THE TASMANIAN CONTEST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXIV, Issue 11339, 1 May 1912, Page 5

THE TASMANIAN CONTEST.

UNPRECEDENTED INTEREST,

INDICATIONS OF LABOUR GAIN

Received Wednesday, at i>. 15 a.m.

HOBART, Wednesday. Unprecedented interest is being displayed in the Tasnianian elections. The counting of votes at present is very incomplete, but tho early figures seem to indicate that the Labour Party will gam one seat.

In his policy speech, the Premier, Sir Elliott Lewis, said that the two items which ho would place in the forefront of the Government's policy were land settlement and laud development. The Minister aimed at laud settlement rather than laud solcction They wanted to see tho land settled and" brought into productiveness. They were anxious to find land for all who wero desirous to go on it and become producers. The Government hoped to achieve those ends by road construction, Crown lands development, and closer settlement, iuclud--ing a scheme of partially prepared orchards. A sum of £l)l"».0()0, voted for closer settlement, was still available, and when that was exhausted the Government would not hesitate to ask Parliament for such sum as was required for a larger aud more comprehensive scheme ot settlement than had yet boon undertaken. Twenty-six Labour candidates are opposed to thirty-two Liberals iv the present election', which is conducted on the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation and preferential voting. At the last election in I'.HW there were eighteen Liberals and twelve Labourites returned, but a byelection in the meantime Labour lost a seat, so that at the dissolution the position in the live electoral divisions (each returning six members) was: Lib'l. Lab. Dension ;Hobart and suburbs) ■ • - 1 - Franklin ' Bass (which includes L.'iunceston i ' -• West Coast . "-' •• Wilmot :> ! Totals ..U» J I