MAJORITY FOR LABOUR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 May 1944, Page 4

MAJORITY FOR LABOUR

EXPECTED IN N.S.W. STATE ELECTION GOVERNMENT IN STRONG POSITION OPPOSITION DIVIDED (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received This Day. 1.10 p.m.) SYDNEY, May 23. A majority for Labour at the New South Wales State elections on Saturday is widely regarded as certain. During a dull election campaign, nothing has occurred to challenge seriously the strong position of the McKell Government. While Labour may have lost in popularity, any swing is not likely to unseat the Government. To control the Legislative Assembly, the Opposition would have to win thirteen seats from Labour and consolidate the support of the nine Independents. The Opposition’s position has been weakened by the formation of two organisations—the Democrats (incorporating the United Australia Party) and the Liberal Democrats. The Government will go to the polls with the advantage of holding 56 of the 90 seats and with eight Cabinet Ministers and five private members returned unopposed. The only Minister opposed is the Minister for Education, Mr Clive Evatt, whose majority in the 1941 election was 7,500. The 90 electorates will be contested by 209 candidates and these represent six recognised parties (including Lang-Labour and 31 Independents. In the retiring House, the Democrats held 14 seats, and the Country Party 10, against Labour’s 56. The remaining nine were held by Independents, who generally supported the Opposition on any division. The McKell Government thus had a majority ctf 56 to 34. At the Federal elections last August some 39 per cent of the electors voted Labour, against 41 per centfor all other factions. Support lost by Labour since that time may cost the Party seats won at the last State election by slender majorities, but no change of government can be expected following upon an election campaign to which the public response appears ' to have been entirely apathetic.