20 OCTOBER 1928, Page 2

The result of the Tavistock by-election was declared on Friday,

October 12th.- . '

Brig.-Gen. W. D. Wright, V.C. (Unionist).. .. 10,745 Lt.-Commdr. R. T. H. Fletcher (Liicral) .. 10,572 Mr. R. Davies (Labour) .. .. 2,449 Unionist majority .. .. 173

This was the first time that the Labour Party had tried for the seat and their candidate forfeited his deposit. Since the War the seat has been held twice by Unionists and twice by Liberals, and the Liberals speak of it as belonging normally and naturally to them. The late Unionist member, Major Kenyon-Slaney, had a majority of only 1,272, and the Liberals made enormous efforts to win back the seat. Their failure, even when allowance has been made for the probability that Labour prevented them from winning, suggests that the promised Liberal revival is not a very active growth.

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