Feb. 22.
The return of Sir Roger Keyes, most appropriately for North Portsmouth, in the room of Sir, Bertram Falle, now Lord Port-! sen, gives occasion to contem-late the Government's standing with the electorate in the light! of recent by-election results. On January 27 at Leeds Mr, Ramsay MacDonald started his Government's campaign for the purpose lof expounding policy, and this Move certainly seems to be justified in the light of the figures, Portsmouth would naturally be a Conservative stronghold, especially at the! present time of anxiety for the strength the Royal 'Navy. 'Attention to some other constitwences might, for the "moment be useful. 'The Lowestoft Division of East Suffolk, called upon to lect a new' member of the House of Commons owing to Sir Gervais Rentoul's appointment to be a Metropolitan Magistrate, returned a Conservative candidate a majority of under 2,000 votes lover his Labour opponent. The third candidate, a Liberal seeured more than 3,000 votes so Mr. P. C. Loftus becomes MP. for Lowestoft on account of "that Liberal intervention. It shoul however, be noted that Mr. W. [Smith, the Independent Liberal in question, and a former Mayor lof the Borough, modified his opposition to the Government by supporting its unemployment policy. Yet it is probable that the majority of the votes which he secured would have gone to! Mr. R. Sorensen, the Labour jeandidate, had there been a straight fight. Probably Mr. /Smith's local influence did more damage to the Labour than to! the Conservative candidate. The' East Fulham election Autumn lost the Government a! safe seat to a strong Labour candidate. It caused much heartburning and introspection. Tt cannot bbe said that Lowestoft, except for the fact that. there has been no definite loss of a seat, gives the Government, reason to rejoice. By-elections cane explained in many] ways. They are not alway: straws which show the wind's direction. A Government mid-channel must always be! Prepared to lose ground. The
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.