Borough Elections

COMMONWEALTH (British Commonwealth of Nations)

Borough or municipal elections in Great Britain derive their principal importance from the fact that they are regarded as straw votes for a general election for the Parliament at Westminster.

Last week 330 Conservative, 184 Labor, 130 Liberal, 104 Independent seats were contested in areas affecting 18,000,000 people who provide $250,000,000 annually in local taxes.

Latest reports returned the Conservatives with 267 seats, Laborites with 277, Liberals with 109, Independents 95, showing a loss of 63 seats for the Conservatives, a gain of 93 for the Labor Party, a loss of 21 and nine respectively for the Liberals and Independents.

The Labor victory was naturally hailed with enthusiasm by that party and there followed a lot of wild talk about a dissolution of Parliament and a general election. In point of fact the borough elections have nothing to do with a national general election and cannot be fairly said to show a sentiment for a change of government, as local and not national issues are the primary considerations. On the other hand, it may reasonably be argued that an overwhelming loss by the Government party could be construed as a moral obligation upon the Cabinet to submit its position to the acid test of a general election; but no overwhelming loss occurred; the Liberals and Conservatives still hold the balance of power; the Laborites control the Municipal Council in only seven towns and their gains were made chiefly in the industrial centres, while their most notable loss was in the radical stronghold of Glasgow.

The Baldwin Government, elected in the fall of 1924, still has two years to run before its five-year mandate expires, although it is usual for a government to hold a general election before that time, but a decision to submit its position to the test of an election depends almost entirely upon the will of the Cabinet. Today there is a good deal of dissatisfaction in the land and much loud grumbling, which is more characteristic than specific. But Mr. Baldwin still holds a very comfortable majority in the House of Commons, and the chances are, therefore, that there will not be a general election until the end of next year at the earliest and probably not until early 1929.