MENZIES MAY HAVE NARROW MAJORITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 227, 24 September 1940, Page 7

MENZIES MAY HAVE NARROW MAJORITY.

I LATEST FIGURES. Government's Position Better In Senate. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Reed. 9J30 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. [ The latest figures in the Federal general election indicate the state of parties as follows: — Government 39 Labour 3n Doubtful 5 Labour may win all the five doubtful seats.

Up to the present stajre of the counting. Mr. Menzies .has gained the individual vote of the whole of Australia.

The counting of the Senate votes has improved the Government's position in all States, and a win for the Ministerial parties in every State except in Xew South Wales is still expected.

Tbe percentage of informal votes is very high. There were nearly 2i»0.000 informal papers in tbe Senate returns for all States, excluding West Australia.

The only certainty is that Labour will have the biggest single party in the new Parliament. Labour must win six seats in order to be able to govern. They already seem to have won four in New South Wales, and possibly one in Victoria, but against this they appear to have lost one in South Australia, one in West Australia, and two in Tasmania. Mr. Menxies Claim* a Mandate. The Prime Minister, Mr. R- G. Menries, regards the election results as a clear mandate for the prosecution of the war with the utmost vigour. He is of tbe opinion that a setback to the Government in Xew South Wales alone could be attributed to sections of the Sydney Press which, while not actually advocating a Labour Government, had constantly decried the Government's war effort, and .attacked individual Ministers. "Bad Xew South Wales been in line with the other States, there would have been a landslide in tbe Government's favour," Mr. Menries said. "I expect the position in both Houses to be the same as before.

"We had been told that it was impossible to win the Senate in five States, but it look* as if we have. I am not surprised br the New South Wales vote, where local issues and influences have swung against ue. My vote in my own electorate of Kooyong is the greatest encouragement I have ever bad in politics." Mr. Menxies declined to comment on the prospect* of forming a National Government or on the possible reconstruction of his Ministry. The Melbourne correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" says that fresh overtures to the Labour Party to form a National Government will be made bj Mr. Menries as a result o? the elections. The official Labour candidate, Mr. S. M. Falsten, who appears to have won the Watson seat from the Government party candidate, Mr. Jennings, is a practising barrister. He Visited Xew Zealand some years ago, and participated in election campaigns there on behalf of Labour. He was on relief work and obtained employment on the .Auckland wbarvm.Fotare of Mr. Cfflrtia, Mr. F. R. Lee, who ie reported to be defeating Mr. J. Curtin, the Federal Labour leader in Fremantle, is a former journalist of West Australia. He is a fluent speaker and has unusual organising ability. At present he represent* London mining interests in Australia. The Fremantle seat has occasionally been held by a non-Labour representative. Political circles in Perth report ttat, should Mr. Curtin be defeated in Fremantle, which is declared to be inevitable, Mr. A. E. Green, who is in Hihealth, would be prepared to resign the Kalgoorlie Mat in his leader's favour. Mr. Green is the only member of the but Parliament who was not opposed in Saturday's election.