OCR Text |
Show BIG VOTE AT ELECTIONS City of London Safe for Unionists Host of Workers London, Jan. 17. Clear weathet and a host of workers on cither side, using thousands of motor cars aud carriages to convey delaying voters to the stations, cave promise of a record poll today at the elections. In doubtful districts the party organisers or-ganisers wore enforced by an army of canvassers and few voters escaped. In all 104 seats were contested for today. Of these 31 were London con stltueuts and 73 provincial boroughs The last year the Unionists held 3C of the 104, the Liberals. 62. and the Laborites, 16. The proportion for London Lon-don alone was: Unionists, 17; Liberals, 13, and La-borltes, La-borltes, 2. The city of London Itself, Is quite safe for the Unionists, and A. J. Balfour Bal-four and Sir F. O. Banbury doubtless will recelvs majorities evon larger than they had at the hast eloction. There are a number of prominent members of tho Last house, howevor, whose seats are In danger. John Burns, president of the local government govern-ment board, Is having a hard fight against A. Shirley Benn, the Unionist candidate for Battorsea and Clapbam. Battersea division. In 1908, Burns had a mapjorlty of 1600, but that was abnormal, ab-normal, his majority at the previous election having been only 259. The Liberals doubtless will lose Greenwich Green-wich and other London districts. Among the provincials contested today to-day are Blackburn, held at present by Philips Snowden, Laborllo, one of the leaders of the Labor party, at Portsmouth. The Unionists are depending de-pending upon Admiral Lord Charles j Berestord, their candidate and their denunciation of the Liberal national naval policy, to reverse tho Liberal majority returned at the last election. The candidacy of the Socialist nominee nomi-nee will assist them. Two Welsh and four Scottish bor- j oughs, all heretofore Liberal strongholds, strong-holds, will also poll today. The stock exchange Is Inclined to bo disappointed that the Unloaiets gains of Saturday were not greater and tho dealings this morning caused the loss of some advance registered last week in anticipation of a Tory victory. Consols Con-sols fell 5 1-16; while home rails and Kafflrs wore fractionally weaker ou realizations. American securities remained re-mained steady at over parity. John E. Redmond, for Watcrforn city, and six other Irish Nationalists, were returned unopposed today. |