MORE RETURNS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 255, 27 October 1937, Page 7

MORE RETURNS.

FEDERAL ELECTIONS. Hopes See-Saw as Counting Proceeds. GOVERNMENT MAJORITIES. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Received 10 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. The checking of the Federal election returns has reached the stage where nearly 1,000,000 primary votes, in addition to the postal and absentee votes, remain to be counted. The approximate state of parties in the different States is:— U.A.P. C.P. Lab. X : S.W ii 5 12 Victoria !) 4 5 Queensland ... 3 :f 5 S. Australia 2 2 2 W. Australia ..1 2 2 Tasmania 2 0 2 Totale .... 28 16 28 One result in Victoria and one in South Australia are doubtful. There is still a considerable number of .primary vote* yet to be counted. The Lyons Government Is now hopefid of winning both the Adelaide and Ballarat scats. Latest figures for Ballarat show that the lead of the Labour candidate, Mr. R. Pollard, over Mr. S. Walker has been reduced to 179. Aβ 4100 votes remain to be counted Mr. Walker may snatch a last-minute victory.

In" Adelaide Mr. F. Stacey is still about 5000 behind the combined votes of three Labour opponents, but the United Australia party headquarters in Adelaide have stated that he might hold the seat.

Information received by the officials of the United Australia party in Sydney has increased their hopes that the Government will win the Senate seats in Queensland and South Australia.

The Government Senate group gained heavily in Queensland as the result of last night's counting and reduced its deficiency to only 45, compared with 10,403 on Monday. In South Australia the Government team has a lead of 125, whereas on Monday it was 878 votes in arrears. The Minister of External Affaire, Sir George Pearce, seems certain to be defeated in West Australia, where the lead of Labour has been further increased. The position in the Senate Ts without material alteration, except that Labour continues to make headway despite the fact thrt the Government lost very little ground in the House of Representatives. The consensus of opinion is that Labour will win Iβ of the 1!) Senate vacancies, leaving the Government with a very slender majority in that Chamber. The counting of first preference votes for the Senate will not be completed for about a fortnight, and until then it will not be definitely known whether the Government has iostt its majority in that Chamber.

Former Prime Minister Returned. Mr. J. H. Sciillin, a former Labour Prime Minister, recaptured Varra seat. Victoria, with a majority of 20,000. The veteran Victorian, Dr. Maloney, waa unopposed in his Melbourne constituency, and the prominent Labour member, Mr. E. J. Holloway, was unopposed in Melbourne Ports. Bendigo will probably be won on the allocation of preferences by the unofficial Country party candidate, Mr. G. Kan kin. The Labour Leader, Mr. J. Curtin, in Fremantle. West Australia, has defeated a strong Government opponent, Mr. E. Isaachessen, by 10,000. The latest figures in Warringah, electorate of Sir Arehdale Parkhilj Minister of Defence, disclose that he is in a slightly improved position, but with at least i>ooo primary votes to come, his chief opponent. Mr. J. A. Spender, K.C., requires to obtain about 60 per cent of preferences to win. The degree of personal feeling displayed against Sir Arehdale Parkhill is the subject of wide comment by his Ministerial colleagues, who feel it is quite undeserved. Only One Minister Not Yet Elected. AH the Ministers in the House of Representatives, except the Minister of Defence, Sir Arehdale Parkhill, and Mr. J. A. Hunter, Minister without portfolio, are certain to be returned.

The Minister of the Interior, Mr. T. Paterson, has polled 26,000 votes compared with ie,ooo polled by his Labour opponent, Mr. J. L. McKenna, in Gippsland, Victoria.

The recognised Labour seat of Cook has been won easily by the Labour nominee, Mr. T. Sheehan. This seat was previously held bv, Mr. J. S. Garden, who fell foul of the State Labour executive early this year, resulting in his expulsion and later reinstatement.

However, Mr. Garden failed to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of his colleagues, who declined to endorse his candidature.

Mr. Garden is now without a Parliamentary seat or the secretaryship of the Trades Hall Council, and, in conjunction with- the former Senator, Mr. J. P. punn, he has set up in business.

[By special arrangement Reiner's World Service, In addition to other special sources of information, is used in tbe compilation of the overseas Intelligence published in this Issue, and all rights therein in Australia and New Zealand are reserved. Such of the cable news on this page as Is so headed has appeared in "The Times" and is. sent to this paper by special permission. It should be understood that I the opinions are not those or "The Times" i unleu expreuly Mated to to* ao.] •