SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTIONS.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 June 1924, Page 2

SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTIONS.

lUBTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION

POSITION OF PARTIES. CAPETOWN, June 20

It is now certain the pact majority will he 29. The few remaining seats cannot affect the result. The Nationalists will he the largest party with 03, South African party 53, Labour 13, Independent I. At the time of the dissolution tho South African party numbered 71.

At n big pact demonstration at Bloemfontein. Air HerV'.og was welcomed by Air Barlow, (Labourite) as tbe future Premier of tbe Union, amidst great enthuasisin. Air Hertzog replying. thanked the English speaking supporters of tbe pact, lie said it was bis sacred endeavour that they should live together as one united people.

CAPETOWN, June 20.

Analysis of the election statistics reveals the South African party polled 153 thousand votes against 139 thousand for the part. Thus while the Nationalists will he the * strongest individual party in the new House, the South African party is the individual party which polled most votes in the Union as a whole. The returns for 127 contested seats show the South African party polled thirty-six thousand more titan the Nationalists, vey thev hold eight fewer seats. The pact strength lies in Transvaal, Free State, North West Cape. The South African party strongholds are Eastern Province Cape Peninsular and Natal.

HEBTZOG'S POLICY. CAPETOWN, June 21

General Hertzog interviewed was reticent as to whether he intended to take labourites into tho Cabinet, l)i\t lie 1 rankly admitted that his Government would he unable to carry on without Labour's support. lie claimed that the result of the election is undoubtedly a verdict for the Pact. He attributed the Pact’s success to the people being desirous of a change of Government. The Pact was now ended, but tbe country expected the Labour and Nationalist Parties to contin no to co-operate. Asked if he were prepared to repent his assurance that the Nationalists would stand by tlieir pledge to make no effort to change the constitutional relations of South Africa with Britain, as provided in tbe Act of tho Union, General Hertzog declared that tbe Nationalists, without exception were prepared to stand by their pledge. He added: "I say positively tliaL the Nationalists do not look upon secession as a matter of practical polities and they an* not likely to do so till the bulk of tne people, especially the mass of British feeling, is in its favour. The question has never been a Nationalist Party question at all. It lias been raised Gy General Smuts deliberately to I l ighten tbe English-speaking community. It is due in no small measme to the fact that the people have refused any longer to he frightened l,v his bogey that tho followers of tbe Labour Party and Orel's have so heartily supported the Nationalists.. I hope that tbe secession bogey is now definitely, laid, and with it. the civ of racialism. The Pact lias scotched it.”

WILL LABOUR. JOIN CABINET. CAPETOWN. Juno 20. Tho Pact has a majority of twentynine.

.Many members of the Labour rank and file tiro opposed to the Labourites joining a Hertzog Cabinet, as being contrary to the Parly’s cardinal principle. A Labour Conference will

held on June 29th. to decide the matter.