FEDERAL ELECTIONS

Evening Star, Issue 23688, 23 September 1940, Page 5

FEDERAL ELECTIONS

FIRST ANALYSIS OF RETURNS GENERAL POSITION STILL OBSCURE VITAL SEATS IN DOUBT SYDNEY, September^. The loss of four Government seats to Labour, with good prospects of Labour winning six other Government seats and the loss of three Labour seats to the Government was the conclusion reached when the counting of votes in the Federal election ceased early on Sunday morning. There is a possibility that two other Labour seats might also go to the Government. If Labour won all the seats in which there is doubt, it would have a majority in the House. A gain of seven seats would place the parties as follows: Labour 39 United Australia Party and United Country Party 35 The position is so doubtful that the present Government may be returned, but with a small majority. There is a definite swing to Labour in New South Wales, but this is not apparent in the other States. The outstanding feature of the polling was the reverse suffered by the “ new blood ” candidates who stood under the United Australia Party banner. It appears that the Prime Minister (Mr 11. G. Menzies) will secure an absolute majority in his electorate, Kooyong, but the Postmaster-General (Mr H. V. Thorby) will probably lose his seat at Calare. The seats of all the other Ministers seem to be safe. Even Sir Frederick Stewart, at Parramatta, who was hotly opposed because of his administration of the Department of Supply, has a good majority. The former Premier of New South Wales (Mr B. S. B. Stevens), who was hailed by the United Australia Party as the coming Federal Treasurer, failed badly against the sitting Labour member for the Lang electorate. Mr H. V. Evatt, who resigned from the High Court bench, defeated the United Australia Party candidate in Barton electorate by a comfortable figure. Mr J. Curtin’s seat at Fremantle is doubtful, although he at present has a lead of 800. The Government has lost Henty seat in Victoria to the Independent candidate, Mr E. Coles, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, but he is expected to support .the Government. The seat was previously held by Sir Henry Gullett, who was killed in the Canberra air crash. Apparently Labour has retained only two of the four seats it held in Tasmania. Darwin is likely to be retained by Colonel Bell, Speaker of the House. The leader of the Country Party, Mr A. G. Cameron, has a substantial lead over the other two candidates in his electorate at Barker, in South Australia, where Labour lost one seat to the Country Party. The sitting members are likely to retain the other South Australian seats. NEW PARTY’S POOR SHOWING. The newly-formed New South Wales Labour Party made a poor showing in the elections. The leader, Mr J. R. Hughes, came a bad last of three Labour candidates in the Reid electorate. The seat will probably be won by the sitting nou-Communist Labour member, Mr J. H. Gander. The former Minister of Customs, Mr J. N. Lawson, will probably be defeated in Macquarrie by the official Labour candidate, Mr J. B. Chiffley. The Government’s desperate bid to regain Corio, which was won by Labour when Mr Casey went to America, failed. The Davis Cup lawn tennis player, Mr Gerald Patterson, carried the Government’s banner, but his polling was not heavy. Labour expects to gain considerably from soldier votes. Mr J. A. Beasley, leader of the non-Communist Labour Party, has won West Sydney. Mr E. S. Spooner, who, like Mr Stevens, resigned from the New South Wales Assembly to contest the Robertson electorate, has a good chance of displacing the sitting member, Mr S. L. Gardner. Both stood in the U.A.P. interests. The Federal Treasurer, Mr P. C. Spender, had a clear-cut win at Warringah. Senate results are not likely to be known for a fortnight or possibly more. LATEST RETURNS MENZIES GOVERNMENT MAY SURVIVE SYDNEY, September 23. (Received September 23, at 11.55 a.m.) On the latest returns the ‘ Herald ’ expects the Menzies Government to bo returned with its majority reduced from 10 to 8. The ‘ Telegraph ’ says the latest count indicates that the Government is likely to’retain office with a majority of at least three seats. The ‘ Herald ’ gives the state of parties as: — United Australia Party 23 Country Party 14 Labour ... 30 Doubtful 1 The latest count increases the probability of the defeat of Mr Curtin in Fremantle. Mr Lee is now only 34 votes behind. Blame for the reversal is attributed, partly to overconfidence by Curtin’s immediate supporters, and partly to Labour’s refusal to join the War Cabinet. Mr Menzies said the election must be regarded as a clear mandate to prosecute the war with the utmost vigour. Mr Curtin said the results suggested that the Government had not had conclusive testimony of public opinion. In view of his likely defeat, ho deputed

Mr Forde, deputy leader, to speak on behalf of the Labour Party. The ‘ Telegraph’s ’ Melbourne correspondent says that fresh overtures to the Labour Party to form a National Government will bo made by Mr Menzies as the result of the elections. THE SENATE COUNT. The Senate count is still too limited to make any accurate forecast. Tho Government may return its Senate candidates in every State but New South Wales, which is the only State in which Labour has a lead in the votes counted so far. It appears likely that three Labour Senators will be returned. Tha New South Wales Government candidates are well ahead of all other States. It is likely that Government candidates will be returned for all seats in these JStates. This would return 16 Senators supporting the Government and three supporting Labour. The Senators who did not retire were 14 Labour and three Government. Tho new Senate, therefore, is likely to be. Government 19, Labour 17. If, however, the Government lose* its majority in the Senate, the possibility of a double dissolution later arises. This problem would not have to be faced immediately, because the retiring Senators will not complete their term until June 30 next. OPPOSITION LEADER DEFINITE PROSPECT OF LOSING SEAT SYDNEY, September 22. (Received September 23, at 9.10 a.m.)’ When the counting ceased last night! the position of the parties had not materially changed. All the primary vote* are not yet counted. Whichever party wins, its majority will be very small. The Government has regained th« Wilmot seat in Tasmania, which was lost to Labour when the former Prime Minister (Mr J. A. Lyons) died. There is a definite prospect from lasi night’s count that Mr Curtin will lose the Fremantle seat to the U.A.P. candidate, Mr F. R. Lee. It is generally believed in the electorate that the preference votes of the Independent candidate will go to Mr Lee. While there is a heavy swing to Labour in New South Wales, this is offset by a mild swing to the Government m other States. At the present stage, in the aggregate, Official Labour lias secured a majority of the votes cast. The total of informal votes will ba high. The position of the Senate election is still too confused to gain any impression how the voting will go.