FEDERAL ELECTIONS

Evening Star, Issue 17225, 15 December 1919, Page 6

FEDERAL ELECTIONS

NATIONALISTS LEADING. Tress Association—By Telegranh—Copyright Australian and N.Z. Cable "Assooistion. SYDNEY, December 14. Owing to thir delay cause by the preferential voting, incomplete figures preclude a reliable forecast regarding the strength of parties. Both sides express satisfaction with the present results, but there seems every possibility that the" Nationalists will secure a working majority in the House of Representatives. Mr Mr Ryan, Mr Tudor, and Sir Joseph Cook appear safe. The voting indicates that Senator Russell (Vice-President of the Executive Council and Leader of the Senate), Mr Webster (Postmaster-General), and Mr Poynton (Assistant Minister for Repatriation) may lose their seats in New South Wales. December 15. t The latest returns give the state of parties as follows : Nationalist ... ... 32 Labor ..." 26 Farmers 4 Doubtful seats are: Nationalist 7, Labor 2, Farmei-s 4. THE REFERENDA. COMMONWEALTH POWERS REFUSED. SYDNEY, December 15. The referendum on the Legislative Powers issue is: Yes, 187,573; No 216.897. , ' ' The referendum on the Monopolies issue iss Yes, 167,692; No, 203,108. COWARDLY TASMANIAN ATTACK. HOBART, December 14. Air Laird Smith, Nationalist candidate for Denison, was brutally attacked while attempting to address a. crowd in the centre of thn city. Eggs and stones woro thrown, and windows were broken. The police dispersed the mob, and Mr Smith was sent to the hospital in a serious condition. PERIOD OF SUSPENSE. SYDNEY, December 15. (Received December 15, at 12.40 p.m.) Excepting where there are straight fights for the House of Representatives, all the figures are still so incomplete that sweeping chances aro possible. So far as_ the Senate and Referendum votes are concerned the present totals are a _ mere modicum, and give no reliable indication. It will be days before returns really fettle to anything like finality, and a couple of weeks or more before the results are completely known. Of the 18 Senate seats to be filled, at present 10 Nationalists and eight Laborites hold leading positions, but in several cases others on the list aTe well within striking distance. For the House of Representatives Mr Ryan romped in at West Sviney with a thumping majority. Mr HuguWs lead in Bendigo apparently puts the issue there beyond doubt. Mr Russell, the only Minister who holds a seat in the Senate, appears to be in a bad way, but three other Ministers—Messrs Webster, Glynn, and- Poynton—have fair fighting chances', and may recover later on. The wholo new system of voting worked apparently without serious difficulty so far as the House is concerned; but for the Senate, with longer lists of candidates to deal with, .greater difficulty was experienced, and probably a good manv votes were spoiled. Taking the bulk of the Teturns as they stand, whatever the latex Teturns may disclose, they certainly to a considerable exmodify tho Nationalist Leaders' predictions. There have been and will be surprises, but the Laboritea consider that on the whole their expectations have been, largely justified.

With few exceptions, polliiKr everywhere passed off quietly. At Bendigo a. prominent Nationalist supporter had to take refuge from a crowd. Under the now voting system a goodly number of interstate visitors were- disfranchised, owing to the erroneous belief that they couid vote as absentees. This was not so.