STATE ELECTIONS

Waikato Times, Volume 111, Issue 18660, 11 June 1932, Page 5

STATE ELECTIONS

POLLING TO-DAY. N.S.W.-QUEENSLAND. KEEN INTEREST SHOWN. LABOUR PARTY CONFIDENT. The polling In the Queensland and New South Wales State elections is taking plaoe to-day. Keen Interest Is hying manifested In the result. A close contest Is regarded as inevitable In Queensland, where it Is expected th© Labour Party will make up much of the leeway now existing between It and the Nationalist Party. In Now South Wales the result is hard to predict. The Lang Party profess confidence that they will be returned to power, whilst the Government loaders deolare they will sweep the country. Arrangements have been made for the rooelpt of the election returns. They will be posted on the board outside the Waikato Times Office to-morrow morning.

United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright. SYDNEY, June 10.

The general elections to ne held in New South Wales and Queensland tomorrow are creating very keen interest throughout Australia. The Federal Ministry, for obvious reasons, is hoping for the return or Governments pledged to the carrying out of the Premiers’ Plan for the rehabilitation of the national finances, which already has been partly accomplished.

NEW SOUTH WALES CAMPAIGN. SPEECH BY FEDERAL PREMIER. BOTH SIDES CONFIDENT. SYDNEY, June 10. In addressing a huge anti-Labour rally in the Sydney Town Hall, Hie Prime Minister, Mr J. A. Lyons, said: “If Mr Lang is put back again we will tie him up as wo tied him up bcfoore. I have said already on several occasions that while the Lang blight remains there Is no hope for Australia, and the incubus will have to be removed.” The policy of the ex-Premier o 7 New South Wales, Mr J. T. Lang, is Identical with that which wrecked his Government on May 13. He makes it quite clear that, if returned to power, he will launch the biggest offensive in the history of the State against the banks and other financial Interests with his Mortgage Taxation Bill. Originally, Mr Lang stated that the £10,000,000 to £12,000,000 .to be obtained under that bill would help to pay oversea bondholders their interest. Now, however, he explains that tlie money would be devoted to providing employment and that whatever was left over would go to the bondholders.

It is safe to say that no ex-Premier has ever received such a raking from the newspapers as has Mr Lang and that no politician since the days of the late Mr George Reid has been caricatured to the same extent.

Moreover, never previously has there been such a welter of political scandals as that to bs probed by Royal Commissions recently set up by Mr Lang’s successor. The Lang Party professes to be confident that Labour will be returned to power. The party organisers for the Government side, however, predict that Labour will lose practically every seat in the country and also several In the metropolis.

They say that in eight nr ten contests in 1930 the majorities were so narrow in favour of Labour that it will be quite a simple process to swing them away from Labour on this occasion.

Also, the Government party organisers say that the people who will “do the trick" comprise members of the middle class and small business men, who in 1930 were deluded by Mr Lang’s lavish promises.

PROSPECTS IN QUEENSLAND. CLOSE CONTEST ANTICIPATED. NINE PARTIES IN FIELD. United press Assn. —Elec. Tel. Copyright, BRISBANE, June 10. Impartial observers state that a close contest is inevitable in the Queensland general elections. The Labour Opposition has so much leeway to make up that a big swing will lie necessary to give it the reins of office. In the last Parliament the state ol' parties was: — Country, Progressives and Nationalists ■'* 4. Labour 2 6 Independents ~ The Redistribution Act reduced the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly by 10, which left Hie state of Hie parties as follows: — Country, Progressives and Nationalists 41 Labour 19 Independents ~ Consequently, Labour must gain 13 seats in order to secure a majority. It is expected that Labour will score heavily in the northern and central districts, also fn the metropolitan area.

The Government should hold its own in Darling Downs and the south coasl districts, but it is regarded as unlikely that it will gain seats anywhere.

'l'he general belief is that the Government's majority is likely lo he reduced. Whether it will vanish altogether will be determined to-morrow. in addition lo having no sympathy will) Ihe Premiers’ plan as at present drawn up, Hie Labour leader, Mr Forgan Smith, promises to raise "a revival loan" for the absorption of the unemployed. 'Phis money was supposed lo be I’opllieomi / Prom the Colonial Sugar Refining Gompany. The

(Coulinucd in noxl column.)

Premier, Mr A. E. Moore, lias ascertained that the company lias not been approached upon such a matter.

Nine parlies are contesting the election as follows: (1) Government; (2) Country and Progressives Nationalist; (3) Ofllclal Labour; (4) Independents; (5) Queensland Party; (G) Communists; (7) Lang Planners; (8) Douglas credit system advocates; (9) Independent Farmers’ Party.

LATER

PREPARING FOR BIG DAY. FAVOURABLE WEATHER PR 0S1»BT (RO'Coivcd June It. 0-30 a.m.) SYDNEY. June i 1. The weather for election day is fine and cool.

At midnight polling booth workers in a number of suburbs had taken up Uioir positions for a big day.