LABOUR GAINS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25357, 12 November 1945, Page 5

LABOUR GAINS

VICTORIAN ELECTIONS MAY NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH (ffpcd. IO.Ki p.m.) MELBOURNE, Nov. 11 Although Labour is likely to gain seven seals following the Victorian general elections yesterday, the party has failed to gain the. number of seats required to give it an absolute majority over all other parties. Nevertheless, although the position is still somewhat confused, pending completion of the count, it is possible that Labour may be able to form a Government with the support of the Independents. The sensation of the election is the almost total defeat of the stop-gap MacI'arlan "rebel"' Ministry, including the Premier, Mr lan Macfarlan, himself. Present indications are that only three Ministers are likely to survive. Likely strengths of the parties in the new Parliament, compared with the old. are: New Old Labour 31 24 Country Party 18 26 Liberals 10 12 Macfarlan Liberals . . . • 3 0 Independents 22 Independent Labour . . 1 1 In the above figures for the old Parliament six re lie I Liberal members of the Macfarlan Ministry are included in the Liberal figures. Labour appears to have achieved its gain in strength mainly owing to dissension between the Liberal and Country Parties, rather than to any pronounced swing toward Labour. Most of the Labour gains have been at the expense of the Country Party. Of the Liberals endorsed by the party against the rebel Liberals only one was successful. He was Brigadier Hay Tovell, who defeated Mr Macfa rlan.

Labour won only one of these former Liberal seats, defeating Mr Haworth, Minister of Health, for Albert Park. Mr A. G. Allnutt, who was recently expelled from the Country Party, also was defeated by Labour for Mildura. Five new members are servicemen. Apart from the rebels, the Liberal Party appears not to have lost any seats, and lias gained five. "STALIN'S SUCCESSOR" ZHDANOV _lN_ MOSCOW READY TO TAKE CONTROL (Herd. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 10 General Andrei Zhdanov, chairman of the Leningrad Soviet, has arrived in Moscow ready' to take charge of the country if Generalissimo Stalin's illness continues, says the Daily Mail's Stockholm correspondent. According to well-informed Finnish sources, adds the correspondent, Generalissimo Stalin personally named General Zhdanov as his successor in a sealed letter deposited with the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.

Whether or not there is any truth in all the current rumours concerning Generalissimo Stalin's health, the fact remains that no official explanation has been given for his absence from the recent anniversary celebrations. Reports about the Russian leader are: That he is in a nursing home at Gagri. near Sochi, following a sudden turn for the worse in his health, and that specialists and his daughter have been summoned; that there is wrangling behind the scenes for control ol tho Red Army; that while Stalin will continue in a powerful position in the Communist Party he will no longer attend meetings of the Big Three. PERSIA'S ANXIETY FOREIGN TROOPS MUST GO (Reed. 7.40 p.m.) NEW YORK, Nov. 11 Hussein Ala, Persia's first Ambassador to the United States since the Legation was given Embassy status, has arrived in New York. He said Persia desired to establish very friendly relations with her powerful neighbours and with her war Allies, but she was naturally jealous of her sovereign rights and saw no reason why foreign troops should still be in Persia, which had rendered yeoman service to the cause of liberty and democracy. "We cannot be masters in our own house until evacuation is completed," he. insisted. Washington officials say all Allied forces should be out this winter. Britain and Russia have agreed tacitly to remove their forces by March. 1916. while the Americans are withdrawing rapidly. REPATRIATING ITALIANS ROME. Nov. 10 The War Ministry has announced thai 7K1.000 Italian prisoners of war have so far been repatriated. The shipping shortage is delaying the return of 502.000 others, of whom approximately 160,000 are in Britain ana 36,000 are in America,