LABOUR VICTORY

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1248, 5 October 1911, Page 5

LABOUR VICTORY

WEST AUSTRALIAN ELECTIONS By Teleeraph—Press Association—Copyrient (Eec. October i, 11.10 p.m.) Perth, October i. Many of tho Stato election returns aro incomplete, but thoso so faT completed show that the Ministerialists, who had only a bare majority, , have lost the following eight scats to tho Labour parly: Perth, Perth East, Fremantle, Subiaco, Canning, Swan, Geraldton, and Monzies. Tho only metropolitan sent retained is Claremont The Premier (Mr. Wilson) i 3 safe, but Mr. Daglish, Minister for Works, and Mr. Gregory, Minister for Railways, havo been defeated. Mr. Mitchell, Minister for Lands, was olocted by a small majority. i From the above message it appears ecr- , tain that the West Australian Labour party will have a substantial working ; majority in tha Legislative Assembly. , Mr. John Scaddan, leader of tho Labour j party, who was returned unopposed for . Ivanhoo, and who will no doubt shortly be called upon to form a Ministry, is described as an able speaker, though D with a rathor brusque and abrupt umnnor. He is not an educated man or an orator, but is remarkably popular with the crowd on tho goldlields, and is said to bo exceptionally honest and straightforward as a politician. He has been a member of the Assembly since 1901, when •tho first Labour Ministry camo into power under Mr. Daglish. In August of s last year Mr. Danish changed sides in v tho Houso and joined tho Liberal Ministry, Mr. Scaddan succeeding him as leader of the Labour party. The Rev. George Tregeax. president of ' tho West Australian Alliance, who ar- . rived in Wellington yesterday, states that [ the Stato Labour party is being solidly supported in the elections by the tem--1 peranco organisations and the churches. ' There is at present an extraordinary Local Option Act in force in the State under which effective action is debarred until 1921. The Labour party has promised, of its own initiative, to ropeal this Act and givo immediate local option with a bare majority, and also to pass a second Act regulating tho control of the liquor traffic generally. Mr. Trojjear says the Labour party now obtains wide support in the State from outside i purely trades union rank.?, and its can- , didates include lawyers, chemists, doctors, and business men.