GERMAN ELECTIONS

Otago Witness, Issue 2571, 24 June 1903, Page 15

GERMAN ELECTIONS

- THE ISSUES AND RESULTS. • BERLIN, June IS. The chief issue of the. German elections is the Empire's future Customs policy. The leaders in the iron, electric, cotton; and wool industries, hoping to delay the realisation of Mr Chamberlain's policy, are striving to return non-Pro-tectionist candidates. There will be 180 second ballots, compared with 98 in the elections of' 189 S. The Social Democrats secure 55 seats at the first ballots, compared with 32 in 1898. This success is at the expense of the Radicals, and is attributed to the tariff issue and the Kaiser's interference with parties. The Freisinnige or Radical party is almost annihilated Saxony voted solidly Radical, which act is attributed to the effects of the recent royal scandal. The Socialist Tote j at Essen was 22,000, as compared with •1400 at tho last election ; at Duisiburg 25,000, compared with 7800; Boohum, 40,000, compared with 22,000; Berlin gives 100,000 above the Socialist vote of 1898; and Saxony 100,000 abovo those of all other parties combined. Many thousand voters who are not Socialists supported the Socialists, as representing the Empire's' one effective party of opposition. June 19. The results of the German elections so far as the first ballots show are as follow : — Centre (or ,Clerical) party, 88 \ Social Democrats, 64; Conservatives, 31 Poles, 14. All the other parties are smaller. The Social Democrats will probably secure upwards of 80 members after the second ballot. Their votes total 3,000,000, or double that obtained by the National Liberals in 1874, or that of tho Centre party in 1898. MELBOURNE. June 20. The Trades Hall has resolved to send a cable congratulating the German Socialists on their success in the election". At the general election in June, 1898, the following returns phowed the strength of parties:— Centre (or Clorica-l) party, 103; Social Democrats, 56 ; Conservatives, '53 ; Free Conservatives, 21 ; National Liberals, 4-8 ; Advanced Radicals, 30 ; Moderate Radicals, 13; Poles, 14; Anfci-Semites, 12; South German People's party, 8 ; Agrariaiio, 5; and mLcellaneous group of Hanoverian, Guolphs, Alsatians, Bavarians, and others. The feature of this election was a heavy gain over the previous one by the Social Democrats, but the Centre still held the ba'ance of power. The voting for tho loading partie? was as follows: — Social Democrats, 2,120,000 votes; Clerical?, 1,333,000; National Liberals, 1,160,000; Conservatives, 900,000, Radical Left, 500,000; Free Conservatives, 220,000; AntiSemites, 310,000; Moderate Radicals, 230,000; Pole;;, l£0,000 ; South German Democrats, 120,000; Alsatian Party oi Protest, 90,000; Bavarian Peasants' League, 60,000 1 Agrarian League, 60,000, but the test named claimed in 1899 to have 90,000 members. The total number of qualified electors was offually returned at 11,200,000, i»d of voters 7,600,000, or about 67 per cent.