1915 Dunedin Central by-election

New Zealand by-election April 2024 January 2019 1915 Dunedin Central by-election New Zealand 1915 presidential no 1914 New Zealand general election 1914 general 1919 New Zealand general election 1919 general 1915 02 03 y 7,959 (84.55%) 100px Charles Statham Reform Party (New Zealand) 4,033 50.67% 100px Jim Munro United Labour Party (New Zealand) 3,926 49.33% Member Charles Statham Reform Party (New Zealand) Charles Statham Reform Party (New Zealand) The Dunedin Central by-election of 1915 was a by-election during the 19th New Zealand Parliament held on 3 February in the Dunedin Central electorate. The by-election was sparked by the resignation of the incumbent, Charles Statham,Scholefield 1950 after irregularities in the counting of the vote during the 1914 general election turned a 10-vote lead for his competitor Jim Munro into a 12-vote loss. There were only two nominees. Background On election night 1914 Jim Munro had a provisional lead of one vote in Dunedin Central. Due to the closeness of the polling there were several re-counts of the ballots which took many days. To general surprise the final magisterial re-count resulted in the seat being awarded to Charles Statham by a 12 vote margin. It was soon revealed however that this was due to a "careless" polling clerk scribbling notes and numbers on ballot papers (rather than counterfoil). All affected ballot papers just happened to be votes for Munro and were thus declared void. If included the 22 disqualified votes would have resulted in a 10 vote final victory for Munro.Bassett 1982 18 Under the circumstances Statham felt honour bound to resign the seat, though he was in no way obligated to do so. He did and thereby triggered a by-election. The Reform government had a bare minimum majority and therefore much was at stake. As a result the Liberal Party did not contest the election and its leader Sir Joseph Ward actively toured the electorate to encourage the electors to vote for Munro. In the event of a Labour victory it was conceivable for Ward to form a minority government with Labour support.Bassett 1982 18 Results The following table gives the election results: Results by locality Following table showcases the detailed results by locality by ballot location: Locality Statham (Reform) Munro (ULP) WinnerVotes % Votes % Baptist Hall 200 48.54 212 51.46 Munro Berwick's Store 192 55.98 151 44.02 Statham Caversham 153 40.58 224 59.42 Munro Council Chambers 630 59.15 435 40.85 Statham Green Island Church 66 33.84 129 51.16 Munro High Street School 191 79.91 48 20.09 Statham Kirkland Hall 256 39.26 396 64.64 Munro Methodist Church 146 60.08 97 39.92 Statham Odd Fellows' Hall 150 26.64 413 73.35 Munro Old Council Chambers 152 51.17 145 48.83 Statham Russell Street 251 56.27 195 43.73 Statham Victoria Hall 819 46.45 944 53.55 Munro Walker Street 629 58.45 447 41.55 Statham Absentees & Seamen 186 64.58 102 35.42 Statham Total 4,033 50.67 3,926 49.33 Statham Aftermath As a result of Statham's victory, the government retained its scant 41:39 majority, allowing them to continue in office. At the next general election in 1919 Statham once again defeated Munro. Statham was to remain MP for Dunedin Central until he retired at the 1935 general election. Munro won election to Parliament at another by-election in 1922 for the neighboring seat of Dunedin North. Notes References Bassett Michael Bassett Michael Three Party Politics in New Zealand 1911–1931 1982 Historical Publications Auckland 0-86870-006-1 Scholefield Guy New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 Guy Scholefield 3rd First ed. published 1913 1950 Govt. Printer Wellington Dunedin Central 1915 Category:1915 elections in New Zealand Category:Politics of Dunedin Category:1910s in Dunedin