BRITISH ELECTIONS

Hokitika Guardian, 31 May 1929, Page 5

BRITISH ELECTIONS

VOTING DAY,

THE UNCERTAINTY

(United Presß Association. — By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.)

LONDON, May 30. The.country.this morning began the election of the new Parliament.

Tne party organisers., considered the weather to be a most important factor from the viewpoint of the women’s votes. . ’ Tne day broke fair, but cloudy. The “ Daily Telegraph ” in an editorial says: “At no general election in our. time has the outcome been more uncertain than at this one. There is a plain danger of this general election being thrown away and deplorable conditions oif 1924 being revived.

ALARM. OF FIRE

BREAKS TJP MG MEETING

LONDON, May 30

A sudden cry of “Fire!” caused a sensation when twelve hundred constituents were listening to the Liberal candidate, Mr Dingle Foot, who was speaking at Tiverton Cinema. The place was so packed that there barely was an inch of unoccupied room. Men and women rushed to the exits ninny of them being crushed and bruised. Numerous women fainted, while the screams of other women were to bte heard over a wide area.

Panic-stricken people began leaping out of the windows, landing in the adjacent gardens, and streets, and collapsing when they reached the ground.

Mr .Foot and others on the platform shouted appeals Tor order, alleging that the false alarm had been raised by their .opponents.

V THE EARLY RESULTS

WHAT WILL THEY PORTEND?

LONDON. May 30.

Two hundred and six results will be declared to-night, or in the early hours of Friday morning. These results involve 37, London boroughs, 134 English boroughs, '22 English counties, seven Welsh seats, and six Scottish seats.

Owing to the increase of the electorate, the polling stations, will remain open till nine o’clock. Therefore 1 the results ! will he' later-than in past years, though cities like Manchester and Birmingham are certain to maintain their reputation for smart counting. The earliest returns, however, can hardF' he" "pvnected before eleven o’clock, and the majority will not he out till after midnight.

The. Conservatives are prepared' to face the fact that the first batch of results may be less favourable to the Government than those to be declared on Friday. All 1 the authorities agree that it would be unwise to base any estimate as to a final result upon the results that will be declared to-night. Nevertheless, there may be straws showing which way the wind is blowing.

A BROADCAST THIS AFTERNOON. •V ’ LONDON, May 30. The ■British Broadcasting Coy. is broadcasting the election results •througn the night till four o’clock on Friday morning, interspersed with musical items. 1924. RESULTS. The previous general election was held on October 29, 1924 the results being:— Conservatives 420 Labour (previous Govt.) 150 Liberal Irish Nationalist 1 Communist 1 Independent 3 Total ... 615 The Baldwin Ministry therefore started with a majority of 225, which the 'subsequent years’ by-elections have not seriously reduced. England and Northern Ireland gave the Government a majority of 243, Scotland gave 37' seats each’ to Government and Opposition, and Males gave the Opposition a majority of 18. ;

THE .FIRST RESULTS

(Received this dnv at. 12.25. P.m.l LONDON, May 30.

.Results of the election polling opened with the return of two Conservatives, Bourne and Ainsworth respectively for Oxford and Bury. There is no change. Both were three-cor-nered contests. Then a Liberal gain was announced for Great Yarmouth, which resulted Liberal, Arthur, Harbord 13',147; Conservative, Sir F.‘ Mayer 11,->7O, labourite, J. Johnson, 5,347. A Labour'gain was recorded at Salford North—Ben Tillett (Labour) 17,333; Hadon Guest (Conservative) 13,(507; Rothwell (Liberal) 6609. Radon Guest resigned from the Labour Parv in 1927, disagreeing with thenattitude towards sending British troops to China.

SOME OF THE RESULTS

LONDON, May 30. F/-an WM'ace (Government Whip) retained Hornsly, while Shonvood (Labour) gained Wakefield, winch was a farmer Labour seat. In a three cornered fight, Sir Phil- . in Sassoon (Conservative) retained Hythe seat with 12.982 votes M.ss Coleman (Labour) 209/, Miss Holland (Liberal) 6912. . Tn Burnlev Arthur Tlendered (Lnbmt) obtained 28,091 votes, S. J. Fair-

bairn (Conservative) 20,137, J. Edwards (Liberal) 12,502. Hastings constituency:—Lord Eustace Percy (Conservative) 15,928, T. Spearing (Liberal) 8004, B. Noble '(Labour) 6516. Salford South :—.T. Toole (Labour) 20,100, E. Radford (Conservative) 16,846, a Labour gain. Salford West:—A. Haycock 15,647, Lieut. Commander Astbury (Conservative) 15.289, Miss M. Grant (Liberal) 5614. a Labour gain.

Twickenham:— Sir .Toynson Hicks (Conservative) 21,087, T. Mason (Labour) 15,121, F. Paterson (Liberal) 7246.

Reading:—Doctor Somerville Hastings (Labour) 23.281, H. Williams (Conservative) 22,429, Reverend Dugold MacFadyon (Liberal) 7,733, a Labour gain.

POLLING DAY INCIDENTS.

THE OLD AND THE YOUNG.

DEATHS BEFORE VOTING

RECORD USE OF -MOTORS.

(Received this dnv at, 12.25. p.m.i LONDON, May 30.

A preponderance of women voters was maintained all day, partly owing to men deferreing voting till the evening. Constables outside many booths guarded half a dozen perambulators apiece, while ‘the mothers voted.

All female voters were not flappers. Notable exceptions were Sirs Jewell, aged 103, and Mrs Grayham, 98, who voted At Emsworth, and Mrs Hoadley, of Tottenham, aged 103. A car containing Miss Knowles, Queen Alexandra’s aged companion drove-up to Mayfair polling booth into which she 'was unable to walk and an official brought out a ballot paper which' she inserted in the box under police escort, after she had marked it. The official repeated the proceeding for a military officer in a bath chair.

Mistresses, maids, masters, and chauffeurs walked in and voted together.

A majority of West End women, young and old, knew exactly the voting procedure. John McClelland, presiding officer at St. Leonard’s polling booth died suddenly on duty.

An unidentified Folkstone ' voter stumbled, entering a booth, and subsequently died. Miss Catherine Pring, aged 75, of Torrington, and Mrs Wotton, aged 59, of Salisbury, died suddenly, when about to vote.

Mr Baldwin and his' wife voted at Kllesbo'rougli *as residents from Chequers, and then motored to Number 10 Downing Street, and scanned the news in a tape machine. , As might be expected in this motoring age, the number of motors used bv all parties swamped previous records. Scores of private motorists in every urban constituency gave whole or part of the day to assist the chosen candidate.

All indications of experienced observers point to a big vote. It, has been an unusually quiet but serious campaign. Apart from comparatively few isolated disturbances, the old-time flour hag and rotten egg tactics seem antiquated. Broadcasting, relaying and amplifying imparted an air of reasonableness to an extent unknown at any previous election. The same air of seriousness distinguished the voting all day.

FURTHER RESULTS.

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received this dav at 1.5 p.m.) RUGBY, May 30

By midnight the result of voting were declared in 39 constituencies. The state of parties at that hour was Conservative 17, Labour 17, Liberals 10, other parties 4. The results showed 7 Labour gains from Conservatives and 1 Labour gain from liberals; 1 Liberal gain from Conservatives.

Labour gains from Conservatives were recorded at North Salford, where Ben Tillett regained the constituency, West Salford, South Salford, Wakefield, Stockton,- Warrington and Reading. Labour gained a seat from the Liberals in a straight fight at Accrington and the Liberals gained a seat from the Conservatives in Great Yarmouth.

Among the Ministers declared elected are Eustace Percy (Education Minister), Sir P. Sassoon (Under-Secre-tarv), Sir Joynson Hicks (Home Secretary). The first member to suffer defeat was Williams (Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade). The figures showed polling has been heavy in all constituencies, in many cases even when a change in representation had been effected there had been an increase in votes given to the representatives of all three parties. This indicates the now electorate has lully exercised the franchise, the point nf interest in this being that five million of seven million new voters on the present register are young women. The state of parties at 11.40 was: — Conservative 23. Labour 25, Liberal 13 others 3. These results showed 13 Labour gains, 3 Liberal gains and 2 gains to other parties. 'Hie Conservatives lost 14 seats and Liberals 3, all to Labour.

POSITION AT 1.30 A.M

(Received this dnv at 1.30 r> in LONDON, May 30. The position at 1.30 a.m. was: — Labour bo Conservatives ••• 52 Liberals D) Others A Minister, Sir Thos. Inskip, was defeated for Bristol Central by the Labour candidate, Alpass in a straight out fight.

j |{. Clvnes (Labour) was re-elected for Platting. Sir ‘Newman Henderson (Under-Secre-tary for Home Affairs) was defeated at Rootle by the Labourite, Kinley, in a three-cornered light. Sir Herbert- Samuel (Liberal) gained Dnrwen seat.