SLOW PROGRESS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 September 1940, Page 4

SLOW PROGRESS

IN FEDERAL ELECTION COUNT THE GOVERNMENT’S LEAD. AT PRESENT FIVE SEATS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, September 24. The main interest in the election for the House of Representatives now centres in 14 seats in which the distribution of the preferences and the absentee votes may alter the existing position. Seven are in New South Wales, two in Victoria, three in Queensland and one each in Western Australia and Tasmania. Today’s checking of the primary votes indicates that the Government parties can be sure of 32 seats and the Labour parties of 27. The decision in a few of the 14 doubtful seats is unlikely to be known for some days and probably weeks. It is anticipated that the majority of postal and absentee votes will favour the Government candidates, as in former years, but calculations can be completely upset by the preference of Independent candidates, which may favour either party. Keen interest is still focused in the seat of the official Labour Opposition leader Mr Curtin in Western Australia, where he is making little headway against what seem to be unbeatable odds. The latest development is an offer by the Labour candidate, Mr R. James, who represents the Hunter constituency, near Newcastle, New South Wales, to resign in favour of Mr Curtin in the event of the latter being defeated. There is no confirmation of a report that Mr Green will resign the Kalgoorlie seat in favour of Mr Curtin. Mr Menzies regards the election results as a clear mandate for the prosecution of the war with the utmost vigour. He expressed the view that the setback to the Government in New South Wales alone could be attributed to sections of the Sydney Press, which, while not actually advocating a Labour Government, had constantly decried the Government’s war effort and attacked individual Ministers. The official Labour candidate, Mr S. M. Falstein, who appears to have won the Watson seat from Mr J. T. Jennings (Government), is a practising barrister. He visited New Zealand some years -ago and participated in election campaigns there on behalf of Labour. He was on relief work and obtained employment on the Auckland wharves. Mr F. R. Lee, who is reported to be defeating the Labour leader, Mr J. Curtin, in Fremantle, is- a former journalist in Western Australia. He is a fluent speaker with unusual organising ability and at present represents London mining interests in Australia. The Fremantle seat has occasionally been held by a nonLabour representative.