FEDERAL CONTESTS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13090, 2 June 1913, Page 3

FEDERAL CONTESTS.

ELECTIONS AND REFERENDA

WAITING FOR THE RETURNS

(Press Assn.— By Telegraph— Copyright.) SYDNEY, June 1. Though the weather yesterday was generally fine m New South Wales, bitter cold militated somewhat against the polling. In Victoria and Tasmania tho wintry conditions were unfavorable to a good poll, though, on the whole, tho voting was heavy.

Up to midnight, when counting was stopped, not a single electorate was completed, and the returns from many electorates, especially frorh other States, were too meagre to speculate upon. It will he days before all the returns are complete. As for the Senate and Referenda the returns are too small to tell any tale at all.

On present appearances tlie Liberals appear likely to gain two, if not four seats m New South Wales, while Labor looks as if it will take the Illawarra seat from the Liberals as a set-off to Victoria. The latest figures indicate that Labor will probably win the Fawkner and Bendigo seats from the Liberals, and there is also a possibility of their gaining Ballarat. Should Bendigo go to Labor Sir John Quick, a notable old campaigner, will disappear from the arena. Most of tlie Ministers and Mr Cook (leader of the Opposition) appear safe, though Mr Fisher (Premier) and Mr O'Malley (Minister for Internal Affairs) are fighting strong opponents. Great and enthusiastic crowds held their positions on seats m the vicinity of the newspaper offices watching the posting of the returns till an early hour this morning, m spite of the Ditter cold. On present figures five Labor seats m New South Wales are threatened — Nepean, Calare, New England, Robertson and Merriwa — and it is fairly certain .that the Liberals will suffer a :•■ verse for Hlawarra, but even some of the positions are yet capable of much alteration. In Victoria two, if not three, Labor gains are pretty well assured, while West Australia promises on Labor gain. The returns from the other States are not complete enough to forecast upon. As far as the Senate figures have gone tliey show that Labor is holding if own. (Received June 2, 9.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, June 2.

On the existing figures the Herald makes the approximate position : Labor and Liberal- each 34; doubtful, seven. It calculates the Liberal gains to be three each m New South 7 Wales, and Victoria, and one each m Queensland and West Australia, two each m Victoria and South Australia, with nine more possible Liberal and one Labor gain m various States. The (Telegraph, with reservation, states that anything may happen m a dozen electorates. It estimates the net gains of the Liberals at seven and | Labor two. A few referenda returns have been received m New South Wales, West Australia, and Queensland, slightly m favor of yes, and Tasmania m favor of no. There arc many complaints of disfranchisement through incomplete rolls. In Brisbane the supply of voting papers was short, and numbers were unable to poll.