STATE ELECTIONS IN AUSTRALIA

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20105, 11 May 1935, Page 17

STATE ELECTIONS IN AUSTRALIA

POLLING FIXED FOR TO-DAY PROSPECTS IN N.S.W. AND QUEENSLAND United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph-Copyright (Received May 10, 5.5 p.m.) SYDNEY, May 10. After an election campaign, notable throughout for its placidity, the New South Wales political issues go to the vote to-morrow. Although its most optimistic supporters predict that the Government may even improve on its present unprecedented majority of forty-two in a House of ninety members, others feel it may be too much to expect it to retain its existing strength. The consensus of opinion seems to be that Mr Stevens will return with a good working majority. The Lang Labour group, however, professes that it has never been more confident of victory, as the result of an intensive campaign in the city and country, assuring the workers higher wages, and the abolition of the dole conditions. Labour organisers declare that only a 10 per cent, swing in the voting is required to reinstate Mr James Lang with 50 or 52 seats. At the 1932 election, the Government parties received 701,847 votes compared with 598,000 for the State and Federal Labour Parties. The Lang Party hopes at least to retrieve nine metropolitan and nine country seats, which it narrowly lost last time. The Country Party organisers anticipate little or no change in the state of parties, declaring that there is no sign of a swing away from the Government as far as the country is concerned, but rather that the dread of Langism is now more evident in all parts of the State, following the marked recovery in business since Mr Lang’s departure from office. LABOUR CHALLENGED IN QUEENSLAND

OPPOSITION S BOLD POLICY STROKES United Press Association—By El«ctrlo Tel egraph—Copyright (F.efieived May 10, 5.5 p.m.) BRISBANE, May 10. A feature of the Queensland election campaign, which culminates in the polling . to-morrow, has been the assault by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr E. A. Moore) on the city seats now held by Labour. Mr Moore has evolved a childhood endowment scheme, under which he proposes a reduction of 5/- weekly in the wages of employees with no dependent children, and a bonus of 57weekly for workers with three, and 107for those with four or more children. The Premier (Mr Forgan Smith) has beeu taking every opportunity to attempt to prove that the scheme is actuarily unsound and unworkable. The present state of the parties is— Labour 33 Country and National 28 Independent 1