VICTORIAN ELECTIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22046, 28 February 1935, Page 16

VICTORIAN ELECTIONS

POLLS NEXT SATURDAY parties and prospects DULLNESS OF SPEECHES [kIIOM OUll OWN COIIIIKBPONDFiNTi MELDOUUNE, Feb. 21 Victoria will fnoo n general oloction on March 2 —the ilr»t. of throo States whoso Parliaments will be dissolved within tho next two months, New South Wales and Queensland being the other two. The prospects of the parties in Victoria are not too clear and probably there will be Labour gains. Tho United Australia Party and tho Country Party, however, express confidence that thoy will retain their majority.

Nothing in tho policy sj)eeches of tho throo loaders has arroused en-, tlvusiasm among electors. That o£ the Premier and Leader of tho United Australia Party, Sir Stanley Argyle, was mainly a historical survey, the few references to tho future being colourless and uninformative. That of the Labour leader, Mr. Tunnecliffe, was too full of extravagont promises and too divorced from the practical to have any chance of converting the great middle vote to Labour's side. The Country Party leader, Mr. Bourchier, contented himself with pressing the claims of rural relief and promising generally " a fair deal to all " —whatever that much overworked phrase may mean in practical polities. It is significant that he did not attack the Ministry, in which try Party had throo representatives. According to ono well-informed political commentator, Sir Stanley Argyle is a tired man, and besides personally lacking tho imagination and driving force to devise and to push forward new policies to solve new problems, he lacks adequate support. The loss of Mr. Menzies, now Federal Attorney-General, to State politics, though inevitable sooner or later, was a tremendous blow to the Ministry's strength. There are a few outstanding men in the Ministry—notably Colonel Cohen, who is relinquishing his seat in the Legislative Council to contest a metropolitan seat in the Legislative Assembly, and Mr. Kent Hughes—but in the main it is a dull and conservative team. It will probably win this election, with perhaps a few changes in the nonLabour personnel; but only because the Country Party is similarly lacking in inspired leadership and because tho Labour' Party will not allow its brainy men to use their brains. For the 65 seats at tho election 143 nominations have been received. Twelve members of the Legislative Assembly have been returned unopposed. The United Australia Party is contesting 11 Labour and two Country Party seats. The Labour Party is contesting 19 United Australia Party and two Country Party seats. The Country Party is contesting seven United Australia Party and nine Labour seats.

In 34 out of the 53 contested electorates, there are two candidates. There will be 15 triangular contests and for three seats there are four candidates. Two of these are held by Ministers.