Social Masses Party Gains at Minseito Expense Tokyo, May 2.
Securing 179 seats, out of a total of 468, the liberal Minseito party, one of the two major political organzations in the country, to-night again had won the leading position in the Lower House of the Diet. The Seiyukai, its principal rival for supremacy, obtained 175 seats, More than doubling its previous strength, the proletarian Social Masses Party, returned 37 representa~ tives.
The three pro-Governmental parties secured "a total of 41 seats. Their respective strength was Showaxal 19; Kokumin Domei 1; ana Tohokal 11. Minor groups of various colourings returned runs representatives, while 25 independents were elected.
The Mineelto lost 26 seats, principally to the Social Masses ' Party. Both organizations are strong urban centres, while the Selyukal's strength lies principally in agrarian The bureaucratic Showakal, one time regarded as a, possibi nucleus for the organization of a strong pro-Government party, lost 3t Ave seats.
"Among the minor parties, the rightist Kodokal, Mfeirinkal' and 'Yosekal each returned one candidate, og did the Japan Non-Propertied Class Party, the only other proletarian'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.