The 1917 Hawkes Bay by-election was a by-election held in the eastern North Island electorate of Hawkes Bay during the 19th New Zealand Parliament, on 8 March 1917.
It was caused by the death of incumbent MP Robert McNab,[1] and was won by fellow party Liberal Party member Sir John Findlay with a majority of 471 votes.
Background
Under the terms of the coalition agreement between Reform and the Liberals a condition was made not to oppose each other in by-elections for deceased or retiring MPs from their own parties. As the deceased MP for this electorate was a Liberal the Reform Party did not contest the seat, and endorsed the Liberal's official candidate as a sign of goodwill and wartime unity. The newly formed Labour Party chose not to stand a candidate, but there was rumour that former MP for Nelson, Harry Atmore was considering standing in "Labour" interests.[2] This did not eventuate.
Sir John Findlay was chosen by the Liberal Party to contest the seat, he was a former Legislative Councillor and served in Sir Joseph Ward's cabinet from 1906 to 1911 as Attorney-General and later as Minister of Justice.[3] Former Napier MP Alfred Fraser previously sought the Liberal nomination, however he retired from the contest,[2] yet 9 votes were still cast for him.
H. Ian Simson also stood in support of the National Government and was Findlay's only real competition for the seat.[2]
Results
The following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Sir John Findlay | 2,635 | 54.24 | ||
| Liberal–Labour | H. Ian Simson | 2,164 | 44.54 | ||
| Liberal | Alfred Fraser | 9 | 0.18 | ||
| Informal votes | 50 | 1.02 | |||
| Majority | 471 | 9.69 | |||
| Turnout | 4,858 | 48.82 | |||
| Registered electors | 9,950 | ||||
Findlay held the seat until the next general election and then retired.[3]
References
- ^ Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
- ^ a b c "Hawke's Bay Seat". Wanganui Herald. Vol. LI, no. 15152. 22 February 1917. p. 5. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ a b Hall, Geoffrey G. "Findlay, John George". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ^ "The Final Figures". Sun. Vol. IV, no. 960. 9 March 1917. p. 11. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
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