1947 Westland by-election

1947 Westland by-election

←  1946 general 3 December 1947 (1947-12-03) 1949 general  →
Turnout	12,886 (90.35%)
Candidate Jim Kent Jack Lockington Party Labour National Popular vote 7,427 5,405 Percentage 57.88 42.12
Member before election James O'Brien Labour Elected Member Jim Kent Labour

The 1947 Westland by-election was a by-election held during the 28th New Zealand Parliament in the South Island electorate of Westland. The by-election occurred following the death of MP James O'Brien and was won by Jim Kent.

Background

James O'Brien, who was first elected to represent Westland for the Labour Party in 1922 and had been Westland's MP continuously since 1928, died on 28 September 1947. This triggered the Westland by-election, which occurred on 3 December 1947.

Candidates

Labour
There were six nominations for the Labour Party candidacy: ^[1]

• Paddy Blanchfield, the Deputy Mayor of Greymouth and member of the Grey Power Board
• William J. Butler, a press gallery journalist for the Grey River Argus newspaper and former Labour Party South Island organiser
• Ernie Heenan, a Hokitika businessman who was chairman of the Greymouth Harbour Board and member of the Westland Hospital Board
• Jim Kent, a Greymouth Borough Councillor and former chairman of the Greymouth Harbour Board
• Mark Wallace, a Kokatahi farmer and member of the Westland County Council
• Robert James Ware, district organiser of post office national savings and president of the Greymouth branch of the Labour Party and vice-president of the Westland Labour Representation Committee

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Auckland East MP Bill Schramm, who was defeated in 1946 and was originally from Hokitika, was also speculated as a possible candidate but later dismissed. ^[2] Ware was selected as the candidate on 24 October. ^[3] Five days later Ware was taken ill suddenly, the same day he was to have opened his campaign at a meeting in Ngahere. After receiving advice from his doctor he withdrew his candidacy. ^[4] After Ware's withdrawal Kent was selected as the candidate on 31 October. ^[5]

National
Several names were put forward for the National Party candidacy: ^[6]

• Gordon Gillespie, a Greymouth businessman
• Jack Lockington, a farmer from Reefton
• Martin Nestor, the National Party's chief research officer

Two previous National candidates from past elections, Ted Taylor and Frank Chivers, were also considered. ^[1] Both declined nomination, as did Patrick Joseph O'Regan, a farmer from Inangahua Junction, owing to health reasons. ^[6] Lockington was selected by a meeting of delegates and members of the Westland electoral committee at Greymouth on 28 October. ^[7]

Others
After being unsuccessful in attaining the official Labour nomination, there was speculation that Wallace would stand as an Independent Labour candidate. This did not eventuate however. ^[8]

Previous election

1946 general election: Westland ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James O'Brien	9,097	67.21
	National	Frank Chivers [10] [11]	4,381	32.36
Informal votes			57	0.42
Majority			4,716	34.99
Turnout			13,535	94.45
Registered electors			14,330

Results

The following table gives the election results:

1947 Westland by-election ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jim Kent	7,427	57.64
	National	Jack Lockington	5,405	41.95
Informal votes			54	0.41	−0.01
Majority			2,022	15.76
Turnout			12,886	90.35	−4.10
Registered electors			14,262
	Labour hold		Swing

Kent obtained 57.9% of the votes and was successful. ^[9]

See also

• List of New Zealand by-elections

Notes

1. "Westland Seat – Possible Candidates". The Press . Vol. LXXXIII, no. 25316. 16 October 1947. p. 8.
2. "Westland Seat – Mr Schramm Unlikely Candidate". The Press . Vol. LXXXIII, no. 25308. 7 October 1947. p. 6.
3. "Labour Candidate For Westland Seat". Northern Advocate . 24 October 1947. p. 2.
4. "By-election in Westland – Labour Candidate Withdraws". Ashburton Guardian . Vol. 68, no. 16. 30 October 1947. p. 2.
5. "Westland Byelection – Mr J. B. Kent Labour Candidate". The Press . Vol. LXXXIII, no. 25330. 1 November 1947. p. 8.
6. "By-election for Westland Seat – National Party's Nomination". The Press . Vol. LXXXIII, no. 25321. 22 October 1947. p. 3.
7. "National Party Candidate – Mr Lockington to Stand for Westland". The Press . Vol. LXXXIII, no. 25327. 29 October 1947. p. 8.
8. "Westland By-election – Possibility of Third Candidate". Otago Daily Times . No. 26617. 13 November 1947. p. 6.
9. Norton 1988, p. 391.
10. "General Election". Auckland Star . Vol. LXXIV, no. 203. 27 August 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
11. "Chivers, E Frank, DSM, MID". Torpedo Bay Navy Museum . Retrieved 3 November 2014.

References

• Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand parliamentary election results, 1946–1987. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Department of Political Science. ISBN   0-475-11200-8.