VICTORIAN ELECTIONS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 81, 4 March 1935, Page 7

VICTORIAN ELECTIONS.

SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT.

POSITION OF THE PARTIES

MELBOURNE, March 3

Voting in the State elections resulted in the return of the National Government, led by Sir Stanley Argyle, and composed of United Australia. Party and Country Party Ministers. Labour won back only one of the 12 seats which it lost to the United Australia Party at the last general elections.

The U.A.P., however, appears to have lost three seats to the Country Party, namely, Warrnambool, StavellArarat, and Kara Kara-Borung. When the counting ceased at midnight last night, tho figures indicated that probably the state of the parties in the new Parliament will be: — U.A.P 26 Country Party 19 Labour 17 Independents 3

In tlie Kara Kara-Borung electorate the Minister of Education (Mr J. W. Pennington) is behind the two Country Party candidates on their aggregate votes. Ho is in a precarious position and the Country Party candidate (Mr Cameron) is likely to win. The Deputy-Premier, Mr I. MacFarlan, was for a time unable to get ahead of Lieut.-Colonol Herring, his unendorsed U.A.P. opponent at Brighton. Little counting was done on Sunday, states a later message. Mr MncFarlan is now 400 ahead and is likely to win Brighton, only' 1500 absent votes remaining. Other Ministers appear to Mr H. Hollins, the only Douglas Credit candidate, has polled 9595 votes against Mr J. Gray (U.A.P.) 10,989, at Hawthorn. Four Communists received negligible support and all lost their deposits. Miss Mary Jones, the oidy woman among the 130 candidates, polled well at Port Melbourne, but has no chancp of winning. Labour’s one gain was at Geelong, Mr Brownhill lending Mr Austin (U.A.P.) by 1468 votes. Warnambool may be yvon by Mr Bailey, the former Country Party holder of the seat. Stawcll has been definitely lost by the United Australia Party to Mr Macdonald (Country Party). The city electorate at Caui field w'as won by Colonel Cohen, who resigned from the Legislative Council to contest a Legislative Assembly seat. The public servants’ campaign against Ministerial candidates owing to the refusal of a definite promise to restore salaries was absolutely without effect. A -woman rushing into the Hawthorn Town Hail to record her vote just before the poll closed slipped on the polished floor and broke her log. She was taken away without having complied with the compulsory voting provision of the poll.

In the last Parliament the United Australia Party held 29 seats, the Country Party 17, and the Labour Party 16. A total of 144 candidates were nominated for the 53 seats, the total including one woman. Twelve candidates, including the Premier, Sir Stanley Argyle, were elected unopposed.