POLLING TO-DAY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22867, 23 October 1937, Page 11

POLLING TO-DAY

FEDERAL ELECTION PARTIES IN AUSTRALIA DULL CAMPAIGN . ENDS LABOUR'S BID FOR POWER By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright SYDNEY. Oct. 22 Polling in the Australian Federal election will take place to-morrow. The campaign has been relatively dull and devoid of the bitterness which has characterised former campaigns. # This is due, it is thought, to the intensive use by party leaders of broadcasting stations,. where they have been sheltered from hecklers, questioners and the customary noisy factions. A little lioat has been engendered in the past few days by a wealth of Labour propaganda warning wives and mothers that the Lyons Government, if returned, would be certain to conscript the nation's youth in the event of Britain being embroiled in war, which seemed imminent. The Government forces, who blame Mr. J. T. Lang for this "dastardly canard," are obviously much concerned over the effects of this bogey On women voters to-morrow. Ten days ago the Prime Minister was supremely confident that the Government again would triumph at the polls, largely owing to its own record and public antipathy to-Labour's "isolationist defence policy." To-day, however, the position is obscure. The feeling on the Stock Exchange is that the Government will go back with a reduced majority, which is at present 18. Labour's campaign directors on the other hand now declare that they will win at least 13 additional seats, six being in New South \\ ales, two each in \ ictoria and Queensland, and one each in South Australia, West Australia and Tasmania. Labour will require to win 10 seats in order to gain a. majority ir the House of Representatives. MANY CANDIDATES

71 SEATS CONTESTED COALITION MINISTRY PRESENT MAJORITY OF 18 Iheie are 10 seats in the Australian House of Representatives, and all but four of them will be contested.. Four Labour members holding seats —two in New South ales and two in Victoriahave been returned unopposed. The total nominations were 194. The Ministry, led by Mr. J.- A. Lyons, is formed of United Australia Party and Country Party representatives. Its total strength in the House is ■46. The Labour Party numbers '2B. There is one Independent, Mr. A. M. Blain. Northern Territory, who is entitled to vote only on matters affecting his own sparsely-populated electorate. Thus, for policy issues, the membership of the House is 74, and the Lyons Government commands a clear majority / of IS votes. Strength of Parties The strengths of the three main parties in the various States arer-^»" ——- U.A.P Country Labour! Total X.S.W. 11 6 - *■ Victoria .. 11 3 6 00 Queensland 2 3. 5 10 Sth. Aust. .3 2 1 6 West Aust. 1 22 6 Tasmania 2 Totals 30 16 28 74

In view of the pact between the two Ministerial parties, their candidates will come into conflict in very few electorates.

The party alignments of the candidates are: —Labour, .76; U.A.P., 49; Country, 25; Douglas Credit, 15 (including 10 in Queensland); Independent, 23;. Independent U.A.P., 2; Independent Labour," 2; Communist, 2 Simultaneously with the election foi the House of Representatives, an election will be conducted for 18 seats in the Senate—three for each State. Senators hold office for six years, and, although the retiring members will continue in office until next J.une, they are obliged to seek re-election now. The Senate is not constructed on a population basis, but each State has six representatives. Ministers in Senate - Labour forces in the Senate are weak, and are recruited mainly from Queensland. In that State the three retiring senators are Labour nominees. Elsewhere, the retiring senators belong to the non-Labour parties. Whatever the results in the Senate elections, the Government is assured of majority support. Three Ministerial senators who are seeking re-election are the Minister of External Affairs, Sir George Pearce, the Postmaster-General, Mr. A. J. McLachlan, and the Assistant Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. T. C. Brennan.

A special article dealing with the election appears on page 11 of to-day's Supplement to the. Xev? Zealand Herald.