POLITICAL MIRACLE IN AUSTRALIA

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19906, 17 September 1934, Page 7

POLITICAL MIRACLE IN AUSTRALIA

NOTABLE TRIUMPH OF MR LYONS LABOUR REPELLED BY ELECTORS United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received September 16, 6.30 p m.) SYDNEY, Sept. 16. With its former large majority negligibly reduced, the Lyons Government yesterday received an unequivocal mandate to “carry on.” Described as Political Mandate. The Prime Minister is having an easy victory in Wiimot (Tasmania). It was his fifty-fifth birthday yesterday, and he said: “I am certainly experiencing many happy returns. My Party is still overwhelmingly the largest in the House of Representatives. The Government received a magnificent expression of confidence. We shall go forward in the task of placing Australia completely on its feet.” "It is quite apparent,” Mr Lyons added, “that the people are not prepared to trust themselves to adventurers in the uncharted and temptuous seas of financial experiment.” Mr H. Horsefield, secretary of the United Australia Party in Sydney, described the outcome as a political miracle. He said he would not be the least surprised if his Party won 37 seats. Whatever ground had been lost in this State was due solely to 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 the Australian electors at the present moment. The result was most gratifying. Mr Lang’s Interest. Mr J- T. Lang, leader of the State Opposition, is extremely pleased that the State Labour candidates have done so well in New South Wales, which convinces him that his Party should triumph in the forthcoming State elections. Results of Polling. At most the Government may lose four seats, and the Country Party will also lose four, which will be due entirely to the fact that these seats, which are Labour strongholds, were won during the 1931 landslide, and are now reverting to Labour, as the Prime Minister anticipated. State of Parties. When the counting ceased to-night, the position appeared to strengthen the position of the Australian Party, the state of the parties being as follows: United Australia Party .. 36 United Country Party .. 13 Federal Labour Party .. 15 State Labour Party .. .. 8 Other Parties 0 The former House of Representatives comprised: United Australia Party .. 38 United Country Party .. 16 Federal Labour Party .. 14 State Labour Party .. .. 5 Independents 4 Anti Labour Strength. The Government hitherto had an absolute majority over all other parties, with a result that it was unnecessary officially to coalesce with the Country Party. Now, however, the latter 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 a couple of its seats at the expense of its rival, the United Australia Party. Lang Labour in N.S.W. A feature of polling in New South Wales, where most changes are occuring, is that State Labour, led by Mr Beasley, very nearly ousted the Federal Labour candidates, but the Lang-Beasley influence was not noticeable in any other States. The whole of the Ministers, with the possible exception of Mr J. A. Guy (Assistant Minister of Customs) will be returned. Mr Guy’s position is usually in doubt until the last minute, owing to the fact that preferences invariably have to decide the issue. So far the primary votes alone 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. Gains and Losses. The campaign directors of the United Australia Party go 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 in hand. Their analysis is as follows: The United Australia Party has already definitely lost the Lang seat in New South Wales, Marybyrnong and Batman seats in Victoria, but will gain Corangamite (Victoria) and Werriwa (New South Wales) from the Country Party. Thus the Party will have 37 seats, or half the total membership of the new House. Although in no instance did' the 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 re- , suit will stimulate them to greater • action. The distribution of their candidates’ preferences will have an important bearing in doubtful contests. Federal Labour’s Defeat. The extent to which the Federal Labour vote slipped in New South

Wales is best indicated by the heavy primary votes recorded for Mr J. S. Garden (secretary of the Sydney Trades and Labour Council) over Mr E. C. Riley, the former at present having more than a two to one majority. Mr Garden made a previous unsuccessful attempt to obtain a seat in Parliament. On this occasion he has vanquished a difficult opponent, as Mr Riley’s father had hitherto held the Cook seat for many years, and had a strong personal following. Government’s Notable Gains. A notable victory for the United Australia Party in New South Wales relates to Mr T. D. Mutch, former State Minister for Education in Mr Lang’s regime. He defeated a strong opponent in Mr H. P. Lazzarini, who is a Lang supporter, or State Labour nominee for Werriwa, which last election was won by the Country Party. The position in Victoria is not less interesting, though it is no surprise that Mr R. G. Menzies, who will probably succeed Mr Latham as Federal Attorney-General, obtained a heavy majority at Kooyong, while Mr Maurice Blackburn and Mr Frank Brennan have retrieved Bourke and Batman seats for Federal Labour. Mr Blackburn retired from the Speakership of the Victorian Assembly to contest Bourke. Veteran Rejected. Marybyrnong has rejected Mr J. E. Fenton, the veteran ex-Labour member, who, with Mr Lyons, broke away from the Scullin Administration, and led to its 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. New Faces in Parliament. The new members so far include the following: Victoria: Messrs M. Blackburn, F. Brennan and A. Drakefield (Federal Labour Party). Mr R. G. Menzies (United Australia Party). New South Wales: Messrs T. Mutch and W. McCall (United Australia Party). Messrs J. Garden and D. Mulcahy (State Labour Party). Queensland: Mr D. Watson (Federal Labour Party). West Australia: Mr J. Curtain (Federal Labour Party). Doubtful Seats. The doubtful seats are Calare and Darling in New South Wales, the Adelaide seat in South Australia, and the Franklin and Bass seats in Tasmania. STRENGTH OF GOVERNMENT HUGE MAJORITIES IN SOME ELECTORATES. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received September 16, 6.35 p.m.) SYDNEY, September 16. The Postmaster-General, Mr A. Parkhill, has a huge majority of 18,000. The Minister of Commerce, Mr F. H. Stewart, has an absolute majority of 12,000, Mr W. M. Hughes has 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 quite so well. Reports from the smaller States indicate that there will be only trifling changes and the Party’s representation will probably not exceed three new faces. Polling for Senate Owing to the smallness of the returns and the large number of candidates in the field for election to 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. “LESS THAN SEEMED NATURAL” LONDON COMMENT ON ELECTION RESULT United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received September 16, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, September 15. “The Observer” says: “The swing of the pendulum has not gone far in the Australian polling, and the reduction of Mr Lyons’s strength has been less than seemed natural to expect. The main significance of the election is that the Commonwealth has vetoed the ambition of both Labour factions— Federal and State—to relieve the bankers of their responsibilities. “The Sunday Times” expresses the opinion that with the results as satisfactory on a whole, the revival of interest in Australian stocks is assured.