all-time record. At the last election there were 40.

Excluding the three seats now filled there will now be contests in 617 constituencies to fill the remaining 637 seats. The reason these numbers do not tally is that some constituencies return two members. Another big surprise in the nominations is that Mr Churchill will, after all, be opposed in Woodford constituency, although both the Labour and Liberal Parties are standing aside there. The man who has come forward to challenge Mr Churchill on the ground which the Prime Minister has held for more than 20 years is Alexander Hancock, a 47-year-old farmer, who is fighting as an Independent. Nowadays Mr Hancock farms 100 acres with the help of his two sons. Once, however, he was a shoe manufacturer, from which occupation he retired. He lives near Northampton, and intends to travel every day by train from Northampton to Woodford. Another striking feature of the nominations is the unexpected number of “ eccentric ” candidates—that is. people running under'unconventional designations. There is an Independent Socialist, a Free Trade candidate, some Independent Nationals, a Co-op-erative Labour candidate, Democratic candidates, Common Wealth Labour candidates, a Pacifist, one who calls himself “Democratic Unionist of Farmers and Industries,” an Independent Christian, an Independent Medical, and an Independent Sportsman’s candidate. There are a number of cases of members of the same families being nominated, including Mr Churchill and his son, Major Randolph Churchill; Mr L. S Amery and his son; Captain Julian Noel Baker and his son, Captain F. E. Noel Baker; the Speaker, Colonel Clifton Brown, and his nephew, Lieuten-ant-colonel Clifton Brown. There are two Lloyd Georges—Major Gwilym and Lady Megan, who are brother and sister. The late Lord Carson’s son the Hon. Edward Carson, and Lord Beaverbrook’s son, Group Captain Max Aitken. have also been nominated. The candidates nominated for the geenral election number 1675, which is 97 fewer than the record figure for 1929 Conservative nominations total 547, Liberals 305, Labour 601. There will be seven five-cornered fights, 38 four-cornered, and 291 three-cornered. The nominations include Common Wealth 22, Liberal Nationals 52, Communists 20, Independents 41, National candidates 19, Independent Labour Party 6, Independent Conservatives.,B, Scottish Nationalists 8, Welsh Nationalists t There is a total of 88 women candidates, which is 21 more than ih 1935, and the highest number ever nominated. The list comprises: Labour 42, Liberal 21, Conservative 14, Common Wealth 4, Independent 3. Independent Progressive 2, Communist 2. The Minister of Labour, Mr R. A. Butler, in an election broadcast, announced that the Conservatives’ plan for dealing with monopolies and abuses in industry was to introduce a Bill establishing a tribunal before which the Board of Trade would bring cases of monopoly abuses which hurt the interests of consumers, or prejudiced the export trade. The Rev. William Murray, head of the movement known as the industrial State Army, had his nomination refused at Ashton-under-Lyne on the ground that, as an Anglican minister, he was incapable of being elected. There were many last-minute nominations, mostly of Independents, one of whom has turned the contest for Mr Herbert Morrison’s electorate of East Lewisham into a thre-cornered fight.