POSITION AFTER POLL

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 84, 5 October 1940, Page 12

POSITION AFTER POLL

DR. EVATT IN LIMELIGHT

VIEW OF PROCEDURE

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.)

SYDNEY, October 4.

Just what attitude Dr. Evatt will assume when the Labour showdown comes after the party conference with Mr. Menzies on Monday in Melbourne is the all-absorbing topic in political circles. Dr. Evatt, fortified by his judicial attainments, gave a tremendous impetus to Labour's campaign in New South Wales, and, to a lesser degree, in other States. He is regarded as having strong claims to the Labour leadership, although more than once he has said that he has no intention of challenging Mr. Curtih's position.

Dr. Evatt, only today, created a stir by a Press statement calling on Mr. Menzies to resign because he had failed to secure an overwhelming mandate and the confidence of the people. Dr. Evatt outlined at length what, to him, was the constitutional position arising out of the present stalemate. He declared that it was contrary to constitutional practice for Mr. Menzies not only to attempt to cling to office, but also to attempt to assume to himself the special jurisdiction of the King's representative to consult with the various party leaders. Dr. Evatt claimed that Mr. Curtrn was entitled to the opportunity of receiving the King's Commission. He added that the danger was that the Prime Minister's manoeuvring might postpone that overhaul of the! national war administration which wasj so necessary to the safety of the country. MR. STEVENS'S DEFEAT. . Another noteworthy feature of the election was the heavy defeat of the former Premier of New South Wales, Mr. B. S. B. Stevens, by the retiring Labour member in the Lang electorate in contrast to the slender victory by his former Ministerial colleague, Mr. E. Spooner, in the Robertson contest. It will be recalled that Mr. Spooner indirectly brought about the downfall of the Stevens Ministry. Among the Federal Ministers, Mr. W. M. Hughes, Mr. P. C. Spender, Sir Frederick Stewart, and Mr. A. G. Cameron, as well as the Prime Minister, all finished up with substantial majorities. But Mr. H. V. C. Thorby's defeat was not entirely unexpected in view of the many controversies with which he has been associated. With only one seat undecided—Maranoa in Queensland, which is a likely gain by Labour —it is now possible to survey what happened in the elections. As cabled previously, the state of the parties is left at 36-all, with the addition of two Independents. SWING TO LABOUR IN N.S.W. New South Wales electorates alone revealed a heavy swing to Labour, who won 16 of 28 seats, taking five from the Government parties. Labour also won one seat in Victoria, and seem certain of winning the last undecided seat, Maranoa. Their losses are two in Tasmania and one in South Australia. Labour's net gains are thus five seats throughout the Commonwealth. Here and there in the fight between rival Labour factions, official Labour has triumphed at the expense of the Beasley non-Communist group, 'whose numbers are diminished to four in the House of Representatives. The bickerings which preceded the elections have now died out, and it is expected that when the line-up takes place in the House, Labour will present a united front. In all States other than New South Wales there was no noticeable swing tqi Labour. The Government's majority, however, would have entirely disappeared, but for an unexpected rally in Tasmania, where two Labour seats reverted to the United Australia Party. One of these, Wilmot, which was the former Prime Minister (Mr. Lyons's) seat, has been retrieved by the Government candidate, Mr. Guy, from the Labourite, Mr. Spurr, who won it at a by-election after Mr. Lyons's death. Mr. Guy was formerly a member of jthe Tasmanian Assembly.

The position in Western Australia is "as you were," but the tragic death this week of "Texas" Green, Kalgoorlie, though it brings Labour's total of seats back to 35, does not dispose of the fact that the seat will again go to Labour.

Outstanding features of the election were the return of Dr. Evatt, in Barton, New South Wales, by a heavy majority over a strong opponent, and the close call experienced by the Federal Labour leader, Mr. Curtin, whose majority in Fremantle, with 60,000 voters, was only 604.

The fall of the Stevens Ministry in New South Wales occurred about a year ago following allegations by Mr. Spooner that Mr. Stevens had manipulated the Budget to show a deficit of £2,800,000, when it should have been £1,000,000 more, and also that he had misused funds raised from special wages and income tax for relief of unemployment.