Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 9 November 1947, page 1


*t HA VE BEEN DEFEA TED ^CAIN

LABOR LANDSLIDE IN VICTORIAN ELECTION

May Lose 14 Seats

MELBOURNE. Sat: "I haire been defeated" declared labor Premier Cain tonight. "I did my best. The people have spoken and I make way tor my successor"

There was a landslide against Labor in today's Victorian State elections, in which Labor strength is likely to be reduced

Irnm 32 ff A I fi.

Four Labor Ministers ore facing defeat-Deputy Premier Field, Minister for Decen-tralisation Stoneham, Minister for Agriculture McKenzie and Attorney-General Slater.

A surprise defeat was that of Laborite A. H. Drakeford, son of Federal Minister for Air, who lost Essendon. At the last election he defeated his Liberal opponent by 8900.

If, as seems probable, Liberals gain most seats, the new Premier will be Ballarat member Hollway.

"Very Pleased"-Menzies

"I am very pleased" said Federal Opposition Leader Menzies to-night. "I feel like a farmer who hears rain on his roof after a long drought It is certain that Mr. Chifley is tonight studying very care-fully the results of this election, and it will be interesting to watch the trend of events at Canberra during the next few weeks."

It appears that Liberals will in-crease their numbers from 13 to 26, Country from 18 to 21, while Labor will drop from 31 to 18.

CP leader McDonald said: "The figures are improving all the time. It is the greatest thing in history. Victoria has stood for British tra-dition. Socialists and Communists should take heed. It looks as if Labor and Independents will lose

18 seats."

"Not The End"

"This is not the end of the fight against the nationalisation of banks; it is only the beginning," Îleclared Liberal leader Hollway

onight. He believed Liberals would win 10 seats.

_ Among those who lost seats were 2 Independents Gardner and Mc-Lean who helped to keep the Cain« Govt. in power.

' Attorney-General Slater, who ls in danger of defeat, has held Dundas for over 20 years.

There was great excitement at Liberal hqrs tonight, gains exceed-ing the expectations of the most Optimistic Liberal supporters.

Refused Supply

Previous Parliament was dis-solved on October 8 after a stormy interlude when the Upper House ?refused supply to force the Cain Govt to the country on the issue Of the nationalisation of banking. ; Labor refused to accept the Op-position's challenge that the issue -Was the Banks. Labor fought it on the Upper House action in re-fusing supply.

. More Federal Parliamentarians took part in the campaign than in any election since the 1932 NSW contest when the Lang Govt was

beaten._