SMUTS’ WIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 February 1921, Page 5

SMUTS’ WIN.

SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTIONS. LARGE ABSOLUTE MAJORITY, REPUBLICAN CRY SMOTHERED. ■ t Bj Telegraph.—-Press Assn.—Copyright, .Received Feb. 13, 11.5 p.m. Capetown, Feb. 12. Though certain of a majority of twenty-three to twenty-six over all parties. General Smuts (the Premier) deeply regrets the loss of Mr. De Wet (Minister for Justice), who refused an offer of a safe seat. He has announced liis intention of resuming his lawyer’s practice. The South African Party gained Barkly, giving Genoral Smuts a majority of twenty-two over all parties, irrespective of the result of ties and not including Independents. Only one result is now outstanding, and at present the state of the parties is:— 'South African ..... 78 Labor -••••• p Nationalists 43 Independent - 1 The gains of the South African Party are 10, Labor 3, and Nationalists 7. How badly the Republican cry has been smothered is seen by the following comparison : Cape province, South Africans 36, Nationalists 13; Transvaal 28 and 12; Natal 14 and 1. Only the Free State showed a majority for secession, and returned sixteen Nationalists and one Laborite. In the whole Union sixty-two per cent of the electors voted against secession. A feature of the election has been the great number of working men who supported General Smuts' policy of a nonracial South Africa under the Union constitution. The railwaymen’s votes xindoubtedly helped to give General Smuts his majority. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.