-Australian Labour Party Continues To Lose Ground As Election Count Proceeds

Wanganui Chronicle, 13 December 1949, Page 5

-Australian Labour Party Continues To Lose Ground As Election Count Proceeds

SYDNEY, Dee. 12 (Rec. 6 pm).—The Labour Party continued to lose ground during the progress of the election count today and now seems likely to win only three of the remaining doubtful seats. The state of the parties in the new House of Representatives, excluding restricted franchise seats of the Northern Territory and the Australian capital territory, now appear likely to be:

Liberal 55 Country Party 17 Labour 46 Doubtful 3 Anti-Labour (certain) 72 Labour 46 Present majority 26 Among the doubtfuls are the Minister of Postwar Reconstruction, Mr. Dedman, who in the Victorian electorate of Corio, is still trailing his Liberal Mr. Opperman, by 96 votes, a..d the Minister of Works, Mr. Lemmon, who has to rely on leakage of Opposition preferences to win Forrest, West Australia. In Kingston, South Australia the sitting Labour member, Mr. T. N. Sheehy, has been defeated by Mr. H. M. Handby, Liberal, by fewer than 1000 votes. The position of the vice-president of the Executive Council, Mr. Scully in Gwydir, New South Wales, appears hopeless, as he is trailing by 1000 votes and the Minister of Reparation, Mr. Barnard, seems to have been defeated. In Hume, New South Wales, Mr. C. G. Anderson, Country Party, who has been trailing Mr. A. N. Fuller, labour, overhauled the deficit today and is now leading by 445 votes. It is believed that the new Federal Ministry, under the leadership of Mr. Menzies, will be sworn in by the Governor General (Mr. McKell) next Monday. Two of the more obvious changes in Canberra under the New ’Jfefoggrnment will be at “The Lodge,’’ home of Australian Prime Ministers and in the appearance of the Speaker of the House of representatives, who will resume the wearing of the traditional wig and robe. Mr. Menzies and his family will occupy “The Lodge,’’ which has been virtually disused for over four years, as Mr. Chifley prefe’a'ed a room at an hotel. The Labour Speaker, Mr. Rosevear, discarded the wig and robe and for eight years occupied the Speaker's chair in mufti. It is believed that Mr. Paul Hasluck, who crossed swprds with Dr, Evatt, when he was Australia’s representative at the United Nations, may succeed Dr. Evatt as Minister of External Affairs. Mr. P. C. Spender, who is tipped for the Attorney Generalship, said that a referendum proposing the alteration of the Constitution to prevent socialisation of any industry without reference to the people will be held in the Ajiddle of next year. He added that Jfvarly in the new year the Government deal with petrol rationing. One of the first acts of the new Government would be to ban the Communist Party and track down its members and fellow travellers.