IN BALANCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24410, 23 September 1940, Page 6

IN BALANCE

GOVERNMENT'S FATE FEDERAL ELECTIONS RESULT NOT YET KNOWN LABOUR VICTORY POSSIBLE SYDNEY. Sept. 22. (Received Sept. 22. at 11 p.m.)

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 doub'ful 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 R. 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 Lang electorate. Mr H. V. Evatt, who resigned from the High Court Bench, defeated the Uni'ed 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 onlv 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 two other 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.-NEWLY-FORMED PARTY A POOR SHOWING 1 Sydney; Sept. 22. (Received Sept. 22, at 11.30 p.m.) 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 nonCommunist 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-Commuriist 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. ■'•.'-'