Sir Walter de Frece was returned as a Coalition Unionist
in the by-election at Ashton-under-Lyne. He polled 8,8f4 votes, while Mr. Robinson, the Labour candidate, polled 8,127, and Sir Arthur Marshall, the Independent Liberal, came last with only 3,511 votes. It is satisfying to note that in a purely working-class constituency, consisting mainly of cotton oper- atives, a well-known Labour candidate could not win more than two votes out of every five on a heavy poll. The arrogant claim that the Labour Party represents Labour was thus contradicted once more. Sir Walter de Frece stood as a strong opponent of nationalization, while Mr. Robinson advocated the State control of all industries, and the Independent Liberal tried to hedge. The Unionist success should encourage the Government to stand firm in their resistance to the threats of the Miners' Federation leaders.
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