N.S. WALES ELECTIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16963, 27 March 1917, Page 5

N.S. WALES ELECTIONS

PRESS COMMENTS.

VICTORY FOR SANE GOVERNMENT.

Press Aseociation-By Telegraph— Copyright.

Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.

• -\ SYDNEY, March 25. ine elections aroused keen interest in the other States, and the result is accepted as au indicator -to the forthcoming commonwealth struggle. The Morning Herald gives the state of parties as :— " Nationalist .49 Political Labour League ... 30 Uncertain " The Daily Telegraph"gives :—' Nationalists 47 Political Labour League" ." 33 Independent ... " 1 Doubtful ... .") 'W 1 Second ballots "'. ' a

Ihe Herald, in a leader, says: "The victory of the Nationalists is the victory of sane government, on well-ordered, progressive lines It is evidence that while"tkis btate is thoroughly democratic in thought it abhors extremists on either side tnd nas no confidence in men who would destroy an institution, and out of its ruins secsk to erect an anarchic State " The Daily Telegraph, in a leader, says : litie btate has reason to congratulate itself on securing a sane, stable Government, free of a secret taskmaster in the shape of the caucus."

Mr Storey says he is not exactly satisfied with the results, as he thought his party should have done considerably better. • J . Mr Meagher attributes his defeat lar^elv 3° ", fcDtld > venomous, sectarian issue " The Morning Herald ooints out that though direct Labour has increased the number of its supporters which it had alter the recent conscription split came the result of the election puts the Political labour League bade to where it stood 10 years ago, at the becrinning of Labour's rise to power. The feature of the voting was that all the second ballot victories which the Labour party secured in the metropolis at tihe- 1910 elections have been turned 1 round upon them. Of the old Liberal warty Mr Waddell is the only one to suffer defeat, but the Nationalist section of the -1 Labour party suffered considerably, losing nine seats to the Political Labour League. The latest figures leave the posSion unaltered. All the Ministers are safe.

MR HUGHES PLEASED. POSSIBILITY OF- CHANGES IN .RETURNS. /■d • ~, T S P*TEY, March 26. (Received March 26 at 9.45 p m.) Mr Hughes, commenting on the election said the caucus party !had suffered a wholesome defeat. They had been living in a fool's paradise since the referendum! but the light of day had pierced the mist through which they imagined they saw the promised land. They would find themselves a hopelessly discredited party The constituency of Kanibah, which was yesterday included as a i'.L:L. win is still in doubt. A'second ballot is required, and there is a possibility of Mr A Edden (Labour-Nationalist) retaining the seat. With the absentee vote still to count there is'a bare possibility that Mr T. Waddell wiU npt be ousted for the Lyndhurst seat.