N.S.W. Labour Party Retains Office

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 124, 29 May 1944, Page 6

N.S.W. Labour Party Retains Office

OPPOSITION PAILS TO MAKE HEADWAY (By Telegraph—Frees Azen —Copyright.} Received Sunday, 7.30 p.m. SYDNEY, May 28. The McKell 4Labour Government was relumed to office at the New South Wales State elections yesterday. While the counting of votes has not yet been completed, the indications are that there will be few changes in the new State Legislative Assembly. The Government will probably hold 56 scats, giving it a majority of 22, the same as in the last Parliament. In many seats Labour members who won by narrow margins in 1941, have increased their majorities. The most significant development was the strengthening of the Lang Labour group by the addition of a new woman member, Mrs. Lilian Fowler. Mrs. Fowler defeated the former Labour speaker (Mr. r. Durke) in the Sydney electorate of Newtown. She was once Mr. Durke s secretary. Mr. Lang was the only member of his party in the last State ment. The official Labour attempt to defeat Mr. Lang in the Auburn electorate of Sydney was doomed to failure. Official Labour, however, is certain to win at least one teat from the Democratic Party. As the United Australia Party, the Democrats were the official Opposition in the last State Parliament. With the assistance of the Independents, they may now be replaced in that role by the Country Party. The new Liberal Democratic Party, a breakaway group of the Democratic Party, polled badly and failed to win a single seat, and many of the Party’s candidates will lose their deposits. The probable state of the parties la the new Parliament (with representa. tions in the last Parliament in parentheses) is: Official Labour, 56 (56); Lang Labour, 2 (1); Democratic, 12 1 (14); Liberal Democratic, nil (nil); Country Party. 11 (10): Independents, 9 (9); Communists, nil (nil); total seats 90. The elcctiou results exceeded Labj our’s most optimistic forecast and are i described by Premier McKell as • eminently satisfactory.’' However, the Sunday Telegraph edi- | torially points out that Official Labour I cannot take fall credit for the victory as the disputes between the leaders of the non Labour parties have considerably stvenghened Labour's position. • “Yesterday’s State vote—like the Federal vote last August—shows that tbo United Australia Party under whatever 1 name it aflects is politically dead,” de- , Clares the Telegraph. *' This is bad for , the State. Any Government must suffer without the corrective of a progressive and virile Opposition. We have not got one in New South Wales."