SIR THOMAS BENT.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 765, 30 December 1908, Page 2

SIR THOMAS BENT.

HIS PARTY STILL IN POWER. VICTORIAN ELECTIONS. [BY ELECTBIO TELEGRAPH — COPYUIOiIT.J £PKB PBEBB ASSOCIATION.'! Melbourne, December 29. Fine weather prevailed for the elections. The polling was not as heavy as usual owing to many being absent for the holidays. Many returns are still incomplete. The feature of the polling is the Labour gams, that party having carried many seats, especially at the expense bf the Ministerialists. This is partly due to the holiday absentees but more to the result of the quarrels amongst other parties. It is understood that all the Ministers are safe. The latest returns make the state of the parties, roughly, to be as follows : — Ministerial ... ... 24 ' Opposition ... ... 18 Labour ... ... 21 There are the returns for two more electorates still to come in. The ; final figures may alter the results in a few cases. (Received December 30, 10.50 a.m.) Melbourne, Dec. 30. The Hon. Mr Hunt, Minister for Lands, -Ibst his seat. The Hon. Mr Swinburne only seemed bis return by six votes. The only new members are new Labourites. The rest were formerly members of the House. The opinion is held that unless Sir Thomas Bent can perform a miracle of political engineering, his Ministerial end has come. •