FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 21049, 7 December 1931, Page 9

FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

nominations close. >A FEVERISH CAMPAIGN. OF PARTIES. iabour losses likely. STATE' FACTION FIGHT. jj y Telc?rapli—Press Association—Copyright, (deceived December 6. 5.5 p.m.) SYDNEY. Dec. G Nominations for the Federal Parliamentary elections on December 19 closed on Saturday throughout Australia for 75 seats in the Ilonse of Representatives and 12 in the Senate, one-third of whose numbers retire. The nominations total 225 for the House and 54 for'the Senate. With polling day only a fortnight awav, candidates are feverishly engaged in their campaigns- They represent the following parties: United Australia Party, led by Mr. J. 'A. Lyons and Mr. J. G. Latham. United Country Party, led by Dr. Earle Fage. i All for Australia League, the leadership of which lacks definition. Official Federal Labour Party, under the banner of Mr. J. H. Scullin and Mr. j E. G. Theodore. Socialist or Langile Labour Party, led bv Mr. J. A. Beasley, who brought about the crisis in the house. A Formidable List. Some Independents and a handful of Communists swell the formidable list, which is made up as follows: —New South Wales, House of Representatives, 96; Senate. 15; Victoria, 60, 9; Queensland, 21, 7- South Australia, 22, 7; Western Australia, 11, 6; Tasmania, 12, 12; Northern Territory, 1, 0. The Northern Territory has only one non-voting representative. Tho following tables show the party nominations in each State: — HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. N.S.W. Vie. Qsld. S.A. W.A. Tas. c ea t 3 ... 2S 20 10 7 5 5 United Aus. '2O 13 7 7 2 5 United Country. 9 8 2 - All for Aus. 1 ' — —. Scullin Party 23 20 0 Go 5 Lang Party . 24 1 22 Indep. v. 10 11 3 6 3 Communist .4 3 1 In the Northern Territory, there are one Scullin candidate and two Independents. SENATE. N.S.W. Vic. Qsld. S.A.'W.A. Tas. United Aus. 3 3 3 3 •( £> Scullin Party 3 3 3 3 3 3 Lang Parly .3 Indep. ..3 2 Communist 1 1 1 1 1 The United Australia Tarty is composed largely of/ former Nationalists and members of the All for Australia League. The Country Party is determined to preserve its entity and declines to be absorbed by the United Australia Party. Nevertheless, it is willing to co-operate and espouses the broad principles of the .United policy, namely, safe and sane administration, sound finance and national rehabilitation along orthodox and practical lines. The only difference in the respective policies relates to a high tariff wall, while the slogan of the combined parties is, "In Tune with Britain. Mr. Scullin's Concern. Here and there a detached All for Australia I'arty candidate and a Country Party man are running against tho accredited nominees of their parties, an action which is viewed with disfavour. Scullin's main concern is what is going to happen in New South Wales, where his followers aro being hotly challenged by supporters of Mr. Beasley. In no other State is tho Labour faction fight being pursued. The popular belief is that the Beasley followers will win a couple of metropolitan seats from the Scullin Party, owing to Mr. Lang s dominating influence in industrial areas, and that the United Australia Party will also regain several scats lost at the last election to Labour. Mr. Theodore is having a stormy time in his own constituency at Dalley (New South Wales) aud his banking policy has, according to critics, become a millstone round his neck. Mr. Theodore, in his turn, apparently thinks less of the Beas-ley-Lang plan, which he describes as " a vacuum surrounded by a big noise. The Daily Telegraph dubs it as a financial nightmare which it is impossible to analyse." /' Energetic Campaigning. Campaigning throughout tho country in all States is proceeding on energetic lines. Some candidates are using aeroplanes. The anti-Labour men are, making a. strong point of plans to deal with the Communist menace, tho Prime Minister's failure to live up to his lavish promises for the relief of unemployment and assistance to primary producers, and the shortcomings of Langism. The Labour campaign in tho country is likely to be restricted owing to the shortness of time before the election. ... Mr. Lyons, who is being opposed in his own electorate, Wilmot, in Tasmania, by a former Ministerial colleague, Sir. G. S. Becker, in the Tasmanian Parliament, says he will not be surprised if 14 seats are lost by' the Scullin Government in New South Wales, where anti-Labour forces will secure a majority, while lie expects the Senate candidates of the United Australia Parly to secure a sweeping vic- • torv. Mr. S. M. Bruce, the former PrimeMinister, has to Tight Dr. Haywocd, a Labour candidate, in Flinders. Two representatives in Queensland, one In Victoria and two in Western Australia are returned unopposed. Independent candidates in South Australia include Sirs. Goode and Mi. Craw ford Vaughan, Premier from 1915 to 1917. A surprise nomination in New South Wales was that of Mr. James Dooley, a former Premier, as au Independent •' straight Labour " candidate. The New South Wales Parliament >ias adjourned/until December 21 to enable members to participate in the campaign.