Lost Gains

Three years ago, though out of power, Britain's Laborites gained 204 seats in borough elections. Last week, having dropped 216 in the last local election, they were just about back where they started from. The conspicuous failure of Labor's leaders to offer any spirited competition or nourishing program suggests that had Prime Minister Harold Macmillan called a snap general election in May. as some of his Tory advisers urged him to, he would have been safely in for another five years. Macmillan's mandate runs until May 1960. Though Laborites and Conservatives are about evenly divided in the polls, Macmillan seems confident that he can call an election next fall or spring, and win.

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