The Labour Party last week, after losing East WoolWich through
Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, won three by-elections at Dudley, Kirkcaldy, and Penistone. At. Dudley on Thursday, March 3rd, Sir Arthur Griffith-Boecawen, standing for re-election on his appointment as Minister for Agriculture, lost his seat to Mr. Wilson, the Labour candidate, by the narrow majority of 278. Curiously enough, he was opposed by Lord Beaverbrook's organ, the Daily Express, because he declined to reverse the old policy of prohibiting the import of live cattle from oversee ; he was denounced, quite wrongly, as -an advocate of " dear meat," and some credulous Unionists probably voted against him on that account. At Kirkcaldy the following day Sir Robert Lockhart, a Coalition Liberal, standing in place of Sir H. Dalziel, was defeated by Mr. Kennedy, the. Labour candidate, Nebo had a majority of 1,475. At Penistone on Saturday last the Indepen- dent Liberals failed to hold one of their few seats. In a three- cornered fight Mr. Gillis (Labour) polled 8,560 votes, Mr. Pringle (Independent Liberal) 7,984; and Sir J. P. Hinchcliffe (Coalition Liberal) 7,123. Both at Kirkcaldy and at Penistone the large miners' vote decided the issue. The Coalition, on the balance, thus lost one seat in the four contests.
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