Evening star., 1947-11-03
Labor Setback Fails
To Win Quick BACKING
For National Election
by the kssocioted Press

LONDON, Nov. 3.-Britain's ma
ior party leaders rallied their forces
for a new period of intense political
activity today as they took stock of
returns from Saturdays municipal
elections, which observers Of all
leanings agreed had resulted in a
setback for the ruling Labor Party.
Returns from all but two of the
388 boroughs in England and Wales
which voted for municipal council
men gave the Conservatives net
gain of 618 council seats, while
labor sustained a net loss of 644
Labor Party leaders frankly ad-
mitted that the outcome was dis
appointing" and Conservatives ac-
claimed the result as sharp swing
to the right which showed the hand
writing on the wall.
Election Demands Voiced.
Even the staunchest Conservative
organs, however, refrained today
from backing editorially the de-
mandS of Winston Churchill and
Conservative Party Chairman Lord
Woolton for a national election to
throw the Labor government out.
The wartime Prime Minister last
night proclaimed that "the result
deprives the Socialist Labor gov
ernment of any mandate they OBJ
tanned at the general elections in
1a45"
"Henceforward. he declared,
"they will govern without the moral
support and against the will of the
people"
Lord Woolton said that the cleo
tions showed that the voters of the
country have no confidence in the
government"
II believe the government should
recognize this fact, should recognize
that the House of Commons no
longer represents the political con-
victions of democracy, and should
seek another mandate he said.
Discomfort Over Shortages.
While opinions on the significance
OF the Conservative gains were
divided, most observers expressed
the opinion that the voting re-
elected growing public discomfort
with shortages and restrictions
climaxed by. reduction in the bacon
ration to one ounce a week and the
elimination of gasoline allowances
for nom essential motoring
Labor Party spokesmen minimized |
the importance of the voting and |
made plain the government had no
intention of altering its legislative
program for the coming year
which includes further nationaliza-
ton of vital industries and curtail-
ment of the historic powers of the
House of Lords.
Conservatives, on the other hand,
took heart from their successes
and some elementS-notably the
conservative Daily Telegrsph-ex-
pressed belief they had a good
chance of blocking the measure to
trim the authority of the Lords.
Lord Woolton's demand for a new
election was ridiculed by Morgan
Phillips, secretary of the Labor
Party, who declared that only
major defeat in the House of Com
monS-Where Labor holds 395 of
the $40 seats-could bring about a
change.
Run Temporarily Halted.
TT is fantastic" he said, TO sug-
Rest that a turnover of per cent
of the total number of borough
seats in England and Wales repre-
sents great swing away from
Labor. All that has happened is that
Labor's unprecedented run of sue
cess in local government elections
since 1945 has been temporarily
halted"
The Laborite Daily Herald called
Woolton's demand for new election
an excited yelp" and said that
despite Landslide" claims the Con-
servatives had won back less than
half the 1859 borough council seats
IT. said they had lost to Labor in the
1945 and 1916 local elections.
Returns from two of the boroushs
voting in England and Wales SaIur-
day are still to be announced.
The outcome in the remaining
boroughs showed the Conservatives
had won 1896 council seats COM
pared with their previous holding of
618, while Labor won 831 compared
with 1,475 at the last elections
Those voting yesterday, together
with 100000 eligible to vote in
Scotland's borough elections next
Tuesday, represent about so per cent
of the parliamentary electorate. The
other so per cent live in areas with
different timetables
London, which Labor has held
since 1884, did not vote Saturday,