SMALL LABOUR GAINS IN FEDERAL ELECTION

Southland Times, Issue 24238, 23 September 1940, Page 5

SMALL LABOUR GAINS IN FEDERAL ELECTION

OPPOSITION LEADER’S SEAT IS DOUBTFUL

(United Press Association—Telegraph Copyright) (Received September 22, 6.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, September 22. The loss of four Government seats to Labour with good prospects of Labour winning six other Government seats, and the loss of three Labour seats to the Government, was the conclusion reached when the counting of votes in the Federal election ceased early on Sunday morning.

There was a possibility that two other Labour seats might also go to the Government. If Labour wins all the seats in which there is doubt it would have a majority in the House. The position in the Fremantle seat formerly held by the Labour leader, Mr J. Curtin, is doubtful, and Mr Curtin regards the position so seriously that he announced tonight that he did not feel entitled to speak for the party.

A gain of seven seats would place the parties as follows:—

Labour 39 United Australia Party and United Country Party 35

The position is so doubtful, however, that the present Government may be returned, but with a small majority. There is a definite swing to Labour in New South Wales, but this is not apparent in other states. The outstanding feature of the polling was the reverse suffered by the “New Blood” candidates who stood under the United Australia Party banner. It appears that the Prime Minister, Mr R. G. Menzies, will secure an absolute majority in his electorate of

Kooyong, but the Postmaster-General, : Mr H. V. C. Thorby, will probably lose his seat at Calare. The seats of all the : other Ministers seem safe; even Sir Frederick Stewart, at Parramatta, who < was hotly opposed because of his administration of the Department oi Supply, has a good majority. The former Premier of New South Wales, Mr B. S. B. Stevens, who was i hailed by the United Australia Party as a coming Federal Treasurer, failed I badly against the sitting Labour member for the Lang electorate. Dr H. V. Evatt, who resigned from the High , Court bench, defeated the United Aus- : tralia Party candidate in the Barton i electorate by a comfortable figure. The Government lost the Henty seat in Victoria to an Independent, Mr E. Coles, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, but he is expected to support the Government. Labour lost one seat to the '

Country Party. The sitting members are likely to retain the other South Australian seats.

NEW FAILS

The newly-formed New South Wales Labour Party made a poor showing. The leader, Mr J. R. Hughes, came a bad last of three Labour candidates in the Reid electorate. The seat will probably be won by the sitting Non-Com-munist Labour member, Mr Gander. The former Minister of Customs, Sir Harry Lawson, will probably be defeated in the MacQuarrie electorate by the official Labour candidate, Mr J. B. Chiffley. The Government’s desperate bid to

regain Corio, which was won by Labour when Mr R. G. Casey went to. America, failed. The Davis Cup tennis player, Mr Gerald Patterson, carried the Government’s banner, but his polling was not heavy.' Labour expects to gain considerably from the soldier votes. Mr J. A. Beasley, leader of the Non-Communist Labour Party, has won West Sydney. Mr E. S. Spooner, who, like Mr Stevens, resigned from the New South Wales Assembly to contest the Robertson electorate, has a good chance of displacing the sitting member at Gardner. Both stood in the United Australia Party interests. The Federal Treasurer, Mr P. C. Spender, had a clear-cut win at Warringah. The Senate results are not likely to be known for a fortnight or possibly longer.