FEDERAL ELECTIONS

Hokitika Guardian, 14 October 1929, Page 5

FEDERAL ELECTIONS

' V , NATIONALIST DEFEATED. LApOUR PARTY’S ASCENDENCY. DEFINITE MAJORITY EXPECTED. (Australian Press Association) SYDNEY, October 13. The Federal House of Representatives Gen-eral Elections were 1-eld yesterday. .Y - The returns up ‘-¥o*' midnight last night. revealed a definite landslide to Labour. .The Labour Party is practically c-er- \ tain to have a good working majority in the new' Parliament, and it is evident that Mr James Scullin will be Australia’s new Pi-ime Minister. Indeed the Nationalist and Country Party Government have suffered a debacle so great that even Mr Stanley Bruce himself, who has reigned nearly for seven years -as Prime Minister of Australia,, - runs the risk of losing his seat.

MINISTERS IN JEOPARDY. Four of the Ministers: Hon Mr Abbott (Minister of Home Affairs), Hon Mr Gibson (Postmaster-General), Sir Neville Howse (Minister of Health and Repatriation), /and Hon Mr Marr (Honorary Minister) appear, to have been defeated* ;:- . Hon Mr p% his. way back from the League of Nations Conference, but he wfill not be reaching Australia until next .week. Mr Marr has been badly beaten,,by Mr McTieernan, who. formerly was .New South, AY ales State Attorney General in. the Lang Government.. . J . ’ MR BRUCE 9CO BEHIND. .One featnrej,.,,qf the 'checking last, night was the tattle in the Flinders (Victorian) electorate, for tire Prime Minister’s seat, Where Mr E. J. Holloway, > a well-known Trade Union leadmaintained the lead for the whole of the eyenirig and when the counting ceased for the night Mr 'Bruce was still pine hundred votes behind. AVith six' thousand votes yet to come in, however, Mr. Bruce' should just manage to win When the preferences for his opponent).S,ro distributed. My Bruceat' thb last election defeated’. Mr Holloway'by no fewer than twelve fhousarid votes. f ■ .

GOVERNMENT LOSSES: « SIXTEEN SEATS. l An analysis '6f the pairtifes 'early this morning went'to iridieate that Labour had fbrty-foua" Seats within its grasp, while the Bruce-Page -party had dwindled! from forty-two ’to twenty-six, the remainder of the seats being held by tiie Independent Nationalists. Another noteworthy feature of the election is the triumph of some of the Nationalist Government -breakaways, these being the members responsible for‘ the Government's defeat on the arbitration issue, which precipitated the election, namely, Rt. Hon.; Wm. M .Hughes, Mr Marks, Mr: Maxwell and: Mr, Stewart.Each of the ;four has a substantial majority. Especially is- this:so in the cases of Mr Hughes himself, who has defeated Dr Not,t. by. twelve thousand; and of-Mr Marks, -who already, has nine thousand ,oi. : a lead . over. h{S (y op r ponent, Mr Manning. . ; » Mr Maxwell, - ope, . .of Nationftjist recalcitrants, ...has.,-a firm grip of, his seat, his lead being nine thousand votes with only, a handful of votes to

oome'nv. ; The same apples to Mr Stewart, •amother of the Nationalist recalcitrants.

The Government is losipg at least two of its seats in Tasmania to Labour. There Mr Lyons (late Premier of Tasmania) and Mr Guy, who both resigned from the Tasmanian State Parliament to contest the election, are in winning positions.

The position in Victoria discloses a definite swing of votes to Labour. There the aggregate of the votes cast for Labour is far greater than at the previous election. It is almost incredible what changes have taken place ‘ in some of the Nationalist Party’s strongholds in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Many of the old members are disappearing, only 'to be replaced by Laoountes, whose chances of victory they had never dreamed of. LABOUR LEADER’S COMMENT. Commenting on the election results, Mr James SoUliin, the Federal Labour Leader, says t “The results to date are magnificent.” Mr G. Theodore, the Deputy Leader of the Federal Labour Party, says: “Our-gains are greater than I. had anticipated. We should have forty-four seats in the new Parliament.” MR BRUCE’S STATEMENT.

The Right Hon. Stanley Bruce, Leader of the Nationalist Party, is deeply disappointed at the election results. He admits that there is. a noticeable swing of the pendulum in favour of Labour, and he deplores the defeat of at least five of his old colleagues. The West Australian figures give no indication of the position of parties there, but it, is beheved that there will be no material alteration. , The outlook in Queensland and South Australia is more favourable for the Government, but there is , small hope of the Bruce-Page party winning any additional scats beyond 26. MR HUGHES’ STATEMENT.

Right Hon W. M. Hughes says that the Government’s defeat sounds the death knell of the Party machine. Mr Hughes add: “Arbitration is to remain an integral part of our social life.”

Labours victory, by reason of its decisive nature, makes another election in the Federal sphere' possible;

that is in the case of a deadlock with (ho Senate, which is overwhelmingly anti-Labour, and is able to obstruct Labour’s programme. Moreover, it is believed that the Independent Nationalist breakaways, who received Labour's support yesterday, are 'bound to ally themselves with Mr Scullin in the major portion of his programme. 1

LATER RETURNS. (Received this day at 9.25 a.m.) SYDNEY, October 14. Additional election figures to-night do not improve the Governments position. Labour is already assured of a substantial majority without the aid of the Independents, and without considering the fate of the doubtful seats. The Prime Minister is still nearly' 500 behind in Flinders, but with the distribution of the Liberal candidate’s preferences his return is confidentially expected. The state of parties late to-night was:— Labour 38 Nationalist 10 Independent Nationalist .. 3 Country Party 9 Countr y Progressive Party 1 Independent 1 Doubtful 13 .

LONDON PRESS COMMENTS. (Received this dnv at 10 a.m.) LONDON, October 13. The "Observer” commenting on the .Australian elections says it is generally recognised all is not well with Australia economically, and that legislation will powerfully affect her prosperity. The "Sunday Times” says the development of the situation created by •the return of Labour will be awaited with deep anxiety, for it will undoubtedly encourage the subversive elements, which have so long been a if-.urse to Australian industrialism. Still there is no cause for panic. It may well be that in Australia, as in Britain, a Labour Government will give Extremists the cold shoulder. THE NEWS TO MR MACDONALD. NEW YORK, October 1.3. The New York-Australian P’'ess Association sent to Mr MacDonald -an Australian dispatch indicating that Labour had won 50 seats, and stating that the increased prestige of the English Labour Government had contributed to the Australian Labour Party’s success. The Secretary, Mr Vansittart, expressed regret that due to the lateness of the hour he iWould hesitate ,to ask the Prime Minister to comment. Mr MacDonald, earlier in the day, however, had expressed great interest in the issues of the campaign outlined to him in an audience at Big Brookes.

THE REASON WHY. SYDNEY, October 14. • The Sydney Headquarters of the National Association opines the primary reason of the Government’s defeat at the polls was the fear with the abolition of the Federal Arbitration Court there would be an organised attempt by the anti-Labour forces which would institute a demand for an all round reduction of wages,- while the entertainment tax also helped to cloud the real issue before the people. MR BRUCE RETURNED. (Received this dav at 1.0 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 14. The latest returns show that of the thirteen doubtful seats, Labour is likely to win eight, giving them forty-six seats in the new Parliament. In Darling Downs, Queensland, the former Speaker, Mr Groom, standing as an Independent Nationalist, ivas defeated by the selected Nationalist, who was expected to win. Mr Mann, one of the breakaways who voted with Hr Hughes against the Government on the arbitration measure, was defeated in Perth as an Independent Nationalist.

The Prime Minister’s (Mr Bruce) return is now beyond doubt, later figures being mostly in his favour.

I A review of the whole pos.tion shows that both New South Wales and Victoria voted solidly against the Government, and in these States Labour will gain four or five seats. The Government is in danger of also losing seats in Tasmania and South Australia, but it may succeed in holding its position in Queensland and Western Australia.

In not one case did the Nat onalist or the Country Parties succeed in taking a seat from. Labour.

The “Herald” editorially says: “The swing to Labour was sooner or late.' ,bound to come. It is remarkable that the Australian electorate at large, traditionally fickle, should have remained for so long constant to one party or to one combination of parties. It is nearly thirteen yeiirs sin e ?. Labour Ministry sat on the Federal Treasury Benches, and never before has Labour l>een so emphatically approved in its appeal for popular confidence. Mr Bruce’s courageous policy lias been defeated, but only for the day. The country will learn in due course that he is rig.-..”

THE PREVIOUS HOUSE. The previous election for the Lower of the Federal Parliament was held some eleven months ago, with the following result: Labour 31 Nationalist 29 Country Party 13 Independent 2 75