FEDERAL ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 70, 16 December 1919, Page 9

FEDERAL ELECTIONS

RETURNS DRIBBLING - — STATE OP PARTIES SLOWLY EMERGING (Dy Telegraph-Press Association-Copyriplit Sydney, December 15. Tlio latest returns give the htato of parties as follow:— ■- " SntionsJist 32 I Labour 26 , Farmers 4 The doubtful scats are:—Nationalist, 7: Labour. 2; Farmers, •!. Tho referendum figures are:—■ Legislative Towers. Yes s 187,573 No 210,897 Monopolies. Yes : 167,692 No : 203,108 Excenting where thero are straight-out fiehis! for the Houso of Representatives, all tho figures aro still so incomplete that sweeping changes are possible. As far as the Senate and referendum votes aro concerned, tho present totals are a mere modicum, and give no reliable indication. ,It will bo days before the results renllv settle to anything like finality, and a couple of weeks more before they are complete. Of ihe eighteen Senate seat. 1 ) to be filled, ten Nationalists aiid eight Labourites at present hold the lea'dintr positions, but in several cases others on tho list are well within striking distance.

Mr. Ryan romped in in West Sydney, with a thumping majority, and Mr. Hughes's lead in Bendigo apparently nuts the issue quite beyond doubt. Mr. Russell, the only Minister who holds a Senatorial seat, appears in a bad way, but three others Ministers. Mr. Webster, Mr. Glvnn, and Mr. Poynton; have fair ntrhf.inir chances, aud may recovcr on a later vote. On t.ho whole, the new system of votins worked apparently without serious difficulty as far as the House, is concerned. but for the Senate, with a longer ■list of :candidates -to- deal with, it was mors difficult, and there are probably a good manv spoiled votes. Taking the bulk of tho returns as they stand, whatever the later returns may disclose, they certainly to a considerable extent modify the Nationalists' leaders' predictions that there' ■'have been and will be but'the Labourites consider on tho whole that their expectations have, been largely just'fied. With few exceptions, polling everywhere Kissed off quietly. Mr. Lnird Smith, Nationalist candidate for.Dcnisnn, .Tasmania was roughly handled ,the night before the poll, and at Bendigo a prominent Nationalist, sujioorter had to take refuge-from tho crowd.

Under the new votilig system n goodly number of intor-Statq were disfranchised. owing to Hie erroneous lx>IVf that, they could vote as rbsentees. This is not so. Later. Returns are slowly dribbling in-without so far altering tho,.po.'itinn. If the present indications are fulfilled, the Nat.'onalists stand to lofe to Labour four seats, and to the Farmers' Party two seats in New South Wales, three in South Australia, and one in Queensland to Labhuf, while the Fanners ; v.in one from labour-in-West Australia, -provided the other thirteen doubtful seats go finally to the parties wlrch held them. Tho new House will consist of 41 Nationalists, 8 Farmers, and 28 Labour, as against 49 Nationalists,. 3 Farmers, and 23 Labour in the old House. A feature of-the elections'is tho •■'apparent, heavy defeat ..of. the NationaPst-LaboiiritPs who left the Labour Party three .•'ears aso in support •" of- conscription; They include, unless later returns .cause a svnng back, the following prominent memWebster, Chanter, Poynton, Archibald, Russell. Another prominent political! who' appears to bo doomed is BruceSmith.

_ THE LATEST SUJDIAEY.' (Rec. Decembel' 16, 0.5 aim.) Sydney,' December 15. The latest summarv of the elect ; or> lehirns shows that 23 Nationalists aro *-lected and 10 are in leading position; three of the Farmers'• Party are elected, and five are*, lead'ngj- 1.4 .Labour men are elected and 20 are leading. . Poynton has secured a slight 'Majority over tho Labour candidate, and hi: return is regarded as almost certain. There seems little chance of Senator Webster and Senator Russell recovering' .heir seats.—Press Assn. ...