SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTIONS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 14 February 1921, Page 5

SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTIONS

VICTORY FOR GENERAL SMUTS

PRESENT MAJORITY TWENTY-

TWO

BY CABLE—PEKSS ASSOCIATION—COPYEIGHT (Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.) CAPETOWN, Feb. 12. Though certain of a majority of twenty-three to twenty six over all parties, General Smuts (the Premier) deeply regrets the losb of Mr De Wet (Minister for' Justice^ who refused an offer of a safe seat. He has announced: his intention of resuming his .lawyer's practice. The -South African Party gained Barkly, giving General. Smuts a majority of twenty-two over all parties, irrespective of the result,of ties and not including Independents. Only one result is now outstanding, and at present the state of the parties is: South African 78 Labour g~ .Nationalists 43

Independent l [ The gains of the \ South African Party are 10, Labour 3 and Nationalists 7. How badly the Republican cry has been smothered is seen by the following comparison: Cape Province, South Africans 36, Nationalists 13; Transvaal, 28 and 12; Natal, 14 and I.' Only the Free Slate showed' a majority for secession, and returned sixteen Nationalists and one Labourite. lii the whole U/nion 62 per cent, of the electors voted against secession. A feature of the election has been the great number of working men who supported General Smuts' policy of a honraeia I South .Africa under the Union Constitution. The railwaymeh'g votes undoubtedly helped to give General Smuts his majority.