Minister for Educations Defeat Likely

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 53, 5 March 1935, Page 7

Minister for Educations Defeat Likely

VICTORIAN STATE ELECTIONS United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. MELBOURNE, March 4. With only absentee and postal votes to be counted in the majority of electorates, it is apparent that with the exception of the Minister for Education (Mr. Pennington) ill the mombers of Cabinet will be returned. The DeputyPremier (Mr. McFarlan) now has a lead of 436 votes from Colonel Herring (Independent U.A.P.) with only 1500 votes still to be counted.

It is not expected that Mr. McFarlan will be unseated.

Despite the threatened opposition of the public servants in Kew the Minister of Transport (Mr. Kent Hughes) had a sweeping win from his Labour opponent (Mr. T. Botsman), polling nearly twice the number of votes of Mr. Botsman.

The Premier (Sir Stanley Argyle) said that the result of the election was a gratifying demonstration of the people’s confidence that after three years of stress, during which the National Ministry had to perform many unpleasant tasks and the people had to make great sacrifices, there should be so few changes in the personnel of the Assembly. The results showed that the people of Victoria had for a second time overwhelmingly expressed their desire for sound finance.

The Labour Leader (Mr. Tunnecliffc) said that the figures indicated clearly that the Ministry bad lost support in several constituencies. There had been a considerable increase in the Labour vote everywhere.