The polling for the new House of Representatives and half the Senate takes place within two days, All voting closes at 8 o'clock in the evening, and by midnight sutficient will be known to give a general idea as to the result. Only once, and that was in 1913, was the result of a general election in doubt for several days. Then one side secured a majority of one in the Representatives. This was fol-fowed by a strenuous year of parliamentary fighting and public agitation. Then, in accordance with the constitution, the Government forced a double dissolution, just after the war broke out, and the country swept the ministerial arty into oblivion. Had the new Labour Government then held fast to_its pledges, introduced conscription, and so fulfilled its promise to give "the last man and the last shilling" to the fight for democracy, the Bolshevist element, the Industrial Workers of the World and the Sinn Feiners would never have been hea.d of in Australia. But the Labour party split, and the section which stood to_ its pledges was cast out, only to join their previous opponents. In 1917 the electors justified this coalition.
remains to be seen whether on this coming Saturday they will do 80 again. On the whole the election campaign has not been as openly bitter as was expected. Indeed the rowdiness at meetings has not been out of the common. The Prime Minister has declared for protection, more production and more population, in order that we inlay be able to meet the £400,000,000 war debt. The Opposition has made many promises of money assistance to different groups of copie, but has chiefly relied upon its accusation that the Government is in league with the profiteers, and that its promises and pledges are untrustworthy. Ministerialists generally encourage themselves with the reflexion that the elections in England, France, Belgium, Germany and Italy have all shown that the great mass of the electors have no belief in or part with the preachers of revolution, and gener al upheaval.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.