WILL LABOUR RULE?

Southland Times, Issue 19280, 26 June 1924, Page 5

WILL LABOUR RULE?

VICTORIAN ELECTIONS PROSPECTS OP THE PARTIES LIBERALS MAY HAVE WORKING MAJORITY. (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) . MELBOURNE, June 25. (Received June 25, 5.5 p.m.) The result of the State elections to-mor-row has everyone guessing. The campaign throughout has been dull, and public interest is lacking. Over 130 candidates are contesting 45 seats, while of the 20 seats for which members have been returned unopposed, 12 are retained by Labour, five by the Nationalists, or Liberals as they are now known, and three by the Country Party. There are four parties in the field: Liberals, who stood by the Government, six Liberals who declined to follow the Government and who are being opposed by the Labourites, the Country Party and the Labourites. It is considered that Mr Peacock, who is leading the original Liberal wing, will secure a working majority, and the question is whether the Country Party, who will probably hold the balance of power, will decide to give Labour a trial at government. A section of the Country Party favour this. The Labour Party, flushed with the success of their cause in other States and in Britain, make what is considered an exaggerated claim that they stand to secure a definite majority. Some newspapers predict that there will be little change in the strength of the parties, and others ask the ominous question: “Will Labour rule?”