Irish Elections

The Irish Free State was the arena of a nation-wide battle. The weapons were ballot papers, with an odd revolver and a shillalah or two for emphasis; political armies fought for the control of the Dublin executive machinery.

Balloting being by proportional representations,* much time was spent in counting the votes and transferring them to second, third and fourth choices.

Latest dispatches gave the apportionment of 130 seats out of 152:

Government 53

Fianna Fail 49

Labor 11

Independents 10

Farmers 4

National League 2

Irish Workers League 1

It seemed likely that President (Premier) William Thomas Cosgrave would find himself in somewhat the same parliamentary position as he was when he called the present elections: at the mercy of a coalition.

*A complicated system whereby candi dates are elected on a fixed quota of votes any surplus going to the second choice in- dicated by the elector, who has as many choices as there are candidates in his constituency.