EVEN NUMBERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 October 1940, Page 5

EVEN NUMBERS

IN THE FEDERAL HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES LIKELY ON FINAL ELECTION COUNT. LABOUR PARTY DEMANDS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, October 3. Final results of the Federal election may now leave the Government (Coalition of United Australia Party and' United Country Party) with 36 seats in the House of Representatives, and the Labour Party also with 36 seats. There may be two Independent members, one of them a potential supporter of the Prime Minister, Mr Menzies, and the other a doubtful supporter. The Government won two of three doubtful seats during today’s checkup of candidates’ preferences. Maramoa (Queensland) is not yet finally decided, but indications point to the Official Labour nominee (Mr F. Baker) as the successful candidate. In this case the strength of the parties would be equal—36 each. The House consists of 75 members, including a Northern Territory member who possesses the right to vote only in connection with ordinances concerning his territory.

The two Government candidates returned today were a former Minister of Customs (Mr J. Perkins), who retained the Eden-Monaro seat, and Lieutenant-Colonel R. S. Ryan, who won the Flinders seat in Victoria formerly held by the Minister for Air (the late Mr J. V. Fairbairn). The Flinders contest has been ex* tremely interesting largely because of the neck-and-neck fight with the Labour candidate (Mr T. Lee) and an Independent (Mr E. A. Mann), who prior to the election was the official commentator on national broadcasting stations known as “The Watchman.” (Mr Mann is a brother of Victoria’s Chief Justice (Sir Freedrick Mann), and Colonel Ryan is a brother-in-law of Mr R. G. Casey, Australian Minister at Washington). The Senate count will not be completed for a fortnight because of the delay in receiving soldiers’ votes. It is generally expected that Labour will win in only New South Wales, thereby reducing the Government’s majority in the Senate to one.

The Federal elections have thus produced a virtual stalemate capable of producing a major political crisis in the event of Labour declining to be associated in a National Government. Such a Government, according to political observers, is the only way out.

Authoritative Labour opinion is already declaring that in no circumstances will the Labour Party accept fewer than half the portfolios in any National Government. Labour also demands the right to select its own Ministers. The position will be surveyed at a conference of Parliamentary leaders convened by Mr Menzies for Monday. LABOUR GAINS FIVE SEATS THROUGHOUT COMMONWEALTH. SYDNEY, October 4. With only one Federal seat undecided—Maranoa in Queensland —which is a likely gain by Labour, it is now possible to survey what happened in the recent Federal elections. As cabled previously, the state of the parties remains 36-all, with the addition of two Independents. New South Wales electorates alone revealed a heavy swing to Labour, who won 16 to 28 seats, taking five from the Government parties. Labour also won one seat in Victoria, and seem certain of winning the last undecided seat, Maranoa. Their losses are two in Tasmania and one in South Australia. Labour’s net gains are thus five seats throughout the Commonwealth.

Here and there in the fight between rival Labour factions, official Labour has triumphed at the expense of the Beasley non-Communist group, whose numbers are diminished to four in the House of Representatives. The bickerings which preceded the elections have now died out, and it is expected that when the line-up takes place in the House, Labour will present a united front.

In all States other than New South Wales there was no noticeable swing to Labour. The Government’s majority, however, would have entirely disappeared, but for an unexpected rally in Tasmania where two Labour seats reverted to the United Australia Party. One of these, Wilmot, which was the former Prime Minister (Mr Lyons’s) seat, has been retrieved by the Government candidate. Mr Guy, from the Labourite, Mr Spurr, who won it at a by-election after Mr Lyons's death. Mr Guy was formerly a member of the Tasmanian Assembly. The position in Western Australia is “as you were,” but the tragic death this week of “Texas” Green, Kalgoorlic, though it brings Labour’s total of seats back to 35, does not dispose of the fact that the seat will again go to Labour.

Outstanding features of the election were the return of Dr Evatt, in Barton, New South Wales, by a heavy majority over a strong opponent, and the close call experienced by the Federal Labour leader, Mr Curtin, whose majority in Fremantle, with 60,000 voters, was only 604.