"YES" OR "NO."

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 24, 2 June 1913, Page 5

"YES" OR " N O ."

THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS. RETURNS FILTERING IN. [l3y Electric Telegraph—Copyright] [United Press ABB3o"ajc-:i-a'.J Sydney, Juno 1. Though the weather was generally fine in New South Wales, the bitter cold militated somewhat against the polling for the new Commonwealth Parliament. In Victoria and Tasmania rain and wintry conditions prevailed, though on the whole voting was heavy.

Up to midnight, when the counting was stopped, not a single electorate was completed. The returns from many of the electorates, especially from the other States, are too meagre to •speculate upon. It will he days before all are complete. Most of the Ministers and Mr Joseph Cook, the leader of the Opposition, appear to be safe, though Mr Fisher (the Prime Minister) and Mr King O'Malley fighting strong opponents.

Great and enthusiastic crowds assembled in the strets in tho vicinitj if the newspaper offices, watching tho wsting of the returns till an early hour this morning.

ESTIMATES ON PAPER. (Received 9-35 a.m.) Sydney, June 2. On existing figures, the Herald makes the approximate position as follows:—Labour and Liberal each 34, doubtful seven. The paper calculates that the Liberal gains will be three each in New South Wales and Victoria, one each Queensland and Westralia ; labour gains, one each in New South Wales, Queensland and Westralia, and two each Victoria and South Australia, with nine more possible Liberal and one Labour gain in the various States. The Telegraph, with reservation, states that anything may happen. In i dozen electorates it estimates the nett gains to Liberal at seven, and to Labour as two. A few referenda returns received i'or New South Wales, Westralia, and Queensland, slightly favour "yes," and from Tasmania "no." DISABILITIES OF THE POLL. Many complaints of disfranchisement have been through incomplete r-olls. In Brisbane, the supply of voting papers ran short, and numbers were mable to poll.