AUSTRALIAN ELECTIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 September 1940, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN ELECTIONS

RESULT STILL IN DOUBT N.S.W. GAINS BY LABOUR [BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] SYDNEY, September 22. The loss of four Government seats to Labour, with good prospects of Labour winning six other Government seats, and the loss of three Labour seats to the Government was the conclusion reached when the counting of'votes in the Federal election ceased early this morning. Two other Labour seats may also go to the Government/but if Labour wins all the seats ih doubt it will have a majority in the House of Representatives. The gain of seven electorates would give the Labour Party 39 seats and the United Australia Party and the United Country Party 35. However, the position is so doubtful at present that the Government may be returned, ‘but with a small majority. There was a definite swing to Labour in New South Wales, but this was not apparent in the other States. An outstanding feature of the polling was the reverse suffered by “new blood” candidates, who stood under the United Australia Party’s banner. It appears that the Prime Minister (Mr. Menzies) will secure an absolute majority in his electorate of Kobyong, but the Postmaster-Gen-eral (Mr. Thorby) will probably lose his seat at Calare. The seats of all the other Ministers seem safe. Even Sir Frederick Stewart, at Parramatta, who was hotly opposed because of his administration of the Department of Supply, has a good majority. The former Premier of New South Wales (Mr. B. S. B. Stevens), who was hailed by the United Australia Party as the coming Federal Treasurer, failed badly against the sitting Labour member for the Lang elector■» Mr. H. V. Evatt, who resigned from the High Court Bench, defeated the United Australia Party’s candidate in the Barton electorate by a comfortable figure. The seat of the Labour leader (Mr. J. Curtin) at Fremantle is doubtful, although he at present has a lead of 800 votes. The Government lost .the Henty seat, in Victoria, to an Independent, Mr, E. Coles, who is Lord Mayor of Melbourne, but is expected to support the Government. The seat was previously held by Sir Henry Gullett, who was killed in the Canberra air crash. Apparently Labour has retained only two of the four seats it held in Tasmania. Darwin is likely to be retained by Colonel G. J. Bell, Speaker of the House of Representatives. The leader of the Country Party (Mr. A. G. Cameron) has a substantial lead over the two other candidates in his electorate. In South Australia, where Labour has lost one seat to the Country Party, the sitting members are likely to retain the other seats.

GAINS AND LOSSES SYDNEY, September 21. The former Minister of Customs, Mr. Lawson, will probably be defeated in MacQuarrie by the official Labour candidate, Mr. J. B. Chiffley. The Government made a desperate bid to regain Corio, but have failed, as it has been won by Labour. It was gained by Labour when Mr. R. G. Casey went to America. The Davis Cup tennis player, Mr. Gerald Patterson, carried the Government’s banner there, but his polling was not heavy. Labour expects to gain considerably from the soldier votes. Mr. Beasley, the Leader of the NonCommunist Labour Party, has won the West Sydney seat with a big majority. Mr. E. S. Spooner, who, like Mr; Stevens (ex-N.S.W. Premier) resigned from the New South Wales Assembly to contest the Robertson electorate, has a good chance of displacing the sitting member, Mr. Gardner. Both stood in the U.A.P. interests. The Federal Treasurer, Mr. Spender, had a clear-cut win at Warringah. The newly-formed New South Wales Labour Party has made a poor showing in the elections. The Leader, Mr. J. R. Hughes, came a bad last of three Labour candidates in the Reid electorate. This seat will probably be won by the sitting Non-Com-munist Labour Member, Mr. Gander. Labour appears to have won eight seats and lost three. Labour has won Wannan in Victoria, blit in South Australia is likely to lose Wakefield. Labour seems to have a fair chance of winning Wide Bay in Queensland from the U.A.P. It is considered possible that the election may end in a tie. Labour has a big lead assured for the Senate in New South Wales. The South Australian and Westralian Senate votes are so far in favour of the Government. Mr. Mulcahy is sure of Lang seat, N.S.W. Among seats lost to Labour are Macquarrie, Watson and Banton. There appear to be thirteen certain Labour seats in’ N.S. Wales, and seven are in doubt, while the Government is sure of eight. Mr. Thorby’s position is much in doubt. Mr. Scully has won Gwydir, contrary to Government hopes. Mr. Hughes has a big majority in North’ Sydney, and Mr. Menzies in Koogong. Labour has won and lost a seat in South Australia.

MR. CURTIN IN DANGER. (Recd. Sept. 23, 9 a.m.). SYDNEY, September 23. When counting ceased last night, the position of the parties was not materially altered. All the primary votes have not yet been counted. Whichever party wins, its majority will be very small. The Government has regained the Wilmot seat, in Tasmania, which it lost to Labour when the former Prime Minister, Mr. Lyons, died. There is a definite prospect that, on last night’s count, Mr. Curtin will lose the Fremantle seat to the-U.A.P. candidate, Mr. F. R. Lee. It is generally believed in the electorate that the preference votes of the independent candidate will go to Mr. Lee. While there is a heavy swing . to Labour in New South Wales, this is offset by a mild swing to the Government in the other States. At the present stage, in the aggregate official Labour has secured a majority of the

votes cast. The totsjl of informal votes will be high. The position of the Senate election is still too confused to gain any impression how the voting will end. GOVT. MAJORITY EXPECTED. COALITION PROPOSALS. (Received September 23, 11.55 a.m.) SYDNEY, September 23. On the latest returns, the “Herald” expects that the Menzies Government will be returned, with' its majority reduced from 10 to 8. The “Telegraph” says: The latest count indicates that the Government is likely to retain office with a majority of at least three seats. The “Herald” gives the state of parties as: U.A.P. 23, Country Party 14, Labour 30, doubtful seven. The latest count increases the probability of the defeat of Mr. Curtin in Fremantle. Mr. Led is now only 34 votes behind. The blame for the reversal is attributed partly to overconfidence by Mr. Curtin’s immediate supporters, and partly to Labour’s refusal to join the War Cabinet. Mr. Menzies said that the election must be regarded as a clear mandate to prosecute the war with the utmost vigour. Mr. Curtin said the results suggested that the Government had not had the conclusive testimony of public opinion. In view of his likely defeat, he deputed Mr. Forde, deputyleader, to speak on behalf of the Labour Party. The “Telegraph’s” Melbourne correspondent says that fresh overtures to the Labour Party to form a National Government, will be made by Mr. Menzies, as a result of the elections.

The Senate count is still too limited to make any ' accurate forecast. The Government may return its Senate candidates in every State but New South Wales, which is the only State in which Labour has a lead in the votes counted so far. It appears likely that three Labour Senators will be returned in New South Wales. The Government candidates are well ahead in all other States. It is likely that the Government candidates will be returned for all seats in these States. This would return 16 Senators supporting the Government, and three supporting Labour. The Senators who did not retire were 14 Labour and three Government. The new Senate, therefore, is likely to be Government 19, Labour 17. If, however, the Government l<?ses its majority in the’Senate, the possibility of a double dissolution later arises. This problem will not have-to be faced immediately, because the retiring Senators will not complete their term until June 30, next.. .