No less than twelve by-elections have been necessitated for constitu-endes in which vacancies have occurred either just before or since the recent reconstruction of the. Cabinet consequent on the change of Prime Minister. All the constituencies concerned have been represented. by supporters of the National Govern4 ment since the General Election—ten Unionists and, two Liberals. Of the ten Unionist seats all except two have been consistent in their allege ance since 1918—Hillhead, Buckingham, Bewdley, Kingston-on-Thames, Chertsey, Cheltenham, North Dorset and ford, Hemel Hempstead lapsed in 1923 by returning a Liberal and the Drake Division of Plymouth in 1929 by returning a Labour; each reversed the desertion in the subsequent election. The two Libergl Government seats—Holland-with- ston and St. Ives—have been erratic, the former having returned a Labour, a Unionist and. a Liberal. since the the latter alternating between st and Liberal with delightful freedom. In eight of the twelve constituences polling has taken place with no change in the political res presentation, except that at Cheltenham, Mr. Daniel Lipson as an Independent Unionist' ousted the offiial Unionist owing probably to his local prestige as Mayor of Cheltenham, to say nothing of the appeal which. his experience as a retired schoolmaster made to voters in so strongly scholastic a centre. Polling has still to take place at St, Ives (Liberal), North Dorset (Unionist), Chertsey (Unionist) and Kingston-on-Thames (Unionist). Generally it may be said that the Government has well held its ground although, as invariably happens, especially in stituencies, the interest len in the eum con-by-elections has not been great; the votes cast have been markedly less than in 1935.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.