RESULT STILL IN

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23132, 23 September 1940, Page 7

RESULT STILL IN

DOUBT

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT.}

(Received September 22, 7.30 p.m.>

SYDNEY, September 22,

The loss of four Government seats to Labour, with good prospects of Labour winning six other Government seats, and the loss of three Labour seats to the Government was the conclusion reached when the counting of votes in the Federal election ceased early this morning.

Two other Labour seats may also go to the Government, but if Labour wins all the seats in doubt it will have a' majority in the House of Representatives. The gain of seven electorates would give the Labour Parly 39 seats and the United Australia Party and the United Country Party 35.

However, the position is so doubtful at present that the Government may be returned, tout with a small majority.

There -was a definite swing to Labour in New South Wales, but this was not apparent in the other states. An outstanding feature of the polling was the reverse suffered by “new blood” candidates, who stood under the United Australia Party's banner. It appears that the Prime Minister (Mr R. G. Menzies) will secure an absolute majority in his electorate of Kooyong, but the Postmaster-General (Mr H. V. Thorby) will probably lose his seat at Calare. The seats of all the other Ministers seem safe. Even Sir Frederick Stewart, at Parramatta, who was hotly opposed because of his administration of the Department of Supply, has a good majority. The former Premier of New South Wales (Mr B. S. B. Stevens), who was hailed by the United Australia Party as the coming Federal Treasurer, failed badly against the sitting Labour member for the Lang electorate. Mr H. V. Evatt. who resigned from the High Court Bench, defeated the United Australia Party's candidate in the Barton electorate by a comfortable figure. The seat of the Labour leader (Mr J. Curtin) at Fremantle is doubtful, although he at present has a lead of 800 votes.

The Government lost the Henty seat, in Victoria, to an Independent, Mr E. Coles, who is Lord Mayor of Melbourne, but he is expected to support the Government. The seat was previously held by Sir Henry Gullett, who was killed in the Canberra air crash.

Apparently Labour has retained only two of the four seats it held in Tasmania.

Darwin is likely to be retained by Colonel G. J. Bell, Speaker of the House of Representatives. The leader of the Country Party (Mr A. G. Cameron) has a substantial lead over the two other candidates in his electorate.

In South Australia, where Labour has lost one seat to the Country Party, the sitting members are likely to retain the other seats, .

NAZI TRANSPORT

SUNK

BRITISH SUBMARINE’S

FEAT

(Received September 22 7 p.m.)

LONDON, September 20.

An Admiralty communique confirms the sinking of a German transport of 10,000 tons by the submarine Sturgeon. The transport was torpedoed off the north point of Denmark. Earlier rePorte of the sinking were denied by the Germans. ■

The Admiralty communique states; it can now be stated that His Majesty s submarine Sturgeon successfully attacked a heavily-laden enemy transport oft the northern point of Denmark on the evening of September 2. The enemy transport was a ship of about 10,000 tons. She was escorted by small naval vessels and aircraft. The Sturgeon carried out a successful attack in spite of difficult conditions of light and heavy weather. Her torpedoes hit the enemy transport, from which came brilliant flashes of flame and a dense column of smoke.; A few minutes later the whole ship burst into flames. •

“When the Sturgeon came to the surface some time later, the transport had sunk, and ‘the German escort vessels were sweeping the water with their searchlights in search of survivors.

“It will be remembered that reports from Stockholm stated that a German transport had been sunk bv a British submarine off The Skaw on the evening of September 2, and a very large number of German troops were killed. This was denied by the German wireless and the Official News Agency An officer of the Sturgeon has told the story of the torpedoing -nd sinking of the transport. He said that in the Skaggerak that morning it was blowing quite hard, and they saw nothing at all until an. aeroplane came into sight as it was getting dusk Then the hydrophone operator reported that he could faintly hear a ship. They had a look "round and saw first one small German destroyer, then another, and then an enormous transport.

“The conditions were not very good and the transport was about two and a half miles away when she was first sighted.

“We went to diving stations, and very shortly afterwards fired our torpedoes. As soon as we fired, we went down a bit, but after two or three minutes came up for a look round,” he said. “The transport was still going along w'ith the destroyers escorting her, and the aeroplane flying round. “We waited, and then fired again. Not long after the second lot of torpedoes were fired there was quite a big bang in the submarine. Then we had another look, and saw a gigantic column of black smoke which must have gone 2000 feet into the air. “We dived, but came up for another look about 20 minutes later. We saw the transport burst into flames. It was a terrific sight. The transport was settling down in the water. She was a mass of llame from end to end. “We had another look an hour later and the transport was then gone. The only thing that marked the spot was searchlights and torpedo-boats, obviously searching for survivors.” Reports from Denmark state that the transport was carrying between 3000 and 4000 troops, and that there was great loss, of life. The transport was bit at [mm 5000 to 6000 yards.