COMMONWEALTH ELECTIONS
THE LIBERAL PROSPECTS.
A CLOSE FIGHT. 4 ■ By CdMe—Press Association— Copyright. ' . .. , - Sydney, June 2. On the .existing figures the Herald .makes" she approximate position of the .Labor and Liberal parties each 34, while «even seats are doubtful
, •" It ealcplates Liberal gains <at three each* In New South. Wales and Victoria,; And one; each 1 in Queensland and Westjralia, 'and Labor gains: at one each in ifpw. South Wales, Queensland and West_jralia, and two . each in Victoria and Boutli ' , Außtralia l with nine more possible gains in, various States. The Telegraph, with the reservation tthat Anything'may happen in a dozen '•electorates, estimates the net gains to the Liberalanat seven, and to Labor two. ■. A, .few referenda returns have been leceived 'from New South Wales, Westlalia and Queensland, and these'slightly favour the affirmative, while Tasmania is voting negatively. There are many complaints of disfranchisement thrdugh incomplete rolls. In .prisbane the supply of voting papers Tan Ahart/.and numbers were unable to poll.
THE LIBERALS GAINING.
'. PROSPECTIVE LABOR DEFEAT.
•*»* t ' Received 2; 9.50 p.m. ijh-'; :; t -- . , Sydney, June 2. much delay in ih&stend-, g in of jeturns, owing to the bad state; 4he roads after tlje late heavy rains, £ait>ee w»tes: .and the unsatisfactory Hdition of f th'e rolls adding to the difficulties of the returning officers. Not electorate has yet completed the nmnt, but to-day's additions have ma; terially improved the Liberal outlook, both far the House and in the Senate, wrticulariy sis regards New South Wales. For safe seats the majorities have increased, and for doubtful ones the ihances have improved, fin Dlawarra, which on the early returns looked a certain gain for the Labor sandidate, the Liberal one has gone ihead. For Hume, Sir William Lyne, Tinning as an Independent Labor candiate, has fallen behind, and will possibly Rs defeated. For Riverina another doubtMi Liberal has- overhauled the Labor nan. The latest returns from Ballarat show Hat the Liberal candidate is slightly bead. jMr. O'Malley is having a great fight for ne Darwin seat, Tasmania. From a lead he has dropped behind the Lib--1 man. <Mr. Fisher unexpectedly badly outdisMced his opponent for the Wide Bay sat , t INDEPENDENTS GET A SHORT SHRIFT. v Received 2,11.15 p.m. Sydney, June 2. }A feature of the polling was the short irift given to the Independent candiptes. Practically in every case they are Mlly out of the running. * THE SENATE FIGURES. /' < LABOR LEADING. Received 2, 11.15 p.m. Sydney, June 2. Though far from complete, the Senate pures are beginning to take shape. In ew South Wales the Liberal bunch is tiding, with Sir A. Gould '117,888, Mr. Men 115,500, and Mr. Oakes 114,637, the Rrest Labor candidate being Mr. Grant 8,f}75. The Socialist bunch is nowhere, to the Labor bunch is ahead tb Mr. Russell . 160,093, Mr. Barnes 6,276, Mr. McKissick 155,809, the nearfc. Liperal candidate being Mr. Salmon 6,751. In Queensland Labor is ahead, with r. Maughan 25,965, Mr. Mullen 24,565, d Mr. Ferricks 24,506, the nearest Lib-al-man being Mr. Chataway 21,362. 
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