GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRIA

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25932, 12 October 1949, Page 5

GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRIA

DR. FIGL TO REMAIN CHANCELLOR COALITION EXPECTED TO CONTINUE (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9.20 p.m.) LONDON. October 11. The Austrian Chancellor (Dr. Leopold Figi) would remain head of the new Austrian Government, said a spokesman of the Right Wing People’s Party quoted by the Vienna correspondent of the Associated Press. The statement was made after a meeting of People’s Party leaders. The general election gave the party a

majority of 10 seats over its bociaiisi coalition partner. The present Cabinet will resign today. The Federal President (Dr. Karl Renner) will then ask Dr. Figi as leader of the strongest single party to form a Government. It is almost certain that the present coalition partnership will be continued. The People’s Party and the Socialist Party hold 144 of the 165 Parliamentary seats. The People’s Party dropped from 85 to 77 seats and the Socialists from 76 to 67. chiefly because of the campaign by the neo-Nazi League of Independents, which won 16 seats. The Communist and Left Wing Socialist bloc won five seats, compared with four which the Communists previously held. The Tass Agency correspondent in Vienna says that the elections were marked by “provocations and acts of terror against, the Left.” The correspondent, adds that there were many [ incidents in the British zone where gangs patrolled the streets armed with rubber and oak clubs. Reuter says that the results nf the elections were favourably received to- ! day by influential sections of the j British press. I “The Times.” after saying that the Austrian elections were very similar | to the German elections this summer. ) added: “In both cases the two main parties maintained their relative positions almost unchanged, in both they lost a proportion of their votes 1o now parties on the extreme Right, and in neither have the Communists and their allies made any substantia! gain.” The “Daily Telegraph” says: “The Austrian treaty seems closer now than [ it. was. but its terms are not yet entirely agreed, much less signed. Yet the Austrian Republic of to-day seems 110 boar a much more hopeful and 1 positive air than the Austrian Republic | established 30 years ago.” CHILD MIGRANTS TO NEW ZEALAND 21 MAKE UP FIFTH PARTY LONDON, October 10. Twenty-one British children migrating to New Zealand will sail to-mor-row in the Rimutaka. They comprise I the fifth party of British children to leave Britain under the New Zealand ! Government's child migration scheme, i Already 150 British children have gone i to New Zealand under the scheme. I The youngest member of the new party is five-year-old David Colbert, of Manchester, whose mother and I father live in rooms. They felt, that I David would have a better chance in j New Zealand than they could give him. i The New Zealand High Commissioner (Mr W. J. Jordan) gave the ; children a farewell party at Overseas House last night. “You will find New Zealand towns | and cities just, like your own here, and ! the people just as friendly.” he said, i He told them not to forget about their parents, and tn carry on in New ZeaGand the activities they had in Britain. ESTONIAN MIGRANTS TO THE WEST (Rec. 9.30 p.m.) LONDON. October 11. Other refugee ships will follow the former British landing craft, Victory, which brought 385 Estonian refugees from Sweden to Cork, on their way to Nova Scotia, says Reuter’s Cork edrre- | spondent. One of the refugees said that thousands cf Estonian displaced persons were fleeing to Western countries from the “Russian menace.” He added: “We have already bought many shins. Sweden is too* near Russia to be healthy.” He claimed that four ships had already reached America this year. | Estate of £1,787.399.—Mrs Kathleen Rees-Mogg. the widowed daughter of the tobacco magnate, the late Sir Frederick Wills, left an .estate of £1.787.399. Death duties will amount to £1,164.765. Fortunes left bv members of the Wills family total more than £40.000.000. These include Sir George Wills (died in 1928) £10.000.000. Mr H. O. Wills (died in i 1911) £5,214 821. Mr F. N. Wills (died in 1927) £5.053.360. and Sir Frederick Wills 'died in 1909) £3,050.558. —London, October 10.