POLLING DAY IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1925, 6 December 1913, Page 4

POLLING DAY IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

The results of the New South Wales general elections, which take place to-day, will be awaited with great interest in New Zealand. The campaign has been an extremely strenuous one between the Liberals, under the leadership of Mil. AYadb, and the Labour party, led by the Premier (Mit. Holman). The Liberals profess to be confident of victory, and, indeed, there is a widespread feeling that the present narrow Labour majority will be converted into a minority. Two disturbing factors have made their appearance daring the Inst week or two, one _ being tlio extension of the New Zealand industrial troubte to New South Wales, and the other the raising of the sectarian issue in an acute form by certain questions put to candidates bv the Catholic Federation. It is believed that both of these factors will tell more _ against the Labour party than against tho Liberals, There has been a keen controversy between Father Q'Beima' and Mr. llos.ma", and sonic people ■ think that the Itoman Catholic vote may mean the loss of a number of Labour scats. The labour unrest is also causing tho Premier and his followers a good deal of anxiety, and they have been doing their ut* . most to prevent a big industrial upheaval at tho present juncture, but it is no easy task to restrain the extremists. The country vote is- another important factor to bo considered. and both sides have been making special efforts to gain the support of the man on tho land. The whole position is decidedly interesting. Mn. Wade thinks the Liberals will gain fivo or six_ seats, and Mn. M'Gowajj is of opinion that Labour : will gain four seats, but such forecasts are not very reliable. The fate of the Labour Government is certaini ly_ hanging in the balance. The Liberals may sccure a. working majority, but it is also possible,"as is the case of the Federal Parliament;, that whichever side -wins its majority may bo so small that it will find it very difficult to carry'on the business of the country.