THREE STATES NOW UNITED IN BANK FIGHT

Chronicle (Levin), 10 November 1947, Page 5

THREE STATES NOW UNITED IN BANK FIGHT

Received Monday, 10.50 a.m. SYDNEY, Nov. 10. The first result of the overwhelming defeat of the Victorian Labour Government is that three j States, Victoria, West Australia and!

oouth Australia, are now united to fight the Commonwealth Government bank nationalisation proposals. There is no word from Tasmania yet as to whether the Upper House will endeavour to iorce an eleetion in that State. On the latest figures the Victorian Labour Party will be lucky if it retains half its pre-election strength of 31 seats in the Legislative Assembly. The Liberal Party will probably have 29 seats and the Country Party 20. Speculation is keen as to whether the Liberal Party, relying on the Country j Party's support, will try to form a' Government of its own or whether j it will invite the Country Party toi form a Coalition Ministry. It is believed, however, that the Premierelect, Mr. T. T. Hollway, will pre-sf-rve the coalition wnich opened

the attack against the State and Federal Labour on the banking issue. The magnitude of the reverse suffered by Labour at the eleetion is shown by a comparison of the votes cast at this and the previous general eleetion in 1945. The figures. are as follows, those for 1945 being given in parenthesis: Liberals 442,217 (231,862), Country Party 165,635 (170,960); total nonLabour 607,852 (402,822). Labour, including Communists 474,001 (404,700). Independents 19,829 (67,792). Both sides have increased their totals because of the greater number of seats contested at this eleetion.