Chalmers (New Zealand electorate)

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Chalmers, originally Port Chalmers, was a parliamentary electorate in the Otago Region of New Zealand, from 1866 to 1938 with a break from 1896 to 1902. It was named after the town of Port Chalmers, the main port of Dunedin and Otago.

Contents

Population centres

In the 1865 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives focussed its review of electorates to South Island electorates only, as the Otago gold rush had caused significant population growth, and a redistribution of the existing population. Fifteen additional South Island electorates were created, including Port Chalmers, and the number of Members of Parliament was increased by 13 to 70. [1]

History

Port Chalmers was first established in 1866 for the term of the 4th New Zealand Parliament. For the 1893 election, it was renamed as Chalmers. In 1896, the electorate was abolished, but it was re-created (again as Chalmers) for the 1902 election. The electorate was abolished again for the last time in 1938. [2]

Due to World War II, the 1941 census was postponed. The next census was brought forward to 1945 so that the significant changes in population since the 1936 census could be taken into consideration in a 1946 electoral redistribution prior to the scheduled 1946 general election. At the same time, the Labour government abolished the country quota. The electoral redistribution changed all 76 electorates. [3] When the draft electoral redistribution was released for consultation in early April 1946, it was proposed for the Dunedin North electorate to be abolished and most of its area was supposed to go to a re-created Chalmers electorate. [4] Based on consultation feedback, the Port Chalmers Borough became part of the Oamaru electorate. With such a geographic change, the proposed name of Chalmers electorate was no longer viable and the electorate name Dunedin North changed to North Dunedin instead. [5]

Thomas Dick was elected on 17 March 1866 and resigned on 15 October 1866. He successfully contested the 15 December 1866 by-election, but resigned again on 26 April 1867. [6] David Forsyth Main succeeded him through the 1867 by-election.

James Macandrew died in February 1887 whilst holding the electorate. The 1887 by-election was won by James Mills. [7] The 1887 election was contested by Mills and James Green, [8] with Mills being successful. [9]

James Dickson represented Chalmers for four parliamentary terms from the 1914 election until 1928, when he retired. [10] Dickson was succeeded by another member of the Reform Party, Alfred Ansell, who won the 1928 and 1931 elections. [11] In both elections, Ansell was challenged by Labour's Norman Hartley Campbell. [12] [13] Campbell had already won the nomination as the Labour candidate for the 1935 election against M. Connolly, when he died in February 1935 following an operation. [14] [15] The Labour Party hierarchy wanted to make Connolly their candidate, but there was resentment and a new ballot was held, which was won by Archie Campbell, the brother of Norman Hartley Campbell. [14] Archie Campbell defeated Ansell with the swing to Labour in the 1935 election, but retired in 1938. [16]

The electorate was represented by seven Members of Parliament from 1866 to 1896, and a further five MPs from 1902 to 1938. [2] At the 1937 redistribution the electorate was split between Dunedin Central, Dunedin North and Oamaru electorates.

Members of Parliament

Key

  Independent   Liberal   Liberal–Labour   Independent Liberal   Reform   Labour
ElectionWinner
1866 election Thomas Dick
1866 by-election
1867 by-election David Main
1871 election James Macandrew
1876 election William Reynolds
1878 by-election James Green
1879 election James Macandrew
1881 election
1884 election
1887 by-election James Mills
1887 election
1890 election
(electorate renamed as Chalmers)
1893 election John A. Millar
(electorate abolished, 1896-1902)
1902 election Edmund Allen
1905 election
1908 election Edward Clark
1911 election
1914 election James Dickson
1919 election
1922 election
1925 election
1928 election Alfred Ansell
1931 election
1935 election Archie Campbell
(Electorate abolished 1938)

Election results

1935 election

1935 general election: Chalmers [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Archie Campbell 4,596 53.30
Reform Alfred Ansell 3,52540.88−8.31
Democrat Robert Fraser5015.81
Informal votes330.38−0.05
Majority1,07112.42
Turnout 8,62289.07+7.75
Registered electors 9,680

1931 election

1931 general election: Chalmers [13] [18]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Reform Alfred Ansell 3,870 49.19
Labour Norman Hartley Campbell3,69847.01
Independent Thomas Scollay2993.80
Informal votes340.43
Majority1722.19
Turnout 7,90187.32
Registered electors 9,048

1928 election

1928 general election: Chalmers [12] [19]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Reform Alfred Ansell 3,357 41.39
Labour Norman Hartley Campbell2,73833.76
United John Patrick Walls1,96524.23
Independent Reform William Adams McLachlan500.62
Majority6197.63
Informal votes750.92
Turnout 8,18590.11
Registered electors 9,083

1902 election

1902 general election: Chalmers [20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Edmund Allen 2,614 56.63
Conservative John White [21] 2,00243.37
Majority61213.26
Turnout 4,61676.54
Registered electors 6,031

1893 election

1893 general election: Port Chalmers [22] [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal–Labour John A. Millar 1,754 51.76 +9.23
Liberal Edmund Allen 1,63548.24
Majority1193.51
Turnout 3,38970.44+4.26
Registered electors 4,811

1890 election

1890 general election: Port Chalmers [24]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent James Mills 874 57.46
Liberal–Labour John A. Millar 64742.53
Majority22714.92
Turnout 1,52166.18
Registered electors 2,298

1878 by-election

1878 Port Chalmers by-election [25] [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent James Green 269 60.04
Independent Henry Dench17939.96
Majority9020.09
Turnout 448

1867 by-election

1867 Port Chalmers by-election [27]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent David Forsyth Main 92 46.94
Independent Captain James Malcolm8141.33
Independent Hugh McDermid2211.22
Independent James McIndoe10.51
Independent John Graham00
Majority115.61
Turnout 196

Notes

  1. ↑ McRobie 1989, p. 36.
  2. 1 2 Wilson 1985, p. 260.
  3. ↑ McRobie 1989, p. 95.
  4. ↑ "Electoral districts – south loses two seats". Evening Star . No. 25759. 4 April 1946. p. 7. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "New boundaries: electoral districts". Otago Daily Times . No. 26190. 28 June 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Scholefield 1950, p. 103.
  7. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 220.
  8. ↑ "The General Elections". Otago Daily Times . No. 7980. 19 September 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  9. ↑ "The General Election, 1887". National Library. 1887. p. 3. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  10. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 193.
  11. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 180.
  12. 1 2 Skinner, W. A. G. (1929). The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. p. 2. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  13. 1 2 The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  14. 1 2 "Another Ballot?". Auckland Star . Vol. LXVI, no. 84. 9 April 1935. p. 9. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  15. ↑ "Obituary". The Evening Post . Vol. CXIX, no. 31. 6 February 1935. p. 13. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  16. ↑ Wilson 1985, pp. 180, 187.
  17. ↑ The General Election, 1935. National Library. 1936. pp. 1–35. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  18. ↑ "Nomination day : Candidates for Otago seats". Evening Star . No. 20955. 20 November 1931. p. 8. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  19. ↑ "Election notices". Evening Star . No. 20032. 24 November 1928. p. 9. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  20. ↑ "The General Election, 1902". National Library. 1903. p. 3. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  21. ↑ Cyclopedia Company Limited (1905). "Barristers and Solicitors". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Otago & Southland Provincial Districts. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  22. ↑ "The General Election, 1893". National Library. 1894. p. 2. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  23. ↑ "The General Election". Otago Daily Times . 28 November 1893. p. 6. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  24. ↑ "The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  25. ↑ "Telegrams". Southland Times. 13 April 1878.
  26. ↑ "Political". Grey River Argus. 13 April 1878.
  27. ↑ "Daily Southern Cross". Daily Southern Cross . 14 June 1867.

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References

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