CRUCIAL TEST

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11071, 19 February 1929, Page 3

CRUCIAL TEST

COMING BRITISH ELECTIONS. United Press Assn —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, February 16. Britain is on the threshold of one of the most outstanding and hardest fought elections in lier history. There are three notable features: Firstly, there is no outstanding issue ; secondly, the impossibility of forecasting how the voting is likely to go; and thirdly, this is the election with a universal franchise, bringing in 5,CC0,C00 new voters. By reason of the fact that Britain is sick and tired of industrial depression and crippling taxes, two prominent Labourites forecast for Labour a big increase hut insufficient for a majority. It is certain the Government is anything but confident, while few. except the most optimistic Liberals, expect there will be more than 50 Liberals in the new Parliament, though Sir Herbert Samuel thinks the Liberals may equal the Labour members. Liberalism has failed to regain much popularity with English electors and there is no present indication that the Liberals would coalesce with the Conservatives or Labour. The recent batch of by-elections has been distinctly flattering to Labour. There have been 58 byelections since the Government took office. The Conservatives won or retained 29, the Labourites 21 and the Liberals eight.