AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1917, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

NEW SOUTH WALES ELECTIONS,' WIN FOR NATIONALISTS. .1 MINISTERS SAFEr-Australiai:-N.Z. Cable Assoelatioa. Received March 25, 6.6 p.m. Sydney, March 2S. The weather was fine for the elea* ; tious and voting was heavy. Everything passed off quietly. Up till midnight, when counting ceased, none ot ■ the returns were complete, but the ina- ' jority were sufficiently far advanced tt> aliow that the Nationalists have secured ii solid victory, On the incomplete returns, capable, however, of considerable alteration, th# state of parties appears approximately 1 follows: Nationalists—Fifty-two. Political Labor League—Twenty*'' seven. * Independent—Three. • .' ■- Doubtful—Eight. Outstanding features of the election , are the defeats of Meagher, Lord Mayor ' of Sydney and Speaker of the Assembly, for the Phillip electorate', where he stood as nn Independent Laborite against Doyle, the president of the P.L.U.j' Jaa.. McGowan, an old Labor leader and a former Premier, by Nikell; and Arthur Griffith, one-time Minister of Works,' ' by O'Brien, at Annandale: Tjoth victories being P.L.L. All the Ministers appear safe, though! one is not altogether out of the wood. Holman is putting up a great fight at Cootamundra. . John Storey, leader of the Laborites, secured an easy victory at Balmain. Second ballots will be required at six, probably at Bevcn, seats. Four will be between Nationalists, one between a . * Nationalist and an Independent, an#. two between Nationalists and Labor. PARTY LEADERS COUNT HEADS, Received March 25, 11.30 (p.m. Sydney, March 25. - On present figures Labor has woa . seven seats from the Nationalists, name* ly, Botany, Newtown, Redfern, Marrickville, King Division of the city, Woollonpng, and Kahibah, while the Nationalists have from Labor the Wav« crley, Hurstville, and Wagga electorates. Of the scats of the nine soldier members now at the front, the P.L.L. contested four, while the Nationalist* 'refrained from contesting any, though' some of them were Laborites. Commenting on the figures late on ' Saturday night, Mr. Holman (Premier?' anticipated that he will lead a party of .' at least 55, with an Opposition of 35. . ' Mr. Storey claimed that the result of' the elections was a substantial victory ■' for Labor. He anticipated that he would ~. ■have 37 supporters and the Nationalists,; '■, 44, with nine uncertain. ' Much regret has been expressed at the defeat of the old Labor champion Mr! . ;' McGowen, who was absent in Tasmania v recovering from the results of a vehicle ' > accident, and was unable to conduct the campaign. Another notable Laborite of the Na- . tionalists, Mr. George Blnck, a former ' ' chief secretary, was defeated for Namol