WILL CARRY ON

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1934, Page 5

WILL CARRY ON

MR. LYONS’ GOVERNMENT

mandate from the people

COMMONWEALTH ELECTION

FEW CHANGES IN NUMBERS

SEVERAL BIG MAJORITIES By Telegraph—Press Assn—Copyright. Rec. 6.30 p.m. Sydney, Sept. 16. With its former large majority negligibly reduced, the Rt. Hon. J. A. Lyons Government yesterday received an unequivocal mandate to carry on. At most it may lose four seats and the Country Party four, which will be due entirely to the fact that these seats, Labour strongholds, were won during the 1931 landslide and are now reverting to Labour.

As the Prime Minister expected, when the counting ceased to-night the position appeared as follows:—

United Australia Party 36 United Country Party 12 Federal Labour Party 15 State Labour Party 8 Doubtful 3 Other Parties 0

The former House of Representatives comprised:— United Australia Party 38 United Country Party 16 Federal Labour Party 14 State Labour Party .. i.... 5 Independents 2 The Postmaster-General, the Hon. A. Parkhill, has a huge majority of 18,000, the Minister of Trade and Commerce, the Hon. F. H. Stewart, an absolute majority of 12,000, and Mr. W. M. Hughes an absolute majority of 4000. These figures are typical of the strength of the United Australia Party polling in many electorates.

The Country Party, however, has not done so well. Reports from the smaller States indicate there will be only trifling changes. The party's representation will probably not exceed three new faces. Owing to the smallness of the returns and the large number of candidates in the field for seats in the Senate it will not be possible to indicate the outcome for several days, although here again the Government forces are .making a strong showing. The Government hitherto had an absolute majority over all other parties, with the result that it was unnecessary officially to coalesce with the Country Party. Now, however, the Country Party holds the balance of power and interesting political developments are regarded as inevitable. It was unofficially stated last night that the Government could count on the support of the Country Party, which, peculiarly, is likely to lose two of its seats at the expense of the rival United Australia Party. A feature of the polling in New South Wales, where most of the changes have occurred, is that the State Labour Party, led by Mr. H. M. Beasley, very nearly ousted the Federal I>bcur candidates, but the Lang-Beasley influence was not noticeable in any other States. ALL MINISTERS RETURNED. All the Ministers, with the possible exception of Mr. J. A. Guy, assistantMinister of Customs, will be returned. Mr. Guy’s position has usually been in doubt until the last minute owing to the fact that preferences invariably have to decide the issue. So far the primary votes have been counted in the various States and the position of the doubtful seats will not be known in some instances until the end of next week. The Prime Minister, having had an easy victory in the Wilmot electorate, Tasmania, on his 55th birthday yesterday said: “I am certainly experiencing many happy returns. My party is still overwhelmingly the largest in the House of Representatives. The Government has received a magnificent expression of confidence. We shall go forward with the task of placing Australia completely on its feet. It is quite apparent that the people is not prepared- to trust itself to adventurers in the uncharted and tempestuous seas of financial experiment.” The campaign directors of the United Australia Party go to the length of predicting that the Prime Minister will probably have a personal following of 37, losing only one seat when the final returns are to hand. Their analysis states that the United Australia Party has already definitely lost the Lang seat in New South Wales and the Marybyrnong and Batman seats in Victoria, but will gain Corangamite in Victoria and Werriwa in New South Wales from the Country Party. Thus it will have 37] or half the total membership of the new House. Although in no instance did Douglas Credit candidates , come within striking distance of success they polled surprisingly well in some electorates, and their leaders, who are much encouraged, declare that the result will stimulate them to greater action. The distribution of their candidates’ preferences have an important bearing in the doubtful contests. FEDERAL LABOUR SLIPS. The extent to which the Federal Labour vote slipped in New South Wales is best indicated by tire heavy primary votes recorded for Mr. J. S. Garden, secretary of the Sydney Trades and Labour Council, over Mr. E. C. Riley, Mr. Garden at present having more than a two to one majority. Mr. Garden has made previous unsuccessful attempts to obtain a seat in Parliament and on this occasion has vanquished a difficult opponent, as Mr. Riley’s father hitherto held the Cook seat for many years and had a strong personal following. A notable victory for the United Australia Party in New South Wales relates to Mr. T. D. Mutch, a former State Minister for Education in the Lang regime. He defeated a strong opponent, Mr. H. P. Lazzarini, who was the Lang supporter or State Labour nominee, for Werriwa, which last election was won by the Country Party. The position in Victoria is no less interesting, though there were no surprises. Mr. R. G. Menzies, who will probably succeed Mr. J. G. Latham as Federal Attorney-General, obtained a heavy majority in the Kooyong electorate, while Mr. Maurice Blackburn and Mr. Frank Brennan have retrieved the Bourke and Batman seats for Federal Labour. Mr. Blackburn retired from the Speakership of the Victorian Assembly to contest the Bourke seat. Maribymong has rejected Mr. J. E. Fenton, a former veteran Labour member, who with Mr. Lyons broke away from the Scullin Government and led to its downfall. Mr. Fenton allied himself with the United Australia Party last election and just managed to win, but on this occasion he will be narrowly beaten by Mr. A. S. Drakeford, Federal Labour. The new members so far include the following: Victoria: Messrs. M. Blackburn (Federal Labour), F. Brennan (Federal Labour), A. Drakeford (Federal Labour), R. G. Menzies (United Australia). New South Wales: Messrs. T. Mutch (United Australia), W. McCall (United Australia). J. Garden (State Labour), D. Mulcahy

(State Labour). Queensland: Mr. D. Watson (Federal Labour). West Australia: Mr. J. Curtain (Federal Labour). Doubtful seats are Calare and Darling in New South Wales, the Adelaide seat in South Australia and the Franklin and Bass seats in Tasmania.

Mr. H. Horsfield, secretary of the United Australia Party, Sydney, described the outcome as a political miracle. He would not be surprised if the party won 37 seats, he said. Whatever ground was lost in New South Wales was due solely to the redistribution of boundaries.

The Premier of New South Wales, Mr. B. S. B. Stevens, regards the poll as the best test possible of the real political conscience of Australian electors at the present moment. The result, he said, was most gratifying. Mr. J. T. Lang, leader of the State Opposition, is extremely pleased that State Labour candidates have done so well in New South Wales, which convinces him that his party should triumph at the forthcoming State elections. “The swing of the pendulum has not gone far in the Australian polling and the reduction of Mr. Lyons’ strength is less than it seemed natural to expect,” says the Observer, according to a London cable. “The election's main significance is that the Commonwealth has vetoed the ambition of both Labour factions, Federal and State, to relieve the bankers of their responsiblities,” The Sunday Times expresses the opinion that the results are satisfactory on the whole and that a revival of interest in Australian stocks is assured.