ELECTION CANDIDATES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 82, 5 March 1938, Page 9

ELECTION CANDIDATES

N.S.W. NOMINATIONS. RIVAL LABOUR FACTIONS. INTERESTING POSITION. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received March 5, 11.30 a.m. SYDNEY, March 5. A record number were returned unopposed when nominations for the New South Wales elections closed to-day. These comprised six United Australia Party members, three United Country members and ten Labour members. The number of candidates nominated is 194, compared with 213 in 1935 and 302 in 1932. The Premier (Mr B. S. B. Stevens) is opposed in the Croydon electorate by an Independent candidate. Mr G. B. Gordon. Mr E. S. Spooner (Minister of Public Works) is opposed by an Independent as well as a Labour candiddate. A feature of the election will be the rival Labour candidates representing the State Labour executive led by Mr Lang and a new faction described as Industrialists led by Mr R. J. Heffron. In addition to the nineteen unopposed, there are no Labour candidates in the thirteen seats which are being contested by the United Australia Party, or in the seven seats contested by the Country Party, while in twelve other seats the contest will be between the rival Labour factions, or between Labour and Communists or Independents. In the remaining 39 seats there will be a straight-out contest between Government and Labour candidates, and Labour will require 24 of these to gain a bare majority in the Assembly, while the Government Parties require only 17.

Of the 39 seats involved Labour at present holds seven, whereas the United Australia Party holds 19 and the Country Party 13.