A PLACE IN HISTORY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17522, 21 March 1931, Page 5

A PLACE IN HISTORY

ST. GEORGE’S ELECTION REPLY TO PRESS BARONS (El«e. T*4. CopyTtent—United Presn Assn.) LONDON, March 2D. The Westminster election deserves its prominence in current political history. There was tense excitement at the close and a great crowd outside Caxton Hall, Westminster, while the counting was in progress, including many society women in evening dress, who came on from restaurants'and theatres to hear the declaration. A force of mounted police was stationed in tin; vicinity in case of disorder, but it was not needed. The crowd was certainly the . most aristocratic over associated with an election and cheered loudly when it was announced that Mr. Duff Cooper had won. Mr. Duff' Cooper says:—"The election was of national importance in demonstrating to the public that whatever its political faith it will not be dictated to by a certain section of he press." Sir Ernest Pctter declares that the election Ims at least stirred the complacent mandarins in the Conservative Pa rt y. The section of the press which supported Sir Ernest Potter is silent editorially regarding-the result of tho by-election. The Times, in a loader, says:—"Mr Duff Cooper’s victory is a discerning tribute to Ins high political courage and capacity, and also a verdict that will be greeted with wide and unqualified satisfaction for reasons embracing much more than Mr. Baldwin’s future or the Conservative fortunes. St. George's has done a good day’s work for democracy and the press. The electorate tested the contemptuous assumption that it could be swayed by crude asseverations, some of which were unbelievably puerile, especially the nanic, at the name of Mr. Gandhi. If Mr. Gandhi becomes much more the object of timid superstition in England as in India, he owes his prominence to this discreditable newspaper campaign. The victory is a most welcome assurance, that the immense Imperial interests and obligations now committed to adult suffrage, are not necessarily at the mercy of the daily demagogues oven in a constituency exposed to the close range of the foaming torrent of misrepresentation." LABOR’S EASY VICTORY THE PONTYPRIDD SEAT LIBERALS’ REDUCED VOTE (Received March 21, noon.) LONDON, March 20. The Pontypridd by-election owing to the resignation of Mr. Manly Jones, resulted:— D. L. Davies, Labor .. 20,087 G. Crawshaw, Liberal .. 8,308 D. Evans, Conservative .. 5,-189 Labor majority .. J 2,3.19 Polling for the Pontypridd seat at the general election resulted as follows: Manly Jones, Labor .. 20,835 J. V.* Evans, Liberal .. 14,42.1 Miss M. Williams, Con. .. 3,907 Labor majority .. 0,-114