Preston's allegiance to the National Government Is intact, despite 'Me. W. Bf. Kirkpatrick's appointment fo China but Greenock, deprived of Sir Godfrey Collins' personality has tumed to" Labour." Mr. A.C. Moreing, the senior member at Preston, will "now have Cap-jin C.E. Cobb as his colleague, but he should thank Sir Stafford Cripps, with perhaps a friendly word of ac-Knowledgment to Miss Florence White whose 3221 votes may have not been enough to save her from Torfelting her deposit, but were quite suiMleient to deprive Mr. F. G, Bowles Of the votes which he required to turn his truly formidable assault Into a Labour vielory. The Labour Executive will be inclined to regard the result as by no means unset factory, for at the last General Elec-lon the Government majority was 4994 which represented a big drop from the 20505 majority in 1931, Now Captain Cobb has to be content with 9 third of the majority given to Mr. Kirkpatrick a year ago. Mr. Bowles has once again proved his worth as a giant-killer. Last year at North Hackney "he brought down Captain A. U. M, Hudson's majority from 1123 to 1,080. So it may be assumed that, before long. a more hhopetul task will be assigned to him. The Government's view of the vie~ tory will be probably one of gratitude for unexpected blessings as it was feared that Captain Cobb was essaying a specially dimeult task. -Captain Cobb seems tohave been an excellent candidate, but he will, no doubt, pass a private vote of thanks to Sic Stafford Cripps. Looking at the election in "a" more detached frame of mind, it must be confessed hat it cannot be treated as justifying complacency in the Government headquarters. The extreme weakness and divisions of His Majesty's Opposition rather than enthusiasm for the administration in office, may discerned in the Agures, "Apart from the definite defeat at Greenock, Mr. Baldwin and his colleagues can: of afford at this stage to rest on the achievement of holding their own: that ts about all they have done at Preston and at the cost of a few sears in the process.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.