AUSTRALIA'S ANSWER TO VITAL ISSUE

Evening Post, Issue 119, 16 November 1925, Page 7

AUSTRALIA'S ANSWER TO VITAL ISSUE

ORDERLY GOVERNMENT OR. CHAOS?

CLEAR MANDATE FOR MR. BRUCE

The Australian Federal Elections held on Saturday under tho preferential voting system, though the counting is not complete in every case, have resulted so far in a victory for the Bruce-Page Government, and a vindication of Mr. Brace's appeal to the country on the one paramount issue of orderly Government or chaos. The returns indicate, according to the latest message, that 37 Nationalists, 13 Country Party, 24 Labour, and 1 Independent have been elected to the House of Representatives. This gives the coalition of Nationalists and Country Party a very substantial majority. The figures as to the Senate are still uncertain, but, while the Labour Leader, Mi-. Charlton, is optimistic, the Indication is that the Government will get a majority in that House also. The newspapers comment on the effective answer of the Australian people to the issue before them.

(Received 16th November, 10.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. Later, returns, although probably altered as further counts arrive, indicate the»f olio wing position:— Nationalists 37 Country Party 13 Labour ... 24 Independent ; 1 Probably the Nationalists will gain five seats and the Labour Party lose five; and Country Party "be unaltered. The Senate returns are too incomplete for definite forecast, but on the basis of the returns of the House of Bepresentatives the Nationalists are confident of securing a working majority. . . _ The poll was the heaviest in the history of Australia, most of the electorates polling over 80 per cent. The analysis of the votes cast shows that there were 11,454,000 against Labour, and 1,100,000 for Labour. ./