The by-election at Oldham, held on Monday, resulted in a
Unionist gain. Mr. Denniss (U.) polled 12,255 votes, Mr. L. Stanley (L.) 10,623, and Mr. Robinson (Lab.) 7,448. In 1910 the majority of the second of the two successful Liberal candidates over the first Unionist candidate was 3,501 This has been converted into a Unionist majority of 1,632. The issue before the electors the last few weeks has been almost exclusively the Insurance Bill. All three candi- dates were in favour of compulsory insurance in some form, but Mr. Arthur Stanley alone refrained from condemning the Government's Bill. The victory of Mr. Denniss is thus a proof of the unpopularity of the Bill. We may add that, by an excel- lent arrangement, pictorial posters—the most mendacious of electoral instruments—were not used, and the Unionist and Liberal candidates also forswore the practice of driving voters to the booths.
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