FEDERAL ELECTION.

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17840, 12 October 1929, Page 7

FEDERAL ELECTION.

POLLING TO-DAY. A BITTER CAMPAIGN ENDED. MAY BE A STALEMATE. (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Australian Tress Association.) SYDNEY, Oct. 11. The Federal election campaign, which is described on having been one of the most bitter on record, closed this evening to the accompaniment of noise and frenzy. The roar of the political battle was heard most loudly in North Sydney, where Mr W. M. Hughes has fought the hardest campaign of his career, and at Wentworth, where Mr W. M. Marks has been fighting strenuously. Sir Littleton firoom i Speaker of the late House of Representatives, is expected to have a close call at Darling Downs, Queensland. Mr G. A. Maxwell, however, is regarded as safe for re-election at Fawkner, Victoria. Mr Bruce, Leader of the Nationalist Party, and Mr J. H. Scullin, Leader of the. Labour Party, expect to secure working majorities. A section of the press, however, expresses the opinion that neither party will achieve a decent majority and that probably the election will culminate in a stalemate. The belief is expressed that if Mr Bruce loses ground at all it will be in New South Wales and Tasmania. Polling will lake place Lo-inorrow from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m. As the system of preferential voting is used in Federal elections the final result of to-day's polling—which is for Ihe House of Representatives and not for the Senate —will not be known for a few days. The following members of the late House of Representatives have been re-elected unopposd: The Federal Treasurer, Dr. Earle Page, the Leader of the Labour Party (Mr J. H. Scullin), Messrs .1. 11. Prowse and 11. Gregory, of Western Australia, both Country Party members, and five Labour members'; Messrs R. James (Hunter, New South Wales), D. Watkins (Newcastle, New South Wales), J. Mathews (Melbourne Ports, Victoria), N. .1. 0. Makin (Hindmarsh, South Australia), and Dr. Maloney (Melbourne, Victoria). The state of parties in the last. Federal House of Representatives after Ihe general election of November, 1928 (75 seats), was as follows: —

New South Wales Nationalists. to Country P. 4 Labour. 14 Victoria 8 4 8 Queensland 6 2 South Australia . 2 0 5 1 Tasmania 3 i Western Australia 1 2 30 13 32