Victorian Elections Being Held Today

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 266, 10 November 1945, Page 7

Victorian Elections Being Held Today

LABOUR EXPECTED TO WIN Received Friday, 9.5 p.m. MELBOURNE, Nov. 9. Little public interest is being shown in the Victorian elections, which, it is expected, will be won by Labour. The elections will be held to-morrow. Fiftyfour seats will be contested by 146 candidates, but in 11 electorates the present members have been returned unopposed. Twentysix of the 30 endorsed Liberal candidates are new to politics and most of them served in the war. The Liberal Party’s chances of winning were reduced by the sharp division in the party’s ranks following the resignation of the former premier, Mr. Dunstan. All five of the Liberal Party breakaway members of the former Dunstan Cabinet, led by the present Premier (Mr. McFarlan) are standing as InIndependent Liberals. All are opposed by officially-endorsed members of the Liberal Party.

The only party which has nominated candidates for a sufficient number of seats to enable it to gain an absolute majority is the Labour Party, which is contesting 44 of a total of 65 seats. In the last Parliament Labour held 24 seats, Independent Labour 1, Country Party 26, and Liberals 12. In addition there were two Independents who almost invariably voted Labour. If the Labour swing is insufficient to give Labour control of 34 seats, the alternatives appear to be another Country Party-Liberal composite Government or a continuance of the present MacFarlau rebel Liberal Government, held in office by Labour. The latter alternative, however, is weakened by tie possibility of the defeat of some of the members of that Government either by endorsed Liberals or by Labour. In the event of a Labour victory, Labour will control all the .State Governments except South Australia, where Liberals rule by a slender majority.

Federal Labour Ministers who are assisting the Labour candid ites in their campaign are making a strong point of their claim that a reactionary Vietcrial State Government has always obstructed the Federal Labour Government s moves for social services.