THE VICTORIAN ELECTIONS

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21414, 5 March 1935, Page 11

THE VICTORIAN ELECTIONS

ONE MINISTER MAY LOSE SEAT COMMENT BY TARTY LEADERS (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH—COPYRIGHT.) (Received March 4, 5.5 p.m.) MELBOURNE, March 4.

With only t absent and postal votes to be counted in the majority of electorates it is apparent that with the exception of the Minister for Education (Mr J. W. Pennington) all the members of the Cabinet will be returned in the Victorian State elections. The Deputy-Premier (Mr lan MacFarlan) now has a lead of 436 votes from Colonel Herring (Independent U.A.P.) and with only 1500 votes still to be counted it is not expected that Mr MacFarlan will be unseated. Despite the threatened opposition of public servants in Kew the Minister for Transport (Mr W. S. KentHughes) had a sweeping win from his Labour opponent Mr T. Botsman, polling nearly twice the votes of Mr Botsman. The Premier (Sir Stanley Argyle) said the result of the election was a gratifying demonstration of the people's confidence that, after three years of stress, during which the National Ministry had performed many unpleasant tasks and the people had to make sacrifices, there should be so few changes in the personnel of the assembly. The results showed that the people of Victoria had for a second time overwhelmij-vly expressed their desire for sound finance. The Labour leader (Mr T. Tunnecliri'e! said the fifures indicated clearly that the Ministry had lost support, in several constituencies. There had been a considerable inerr>;(se in the Labour vote everywhere.

QUEENSLAND FLOODS TOWN'S IXTXDATEI) BRISBANE. March 4. Flood waters have invaded the towns of Innisfail and Tully and at the former there are indications of the greatest flood in the history of the district. Between Innisfail railway station and the town water is six feet deep. A food shortage menaces the flooded towns, but the position is now imoroving, the rain having ceased. Nearly 14 inches fell at Innisfail yesterday.