ELECTIONS IN VICTORIA

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21413, 4 March 1935, Page 11

ELECTIONS IN VICTORIA

+ . NATIONAL GOVERNMENT RETURNED COUNTRY PARTY GAINS PROBABLE CONSTITUTION OF NEW PARLIAMENT U'NITEI) PRESS .ASSOCIATION —By ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH —COPYRIGHT.) (Received March 3, 6.30 p.m.) MELBOURNE, March 3. The voting in the State elections in Victoria resulted in the return of the National Government, led by Sir S. S. Argyle, and composed of United Australia party and Country party Ministers. Labour won back only one of the 12 seats which it lost to the United Australia party at the last general elections. The United Australia party, however, appears to have lost three seats to the Country party, namely Warrnambool, Sta-well-Ararat, and Kara Kara-Bo-rung. When the counting ceased at midnight, the figures indicated that probably the state of the parties m the new parliament would be as follows: — United Australia Party .. 25 seats County Party .. 20 seats Labour Party .. 17 seats Independents .. . . 3 seats in the Kara Kara-Borung electorate, the Minister for Education. Mr J. W. Pennington, C.8.E., is behind the two Country party candidates on their aggregate votes.

The Deputy-Premier, Mr lan Macfarlane, has thus far been unable to get ahead of LieutenantColonel E. F. Herring, his unendorsed United Australia party opponent in Brighton. The other ministers appear safe. Mr H. Hollins, the only Douglas Credit candidate, has polled 9535 votes against Mr J. Gray (U.A.P.), 10,898, in Hawthorn. The four Communists received negligible support, and three of them seem likely to lose their deposit. Miss Mary Jones, the only woman among 130 candidates, polled well in Port Melbourne, but has no chance of winning. Labour's one gain was in Gcelong. LATER RETURNS MINISTER FOR EDUCATION MAY LOSE SEAT < OMMINIST CANDIDATES INSICOESSITL (Received March 3, 11.20 p.m.) MELBOURNE, March 3. Little counting of votes was done on Sunday.

Mr lan Macfarlane, the AttorneyGeneral, is now 400 votes ahead and is likely to win the Brighton seat, only 1500 absent votes remaining to be counted. Mr J. W. Pennington, Minister lor Education, is in a precarious position in his country electorate, KaraKara, where the Country party candidate, Mr Cameron, seems likely to win. Warrnambool may be won by Mr Bailey, the former Country party holder of the seat. Stawell has been definitely lost by the United Australia panv to Mr Mac Donald (C.P.). The city electorate of Caulfield has been' won by Colonel Cohen, who resigned from the Upper House to contest a seat. All the Communist candidates were rejected and all lost their deposits. Allowing for two certain losses from the United Australia party to the Country parly, and Labour's win at Geelong, the probable state of the parties will be: United Australia, 26; Country, 19; Labour, 17; Independent, 3. The position is. thus little changed. The public servants' campaign against the Ministerial candidates owing to their refusal to give a definite promise to restore the salary cuts was absolutely without effect.

ACCIDENT TO VOTER (Received March 3, 6.30 p.m.) MELBOURNE, March 3. A woman rushing into the Hawthorn Town Hall to record her vote at the general elections, just before the poll closed, slipped on the polished floor and broke a leg. She was taken away without having complied with the "compulsory voting provision of the poll.