1941 Christchurch mayoral election explained

Election Name:1941 Christchurch mayoral election
Country:New Zealand
Flag Image:Christchurch COA pre-1949.jpg
Type:Presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1938 Christchurch mayoral election
Previous Year:1938
Next Election:1944 Christchurch mayoral election
Next Year:1944
Election Date:17 May 1941
Turnout:30,846
Candidate1:Ernest Andrews
Party1:Christchurch Citizens' Association
Popular Vote1:13,563
Percentage1:43.97
Candidate2:Edward Parlane
Party2:New Zealand Labour Party
Popular Vote2:12,371
Percentage2:40.11
Candidate3:John Keith Moloney
Party3:Independent politician
Popular Vote3:4,672
Percentage3:15.15
Mayor
Before Election:Robert Macfarlane
Before Party:New Zealand Labour Party
After Election:Ernest Andrews
After Party:Christchurch Citizens' Association

The 1941 Christchurch City mayoral election was held on 17 May. The incumbent, Robert Macfarlane of the Labour Party, did not stand for re-election as he wanted to serve in WWII. Four candidates stood and Ernest Andrews of the conservative Citizens' Association was successful.[1] Andrews was installed on 28 May 1941.

Background

The 1938 Christchurch mayoral election had been won by Robert Macfarlane of the Labour Party, beating John Guthrie of the conservative-leaning Citizens' Association. The city council was made up of 11 Labour members and 5 from the Citizens' Association, which gave the Labour Party a strong majority.[2]

Macfarlane was a strong proponent of war service and was determined to serve himself. He started military training in Burnham in January 1941.[3] When the Christchurch Labour Representation Committee met on 20 February 1941 to elect the candidates for the upcoming local elections on 20 February, Macfarlane announced his retirement from the mayoralty.[4]

Ernest Andrews' candidacy was announced on 5 December 1940. Andrews was a senior councillor with long service and a member of the conservative-leaning Citizens' Association. Andrews responded to a request by a large deputation.[5] His candidacy came outside of the normal Citizens' Association process where several candidates would go through a nomination process. It took until 18 February 1941 before Andrews was confirmed as the official candidate of the Citizens' Association.[6]

Candidates

Ernest Andrews

Ernest Herbert Andrews was a senior city councillor whose candidacy was announced on 5 December 1940. Andrews had been born in 1873 near Nelson. He had studied at Canterbury University College and had been a school teacher in various parts of the country before settling in Christchurch with a printing business in 1907. A representative cricketer, he was involved with numerous organisations. He had continuously been a member of Christchurch City Council since 1919, had chaired almost every council committee, and had been deputy-mayor under John Beanland (1936–1938).

John Moloney

John Keith Moloney, a barrister in Christchurch, announced his candidacy on 5 March.[7] Originally from Dunedin, he had come to Christchurch in the mid-1890s and had been there since with the exception of WWI.[8] He had not previously been on the city council.[9] Moloney had set up and was leading a group called "Win the War". He had been the president of the Canterbury Rugby Union since 1938.[10] He advocated for the amalgamation of various local bodies plus organisations like the Drainage Board, the Fire Board, the Tramway Board, to be administered by Christchurch City Council.

Edward Parlane

The Labour Party candidacy for the mayoralty was first discussed in The Press in December 1940, with the party's preference that a new mayor be elected as opposed to the deputy mayor taking the leadership position if the incumbent, Macfarlane, were to leave the country on war service for an indeterminate length of time. At that point, John Septimus "Jack" Barnett (the present deputy mayor) and Edward Parlane were given as the most likely candidates.[11] Parlane was chosen at the Christchurch Labour Representation Committee meeting on 20 February 1941.

Parlane was born in Rangiora in 1874. He received his education at East Oxford primary school, where he then did farming until age 20 followed by some years of farming in the North Island. He returned to Rangiora and became involved in unions; first the Flourmillers' Union and then the Canterbury Timber Workers' Union in Christchurch. In 1923, he became the secretary of the Timber Workers' Union[12] and still held the position in 1941, as well as secretary of the Canterbury Drivers' Union. He was on the board of Christchurch West High School and was one of the founders of the Addington public library; he served as the library's president for 10 years. He was first elected onto Christchurch City Council in 1929 and lived in Addington's Cotterill Street. His elder brother, Andrew Parlane (born 1869), was elected onto Wellington City Council in 1936.[13]

Charles Thomas Rodda

Charles Thomas Rodda was born on 31 December 1871 in Victoria, Australia.[14] He announced his candidacy on nomination day: 6 May 1941. Rodda was self-employed as a painter and paperhanger.[15] Rodda campaigned that New Brighton be connected to the Christchurch sewerage system, and that the Lyttelton road tunnel and a Christchurch Town Hall be built.[16]

Results

The election was held on Saturday, 17 May 1941, from 9am to 6pm.[17] This was a change from previous elections which had been held on Wednesdays, from 9am to 7pm.[18] The first-past-the-post voting system was used. There were 24 polling booths in Christchurch Central and Richmond, 21 polling booths across Linwood and Woolston, 28 polling booths across St Albans and Papanui, 36 polling booths across Sydenham and Spreydon, 1 polling booth in Lyttelton, and 6 polling booths in New Brighton; a total of 116 booths. Huntsbury and the borough of New Brighton had joined with Christchurch city on 1 April 1941 and polling booths for a Christchurch election were in those areas for the first time.[19]

There were four different bodies elected that day. Apart from the mayoralty, people voted for 16 city councillors (33 candidates), 10 hospital board representatives (22 candidates), and 4 Lyttelton Harbour Board representatives (8 candidates). In addition, the Christchurch Tramway District held elections on that day but while many of the polling booths were the same as for the other elections, this was separately organised.[20]

The election had a poor turnout, much reduced from the 1938 election despite a much larger roll due to the Borough of New Brighton having been added to the city since. Jack Roberts, the president of the Christchurch Labour Representation Committee, lamented that worker apathy had cost his party the election.[21]

Mayoral election results

Andrews was installed on 28 May 1941 at a ceremony held at the municipal offices in Manchester Street.[22]

City councillor election results

Andrews was a widower and his late wife's niece, Eveleyn Couzins, acted as mayoress. Andrews remained mayor until his retirement in 1950. Couzins died in 1945 and his daughter Gwendoline took on the role as mayoress.

References

. Who's Who in New Zealand . Guy Scholefield . 1951 . 5th . . Wellington.

Notes and References

  1. News: Election notices . 25 October 2019 . . LXXVII . 23322 . 7 May 1941 . 12.
  2. News: Local body elections: Mr R. M. Macfarlane wins mayoralty . 23 October 2019 . . LXXIV . 22399 . 12 May 1938 . 18.
  3. News: Mayor as soldier . 27 October 2019 . . 61 . 73 . 7 January 1941 . 4.
  4. News: Mayoralty of city: Mr Parlane Labour candidate . 27 October 2019 . . LXXVII . 23260 . 21 February 1941 . 10.
  5. News: City mayoralty: Mr E. H. Andrews a candidate . 16 November 2019 . . LXXVI . 23196 . 6 December 1940 . 3.
  6. News: The mayoral election: Support for Mr E. H. Andrews . 16 November 2019 . . LXXVII . 23258 . 19 February 1941 . 8.
  7. News: . City mayoralty: Mr J. K. Moloney to stand . 8 . LXXVII . 23271 . 6 March 1941 . 29 October 2019.
  8. News: An independent candidate: mayoral election . 29 October 2019 . . LXXVII . 23317 . 1 May 1941 . 8.
  9. Web site: Councillors of the City of Christchurch . Christchurch City Council . 29 October 2019 . Christchurch . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720010657/http://www1.ccc.govt.nz/handbook/councillorsofthecityofchristchurch.asp . 20 July 2011 . dmy .
  10. News: General news . 29 October 2019 . . LXXVII . 23283 . 20 March 1941 . 6.
  11. News: Labour and the mayoralty: Second ballot possible . 27 October 2019 . . LXXVI . 23199 . 10 December 1940 . 6.
  12. News: General news . 27 October 2019 . . LIX . 17747 . 26 April 1923 . 12.
  13. News: No by-election . . 10 . 9 May 1936 . 28 October 2019 . CXXI . 109 .
  14. News: C. T. Rodda . 16 November 2019 . . LXXVII . 23327 . 13 May 1941 . 11.
  15. News: The municipal elections: four candidates for mayoralty . 16 November 2019 . . LXXVII . 23322 . 7 May 1941 . 8.
  16. News: Local body elections . 16 November 2019 . . LXXVII . 23329 . 15 May 1941 . 5.
  17. News: Election notices . 25 October 2019 . . LXXVII . 23322 . 7 May 1941 . 12.
  18. News: Poll to be held to-day . 25 October 2019 . . LXXIV . 22398 . 11 May 1938 . 12.
  19. Book: Densem . John . Christchurch chronology: a history of settlement . 1990 . Environmental Policy and Planning Policy Unit, Christchurch City Council . Christchurch . second . 25 October 2019.
  20. News: Election notices . 25 October 2019 . . LXXVII . 23322 . 7 May 1941 . 12.
  21. News: Defeat in city mayoralty and council . 26 October 2019 . . LXXVII . 23332 . 19 May 1941 . 6.
  22. News: New Mayor and Council . 25 October 2019 . . LXXVII . 23341 . 29 May 1941 . 6.