Held

British Labor party leaders let out an explosive breath last week. They had squeaked through a parliamentary by-election at Gravesend. Party Boss Herbert Morrison sent the victor a jubilant telegram: "We will open the door, Richard, when you come to the House."

The addressee was Sir Richard Acland, 15th baronet of his line, who got 24,692 votes against 23,017 for his Tory opponent Frank Taylor. The Conservative appeal in suburban Gravesend, a Tory stronghold until the Labor victory in 1945, had been directed mainly at the housewives. Taylor became known as "Tater Taylor" because he lugged his 3-lb. weekly spud ration around with him on the hustings. The housewives were disgusted enough with shortages,* but not enough of them saw any reason to suppose that Tory M.P.s would furnish more potatoes than Laborites.

Optimistic Laborites looked upon the Gravesend victory as stemming the Tory advance in last month's borough elections (TIME, Nov. 10). More cautious ones noted that Labor's vote in Gravesend had increased by only 3,083 since 1945, while the Tory vote increased by 8,464. "We've held the seat," said one Labor manager, "but we must heed the warning that the Tories increased their vote a good deal more. We can't afford that."

* Last week Food Minister John Strachey announced that each Briton could buy an extra 10-c- worth of meat for Christmas week, over his normal weekly ration of 20-c- worth. Other Christmas extras: 1 1/2 lbs. of sugar, 4 oz. of candy (normal ration, 4 oz. weekly).

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