Labour’s Set-Back

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 966, 8 May 1930, Page 9

Labour’s Set-Back

SIGNIFICANT BY-ELECTION Empire Free Trade Victory COMMENT ON FULHAM WEST RESULT United P.A.—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, Wednesday. result of the Fulham West by-election, which was won for the Conservative candidate, Sir Cyril Cobb, by a majority of 240, is not without significance. It is the first by-election at which the Government has suffered defeat. It is the first also at which Empire Free Trade has been the dominant issue.

There have been six previous contests since the general election and Labour retained all the seats. Now it has lost Fulham West, one ot its triumphs at the last general election. Before crediting the result wholly to the new political issue it must be noted that in spite of the tremendous efforts made by both sides the poll was small, only 32,206 electors, or 63.8 per cent., voting out of the 50,616 on the register. ON SAFEGUARDING Secondly, the seat for a long period was held by the Conservatives. Even Labour was surprised by its victory last year. Nevertheless the Press says the result is a most striking and tremendous advertisement for the new Empire crusade. The president of the national committee of the Amalgamated Engineering Union, Mr. Brownlie, staggered the 52 delegates at the annual meeting by saying in the course of his address: “Notwithstanding the fact

that I may be deemed by the high priests of the Labour Party to be committing heresy, I say you cannot get a further reduction of hours fn this country apart from safeguarding/* Asked later to repeat the statement Mr. Brownlie said he had not spoken hastily. The matter would be entered in the minutes for discussion. LABOUR APATHETIC The defeated Labour candidate, Mr. Banfield, speaking after the election, said:—“The only cause of my defeat was the apathy of my own people/* It is evident that many Liberals abstained from voting owing to their anti-Socialist convictions. Another interesting by-election is to be held shortly. Sir Albert Bennett, Conservative member for Nottingham Central, is about to resign. The Liberals are not expected to contest tbe seat, so it will be a straight-out fight between the Conservatives and Labour on safeguarding with special reference to the Nottingham lace industry.