FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 November 1925, Page 3

FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

SET BACK FOR LABOR PARTY.

NATIONALISTS EXPECT TO SWEEP SENATE. [Australia & N.Z. Cable Association.] SYDNEY, November 14. There are Kit candidates for 76 seats in the House of Representatives but a definite forecast is difficult owing to the uncertainty introduced by compulsory voting. The newspaper “ Labour Daily ” however states there will he a majority for Labour of from two to three is the House of Representatives and from three to lour in the Senate. SYDNEY. November 15. On the latest figures, which leave tho hulk of the returns far from complete, -tho indications are that, so far as the Federal House of Representatives is concerned, the Bruce Government will get hack .somewhat stronger, if anything ; hut tin- position is still, ol course, capable of wide alteration.

THE I, ATE BARI.I AMENT. When the Federal Barlianient dissolved, the state of the parties in the House of Representatives was:—

Nationalists -8 Country Party 13 Labour 29 Independents 5 At the same time the .Senate was composed as follows: Nationalists 22 Labourites 14 The Senate elections embrace 22 seats, five of which have been held by Labour and 17 by Nationalists, while there remain in the Senate nine Labourites and five Nationalists.

SENATE VOTING. SYDNEY, November 15. The Senate figures, as yet, are too incomplete to he any guide. It will he days before the position can reliably lie defined; but, so far, the Government appears to lie well holding its

The weather, generally, was line for the election. The polling was exceptionally heavy.

The old members mostly polled well. A few seats, however, look like changing hands. The Government, on the present figures, has apparentv gained more seats than it has lost. Mr lirucc is pleased with the position, and he is optimistic of securing a majority in both Houses.

.41 r Charlton (Labour Leader) sticks to his opinion that Labour wilT win the Senate. la)ter figures, however, go to indicate that Labour, in claiming that it could carry the House, miscalculated the temper of the electorate, and that, in the vote generally, there has been a swing towards saner Government.

On present appearances, however, there will not he much change in the strength of the parties in the new House. The old House consisted of forty-six Government supporters and twenty-nine Labourites.

Mr Bruce, Mr Charlton and Mr W. 4J. Hughes have been returned with swinging majorities.

All the Ministers appear to he safe

Mr Theodore, the ex-l’remier of Queensland, has won the Herbert seat for Labour. This win counterbalances the Nationalist Burly's gain of the Kennedy scat, which is a safe Labour seat, owing to the death of the Labour candidate, Mr .McDonald. A heavy Nationalist vote in the House is regarded by the Nationalist -.amp as a good indication that they will secure a necessary majority in the Senate.

POSITION OF PARTIES. (Received this day at 8 a.m.i •SYDNEY. November IG. The general election to-day on adult suffrage, compulsory voting and proportional representation issues must involve 5.129 candidates belonging to the twenty-nine parl.ies contesting -442 seats of liolh Houses. When the counting ceased to-night with many votes yet to come in and still the possibility of a considerable alteration in the position. the Nationalists appeared like winning three or four Labour seats, making the apparent position of tho parties Nationalists 3G Country Parly 13 Labour 25 Independent 1

On the reflex vote for the House, the Nationalists are most hopeful of securing a majority, il not sweeping the Senate, though the returns so far are too meagre to be a guide. AA'ith the defeat of Labour at the polls the last hope of the striking British sea liven has disappeared and it is anticipated that next week will seo them return to the ships.

LATER RETURNS. (Received this day at 10.25 a.m.l SYDNEY. November 16. Later returns although they will probably he altered as further counts arrive, indicate the position is as follows: Nationalists j)7 Country Party 13 Labour . 24 Independent I Probably the Nationalists will gain five seats, Labour Party lose five and Country Party Ik? unaltered.

The Senate returns are too incomplete for a definite forecast. On the basis of the returns of the House oi Representatives, the Nationalists arc confident they will secure a working

majority. Mr Bruce stated, the figures confirm,ed with increasing emphasis, the verdict of the people in favour ol law and order, on which the election was fought. It is too early to accurately forecast the Government gains but it was finite obvious the victory so confidently predicted by the Labour Party has not materialised. The Governmeat will not only increase its majority in the House of Representatives j but will have a very comfortable majority in the Senate. Mr Clmrlton would not express a definite opinion stating the present stage of the count was not sufficiently advanced to give an idea of the ultimate result. He, however, was confident that Labour would have a majority in the ■Senate, which, so far as the Government was concerned, would result in a stalemate. PRESS COMMENT. SYDNEY. November 10. The “ Herald ” states the swing ol the pendulum has been against Labour. That is the great outstanding teature of the whole election, and proves that the real democracy ol Australia, when it is stirred, can assert itself against the spurious democracy with which the Labour Party unfortunately allowed itself to become entangled. Australians are a singularly large-hearted race, but not altogether so foolish as to carry their large-heartedness to the extent of allowing men like Garden and Grant, representing the Red forces of Socialism, to run their country, and that is where the lenders of the Labour Party ‘ went astray. The burden of their Communistic old men of the sea has proved too much for them. HEAVIEST POLL IN HISTORY. SYDNEY, November 16. 1 The poll was the heaviest in the history of Australia, most electorates poll--1 ing over eighty per rent. The “Telegraph” says the vote of the people of the Commonwealth amply justifies Mr Bruce’s appeal to the couni- try. Air Charlton who accepted the challenge has been effectively silenced.

His bluff has been called and Mj; Bruce has lieen given a clear mandate to go straight ahead with the task he set himself.

An analysis of the votes east shows there were 1,454,000 against Labour and 1,100.000 for Labour.

Mr Eenrlo Page commenting on the result said the prospects were bright Australia had given the finvornment a mandate to proceed with tho Government on lines of the policy placed before the electors. The Government could claim a sweeping victory.