FEDERAL ELECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20112, 24 November 1928, Page 13

FEDERAL ELECTION.

RETURNS NOT COMPLETE.

FIVE SEATS IN DOUBT. PRESENT STATE OF PARTIES. SYDNEY. Nov. 23. Political interest is now focussed on tlio five doubtful seats in the House of Representatives. These aro Herbert and Kennedy in Queensland, Boothby in South Australia, and Franklin and Donison in Tasmania.

The present indications arc that tho Government candidates will win three and Labour two of these. The absentee votes, which are now being counted, aro favouring tlio retiring members in each instance.

It is noteworthy that these particular electorates invariably provide neck and neck tussles, with a mere handful of votes separating the candidates at tho finish.

The present state of the parties forthe House of Representatives is as follows: Nationalist 29 Country Party .. .. ' . . 14 Labour .. 27 Doubtful 5 Tho counting of tho votes for tho Senate .s still proceeding. The prospects aro that Labour will win from the Government three seats each in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland, a total of nino but the issue in Victoria and Western Australia is still doubtful. Two Nationalists, Messrs. S. A. Francis and L. W. Nott, represented Kennedy and Herbert in tho last House. A Nationalist, Mr. J. G. Duncan-Hughes, sat for Boothby Both the Tasmanian members. Sir John Gillibrand for Denison, and Mr. A. C. Seabrook tor Franklin, weio Nationalists. In the last Senate Labour had one member from New South Wales, and one from South Australia, but none from Queensland, and two each from Victoria and Western Australia. There are 75 members in the House of Representatives, and 36 in the Senate.