Elections for the return of members to both Houses of the State Parliament took place on the Ist June. In accord. ance with the provisions of the onstitntion Amendment Act pusser Inst year, the numbers in both Houses have been the Council from forty-eight ive and in the Assembly from ive to sixty-eight. State employes voted as separate constituencies, two members being allotted to the railway service, the otter civil servants being represented by one member. To the Upper House the whole service elected one member.
The Ministerial party, headed by Mr. Bent, lave succeeded in majority of eight; they scored chiefly in the country constituencies, no fewer \than twelve of their number being returned unopposed. As might have been expected, the out-and-out Labour men captured the majority of the metropolitan constituencies, in addition to gaining the seats allotted to the big provincial towns. The Opposition party of the last Parliament has been almost wiped out. only eleven being returned who are declared supporters of the leader. Mr. Mackinnon, Nineteen seats are therefore credited to the Labour party, amongst whom are.of course, numbered the public service representatives. This party now occupies the direct opposition benches, and its lealer is engineering a coalition with the eleven who support Mr. Mackinne ters have not as yet come to a head, but as Parliament meets on the 29th of June, doubtless a working agreement will that time have been arrived at. Itis curious to note that no member of the public service was elected to represent his fellows. {railway men went t the poll, but they were one and all rejected in favour of two shining lights from the Trades Hall Ca: The remainder of the service chose as their representative a well-known Melbourne solicitor.
who has had Parliamentary experience. He is frequently referred to prove most serviceable for military pur-asa firebrand. but is also credited with poses. The Bhutan ponies we are ac-Sustomed to, though perhaps descended from the same stock, are undersized compared to their congeners higher up in Cloudland, which being born and bred in such a ratified atmosphere should certainly possess the most wonderful lung power. being a sound authority on Constitational Law.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.