BIG OVERTHROW.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 139, 14 June 1932, Page 7

BIG OVERTHROW.

AT NEWFOUNDLAND. Squires' Government Suffers Defeat. PREMIER LOSES SEAT. (United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Received 10.30 a.m.) ST. JOHNS, June 13. The general election in Newfoundland was held on Saturday. Early on Monday the Opposition, the United Newfoundland party under Mr. F. C. Aklerdice, was leading in four constituencies and had an elected candidate in the fifth. The Government, Sir Richard Squires' party, was loading in only one scat.'At that time the Premier was trailing his opponent, Mr. Harold Mitchell in Trinity South, and the Opposition leader, M.\ Aklerdice, was well ahead in St. Johns West. The defeat of Sir Richard Squires by Mr. Mitchell by a (iOO majority was eonceded at noon, however, with only a few polls unreported. In all the constituencies not then decided the Opposition had the leading position, in most cases by an overwhelming majority.

The final returns from six of tho 2G constituencies voting showed five Opposition and one Government victory, and nine were reported to be steadily increasing in gains for the Opposition. •Dr. H. M. Mosdell, Independent, and a former member of the Squires Government had been elected by acclamation in Fortune. The lone Government candidate elected is Mr. F. G. Bradley, Humber, who was Minister without portfolio.

When the Monroe Administration resigned in 1928, Mr. Alderdice, his righthand man, became Premier, only to be defeated two months later by Sir Richard Squires, whose first accession into power was in 1924. Last February the Governor of Newfoundland, Sir John Middleton, inquired into charges elaborated in the House of Assembly by Mr. Peter Cashin, a former Minister in tho Squires Cabinet. Mr. Cashin alleged that the minutes of the Council had been falsified to facilitate manipulation of public funds. He named Sir Richard Squires and two other high officials in his charges. On March 22 the Governor completed his investigation of the "charges, and found that there was no irregularity. Mr. Cashin had resigned when he made the charges. Early last April there was considerable public agitation against Sir Richard Squires, culminating in serious rioting at the capital, St. Johns. The Prime Minister was besieged in Government Buildings, and there were insistent demands for his resignation, but he declined. However, when Parliament assembled on April 19. Sir Richard applied for and was granted a dissolution.