24 APRIL 1920, Page 3

The Coalition candidates won both the Edinburgh by-elections. Mr. Clyde's

old seat in North Edinburgh was retained -by the Coalition Unionist, Mr. P. J. Ford, who defeated Mr. Runciman by 1,475 votes, while a Labour candidate was a bad third. Mr. C. D. Murray, the new Solicitor-General for Scotland, was re-elected for South Edinburgh by a majority of 2,999 over an Independent Liberal. Mr. Runciman's defeat was a sore disappointment for his little party, who thought that Mr. Asquith's personal success at Paisley signified a change in Scottish political opinion. They took it for granted that Mr. Runciman, another-ex-Minister, would win a seat in the Scottish capital, which used to be, like Paisley, a. Liberal stronghold.