- Christchurch South by-election, 1939
-
Christchurch South by-election, 1939 
1938 general ← 3 June 1939 → 1943 general Turnout 11,905 (76.36%) 
Candidate Robert Macfarlane Melville Lyons Party Labour National Popular vote 7,900 4,005 Percentage 66.36% 33.64%
MP before election
Ted Howard
LabourElected MP
The 1939 Christchurch South by-election held on 3 June was caused by the death of Ted Howard during the term of the 26th New Zealand Parliament. The by-election in the Christchurch South electorate was contested by Robert Macfarlane for Labour and Melville Lyons for National, with Macfarlane winning the election. At the time, Macfarlane was Mayor of Christchurch.
Contents
Background
Since the first election of Ted Howard in the 1919 general election, Christchurch South was held by the Labour Party.[1] At the last general election in 1938, Howard had polled 9,885 votes versus 3,890 votes for Gladstone Ward, the son of former Prime Minister Joseph Ward.[1][2] When Howard died on 26 April 1939,[3] the electorate was thus regarded as a safe seat for Labour.[1]
On nomination day, two candidates were put forward: Robert Macfarlane for the Labour Party and Melville Lyons for the National Party.[4] Mabel Howard, Ted Howard's daughter, had hoped to be put forward by the Labour Party, and she was endorsed by the local branch of the party.[5] The national executive of the Labour Party chose Macfarlane, and Howard believed that she was opposed by the party's hierarchy due to her connections to John A. Lee, who was seen as a radical within the party.[6] The chosen candidate, Macfarlane, had been Mayor of Christchurch since the previous year.[7]
Results
Results of the Christchurch South general election held on 15 October 1938 were:[2]
Christchurch South general election, 1938 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Ted Howard 9,885 71.76 National Gladstone Ward 3,890 28.24 Majority 5,995 43.52 Turnout 13,775 Results of the by-election held on 3 June 1939 were:[8]
Christchurch South by-election, 1939 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labour Robert Macfarlane 7,900 66.36 National Melville Lyons 4,005 33.64 Majority 3,895 32.72 -10.80 Turnout 11,905 76.36[9] There were 20 polling booths and Lyons obtained a majority at only two of those (at Kilmore Street and at the Provincial Chambers in Durham Street). Macfarlane could increase the Labour vote at one polling booth only (Antigua Street in Sydenham).[10] Macfarlane stated that in his belief, about 2,000 Labour Party supporters did not vote because the outcome of the election was a forgone conclusion.[11] This view was disputed in an editorial by The Evening Post, arguing that the reduced Labour support is due to Howard's popularity that Macfarlane does not possess despite many high profile politicians having campaigned on Labour's behalf, and that it is more likely that National supporters have suffered from apathy, as Lyons never had any hope of winning the election.[12]
Macfarlane held the electorate until its abolition at the 1946 general election and subsequently Christchurch Central[13] until the 1969 general election, when he retired.
Notes
- ^ a b c "The By-Election". Evening Post: p. 8. Volume CXXVII, Issue 128, 2 June 1939. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19390602.2.60. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ a b "General Election". Evening Post: p. 10. Volume CXXVI, Issue 98, 22 October 1938. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19381022.2.85. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 115.
- ^ "City By-Election". Evening Post: p. 11. Volume CXXVII, Issue 118, 22 May 1939. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19390522.2.124. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ "Labour Party Nomination". Evening Post: p. 7. Volume CXXVII, Issue 102, 3 May 1939. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19390503.2.30. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ McAloon, Jim. "Howard, Mabel Bowden 1894–1972". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5H38. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "Chairmen and mayors". Christchurch: Christchurch City Council. http://www.ccc.govt.nz/thecouncil/howthecouncilworks/ourhistory/chairmenmayors.aspx. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "Official Count". Evening Post: p. 6. Volume CXXVII, Issue 134, 9 June 1939. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19390609.2.41. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ "By-Election Result". Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette: p. 5. 7 June 1939. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=ROTWKG19390607.2.22. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ "Seat Retained". Evening Post: p. 10. Volume CXXVII, Issue 130, 5 June 1939. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19390605.2.98. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ ""A Hard Fight"". Evening Post: p. 10. Volume CXXVII, Issue 130, 5 June 1939. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19390605.2.99. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ "A Straw Vote". Evening Post: p. 8. Volume CXXVII, Issue 130, 5 June 1939. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19390605.2.64. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 122.
References
- Scholefield, Guy Hardy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840-1949. Wellington: Govt. Printer.
« (1912–1938) « 
By-elections in New Zealand in the two-party era (1939–1995) » (1996 – present) »26th Parliament - Christchurch South, 1939
- Auckland West, 1940
- Waipawa, 1940
- Waitemata, 1941
- Bay of Plenty, 1941
- Mid-Canterbury, 1942
- Temuka, 1942
- Hauraki, 1942
- Christchurch East, 1943
- Northern Maori, 1943
27th Parliament - Awarua, 1944
- Western Maori, 1945
- Hamilton, 1945
- Dunedin North, 1945
- Raglan, 1946
28th Parliament - Avon, 1947
- Mount Albert, 1947
- Westland, 1947
29th Parliament - Brooklyn, 1951
30th Parliament - Dunedin North, 1953
- Onehunga, 1953
- Onslow, 1954
- Patea, 1954
31st Parliament - Riccarton, 1956
- Bay of Plenty, 1957
32nd Parliament - Hamilton, 1959
33rd Parliament - Hurunui, 1961
- Waitaki, 1962
- Buller, 1962
- Timaru, 1962
- Otahuhu, 1963
- Northern Maori, 1963
- Grey Lynn, 1963
34th Parliament - There were no by-elections during the term of the 34th Parliament.
35th Parliament - Southern Maori, 1967
- Fendalton, 1967
- Petone, 1967
- Palmerston North, 1967
- Eastern Maori, 1967
- Hutt, 1968
36th Parliament - Marlborough, 1970
37th Parliament - Sydenham, 1974
38th Parliament - Nelson, 1976
- Mangere, 1977
- Pahiatua, 1977
- Rangitikei, 1978
39th Parliament - Christchurch Central, 1979
- Northern Maori, 1980
- Onehunga, 1980
- East Coast Bays, 1980
40th Parliament - There were no by-elections during the term of the 40th Parliament.
41st Parliament - Timaru, 1985
42nd Parliament - There were no by-elections during the term of the 42nd Parliament.
43rd Parliament - Tamaki, 1992
- Wellington Central, 1992
- Tauranga, 1993
44th Parliament - Selwyn, 1994
Categories:- By-elections in New Zealand
- 1939 elections in Oceania
- 1939 in New Zealand
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
