UNPARALLELED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 138, 13 June 1932, Page 7

UNPARALLELED.

STEVENS , MAJORITY.

State Confidence Represented

By Over 60 Seats.

MR. LANG RECEIVES A SHOOK.

(United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright)

(Recoivod 10.30 a.m.) j SYDNEY, this day. The general election in New South Wales on Saturday resulted in a sweeping victory for the Government parties. When the checking of the primary votes ceased early yesterday "morning the state of parties appeared to be: — United parties and Unity party 63 State Labour party 24 Doubtful ; 3 The total number of votes cast for thu respective parties when the counting closed yesterday was as follows:— United parties 642,973 Lang Labour 49(i,762 Federal Labour 53,230 Communist 10^907 Independent 21,000 The votes countea at the same stage of the 1930 election were as follow:— Nationalist and Country party' 487,593 Labour 076,202 Australian party 24,620 Communist 0,511 Independent 12^120 The Unity party consists of candidates supporting the Government's policy and endorsed by either the United Australia or the Country parties for the same electorate. Two such candidates have been elected. Of the three doubtful seats the United parties are expected to win two and Labour one. The Federal Labour party—whose nominees contested 43 cit~ and country seats, whoso policy generally conflicted with Mr. Lang's on the side of moderation, and whose desire was to see the downfall of the Lang party because of the mischief it wrought at the last Federal election—had hopes of picking up t-wo seats and possibly Mr. Lang's. Mr. Lang's Narrow Victory. Although a neck and neck struggle went on at Auburn between Mr. Lang and Mr. P. E. Coleman (Federal Labour) the position was put beyond doubt after midnight when Mr. Lang obtained an absolute majority over his Federal Labour adversary of 742, assuring his ' return.

Nothing so thrilling has been provided by any previous election. Mr. Lang's majority in 1930 was 8965.

"Considering that Mr. Lang, some 18 months ago, secured over four to one of the votes polled, and that his majority was not far short of 10,000, I feel I can claim a great moral triumph," said Mr. P. E. Coleman, Mr. Lang's Federal Labour opponent. "I was handicapped by threats of intimidation and terrorism, which included the. employment of a gang to assault my workers. During the campaign I was more than once threatened personally. Langism is the most pernicious and destructive influence in polities."

Former Ministers in the Lan;jj Administration who have fallen by the wayside are Messrs. J. M. Tully, W. T. Ely, W. F. Dunn, M. Gosling and J. Lamaro. In fact so great is the debacle that only two of his former Ministers at present survive, namely, Messrs. M. A. Davidson and W. J. McKell. Mr. W. Davies, formerly Minister of Education, whose constituents at Wollongong include thousands of south coast coalminers, looks like being defeated. The state of parties in the last New South Wales Parliament wan »e follows:— State Labour 55 Nationalists 21 Country party 14 Thus if the final results are as expected the State Labour party will have lost 30 seats, the United Australia party will have gained 21, and the Country party nine. Not one United or Country party sitting member was defeated. Even the city industrial constituencies 'show a tremendous swing from Labour. Stevens' Majority Nearly 40. It is apparent that the Premier, Mr. B. S. Stevens, will meet the new Parliament at the head of a United Government pledged to adherence to the Premiers' Plan, with the unparalleled majority of roughly 40. Certainly three seats are still in doubt, but the odds are definitely against Labour in two of them.

Seats which hitherto were regarded as impregnable Labour strongholds rejected Lang candidates. In one of the heaviest polls on record Labour virtually has been expelled from representation in the country.

Mr. Stevens had a comfortable win at Croydon, where he was opposed by a State Labour stalwart, Mr. J. C. Eldridge, formerly a Federal member of the Beasley group.

High hopes were entertained' at Labour headquarters of unseating Mr. Stevens. However, he won hie seat by a majority of 6350.

! The former Leader of the Opposition, Mr. T. K. Bavin, received the handsome majority at Gordon of 12,667. The Leader of the Country party and DeputyPremier, Mr. M. Bruxner, was returned unopposed.

Retiring members definitely defeated in the metropolitan area arc:—Labour: Messrs. Butler, Byrne, Cahill, Clementson, Connors, Davies, Ely, Flanagan, Gosling, • Howe, Kinsella, Lamaro, Landa, McDicken and McLelland.

Those defeated in the country are:— Labour: Messrs. Clarke, Donovan, Dunn, Fitzgerald, Flannery, Folster, Hoad, Keast, Martin, McClelland, O'Hcarn, Scully and Tully.

The Prime Minister, Mr. J. A. Lyons, who is visiting Sydney, was overjoyed at the outcome of the election. He said: "I regard it as a vindication of the policy of the Commonwealth Government toward Mr. Lang.

"We received a mandate to take Mr. Lang to task and force him to play his part in.the work of rehabilitation, and the verdict of the- New South Wales electors may be regarded as an endorsement of the measures taken to compel him to keep pace with the other State Governments. The verdict is a happy one for Australia and will do more than anything else to restore confidence in New South Wales."