15 MARCH 1957, Page 8

I NOTED a few weeks ago an appeal in the

Moscow press calling on the Party to 'protect' candidates in the local Soviet elections from 'hostile and anti-Soviet elements.' I now see that that protec- tion has not been adequate in a number of cases— in Russia and Ukraine new elections have been ordered in 150 places where the candidate failed to get the support of the majority of the voters. This is a notable increase on previous figures.