Election Technique Pleases Conservatives

Chronicle (Levin), 18 March 1948, Page 6

Election Technique Pleases Conservatives

Received Wednesday, 7 p.m. LONDON, March 17. The Conservative Party is con'gratulating itself on - its new electioneering technique. It was put into seryice for the first time. at the :North Croydon "by-election which Mr. Fred Harris won with a- majority of over 11,000. In cooperation with the"' Surrey Con?ervatives 200 teams of nve practisea and expqriencea , canvassprs set to work. They . also at-'. tended meetings of other candidates. • For this work they were catefully briefed and they put questibns which had been allocated to them.,, * , The prohlem of hillposting. and the display of window. cards was apr proached with a new eye to po§sible results. Billposting was dojie only after a careful selection of the most propitious moment. Timing, it was decided, was of the utmost psyclio- * logical importance. Complete areas were placarded overnight, and on eiection morning North Croydon woke iip to find that every tree for a mile and a-half through the main thoroughfare hore the exhortation in hlne — "Vote Harris Today". Tne pian by wmch a oy-eiection candidate is allocated a kind * of foster father was vtried at North Croydon for the second time in a byelection, and it was found to be well worth while. The help and guidance that au experienced M.P. gave to the candidate imparted confidence when troublesome questions were being asked. , , . •