NEW STATE PREMIER

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 February 1947, Page 7

NEW STATE PREMIER

LABOUR ELECTION IN NEW SOUTH WALES MR. J. McGIRR CHOSEN SYDNEY, Feb. 5. The Minister of Housing (Mr. J. McGirr) was elected Premier of New South Wales to-day in succession to Mr. W. J. McKell. After a series of caucus ballots lasting into the afternoon, he defeated the Minister of Education (Mr. R. J. Heffron) by two votes. Mr. McKell attended the caucus meeting and voted in all the ballots. The caucus rejected an application by cablegram from the United States by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. E. H. Graham) for permission to take part by proxy. Earlier ballots successively eliminated the Minister of Lands (Mr. W. F. Dunn), the Minister of Works (Mr. J. J. Cahill), and the Chief Secretary ;(Mr. J. M. Baddeley). I The final ballot was 29 to 27 in ’favour of Mr. McGirr. He and his [Ministry will be sworn in after Mr. McKell tenders his resignation to the Governor (Lieutenant-General J. H. Northcott). Mr. McGirr, who is 56, has been 25 years in state politics, and was first elected to the Legislative Assembly as member for Cootamundra in 1922. ■He was Minister of Health and [Transport in the Lang Government ! in 1931-32, and in 1941 was given the 'portfolio of Minister of Local Government. He was closely associated .with Lang and was one of the few '■ Labour members who stayed with [him until 1940, when the free faction in the Parliamentary Labour Party was consolidated. ’