AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 May 1923, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. A SENSELESS ACT. (Received this day at 9.25 a.m.) MELBOURNE, May It. Dastardly attempts were made at the Mentone raccocurso overnight on Friday to injure the racehorses exercising before daylight on Saturday. Sleigh, on Mr Connolly’s Polytheist, set out early on a six furlong sprint but soon ran into a hurdle. Investigation showed that three other hurdles had been placed across the track, as was also a pair of turned up barrows ami other obstacles. The obstruction also included broken bottles, old tins, and miscellaneous debris. nFEENHLANI) ELECTIONS. THE LATEST RETURNS. (Received this day at 8 a.m.) BRISBANE, May 14. Tlie latest returns confirm that Labour's return from the poll is considerably strengthened. The Government has definitely won, so "far. thirty-eight-seats against the United Party’s sixcen. and the Country Party live. Mr Theodore anticipated the lij)nl result will be. tlie Government 42 and the Opposition 30. The leader of the Opposition expects a Government majority of eight to ten and expresses drop disappointment at the. result as lie expected to capture instead of losing several seats. All .Ministers apparently are safe. PRESS COMMENT. (Received this day at 11.10 a.m.) SYDNEY, May 14. Tire Herald in commenting oil the Queensland elections says it will be interesting io see bow Labour interprets the verdict. If the victory is construed into a mandate to go completely red by socialising everything, and abolishing the Governor, the Legislative Assembly and setting lip an industrial Soviet then Queensland may vet have done a signal service to Australia. )Ye want to see how the extremists will tarry out their revolution which they have blustered and threatened long enough. No cheek or scruple now restrains them in Brisbane. Now for the milUuiium. The "Herald” adds: The evil wrought is not by the Labour majority in the electorates but 1 1 v the wastage of the Nationalist and Country Parties strength against each other. The same fate awaits all Australian Parliaments unless they take a lesson from Queensland.” The “Telegraph" says victory lay in the fact tluil the Labour Party was united, while the anti-Labour Party was disunited. If Mr Theodore’s prediction of that wave of Labour victories in Australia is not to come true then the .Socialist ranks must be lightly closed no in future.