THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15894, 7 May 1917, Page 6

THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

BIG NATIONALIS! VICTORY. SWEEPING MAJORITY INHOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, i I POSITION TN SENATE UNCERTAIN. NaTIONAUST GROUPS TRADING. MR 7IX (71 IF,? RETURNED FOR IiENDIGO. (Bv -Pws Aftwintion—Copytight.) (licceived May oth. 0.0 p.m.) SYDNEY. May G. The wntiio- was fitio for the Federal elections, and voting generally vms solid. Tiic figures are in 110 instance complete. but w-licn counting ceased at midnight they wore sufficiently ad- | advanced so far a> tho House of Hop resentatives is concerned. to place a bi<* Nationalist, victory beyond nil doubt. As for tlii* Senate, some day R will hav 0 to elapse before the count will show anything like finality, but tho [ Nationalist groups in a!l the States are I leading with such a .margin as to make tho Nationalist';' hope of winning tho ! required majority in tho Upper House ! most promising. Tho postal and soldiers' votes hare still to be token into account, and it 1 will probably be something liko a forknight before the soldiers' votes are available. ! The incompleteness of tho election returns and tho possibility of very considerable alterations makes it impossible to state the position with any exactness. On the present figures ft rough approximation of the probable strength of parties in the House of Represents tivea 15: — Nationalist? ... ... 4? Political Labour League ... L".' Doubtful ... ... 6 With the exception of Mr }Ya, Webster, Postmaster-General, who has considerable leeway to make up, alj the Ministers arc apparently safe. Mr W. M. Hughes's faith in abandoning his old love, West Sydney, for Bcndigo. was well placed, as he is secure with a thumping majority, while Mr Joseph Cook had a runaway victory for Parramatta, and Mr J. H. Catte, leader of tho anti-conscription in the referendum campaign, romped in for the Cook electorate. A number of seats are likely to . change hands. The Political Labour Lcagtle looks like capturing two of . thre 0 seats in New South Wales, while Mr F. G. Tudor, leader of tho official Labour Party, admits that tho throe Labour seats in Victoria appear to hav« gone to the Nationalists. As regards tho Senate, tho outstanding feature is the probability of the Nationalists capturing three Victorian seats. For th© third seat, which New South Wales previously held for Labour, a Nationalist holds a good lead. However, tho Senate figures present a mere dribble compared with the final count. Mr Tudor easily defeated his oppo> « nent for the Yarra seat.